Actor Suchet ‘emotional’ as Poirot solves his final case

The star drew his career as the wily Belgian to a close in Curtain: Poirot’s Final Case and he watched the last moments when they were screened on ITV with wife Sheila Ferris.

During an interview on ITV’s This Morning, he said: “Its a big day for me and tonight I will be sitting down with my wife and we will watch the end.

“And my emotions today are extraordinary, they really are like a yo yo going up and down. It’s an odd thing because I didn’t expect it, so I didn’t know how to prepare for it.”

Audiences first saw Suchet’s version of the dapper detective on screen in 1989 in The Adventure Of The Clapham Cook and since then he has starred in 70 adaptations of the Agatha Christie stories with only one tale, a little known play called Black Coffee, left untold.

The show has been a huge hit for ITV and is broadcast in more than 200 countries around the world and has legions of devoted fans. None more so than Suchet himself, who has even confessed to keeping a few props as souvenirs.

He said: “I was allowed to take, for my own possession, everything there was a double of. I have his ring, his studs, I’ve been given a moustache, I’ve got his chair, with Poirot written on it. And I believe that I will be presented with my number one cane, and if that happens that will be my very prize possession, because I’ve held that for 25 years.”

The 67-year-old, who is the brother of TV newsreader John, said it was “extraordinary” preparing for the end of the series and said the last day’s filming was “one of the hardest days of my whole acting career”.

He said: “Not a pleasant thing to do. And that’s not me being theatrical. I’ve lived with this man for 25 years and so it’s difficult to say goodbye to a dear, dear friend, who’s been part of my life for a quarter of a century.”

The actor said he did not think he would reprise the role for the new Poirot novel, which will be written by Sophie Hannah, but admitted there could be one more performance to come.

He said: “I’d love to do a remake of one of the stories for movie. I would love to do The ABC Murders, which is my favourite.”