The Pale Horse (TV series)

The Pale Horse is a British mystery television miniseries broadcast as two episodes in 2020. Written by Sarah Phelps, the serial is loosely based on Agatha Christie's novel of the same name. It is Phelps' fifth adaptation of a Christie work for the BBC. Directed by Leonora Lonsdale, it stars Rufus Sewell and Kaya Scodelario.

Main

 * Rufus Sewell as Mark Easterbrook
 * Sheila Atim as Thyrza Grey
 * Georgina Campbell as Delphine Easterbrook
 * Bertie Carvel as Zachariah Osborne
 * Kathy Kiera Clarke as Sybil Stamfordis
 * James Fleet as Oscar Venables
 * Henry Lloyd-Hughes as David Ardingly
 * Claire Skinner as Yvonne Tuckerton
 * Rita Tushingham as Bella
 * James Fleet as Oscar Venables
 * Sean Pertwee as Inspector Stanley Lejeune
 * Kaya Scodelario as Hermia Easterbrook

Supporting

 * Madeleine Bowyer as Jessie Davis
 * Poppy Gilbert as Thomasina Tuckerton
 * Ellen Robertson as Poppy
 * Sarah Woodward as Clemency Ardingly

Production
Filming took place in Bristol. The car driven by Rufus Sewell's character is a Lagonda 3-Litre drophead coupé.

Reception
Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 80% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 6.71/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Though The Pale Horse bristles with brutal thrills, it's [sic] convoluted mystery at times sedates the suspenseful proceedings." Metacritic reports an aggregated score of 69 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".

The Guardian gave the first episode four stars and praised the writing and direction. The Independent deemed the second episode "satisfying" and said that the updates to the material and language worked. In their review of the second episode, The Telegraph was less complimentary, awarding three stars and saying "writer Sarah Phelps was chucking the rat-filled kitchen sink into this rewrite of Agatha Christie."

As with her previous adaptations, some viewers criticized the numerous and significant changes Phelps made to the original novel; and some criticized the ending, which they found confusing. A Radio Times feature admitted that "the ending is deliberately ambiguous".