And yes, it is much better than the Geraldine McEwan version, which was spoiled significantly by that wretched ending. While I slightly prefer A Murder is Announced(my personal favourite of the 12 feature length adaptations) and Sleeping Murder, The Body in the Library is a beautifully done adaptation of a very good book. That somehow seems not to matter, it's a gorgeous production and well worth watching. It is very long, they certainly put as much of the book in it as possible, it's very faithful, possibly guilty of being a little slow in parts. Trudie Styler is a brilliant Josie Turner, she helps to make the ending quite brilliant, all in a look. David Horovitch played Slack so well, I can see why he was made a recurring character, I'm sure he was overused but I get why. Other performances I liked, firstly Gwen Watford, she is delightful as the ditsy Dolly Bantry, so excited that a body has been found, she clearly loved a bit of drama, I'm so glad she returned in the final episode too.

She is truly wonderful, even after her introduction you just know that she is Miss Marple. Straight away Joan Hickson shows us why she is the definitive Miss Marple, endorsed by Agatha Christie herself, she'd play the role from 1984 - 1992 and make it her own. This version mirrors the book in so many ways, it's a truly faithful adaptation, as the saying goes 'if it ain't broke don't fix it.' I understand that a few elements are missed, but it would have been impractical to attempt to squeeze it all in. Somehow she seems unreal, Dolly Bantry seeks the help of her friend Jane Marple, and the pair seek to unravel the mystery, enquiries lead them to the seaside. The sleepy peaceful home of the Bantry's is woken to the shattering news that the body of a young platinum blond woman has been found in the Library.

The body in the library joan hickson