Poirot star Sir David Suchet announces plans for autumn tour

Sir David Suchet will retrace his steps as a young actor for a series of in conversation-style events.

The Poirot star will visit more than 20 theatres across the UK in the autumn, starting at The Watermill near Newbury, where he began his career before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The show – called Poirot And More, A Retrospective – will see Sir David look back at his five decades on stage and screen and share memories with journalist and interviewer Geoffrey Wansell, with whom he wrote his memoir.

He will visit venues including New Theatre in Cardiff, Norwich Theatre Royal and Derby Theatre before ending at the Stockton Globe on Sunday December 19.

Sir David said: “Regional theatre has always been very close to my heart as it’s where my career started and was nurtured.

“To visit so many places that have meant so much to me during my 52-year career is wonderful.

“This show is my way of connecting and saying hello to people across the country after this terrible period and welcoming them back into the theatre.

“I am looking forward to sharing my memories, stories and favourite moments.”

Originally produced in Australia and New Zealand by Liza McLean and Andrew Kay, the show is presented in the UK by McLean, Kay and Jonathan Church Theatre Productions.

It is co-created by Sir David and McLean.

Queen/Theatre staff & Lipman
The Queen shares a joke with David Suchet during her visit to the Almeida Theatre in London (John Stillwell/PA)

Born in London in 1946, Sir David joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 16 and later trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

After a stint at The Watermill he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1973.

His first television role came in 1970 in The Mating Machine, and in 1980 he played Edward Teller, who developed the hydrogen bomb, in a mini-series about the Manhattan Project, called Oppenheimer.

He portrayed Sigmund Freud in BBC mini-series Freud in 1984 before he first appeared as moustachioed detective Poirot in Agatha Christie’s Poirot on ITV in 1989 and received international acclaim, reprising the role over 70 episodes until 2013.

His interpretation of the Belgian super-sleuth is considered by many as the definitive one.

He was knighted for services to drama and charity in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

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