Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials

Streaming on: Netflix

Episodes viewed: 3 of 3

Two years before Agatha Christie created Miss Marple, the Queen Of Crime reintroduced a different kind of hero to her readers. Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent debuted as an amateur sleuth in The Secret Of Chimneys (1925) beforereturning again in 1929’s The Seven Dials Mystery, her second and last outing on the page. A TV adaptation of the latter briefly brought Bundle back to life in 1981, but she’s still far from a household name. Jump to 2026, and Netflix’s new take on Seven Dials isn’t going to change that just yet, although there’s plenty to enjoy about her return almost a century on from the original book’s release.

What starts out as a somewhat traditional mystery deviates from formula more than you might expect, even if the story’s setting is typically grand and aristocratic. Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall keeps the pace brisk as he guides us through various twists and turns, all the while painting a picture of a nation on the edge following World War I. Visual flourishes like the ticking title card and lavish period costume add some whimsy.

But it's clear that Mia McKenna-Bruce (How To Have Sex) is the one having the most fun. Her Bundle is an unconventional Christie protagonist, spirited in her defiance of social norms, and she’s the one who pulls you in even when the mystery takes some tedious detours. The BAFTA winner lives up to her Rising Star award here, pulling focus from veterans like Martin Freeman’s stock detective and Helena Bonham Carter as Bundle’s mother, Lady Caterham. The latter does shine at the end, however, in a gender-swapped role whereby she ends up digging at something deeper. In doing so, Seven Dials proves itself to be as relevant as Bundle in its outlook, with plenty to say about modernity in how it relates to women and the cost of war. It’s also just a spiffing good yarn, even if it doesn’t match up to some of Agatha Christie’s greatest work.