Agatha Christie's Marple - A Pocket Full Of Rye

Julia McKenzie was interviewed on her debut as Britain’s favourite spinster sleuth, Miss Jane Marple, by Helen James Productions.  It took place on set at Wycombe Park (National Trust) in Buckinghamshire, during the ITV and Agatha Christie Ltd production of ‘A Pocket Full of Rye’, the first new drama in Agatha Christie’s Marple.  The interview was broadcast on ITV regional news and a highlight for the Marple website on itv.com.  We also spoke to director Charles Palmer, and actor Ralph Little (Sergeant Pickford) at West Wycombe Airfield.

Following her debut as Miss Marple in 'A Pocket Full of Rye', Julia McKenzie is once again joined by a stellar cast for 'Murder is Easy', 'They Do It With Mirrors' and 'Why Didn't They Ask Evans?' 
 
 Julia McKenzie's thoughts about the series ..

“I’m always completely amazed when I get the cast lists. They don’t tell me in advance - I think they like to surprise me. It’s quite staggering who wants to be in Marple, especially as most of these people have series of their own and they’re coming in to do virtually a cameo. I think it’s a testament to how good the series is. The one worry now is that they’re using up actors at the rate of knots, so I think they’re going to have to bend their rules and have some back!”

“Most of the actors are people I hadn’t worked with before but had admired from afar. I liked them all, especially the inspectors. But it’s invidious to name single people because it’s just been a very happy experience. It can be quite lonely [being the only constant cast member], but I have a few bottles of wine and champers in the fridge - people join me before they go and have a little drink, which is very nice!”

“All four episodes were a learning curve and I’ve enjoyed that experience hugely. I did go into the role rather quickly and didn’t have time to do the normal sort of research I might have done. So I’ve played it on my instincts. I have learnt a lot and I’m looking forward to the new series because, although I remain the same person, I think there are little technical things I can probably employ next time around.”