Why did Geraldine McEwan stop playing Miss Marple?

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A more modern Miss Marple, The Twinkly Miss Marple, The 21st century Miss Marple - all these catch phrases are firmly attributed to the very special impersonation of this iconic character by this British actress with an elfin face and baby voice. Agatha Christie’s female sleuth brought her worldwide fame in her 70s, yet, shockingly, she decided to quit the signature part when at the peak. Why so? This video tells the intriguing life story of Geraldine McEwan.
What’s Inside:
0:00 Geraldine McEwan
0:46 From School to West End
6:12 From Shyness to Stars
13:21 21st century Miss Marple
#missmarple #geraldinemcewan #agathachristie
✿ ✿ ✿
Hi there, I'm Marina - a passionate art and history writer, artist, and an ever-curious mind. I am also the soul behind the art history discovery app called Smart Art - Art History Escape.
Here you will find video essays on enigmatic historical figures, mysteries, facts and legends of the past, often inspired by the [not so] fictional characters and myths from popular culture. I hope you enjoy it!
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2 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 188

@candacenagle505 3 месяца назад

Thank you for this tribute. Geraldine McEwan is one of my all time favorites. I have seen Mapp and Lucia and laughed myself silly. Being very fond of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, I found Geraldine to be the best and most alive and interesting Miss Marple of all. In so many of the rolls she played, the twinkle in her eye gave me a feeling that mirth was a guiding light in her soul...and, always, she exuded composure and eccentricity...what a combination of traits! I loved her dearly.

@QueenBee-gx4rp 3 месяца назад

Loved Mapp and Lucia beyond words! Bought it so my granddaughter and I could watch it over and over.

@marina_via 3 месяца назад

Oh, thank you for sharing this, glad to read that you liked Mapp and Lucia too.

@sansnom508 3 месяца назад

I concur with your sentiments. She was a treasure. I see myself locating and rewatching as much of her work as I can after this reminder.

@ginnylorenz5265 3 месяца назад

@@QueenBee-gx4rp What a very blessed and fortunate granddaughter❣

@katefarmerpallotta9710 3 месяца назад

I agree with McEwan being the most interesting. I did/do enjoy all the actors who played Miss Marple. Happy to have them all

@ladym6738 3 месяца назад

Loved all the Marples. Each uniquely rendered and aren’t we fortunate to have them available through the decades. Love them all.

@marina_via 3 месяца назад

Yes indeed!

@danboyigomsuk2027 2 месяца назад

You're right! They're all solid actresses in their own right.

@gonefishing167 3 месяца назад

She was my favourite Miss Marple, she just embodied the part. Yes, others do it well but she was just ‘it’. Just like David Suchet , he ‘was’ Hercule Poirot. Bless her, she lost her hubby just before me. I so know how she felt , the loss never goes away. Bless her, a wonderful woman. 🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺

@jeraldbaxter3532 3 месяца назад

Along with Prunella Scales, Geraldine McEwan made "Mapp and Lucia" a delight, and watching her delightful interpretation of Agatha Christie's sleuth got me to appreciate Miss Marple.

@kimberlybercume8757 3 месяца назад

I still watch her, Miss Marple❤

@MelanieMaguire 3 месяца назад

For me, she is just like the Miss Marple I envisage when I read Agatha Christie. I know that Christie saw Joan Hickson as being more like her character, but for me, Geraldine is the epitome of Miss Marple, and Joan H. is nothing like I imagine...

@user-ld6fr5tk9h Месяц назад

When I hear the audio books, it's like a film playing in my head, and it's Geraldine McEwan who positively springs into vision. Her version, in looks and portrayal, is just as described in the stories. It's just a shame scripts don't follow the books more closely.

@sansnom508 3 месяца назад

No one ever mentions the 2 season series Geraldine McEwan did called Mulberry. I adored it and was very sad it was cancelled.

@marina_via 3 месяца назад

thank you for this excellent addition!

@skokian1able 3 месяца назад

Yes, she was wonderful in Mulberry!

@lyndaballam7386 3 месяца назад

Mulberry is mentioned by name but she is shown being interviewed about the role at 1.22 alongside co-star Karl Howman.

