The world of Agatha Christie - 6 Minute English
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of 6 Minute English, hosts Sam and Neil explore the world of murder mysteries, focusing on Agatha Christie, the best-selling novelist of all time. They discuss her famous detective Hercule Poirot and his peculiar habits, as well as the story 'Murder on the Orient Express.' Listeners learn about the unique characteristics of Poirot and are introduced to the quiz question: Who is Agatha Christie's other famous detective? The episode also covers vocabulary related to murder mysteries, such as 'whodunnit,' 'telltale,' 'alibi,' 'perplexed,' and 'foibles.'
Takeaways
- π΅οΈββοΈ Cluedo is a board game where players deduce the murderer, location, and weapon used in a crime, inspired by murder mystery novels.
- π Agatha Christie is known as the queen of murder mysteries, with her books translated into 103 languages and selling over 2 billion copies worldwide.
- π© Hercule Poirot is Agatha Christie's most famous detective, featured in 33 of her novels, including 'Murder on the Orient Express'.
- π 'Murder on the Orient Express' is set on a train journey from Istanbul to Calais, where a murder occurs and Poirot must solve it.
- βοΈ The train gets stuck in a snowstorm in Croatia, making the murder seemingly impossible to have been committed by outsiders.
- π The term 'telltale' refers to something that reveals information, like footprints in the snow that would indicate the murderer's presence.
- π An 'alibi' is proof that someone was elsewhere when a crime was committed, which all passengers on the train seem to have.
- π€ The word 'perplexed' describes Poirot's state of confusion as he tries to solve the murder with everyone having an alibi.
- π Sophie Hannah has written new Poirot stories based on Agatha Christie's characters, describing Poirot's eccentricities.
- π΅ Miss Marple is revealed as Agatha Christie's second most famous detective character, not Hetty Wainthropp as initially guessed.
Q & A
What is the game Cluedo about?
-Cluedo is a game where the player takes on the role of a detective to discover who the murderer is, where the crime took place, and which weapon was used.
What is the connection between Cluedo and murder mystery books?
-Cluedo is based on the popular genre of murder mystery books, also known as 'whodunnits,' which are stories about a murder where the identity of the murderer is revealed only at the end.
Who is considered the queen of murder mysteries?
-Agatha Christie is considered the queen of murder mysteries, a British writer whose books have been read all over the world and translated into over 100 languages.
How many copies of Agatha Christie's crime novels have been sold worldwide?
-Over 2 billion copies of Agatha Christie's crime novels have been sold worldwide, making her the best-selling novelist of all time.
What is the name of Agatha Christie's most famous detective?
-Agatha Christie's most famous detective is Hercule Poirot, who starred in 33 of her books.
What is the setting of the story 'Murder on the Orient Express'?
-The story 'Murder on the Orient Express' takes place on a train traveling from Istanbul in Turkey to Calais in northern France.
What makes the murder on the Orient Express particularly perplexing for Poirot?
-The murder on the Orient Express is perplexing because the train is snow-trapped and isolated, making it impossible for the murderer to have escaped without leaving footprints in the snow.
What does the term 'telltale' mean in the context of the story?
-In the context of the story, 'telltale' refers to something that reveals information, allowing a secret to be uncovered, such as footprints in the snow that would indicate the murderer's presence.
What is an alibi in the context of a murder mystery?
-An alibi is proof that a person was somewhere else when a crime was committed, providing them with a reason not to be considered the perpetrator.
How does Agatha Christie describe Hercule Poirot's personality?
-Agatha Christie describes Hercule Poirot as a very strange or eccentric man with unusual habits and characteristics, such as his love for neatness and order, and his pride in his luxuriant moustaches.
Who is Sophie Hannah, and what is her connection to Hercule Poirot?
-Sophie Hannah is an author who has written several new Poirot stories based on the characters invented by Agatha Christie. She has described more of Poirot's strange characteristics in an interview for BBC World Service Programme.
What is the quiz question posed in the script, and what is the correct answer?
-The quiz question is 'Poirot may be Agatha Christie's most famous detective, but he isn't her only one - so who is Agatha Christie's other fictional detective?' The correct answer is 'c) Miss Marple.'
