Agatha Christie drama star unveils intense struggle on set of Towards Zero

Oliver Jackson-Cohen still shivers at the memory of filming for the BBC's adaptation of the 1944 Agatha Christie novel, Towards Zero.

It’s only a matter of time before murder makes its grand entrance. When Lady Tressilian is found bludgeoned to death in her bed, Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys) is called in to unravel the truth.

Though the drama is set in the middle of summer 1936, Oliver and his co-stars Mimi Keene and Ella Lily Hyland faced gruelling conditions when filming took place in Devon.

Oliver still shivers at the memory. “It wasn’t a time to get into the sea, and we do it a lot in this,” he says. “You can see the twinge of a hand as I’m stepping into the freezing cold water.” Former EastEnders star Mimi agrees, adding: "We were shivering until there was a call for action."

Luckily, Anjelica Huston’s presence on set was a much-needed source of warmth. “She showed up unbelievably prepared, gracious and kind,” Oliver remembers. “The set was quiet and everyone was on their best behaviour.”

Later, she even treated them to lunch. “I was nervous at first but she made me feel so relaxed,” Mimi shares. The Hollywood legend appreciated the laid-back acting gig.

For Oliver, Towards Zero was more than just a job - it was personal. He grew up watching Agatha Christie adaptations with his late father. “My dad was obsessed with them,” he says.

“I bought him the DVD boxset of Poirot and we used to sit and watch them. Sadly he’s no longer with us, so when the phone call came in to do this, I wanted to do it for him.”

But beyond the intrigue, the murder and the tangled romances, Towards Zero taps into something timeless. Mimi believes Agatha Christie’s stories are relevant because human nature, despite time flying by, remains the same.

“We’re still humans and we still have emotions,” she says, “A lot of the things that come up in this would still come up in everyday life, it just looks different.”

Ella takes things a step further, likening Agatha Christie’s work to modern reality TV. “It’s almost like The Traitors,” she says. “What Agatha Christie does really cleverly is depict what facets of human nature our society is most comfortable with. It’s like a mirror for the audience.”