@JudyReadsCards 3 месяца назад

Yes! My husband and I loved that series and were very sad when it ended.

@frannygrace2191 3 месяца назад

Yes, I loved that show!

@marilynmckenzie2111 3 месяца назад

Thank you for a wonderful video on Geraldine McEwan’s acting career, especially on our favourite Miss Marple series that I am still enjoying today! Cheers! 👏🏻👏🏻🥰🧑🏻‍🦰🇨🇦

@marina_via 3 месяца назад

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

@sonaterese799 3 месяца назад

Always love your tributes, thank you😘 There were only 2 Miss Marples worth watching - Joan Hickson and Geraldine McEwan, each wonderful in their own way

@Truthia7 Месяц назад

Wonderful mini documentary! One thing you failed to mention, possibly because of the limited time at your disposal, but her appearance in the Barchester Chronicles with her co-star from Mapp and Lucia was luminous. 😊

@jacquelineforster2654 3 месяца назад

Simply the best Miss Marble ever.

@jeanniemullinder9038 2 месяца назад

'Marple'

@elainebrooksbank5281 3 месяца назад

It is, of course, just possible that Geraldine McEwan stopping filming Miss Marple cos there were no more Agatha Christie Miss Marple books to film.

@annetteolson2428 3 месяца назад

Yes, that what I thought. They started to stick her in other Christie stories, but that didn't go as well.

@BowieZ Месяц назад

That's not true. They were spacing out the Marple books beginning in season 2, with four still left to film after season 3 had concluded (plus countless Marple short stories that could be expanded). My hunch is that iTV had originally planned for only 3 seasons (i.e. 4 Marple novels per season = 12 total), and McEwan presumably signed on for those 3 seasons, thinking that it would keep her busy for a few years (to help her with her grief) and, well, that would be the end of it... but the series, of course, had a highly successful first season, so by season 2 the writing was on the wall that there would be several more seasons than she had anticipated, continuing into her 80s, and so the undertaking would be massive. Being the lead actor in four feature-length films every ~12-18 months is no mean feat, especially at that age. So that's why she ended it at season 3, as she always had intended, although the injury would have made the decision easier.

@kennethwayne6857 3 месяца назад

I absolutely love her! It was such a privilege to meet her (and Richard Briers) when they came to New York around the late '90's for the Ionesco play "The Chairs", they were wonderful in it. Rest in Peace.

@patriciawashburn1624 3 месяца назад

Absolutely LOVED her. In Mapp and Lucia, and everything she did, priceless❤❤

@edwardulrich1515 3 месяца назад

Geraldine McEwan was my favorite Miss Marple of the television series. Her portrayal of Miss Marple brought vitality to the character, which Joan Hickson's characterization never achieved.

@evalynn383 3 месяца назад

She was my favorite, too.

@angelaratheram9907 2 месяца назад

A very fine actress and the best Miss Marple with that twinkle in her eye😍😍

@spmoran4703 3 месяца назад

I loved her in Mapp and Lucia. She played a very good Jeab Brodie. Her parents were Scots so her accent was good for Ms Brodie. But , i am sorry Joan Hickson was the ultimate Miss Marple

@janiceharris6542 3 месяца назад

Totally agree about Joan Hickson. Having read all Agatha Christie books several times Joan Hickson was the definitive Miss Marple.

@jdakat88 3 дня назад

Geraldine was my favorite! Not clownish, but nuanced, revealing a depth of character that makes her feel real.

@RachelSitea-mn2qk 3 месяца назад

Geraldine McEwan was sublime. I can see why she and Maggie Smith drew comparisons- but their unique qualities outnumber their similarities. No one but Geraldine could capture Mrs. Proudy so well (Barchester Chronicles): the tempered steel and haughtiness lit with flashes of sweetness. Thanks for the tribute😃.

@francisheperi4180 3 месяца назад

Yes, loved her in Barchester Chronicles with Alan Rickman as the crafty Reverend Obadiah Slope.

@kerryclarke6501 3 месяца назад

I love the Mapp and Lucia books and Geraldine was stunning in the role. I also found her a great Agatha Christie - clever and playful.

