The Swinging Christies: Agatha Christie in the 1960s

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Latest Episodes:

Still Swinging (Bonus Episode) - Agatha Christie and Muriel Spark Feb 02, 2025

A talented British author, a story about machinations in a girls’ school… How much do Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark have in common? Mark and Gray investigate…

Featuring (from 5 mins in) a recording of a talk originally given by Gray for Romancing the Gothic, with kind permission of Dr Sam Hirst.

You can read our special article for the Agatha Christie website here.

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on BlueSky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: stay tuned…!

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:53 - Introductory chat

00:05:00 - Gray’s Muriel Spark talk

00:38:24 - Mark and Gray debrief

00:57:21 - How to get in touch

00:58:58 - Closing titles

00:59:26 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - The Plymouth Express, Witness for the Prosecution, Lord Edgware Dies, Towards Zero

Sparks spoiled! - The Driver’s Seat, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

TW: violence against women

Still Swinging (Bonus Episode) - Revivalism Jan 05, 2025

Mark and Gray ring in the New Year with a discussion of the 1960s trend for… actually not being very 1960s at all! But just how much of Christie’s 1960s writing harks back to the Edwardian and Victorian eras? Did they even ‘swing’ back then??

You can listen to our guest spot on the All About Agatha podcast, here.

You can read our special article for the Agatha Christie website here.

You can read Mark’s paper about Agatha Christie’s Charles Dickens’s Bleak House here.

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on BlueSky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: wait and see…

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:51 - Introductory chat

00:04:29 - The Sixties weren’t Swinging for everyone

00:15:38 - Old-new locations

00:58:02 - The Next Generation

01:04:28 - Servants and service

01:14:44 - Reviving the greats: Shakespeare, Tennyson, Austen, Brontë

01:22:37 - Bleak House by Agatha Christie

01:33:57 - Brave monkey puzzle: remembering Christie’s childhood home

01:37:22 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:38:33 - Closing titles

01:39:01 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, At Bertram’s Hotel

Still Swinging (Bonus Episode) - Christmas Dec 22, 2024

There’s always Christie at Christmas! Join Mark and Gray making the yuletide gay with a discussion about Christie’s festive writings from the 1960s. Come swing around the Christmas tree!

You can read our special article for the Agatha Christie website here.

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Revivalism

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:43 - Introductory chat

00:07:24 - A Christie for Christmas: a tale as old as time?

00:16:40 - Agatha Christiemas

00:20:20 - Christmas Then and Now - from Christmas Adventure (1923) to The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (1960)

00:28:26 - The Mysteries of the Spanish and Baghdad Chests (1932, 1960)

00:32:46 - Star Over Bethlehem (1965)

00:39:46 - Next episode, how to get in touch

00:41:27 - Closing titles

00:41:54 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - Star Over Bethlehem (titular story from the Star Over Bethlehem collection)

Still Swinging (Bonus Episode) - From the Archive Nov 24, 2024

In a very special episode, join Mark and Gray as they delve deep into Agatha Christie’s family archive and uncover some seldom-seen 1960s gems…

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is Christietime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: it's Christmas!

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:39 - Introductory chat at the train station

00:01:50 - We arrive at the archive!

00:05:30 - Death Beat

00:31:44 - Miss Perry

00:58:53 - Other archive gems, Agatha Christie’s writing process

01:12:46 - Back at Paddington, how to get in touch

01:14:29 - Closing titles

01:14:57 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - Endless Night

TW: violence against women

Still Swinging (Bonus Episode) - Hallowe'en Oct 27, 2024

Gray and Mark go trick-or-treating and uncover the truth about Hallowe’en parties in the 1960s, via Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie! They even risk their lives - and fingers - by playing a fiery game of Snapdragon!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

You can listen to the audiobook of ‘Agatha Christie’s Marple’ via Audible, Spotify and all other good audio retailers.

Next episode: we delve into the Agatha Archives!

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:41 - Introductory chat

00:02:38 - Origins of Hallowe’en

00:15:57 - Hallowe’en in the 1960s

00:28:01 - What would a 1960s Hallowe’en party have entailed? Apple bobbing, Jack o’lanterns, trick or treating, games

00:46:10 - We play Snapdragon!

