Netflix brings the audience a cosy new murder mystery with Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials. The three-part miniseries follows BAFTA Rising Star Mia McKenna-Bruce as Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent, a feisty young woman who finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy theory.

Set in 1925, Seven Dials is a lavish production that updates Agatha Christie’s story just enough for modern audiences without disappointing fans of the iconic crime author. Written by Broadchurch creator and Doctor Who writer Chris Chibnall, the drama follows Bundle as she tries to piece together clues after a guest dies in her home.

Initially, the death at the gilded estate seems like an ill-judged prank between friends. But, it’s soon revealed it’s not boyish banter, and the man has been murdered. The only clue in his room is a note and seven clocks that repetitively go off. These seven dials are the main thread that runs through this entire miniseries.

This death starts a domino effect that will not be revealed in this review, and suddenly, Bundle must act as a detective and get to the bottom of the death. Now, Bundle is challenging Superintendent Battle (played by Martin Freeman), who seems more intent on stopping her from telling the truth, investigating a Cameroonian scientist (Nyasha Hatendi), whose new invention may hold the key to preventing future wars, and discovering a secret society that seems to want to cause trouble in the idyllic world of 1920s aristocracy.

Bundle isn’t quite the rich aristocrat she appears. Her family is suffering financially and has to rent out their family home to others to keep afloat. This is much to the bemusement of her dry-witted mother, Lady Caterham (Helena Bonham Carter). Swapping Lord Caterham to Lady Caterham is one of the smarter updates this adaptation does to the source material.

The group in the house on the day of the death includes the love interest Gerry (Queen Charlotte’s star Corey Mylchreest), the loyal friend Jimmy (My Lady Jane’s Ed Bluemel), and the helpful sidekick Ronnie (Industry’s Nabhaan Rizwan). Whether they were involved in the death or are placed as red herrings, you’ll flip backwards and forwards on throughout the three episodes.

Seven Dials is more about the mystery of a secret society than a whodunnit.

The show starts with an adjacent death, which you may forget about as the miniseries takes you on a twisty road of murder and secret societies. The show does come around to solving this subplot, but by the time it gets there, you may have forgotten why it was relevant. These subplots and tangents work much better on the page than they do on the small screen, with the screenwriter failing to entwine them as succinctly as Christie did herself.

Seven Dials is more about the mystery of a secret society than a whodunnit. Bundle soon finds a bigger picture than the death of a young man as she picks up the threads of the seven dials. There are twists and turns galore here, some you expect and some you won’t. The show succinctly balances all these shocks, answering every question and tying it up nearly in a bow. Fans of the genre know that to fully enjoy things, you need to suspend belief, and this show is no different. It’s the type of story that values entertainment over intelligence and logic. It’s best to just go along with Bundle on her adventure and not think too hard about the nuance.

While a classic structure mystery, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials is more of a character study than the gritty murder mystery modern TV viewers have become accustomed to. Think more Knives Out and Murder On The Orient Express than Broadchurch and The Bridge. While it has some iconic Christie tropes, like collecting all the characters in one room for a big reveal, and then a finale unmasking, this show is more about conspiracies than solving one death.

FANTASTIC CAST PERFORMANCES

Mia McKenna Bruce is excellent as Bundle, a woman so innocent yet hellbent on getting herself in trouble. Described in the original novels as a “spirited It girl”, she is both of her time but a heroine modern women will connect with. McKenna Bruce perfectly pitches Bundle’s bouncy yet determined attitude. It’s frankly nice to see a sharp young woman take on the detective role in a genre that is still overrun by male protagonists.

She is easily outshone by Helena Bonham Carter, whose sharp tongue and dry wit are the highlight of the series. Carter has by far the most interesting and memorable character in the show, helped by the scenery-chewing performance from the Oscar nominee. Lady Caterham feigns an absent-minded, scatty persona as a way of avoiding people. The show certainly feels empty when Carter disappears off-screen for long lengths of time.

The supporting cast is also solid, although the Brits seem to leave drama school knowing how to handle these period dramas. Ed Bluemel and Nabhaan Rizwan especially stand out in the pack. Martin Freeman feels slightly underused, although his character is clearly set up for a future series of the show.

UPDATING SOURCE MATERIAL IS NOT WITHOUT ITS STRUGGLES

Seven Dials smartly updates the source material (with permission from Agatha Christie’s estate) without losing the essence of the story. The original book has always stood out in her back catalogue for being more like a Jeeves and Wooster story than a Poirot detective novel. Still, Christie fans fear not, there is enough cosy 1920s high jinks here for you.

This show struggles with a common issue with Christie adaptations. Aside from the lead detective and her mother, everyone else is a forgettable one-dimensional character. This show spends a lot of time exploring Bundle’s world, yet no one in it is that interesting. While the characters are flat and interchangeable, the story certainly isn’t. It’s quick, fast-paced, and goes in numerous unexpected directions. Even the most ardent crime solvers may be surprised at where this story twists and turns.

Those who are not fans of the story should stay for the production design. The costumes, sets, and locations feel like they have come out of a Merchant Ivory production. Attention to detail has certainly been put into creating the world of Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent.

Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials isn’t revolutionary, nor is it doing anything your standard BBC or PBS adaptation isn’t doing. If you love your Poirots and Marples, you’ll be satisfied with this adaptation. If you’ve yet to catch the Agatha Christie bug, this won’t convert you to the murder mystery genre. Still, it’s a witty and unpredictable crime thriller with a charming leading performance.

All three episodes will land on Netflix on 15 January.