@emmylou78 3 месяца назад

Geraldine is my all time favourite Marple. I have loved her in everything ive seen her in but her Marple is by far the best in my opinion

@tonyspain2 3 месяца назад

You are totally correct, she was Lucia, full-stop.

@JudyReadsCards 3 месяца назад

Geraldine McEwen was my perfect Miss Marple! Joan Hickson never appealed to me (and I don't even consider the other two). You could imagine people opening up to Geraldine and sharing gossip and secrets. Not Joan - too strait-laced, too sensible. It made sense for Geraldine's Miss Marple to be inquisitive and adventurous and somehow able to get herself involved in other people's mysteries.

@dianadoyle7085 3 месяца назад

OMGOSH Thank You for doing this tribute to Geraldine McEwan. I absolutely loved her as Miss Marple!! She made me a fan of Agatha Christie ( and David Suchet as Poirot ). I have a hard time watching Agatha Christie’s without either of them.

@marina_via 3 месяца назад

Thank you, Diana, my pleasure!

@JudyReadsCards 3 месяца назад

Yes! McEwan and Suchet *ARE* Marple and Poirot.

@pamelashinya1072 3 месяца назад

Thank you for giving this tribute to Geraldine, I lake her Miss Marple, I imagene the character just like her.

@Stardustceiling 3 месяца назад

It was Geraldine's Miss Marple that got me watching and liking that character. Thank you so much for a pleasant video about this talented actress. She lived a lucky and amazing life utilizing her talent to the fullest. Your accent is so nice to listen to throughout the video. 🙂

@marina_via 3 месяца назад

Thank you for saying that, @stardustceiling

@Pdjohnners Месяц назад

I think Miss McEwan is on a par with each distinguishing actress that has played Miss Marple. And, her onscreen partnership with Dame Joanna Lumley is possibly the best Marple pairing. Mapp and Lucia is probably one of the best tv adaptations ever. The whole cast being incredible. Perfection.

@oskarm646 2 месяца назад

I love her portrayal of Miss Marple. Shame some of her episodes suffered bad and wobbly writing, but many of the them were actually great

@user-vt6pk2xt5t 10 дней назад

also ı loved how she her Marple character was still in love with her boyfriend whom died at war. and she explained why she was single so on...

@karenballard7470 3 месяца назад

I've watched Miss Marple played by different actresses, and they were all good. But watching Miss McEwen I think she is wonderful in the part. Of all the different actresses. I like her best. She's nailed the part and is Miss Marple.

@geridayao8924 3 месяца назад

My favorite Marple.

@craigbrush5784 8 дней назад

Lovely tribute to a great actress. My favourite Miss Marple. Thank you.

@marina_via 7 дней назад

Glad you enjoyed it

@bonniehose-mg2gh 3 месяца назад

My favorite Miss Marple!!! She is the iconic sleuths

@user-fl3im1qy2o 3 месяца назад

We only watch Geraldine McEwan in Miss Marple. No one else is the same!

@marina_via 3 месяца назад

I guess, that's the beauty of this series - one can find Miss Marple of his own (or, for the mood of the day, why not)

@sixtenjohansson4246 3 месяца назад

She exelled in looking kind and low key scary at the same time.

@theresaweissinger9796 День назад

For me she was the definitive Miss Marple and I loved those hats she wore.

@retta3538 3 месяца назад

My favorite Miss Marple! Absolute favorite.

@judikingsman6132 3 месяца назад

A truly wonderful miss Marple 💜

@robodd4694 27 дней назад

I just loved her as Marple...and in anything for that matter. Esp. with Lumley. Both of them are just so fun together.

@emeraldmayfair 3 месяца назад

I loved Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple. Also in Mulberry. She was amazing.

@kellieheald Месяц назад

This was a lovely tribute, thank you.

@mollyjonesreacts 3 месяца назад

I loved McEwan as ms Marple & I can feel that sweetness in some of the written books, such as The Body in the Library, and Murder in the Vicarage. All that knitting 🧶 baby clothes, etc… not a hard person at all, IMO ❤!

@mollyjonesreacts 3 месяца назад

Tnxs for the ❤️! Lost 😞 the heart ❤️ as the spelling mistake of “Markle” instead of “Marple” absolutely HAD to be corrected… LOL 😆 but tnxs all the same!