00:51:08 - More games, the broomstick competition

00:57:08 - Next episode, how to get in touch

00:58:56 - Closing titles

00:59:25 - Coda

Solutions revealed - Hallowe’en Party!

TW: murder of children

Interview with Mark Aldridge, author of Agatha Christie’s Marple, and commentary for Murder She Said Sep 12, 2024

To mark (ha) the publication of Mark’s new book, ‘Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness’, Mark and Gray have recorded a special commentary of the 1961 Miss Marple film, Murder She Said. Along the way Mark teases some nuggets of gold from his new book!

Listen on to the end for an exclusive sneak peek of the audiobook of ‘Agatha Christie’s Marple’, read by Jane Slavin!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

You can download the audiobook of ‘Agatha Christie’s Marple’, read by Jane Slavin, via Audible, Spotify and all good audio retailers.

Next episode: Hallowe'en!

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:38 - Interview with Mark Aldridge

00:05:48 - Murder She Said commentary

01:29:11 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:30:05 - Closing titles

01:30:33 - Extract from the audiobook of 'Agatha Christie’s Marple'

Solutions revealed! - 4.50 from Paddington

Reflections Aug 04, 2024

You catch Mark and Gray in a reflective mood, as they reunite for a retrospective on the series so far - everything they have learned and anything they missed along the way, with the help of some lovely listener feedback!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: watch this space…

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:38 - Introductory chat

00:04:54 - Recapping the series so far

00:17:11 - Corrections, clarifications, extras

00:30:47 - The Mailbag

00:59:09 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:01:34 - Closing titles

01:01:59 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side

TW: racist saying quoted

9. Fame Jun 23, 2024

Mark and Gray dodge the paparazzi and marvel at Christie’s fame, including her success in the theatre, on screen, and around the world. But surely it’s not the podcast’s curtain call..? Find out what’s happening next for The Swinging Christies!

Includes interview clips from Mathew Prichard and Agatha Christie herself!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Reflections

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:59 - Introductory chat

00:03:11 - The 1960s: Christie’s most successful decade?

00:15:14 - Christie in Theatreland, Mathew Prichard

00:33:45 - Christie on the small screen, Mathew Prichard

00:52:53 - Agatha Christie the celebrity

01:09:49 - Christie’s biggest fans

01:15:55 - Publicity and press

01:23:09 - Mary Westmacott

01:26:27 - Agatha Christie’s Autobiography

01:29:32 - Christie’s Late Style

01:37:09 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:41:01 - Closing titles

01:41:28 - Coda

8. Armageddon Jun 02, 2024

The clock is ticking for Mark and Gray, as The Swinging Christies examines Agatha Christie's references to the advancement of technology in the 1960s and the Cold War!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Fame

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:50 - Introductory chat

00:05:38 - Why did it feel like the end of the world in the 1960s?

00:15:31 - The Cuban Missile Crisis aka a Caribbean Mystery

00:30:11 - The Doomsday Clock and The Clocks

00:37:45 - The Bomb and Ban the Bomb, MAD, détente

00:49:46 - Global student movements and Passenger to Frankfurt

00:53:15 - Espionage

01:17:52 - Scientific advancements

01:33:10 - Space exploration

01:39:02 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:40:27 - Closing titles

01:40:53 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - The Clocks, Ordeal by Innocence

7. Empire May 12, 2024

This episode of The Swinging Christies explores globaliastion, the US-UK cultural exchange, the decline of the British Empire and the rise of the Civil Rights movement - all topics that were swirling whilst Agatha Christie was writing!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Armageddon

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:50 - Introductory chat

00:05:05 - Agatha Christie in the world

00:08:54 - The ongoing disintegration of the British Empire

00:27:10 - Increasing multiculturalism and racism

00:38:53 - Joining the EEC

00:43:04 - Anglo-American cultural exchange

00:59:39 - Travel and transport

01:13:10 - Citizens of the world

01:15:49 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:17:14 - Closing titles

01:17:40 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - A Caribbean Mystery, Endless Night

TW: Discussions of racism and xenophobia, including some racist language in quoted material

6. Drugs Apr 21, 2024

Tune in to the sixth episode of The Swinging Christies, drop everything and peace out! Mark and Gray examine the references to drugs in Agatha Christie's 60s novels, plays, films and short stories. Purple hearts for everyone!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Empire

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:55 - Introductory chat

00:01:46 - Drugs everywhere in the 1960s!

