This documentary, which can be found as an extra on the last of the 3 discs which comprise the final DVD box set of the "Poirot" series, runs 56 minutes and is narrated by David Suchet himself. Among other things, he talks about his (mental and physical) preparation for the life-changing role of Poirot, he takes a trip to Belgium (Poirot's home country), he travels on the Orient Express, he goes back to the London building that stood for Whitehaven Mansions, he visits Agatha Christie's own summer house where he meets Christie's grandson, he reunites with old colleagues, and he takes us through the filming of what he calls the hardest shooting day of his life (Poirot's death scene in "Curtain"), as well as the bittersweet (later) day when he wraps up the filming of "Dead Man's Folly" - the last Christie book with Poirot that he needed to film to complete the entire collection. As you can see, "Being Poirot" covers a lot of ground - and yet not enough! In a series of 70 episodes, only a handful get a significant amount of time devoted to them - those mentioned above, plus "The Chocolate Box" and an incident from "The Third Door Flat". The structure of the documentary is also a little shapeless. Nonetheless, this is a very pleasant way to spend an hour: there is some fascinating trivia (like Agatha Christie's diary, where we can see text in her own handwriting), and Suchet's dedication and respect for Poirot come across clearly. **1/2 out of 4.
Review of Being Poirot