@alisonarmstrong8421 3 месяца назад

You don't talk about how brilliant she was as Lucia

@pinkroses8714 3 месяца назад

Wonderful in Mapp & Lucia and I do like her as Miss Marple!

@vbrown6445 Месяц назад

Wonderful video! I love all the Miss Marples, but Geraldine is my favorite. I always loved that twinkle in her eyes. And I think it was a good choice to give her Miss Marple some backstory-- adding depth to a Miss Marple that some might dismiss as being too sweet with her elfin face, baby voice, and impish smile. If anything, Geraldine's Miss Marple always seemed like she knew some joke or inside info that everyone else missed, and that she loved it. And let's face it-- with all those murders, some part of Miss Marple must enjoy the mystery, puzzle solving, and closing in on the killer. Geraldine was able to convey Marple's humanity, but also her perverse interest in solving grizzly crimes.

@bruceeyster6601 3 месяца назад

Mapp and Lucia was so good! (sigh) And she was perfect.

@CaribbeanQueen07 8 дней назад

I love Geraldine McEwan - The quintessential Ms Marple! . Was shocked by the age gap between her and her husband though. Very different times.

@barbaradavis393 3 месяца назад

Don't care why, just glad she did. I found her to be very snarky and not at all like Miss Marple.

@user-rj1gy2hd1e 3 месяца назад

Yes she seemed smug

@janetsmith8566 3 месяца назад

She was a great Lucia. ❤

@AntaresSelket 3 месяца назад

She is my favorite Miss Marple and recently I have been able to see other roles she took on in television.

@lynnaliya1 29 дней назад

Great tribute indeed. Geraldine was my acting teacher

@MrDale53 3 месяца назад

I like Geraldine's acting. Maybe I don't see her as perfect a Miss Marple as Joan Hickson, but whenever I get caught up in that, I just think that I'm watching "Miss Maple" instead of Miss Marple, and then it's all good! and I can enjoy her for herself. :)

@jenniferpearce1052 3 месяца назад

Oh, I like her so much better then Joan Hickson! Joan Hickson comes across as stern and savvy, but Miss Marple is supposed to be an assuming, cute little old lady. I think McEwen embodies her so well!

@pamelacorbett8774 Месяц назад

For my money, Joan Hickson sounds forward and prickly, far too sure of herself, whereas Miss Marple is described by the author as modest, unassuming, benign, with a brilliant mind given to quietly analysing everyone and everything with an uncanny instinct for homing in on the answer to every riddle that comes her way.

@adampowell5376 3 дня назад

Thank you for making this interesting video.

@londongael414 3 месяца назад

Wonderful actress, superb in Mapp and Lucia, and, I think, a better Miss Jean Brodie. Not sure why you say she has a baby voice - her voice has a wide range, but is rather deep - and unmistakable.

@Kat-li8vh 2 месяца назад

McEwan starred with Reese Witherspoon in Vanity Fair - enjoyed watching your tribute to Geraldine.

@bernadetteverstraete9038 3 месяца назад

Hi dear. In my mind there is no other Marple than Geraldine MscEwan...she was stunning at every age of her life. I have watched all her episodes if Marple at least 5 times. Once I start I cannot atop. Thank you for giving such beautiful incite into the life of this amazing woman. When I read she had died, I cried even though it happened a few years ago. She played a great hag too....I will hold her memory dear. Thank you again.

@marina_via 3 месяца назад

thank you for taking time to write this, Bernadette!

@lynnhubbard844 3 месяца назад

thanks for answering my question as to whether she is still living.

@nancywysemen7196 3 месяца назад

very enjoyable overview. no scandal....but such twinkle.

@patrickmosley5085 2 месяца назад

A much loved and much missed human being. Crisp,intelligent and kind but very accessible to an audience prepared to go along with characters she managed to conjur e up!!! 'Mapp and Lucia' probably shows her at her sharpest most impish best and it still stands the test of time! I do miss her.

@christinaheesakacowden-wut3809 2 месяца назад

She was always my number 1 Miss Marple, followed by Julia McKenzie. Of course the 4 movies with Margeret Rutherford are also epic, and unique in their own interpretation.

