Keeping a secret is hard but we managed it! Last year, I was very excited to work on a pioneering new project, and now it has been revealed to the world.
BBC Maestro has unveiled its latest online course: an 11-part lesson in writing, hosted by … Agatha Christie.
Agatha Christie, as we know, died in 1976. But she was, as well as being an incredible writer, incredibly generous with her time and advice. Her memoirs, essays, letters, interviews, and of course her novels are full of tips and insights to help aspiring writers. This course brings those together, using advanced imaging and voice technology to have ‘Agatha Christie’ deliver the lessons.
In this video-based course, Christie is played by the wonderful actor Vivien Keene, in a beautifully designed period set that we were able to experience during the launch. Skilled technicians and effects artists used the latest technology to match Keene’s facial features and voice to Christie’s, from licensed images and recordings. Nearly 100 people worked on this project.
I’ve been honoured to research and write on this project, alongside Mark Aldridge (who assembled and led us), Michelle Kazmer, and Gray Robert Brown. We went through every primary source you can imagine — and more! — to assemble what we believe to be the most extensive selection of Christie’s quotes on writing, and examples of her methods and process. And we wrote it into a script. Our rule can be summarised as: it had to be ‘Agatha Christie on Agatha Christie.’ While it is a script, it is in her own words and phrasing. Every line we wrote had an original source as written by Agatha Christie — it was very important that this be Christie’s advice in her own words.
And most importantly to me for our scope of work, every line and every step was approved by Christie’s grandson Mathew Prichard, who knew her better than anyone else alive, and the family. His son James says in the course notes: ‘I have never seen a better explanation of the process behind my great-grandmother’s writing.’
Why I love this project: it is ethical use of advanced technology. Human research, labour, and creativity at every stage, with all materials thoroughly sourced and licensed, and the full support of the family at every stage, to foster creativity. This is a project done with the utmost love and respect for Agatha Christie, who was a genius, and who encouraged new writers throughout her career. I am so happy and extremely moved to help share her insights in this pioneering project.
Video: a behind-the-scenes documentary showing how the course was made.
JC Bernthal 