The BBC will produce seven new adaptations of Agatha Christie murder mysteries over the next four years – including Ordeal By Innocence and Death Comes As The End, it has been announced.

The production deal between BBC One and Agatha Christie Productions Ltd follows the huge success of And Then There Were None in December 2015, which drew eight million viewers.

Aidan Turner in And Then There Were None BBC
Aidan Turner in And Then There Were None (BBC/Mammoth Screen/Robert Viglasky)

Another novel set to get the small screen treatment is The ABC Murders, about a race against time to stop a serial killer who is operating across 1930s Britain.

In addition to the seven new productions, filming has already begun on two-part drama The Witness For The Prosecution, adapted by And Then There Were None writer Sarah Phelps and starring Sex And The City actress Kim Cattrall and Dad’s Army actor Toby Jones.

Dad's Army actor Toby Jones and Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall who will star in the BBC's adaptation of Agatha Christie's The Witness For the Prosecution
Dad’s Army actor Toby Jones and Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall who will star in the BBC’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Witness For the Prosecution (Ian West/PA)

Phelps will also adapt Ordeal By Innocence, one of Christie’s favourite novels, which will be produced by Mammoth Screen – the company responsible for And Then There Were None.

The writers of the other six adaptations are yet to be announced.

Hilary Strong, CEO of Agatha Christie Limited, said: “And Then There Were None was a highlight of the 2015 BBC One Christmas schedule, and we are truly delighted to be building on the success of that show, first with The Witness For The Prosecution, and then with adaptations of seven more iconic Agatha Christie titles.

Charles Dance
Christmas hit And Then There Were None (BBC/Mammoth Screen/Robert Viglasky)

“What Sarah Phelps brought to And Then There Were None was a new way of interpreting Christie for a modern audience, and Agatha Christie Ltd is thrilled to be bringing this psychologically rich, visceral and contemporary sensibility to more classic Christie titles for a new generation of fans.”

Charlotte Moore, director of BBC content, added: “These new commissions continue BBC One’s special relationship as the home of Agatha Christie in the UK.

“Our combined creative ambition to reinvent Christie’s novels for a modern audience promises to bring event television of the highest quality to a new generation enjoyed by fans old and new.”