As a massive crime drama fan, anytime I hear anything involving an adaptation of Agatha Christie's works, I get incredibly excited. And now that BritBox has confirmed its lead stars for its upcoming Tommy & Tuppence series, that excitement has gone into overdrive.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed that Josh Dylan (The Buccaneers) and Antonia Thomas (The Good Doctor) had been cast in the titular roles. However, the most exciting cast announcement was that of Imelda Staunton (The Crown, Harry Potter), who will be playing Aunt Ada, a "formidable" retired private investigator. Colour us intrigued!
The announcement also gave more details into the characters, describing Tuppence as "an actress and force of nature who won't take no for an answer", while Tommy is said to be "a meticulous, charming crime writer who has lost his passion but finds it again when whirlwind Tuppence re-enters his life".
© Alamy / Jaap Buitendijk / © Focus Features / courtesy Everett CollectionAn official synopsis for the show reads: "Tommy and Tuppence are a detective duo for the ages. They fall in love, fall out of it, and tumble back in, all while solving some thrilling, entertaining mysteries along the way."
What have the stars been in before?
Fans will no doubt recognise Imelda from her iconic roles, including as the late Queen in the final two seasons of The Crown and as Professor Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter film series. The star is a BAFTA winner for her role as Vera Drake in the film of the same name; she was also nominated for an Academy Award for the part.
The 69-year-old has also collected five Olivier Awards for her roles on stage, most recently in 2025 for her role in Hello Dolly!.
© GettySince 2023, Josh has been appearing in Apple TV+'s hit historical drama, The Buccaneers as Lord Richard Marable. The 31-year-old also played Jude McGregor in Noughts and Crosses and appeared as a Young Bill in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Antonia, 38, rose to fame as Alisha Daniels in Channel 4's comedy superhero series Misfits. The actress has also starred as Evelyn Douglas in Lovesick and Dr. Claire Browne in The Good Doctor.
What is Tommy & Tuppence about?
The upcoming adaptation is a modern retelling of Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence. The late crime author wrote four novels and one short story collection featuring the crime-solving duo.
© ShutterstockPenned by Phoebe Eclair-Powell (The Road Trip) more than 100 years after Tommy and Tuppence first appeared in Christie's 1922 novel, The Secret Adversary, the upcoming series will be set in London's leafy Hampstead.
BritBox's six-part series isn't the first adaptation of Tommy and Tuppence. The pair were brought alive on screen in ITV's 1983 series, Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime, starring James Warwick and Francesca Annis, and in the BBC's 2015 drama, Partners in Crime, which starred David Walliams and Jessica Raine.