@silviazucal775 2 месяца назад

Buonasera La Signora Geraldine McEwan , è sorprendentemente brava come attrice , una persona umile e sensibile . La sua Recitazione è personale e incantevole , mai fuori posto , una recitazione intrigante che cattura la scena . Una Signora e persona adorabile . Grazie per questo contributo , il suo ricordo farà si che sia sempre ricordata con tanto Affetto . Almeno per me 🤗☺

@marina_via Месяц назад

grazie mille!

@user-xg1qv6jl8p Месяц назад

❤ One of my favorite actresses

@valentina47734 3 месяца назад

She and Julia McKenzie are my favorites. Others have always been dull. Same goes for David Suchet as Poirot. Even Kenneth Branagh couldn't get close to his performance.

@Auldreekie967 3 месяца назад

I felt Julia McKenzie was miscast as Miss Marple.

@AllthePrettyPurses 11 дней назад

Def my favorite Marple. In the books, Miss Marple is described as fluffy, dithery, twittering. People tend to view her talk as somewhat nonsensical, which is how she gets them to let their guard down. She's also often described as having a twinkle in her eye. McEwan is the only one who ever played the character as Christie wrote her, very upbeat and loquacious and a bit silly at times. Both Hickson and McKenzie played her quiet, staid, and understated, while Rutherford was a battleship (much closer to Christie's description of Ariadne Oliver). I like their portrayals in their own right, but I definitely feel like McEwan felt the most right for the role.

@deboracopeland4795 3 месяца назад

I always liked Ms Marple because she was a spinster (like me) and not at all nice. She knew human nature and wasn’t taken in. Ms McEwan was different, more of the sweet old lady. I enjoyed it but missed my harder Ms Marple.

@francisheperi4180 3 месяца назад

*Miss

@deboracopeland4795 3 месяца назад

@@francisheperi4180 yes of course miss, I just always refer to women as Ms.

@mixedmedia_imagery 3 месяца назад

Geraldine McEwan had an etheral yet pointed acting style and her "Miss Marple" was most engaging for me, irrespective of the series style and a little too full of well known TV stars + actors otherwise... I actually found her Marple less formal, more realistic, albeit a quirky to almost eccentric everyday Country Village elderly spinster. Her slight build etc contrasted the character's sleuth mind and her playful wit brought about familiarity... She would've been a marvellous large screen Marple, though her wardrobe would've required a bit more tweed etc but that's also why she embodied a different Marple too, as she looked like an elderly old fashioned spinster living as a normal village resident in contrast her character's sleuthing magnificence.

@Tolstrup 3 месяца назад

I love your Miss Marple videos. Would it be an idea sometime make one about actress Helen Hayes as Marple too? Never mind: Keep up the good work! 🥇

@marina_via 3 месяца назад

I'll try!

@danellemoore1461 3 дня назад

Though I love them all, she is my favorite Miss Marple. I think she's the Miss Marple that would like me the best, too. I'm not a AC purist, so I don't mind her creativity with the character.

@genevievel5309 3 месяца назад

Thank you for this. What an interesting woman. I have to admit that I couldn't stand her Miss Marple but I loved her in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' and most highly recommend this series if it is still available on DVD. God Bless and may she rest in peace.

@louise7552 3 месяца назад

My most enjoyable Miss Marple. I listened to audiobooks, then when i watched Nemesis, i thought, yep thats Miss Marple. Never looked back. Loved her cardigan.😅

@CM73878 10 дней назад

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an AI recreation of Miss Marple played by Joan Hickson. She was the best.

@Kate-lk6tw 2 дня назад

She was magnificent in Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit. Scary good.

@user-vt6pk2xt5t 10 дней назад

she was the best best. ı loved watching her and when the serious stop ı was sad.

@SimonandJojo 2 месяца назад

I have first saw Miss McEwan's work when she played Miss Jean Brodie in STV's 'The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie', her performance as Jean Brodie has never left me, a beautiful series, for me personally she will always be Miss Jean Brodie.

@mariafont8826 3 месяца назад

She is, by far, my preferred Miss Marple.

@user-vt6pk2xt5t 10 дней назад

ı am so gale she made tv because we would not know her otherwise because we can't all go to London to watch her on stage.

