‘A Bucket-List Role’ Olivier Award Nominee Peter Polycarpou Brings Poirot to Newcastle Theatre Royal

Taking on one of literature’s most famous detectives in Agatha Christie’s The Hollow, when the production visits Newcastle Theatre Royal (Tue 10 – Sat 14 Nov), two-time Olivier Award nominee Peter Polycarpou admits the role has been years in the making.

“Getting to play Hercule Poirot is a real bucket-list moment for me,” he says. “He’s been on my wish list for a long time. Poirot is so iconic, this wonderfully logical man who has such a moral responsibility to him and who has a huge psychological insight into people.”

Best known for acclaimed stage performances in Oslo, The Band’s Visit, Les Misérables: The Arena Concert Spectacular and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, alongside screen credits including House of the Dragon and The Brutalist, Polycarpou now joins a celebrated list of actors who have portrayed Christie’s legendary Belgian sleuth.

In The Hollow, Poirot arrives in the English countryside hoping for a quiet retreat, only to find himself drawn into a murder investigation when a gathering at an elegant country house ends in tragedy What appears to be a straightforward crime soon reveals itself to be far more complex.

Polycarpou says stepping into Poirot’s polished shoes comes with a unique challenge.

“There is a weight of expectation in playing him. It’s like playing Hamlet in a sense. To make it my own, I’ve researched as much as I can about him, delving into his traits, his idiosyncrasies and his backstory.”

Directed by Lucy Bailey, whose previous Christie productions include Witness for the Prosecution, And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, this new adaptation shines a spotlight on one of the Queen of Crime’s most psychologically rich stories.

“It’s not a puzzle mystery where Poirot’s task is to work out how the crime has happened,” Bailey explains. “Here Christie is more interested in the psychological dynamics within a family. Its Christie meets Chekhov.”

Originally published in 1946, The Hollow stands apart from many of Christie’s better-known works, focusing as much on the motivations and emotions of its characters as it does on solving the crime itself.

For Bailey, that depth is part of the reason the story continues to resonate with audiences.

“Having studied her writing so intensively, I’ve really come to appreciate her humor, sharp observation and her understanding of human nature in all its craziness.”

Blending suspense, wit and psychological intrigue, The Hollow offers theatre audiences a fresh encounter with Poirot and a chance to experience one of Agatha Christie’s most fascinating mysteries brought vividly to life on stage.

Agatha Christie’s The Hollow plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Tue 10 – Sat 14 Nov 2026. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.