Miss Marple (1984)

Joan Hickson's Jane Marple looks like a harmless lady with her knitting, which is exactly why suspects talk in front of her. This BBC series adapts all twelve Marple novels, and its unhurried pace, real English villages and memorable theme tune make it feel like a well-thumbed paperback. Christie herself once wrote to Hickson that she hoped she would play Miss Marple one day. Pick this over the glossier 2004 Agatha Christie's Marple when you want fidelity to the books and an evening that never raises its voice.