@OhiominkCoates Месяц назад

Such a great person ❤

@MrSunlander 7 дней назад

You have the Dirk Bogarde caption over Richard Attenborough, but then a Bogarde image appears after it. Cheers!

@sandramorey2529 3 месяца назад

I loved Geraldine in the series "The Prime of Miss Jane Brodie". We also liked Maggie Smith in the movie. But "little guhles" was a slogan in our two daughter's household with as much of a British Accent as we could manage.

@heather333 3 месяца назад

It's a pity she was not cast as Miss Silver, as created by Patricia Wentworth instead of Miss Marple. I don't think the Miss Silver character has ever been dramatised.

@tanyachou4474 Месяц назад

I like her as an actress but Joan Hickson might be the closest what Miss Marple would be in my mind but her approach is quite refreshing, but she is the mischievous Marple and Joan is the cannon

@Truthia7 Месяц назад

Joan Hickson was the best Miss Marple. Geraldine McEwan was the best and only true Lucia and Mrs. Proudie from Barchester Chronicles.

@dalemaree7022 3 месяца назад

Geraldine was my most favourite Miss Marple. Simply the best!

@skokian1able 3 месяца назад

I agree! She is the actress most like Agatha Christie described the character, fluffy and inconspicuous with a twinkle in her eye. A spot-on portrayal!

@dezybenji2819 2 месяца назад

My favorite Miss Marple loved her

@janicesmyth1713 2 месяца назад

Yes she’s my favourite.

@katefarmerpallotta9710 3 месяца назад

20:59 I admire her even more

@janetaylor7357 3 месяца назад

She was the best Miss Marple.

@LadyBug1967 3 месяца назад

I thought that was really well done I adore Angela Lansbury but for Miss Marple I really like Geraldine because of her likeness and her sort of mischievous look that sort of how I would identify if I had her ability to act in such a fashion

@user-sk4zx3hf5w 3 месяца назад

Love this video Geraldine McEwan Karen forestparkga love it🎉🎉🎉

@sockmonkey22 3 месяца назад

Most of us Americans don’t know Dirk Bogarde. He played young attractive men with long-suffering souls. Imagine having tea with Dirk and Geraldine! ❤

@roses9339 3 месяца назад

I thought Geraldine was the best Miss Marple. Cheers Rosemary Western Australia 73yrs

@user-zf6zt4op3p Месяц назад

BRAVOOOOO!!!!

@stealthwarrior5768 3 месяца назад

My favourite Miss Marple

@Gobi512 3 месяца назад

Loved her in mulberry. Best miss Marple Great voice.

@carolberridge6102 3 месяца назад

Geraldine McEwan was far and away the best Marple. I am so sorry she didn't do more of them. She infused the character with a genial humanity and intelligence that went a long ways towards explaining why her character could look at people and situations and see them so clearly. So I'm assuming she had that in her as well. Great breadth of acting talent as well when you consider her humane, gentle work in Miss Marple beside her over the top , tour de force work in Mapp and Lucia.

@gyrinrbech9068 3 месяца назад

I found her too twee. To self-conscious. "Look at me! I'm old, but my eyes still can still twinkle, just looknow!!!" Bad direction, I guess. Brilliant in Mapp and Lucia.

@marinakaye8284 3 месяца назад

Cassandra in Red Dwarf!!!

@Julie-qw5ld 3 месяца назад

That should be Hickson! Bad spell checker!

@livrowland171 2 месяца назад

It's not an unusual take, I would have thought jost good actors do it firstly because they enjoy it

@ms.laterholmes2890 Месяц назад

So her husband was almost 30 years older than her? She is my favorite, Miss Marple.

@janflewelling6277 3 месяца назад

McEwan and Hickson are my 2 favorite Marples. Altho different from each other, and I must give the nod of faithfulness to the books to Hickson, I did find McEwan's twinkle to be engaging and refreshing. Also, I never realized the roles she played in other movies (Henry V and Robin Hood), even tho when I saw those films, her characters (brief as the roles were) stood out memorably. I never enjoyed the Americanization of Marple by Lansbury. And I can't abide the bluster of Margaret Rutherford stomping about and mugging for the camera. Those films are, IMO, totally unwatchable.