Outlines
π΅οΈββοΈ Introduction to Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot
The script begins with an introduction to the BBC Learning English program, '6 Minute English', hosted by Sam and Neil. They discuss the board game Cluedo, which is based on murder mystery novels, often referred to as 'whodunnits'. The conversation shifts to Agatha Christie, the renowned British writer known as the 'queen of murder mysteries'. Born in 1890, her works have been translated into 103 languages and sold over 2 billion copies worldwide. The hosts highlight her most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, who appears in 33 of her novels, including the well-known 'Murder on the Orient Express'. The story is summarized, detailing Poirot's investigation on a halted train due to a snowstorm, where a passenger is found murdered. The script also introduces a quiz question about Agatha Christie's other fictional detective and mentions the author Sophie Hannah, who has written new Poirot stories.
π Agatha Christie's Detectives and Recap of Vocabulary
In the second paragraph, the hosts continue their discussion on Agatha Christie's detectives. Neil guesses the name of Christie's other famous detective, incorrectly identifying Hetty Wainthropp. The correct answer is revealed to be Miss Marple. The script then provides a recap of the vocabulary used in the program, including terms like 'whodunnit', 'grinding halt', 'telltale sign', 'alibi', 'perplexed', and 'foibles'. The vocabulary is defined and contextualized within the narrative of Agatha Christie's stories. The hosts conclude the program with a farewell, signaling the end of their six-minute exploration into the world of Agatha Christie's mysteries.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Cluedo
π‘whodunnit
π‘Agatha Christie
π‘Hercule Poirot
π‘Miss Marple
π‘alibi
π‘perplexed
π‘telltale
π‘foibles
π‘grinding halt
π‘eccentric
Highlights
Introduction to the game Cluedo and its connection to murder mystery stories.
Agatha Christie's status as the best-selling novelist of all time with over 2 billion copies sold.
Agatha Christie's most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, and his appearance in 33 of her books.
Description of 'Murder on the Orient Express', a famous whodunnit featuring Poirot.
The unique setting of 'Murder on the Orient Express' on a train traveling from Istanbul to Calais.
The intriguing plot twist where the murderer must be one of the passengers due to the isolated train.
The term 'telltale' explained as revealing information that uncovers a secret.
The concept of an 'alibi' as proof of being elsewhere when a crime was committed.
Hercule Poirot's portrayal as a perplexed detective when faced with a challenging mystery.
Agatha Christie's description of Poirot as an eccentric character with unusual habits.
Sophie Hannah's continuation of Poirot stories based on Agatha Christie's characters.
Details of Poirot's peculiar characteristics, such as his neatness, orderliness, and pride in his moustaches.
The quiz question about Agatha Christie's other famous detective, Miss Marple.
The revelation that Miss Marple, not Hetty Wainthropp, is Agatha Christie's other famous detective.
Recap of vocabulary including 'whodunnit', 'grinding halt', 'telltale sign', 'alibi', 'perplexed', and 'foibles'.
Conclusion of the program with a summary of the discussed highlights.
Transcripts
Hello.
This is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English.
I'm Sam.
And I'm Neil.
Have you ever played the game,
Cluedo, Neil?
The idea is that
the person playing detective
discovers who the murderer
is, where the crime took
place, and which
weapon was used.
The last time I played Cluedo
it was Professor Plum, in
the library, with the dagger!
Cluedo is based on a very
popular type of book - the
murder mystery, sometimes
called a whodunnit - a
story about a murder which
does reveal who the murderer
is until the end.
The queen of murder mysteries
is a British writer who was
born in 1890.
Her books
are read all over the world
and have been translated
into a 103 different
languages.
Her name is
Agatha Christie.
To date over 2 billion copies
of her crime novels have
been sold worldwide, making
her the best-selling
novelist of all time...
and the subject
of this programme.
Perhaps her best-known story
is 'Murder on the Orient
Express', a whodunnit
featuring her most famous
detective, Hercule Poirot,
who starred in 33 of
Agatha Christie's books.
More about that later but
as usual I have a quiz
question for you, Neil.
