Why Didn't they Ask Evans?

Why Didn't they Ask Evans? is the fourth and final episode of Series 4. Previous Episode: They Do it With Mirrors

Next Episode: The Pale Horse

Transmitted: 15th June 2011

Viewers: 4.51 million

Synopsis
While visiting her friend Marjorie Attfield, Miss Marple learns that her son Bobby had recently found a body, identified as a Mr Pritchard, on the cliff side. He's received a letter asking him to appear at the inquiry but it seems to be a wild goose chase meant to keep him away from the real inquiry taking place elsewhere. Now accompanied by a friend, Frankie Derwent, they trace the dead man to nearby Castle Savage, home to a dysfunctional family with a great deal of money. The family patriach, Jack Savage, had died not long ago and the dead man had some connection to the Savages. But what is key to solving the mystery of Pritchard's last words to Bobby as he lay dying: "Why didn't they ask Evans?"

Differences to the Original

 * Originally not a Miss Marple novel, this adaptation dramatically changes most elements of the story.
 * Miss Marple is shown to be a friend of Bobby's mother and Bobby's father is written out. Bobby's mother joins the investigation by masquerading as Frankie's governess.
 * The time period is shifted from the early 1930s to the late 1950s, to fit in with the time frame of the rest of the series.
 * The characters of Leo Cayman, Amelia Cayman, Badger Beadon, Henry Bassington - French, Vicar Jones and Dr Thomas are omitted.
 * In the novel, Thomas Bassington - French is a small boy, but appears in this adaptation as a cold and introverted teenager.
 * New characters and subplots are introduced, including Sylvia's two children Tom and Dorothy Savage, Wilson the butler, Commander Peters and Claude Evans. Evans, portrayed as an orchid grower and a friend of the Savages, is murdered to throw Bobby, Frankie and Miss Marple off the scent.
 * Sylvia Bassington - French and Alan Carstairs undergo name changes to become Sylvia Savage and John Carstairs. In this version, Sylvia is a drug addict, her fixes supplied by Dr Nicholson.
 * John Savage is renamed Jack Savage is made into Sylvia's husband, who is murdered before the film begins.
 * Bobby doesn't find the body while playing golf; he is taking a walk across the cliff, and the attempt on his life is by sabotaging his bicycle, rather than a poisoned beer.
 * Roger's role in the household has changed: instead of being Sylvia's brother in law, he is a piano player at Castle Savage and, since the Caymans are deleted and there is no photograph for him to take from Carstair's body, he is not present when the body is discovered.
 * The motives for the murders have changed. Roger and Moira are revealed to be brother and sister, children of Sylvia from her first marriage, to John Savage's brother George. John and Sylvia began an affair while the brothers were living in China, shortly before the start of WWII and John had his brother, a vocal opponent of the Japanese, murdered. As the war intensified, John returned to England with Sylvia, but forced her to leave her children behind, where Roger was placed in an orphanage and Moira, it is implied, was used as a comfort girl by the Japanese army. The denouement is changed: Moira and Roger are interrupted in an attempt to kill Sylvia by injecting her with poison, but are surprised by the other suspects. In the struggle, Roger is shot by Tom and Moira is killed by Wilson with the poison she meant for Sylvia.