Poirot may be Agatha
Christie's most famous
detective, but he isn't
her only one - so who is
Agatha Christie's other
fictional detective?
Is it:
a) Hetty Wainthropp?
b) Jessica Fletcher?
or,
c) Miss Marple?
I'll guess it's
a) Hetty Wainthropp.
OK, Neil.
I'll reveal the
answer at the end
of the programme.
As mentioned, one of Agatha
Christie's most famous books
is 'Murder on the Orient
Express'.
The story takes
place on a train travelling
from Istanbul in Turkey to
Calais in northern France.
Listen as writer and Agatha
Christie superfan, Harriet
Gilbert, summarises the
story for BBC World Service
programme, World Book Club.
Poirot is on the train,
heading back home to England
from Syria, when two
unconnected events take
place.
In a snowstorm in
Croatia, the train comes
grinding to a halt and in
one of the sleeping berths,
a passenger is murdered.
Since it's impossible for
anyone to have reached the
isolated snow-trapped train
or to have escaped from it
without leaving telltale
footsteps in the snow, the
killer can only be one of
the dozen people sharing
Poirot's coach.
Yet as
he starts to investigate
it seems that each of
them has an alibi for
the time of the murder.
Impossible?
Well, Poirot's
certainly perplexed...
During a snowstorm, the
express train comes to a
grinding halt - it slows
down until it stops
altogether.
Then,
someone is murdered!
The murderer can't have
escaped without leaving
telltale footprints in the
snow.
When something is
described as telltale,
it reveals information
which allows a secret to
be uncovered.
For example,
lipstick on your husband's
shirt could be a telltale
sign he's having an affair.
The murder victim is found
in bed stabbed with a knife.
Poirot begins to investigate,
but as he questions the
train passengers one by one,
it seems that everyone has
an alibi - proof that they
were somewhere else when
a crime was committed.
Naturally, this leaves the
Belgian detective perplexed,
or confused because
something is difficult to
understand or solve.
I won't spoil the story
by telling you what happens
next, Neil.
But let's just
say that, as usual, Poirot
uncovers the murderer using
his incredible powers
of observation.
In her stories, Agatha
Christie describes Hercule
Poirot as a very strange
or eccentric man.
The author, Sophie Hannah,
has written several new
Poirot stories based on
the characters invented by
Agatha Christie before her
death in 1976.
Here she is
describing more of Hercule
Poirot's strange
characteristics to BBC
World Service Programme,
World Book Club.
There's the sort of the
outward things, his
appearance which is very
striking and very unusual,
and his sort of, I suppose
foibles is the best thing
to call them, he likes
neatness, he likes order,
he approaches thing very
methodically, he's very
proud of his luxuriant
moustaches, you know,
all of that.
Sophie calls Poirot's
unusual behaviour his
foibles - habits or
characteristics which are
considered strange or
foolish but which
harm no-one.
Yes, unlike the fictional
murderers he uncovers,
Poirot's foibles do no
harm, but it makes me
wonder if Agatha Christie's
other famous detective
also had unusual habits.
Well, first you'll have
to reveal the answer to
your quiz question, Sam.
You asked me for the name
of Agatha Christie's other
famous detective, and I
guessed it was
a) Hetty Wainthropp.
Well, I'm afraid that was
the wrong answer!
In fact,
Miss Marple was the name
of Agatha Christie's
second most famous
character - although Hetty
Wainthropp is a
fictional detective on TV.
Now that we've solved the
murder and revealed the
correct answer, let's
recap the vocabulary
starting with whodunnit -
a murder story which does
not tell you who the
murderer is until the end.
In the whodunnit, 'Murder
on the Orient Express',
the train comes to a
grinding halt - it slows
down until it
stops altogether.
A telltale sign reveals
hidden information so
that a secret can
be revealed.
An alibi is proof that
you were somewhere else
when a crime was committed.
To be perplexed means
to be confused because
something is difficult
to understand.
And finally, someone's
foibles are their strange
but harmless habits
or behaviour.
That's all for our
six-minute investigation
into the mysterious world
of Agatha Christie.
Goodbye for now.
Goodbye.
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