00:04:01 - Christie in the Dispensary

00:16:37 - Christie’s invented poisons - Calmo, Serenite, Benvo

00:29:28 - Real poisons in the Swinging books and adaptations

00:35:06 - Thallium and The Pale Horse

00:37:27 - Purple hearts and Third Girl

00:43:16 - Ups and downs with uppers and downers

00:57:23 - The Harlequin Tea Set

00:59:58 - Psychedelia

01:09:55 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:10:10 - Closing titles

01:11:38 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - A Caribbean Mystery, Third Girl, The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, Endless Night, The Pale Horse

5. Horror Mar 31, 2024

In the fifth episode of The Swinging Christies, Mark and Gray spook each other by discussing everything from contemporary fears to olde folklore in the 1960s Agatha Christies.

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Drugs

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:39 - Introductory chat

00:05:21 - Horror landscape in the 1960s

00:21:05 - Domestic horror

00:36:28 - Folklore

00:51:25 - Horror and insanity, suicide

01:12:19 - Hardboiled thrillers, violence

01:22:00 - Sanitised horror in adaptations

01:30:06 - Rising crime in the 1960s

01:37:33 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:38:22 - Closing titles

01:38:49 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - Hallowe’en Party, A Caribbean Mystery, The Patient, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, The Pale Horse, Endless Night, At Bertram’s Hotel

TW - death of children, suicide, mental illness, outdated terms in quoted material

4. Fashion Mar 10, 2024

Episode four of The Swinging Christies sees Mark and Gray get all togged up and browse down Carnaby Street, as they examine style, art and Agatha Christie.

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Horror

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:42 - Introductory chat

00:04:37 - The fashion industry in the 1960s

00:14:40 - What was in vogue?

00:19:55 - The miniskirt!

00:28:22 - Animal print, bikinis, the dolly bird look, the babydoll look

00:37:28 - Boutique culture

00:41:38 - Fashion magazine Vogue

00:45:27 - Make-up and hair

00:53:14 - Men’s hair and fashion

00:59:59 - The Peacock

01:03:53 - Art and aesthetics

01:12:56 - Revivalism (to be continued…)

01:15:47 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:16:30 - Closing titles

01:16:57 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, Third Girl

3. Money Feb 18, 2024

In the third episode of The Swinging Christies, Mark and Gray turn the spotlight on class, inequality, society... all themes that are present and correct in Agatha Christie!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Fashion

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:36 - Introductory chat

00:01:51 - Context

00:02:42 - Agatha’s relationship with money

00:10:19 - The MGM deal

00:21:22 - The Great Train Robbery 1963

00:25:56 - Organised crime

00:29:21 - Increased prosperity, ways of living, new towns, consumerism, class

00:59:53 - New money

01:04:33 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:05:48 - Closing titles

01:06:09 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - At Bertram's Hotel, The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side, Endless Night

2. Rock 'n' Roll Jan 28, 2024

It's the second episode of The Swinging Christies, and Mark and Gray are grooving to the music of the 1960s. Featuring brand new, exclusive insight from Agatha Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard, himself!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Money

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:59 - Introductory chat

00:03:51 - The Beatles

00:15:33 - Mathew Prichard interview

00:19:44 - Christie’s love of music

00:22:19 - Death Beat (to be continued…)

00:24:17 - Youth culture

00:28:46 - Music in film adaptations

00:39:09 - Celebrities and fans

00:45:54 - The end of the decade

00:47:22 - Next episode, how to get in touch

00:48:17 - Closing titles

00:48:36 - Coda

1. Sex Jan 06, 2024

It's the first full episode of The Swinging Christies! And Mark and Gray are discussing hot topics around sex and the 1960s. How does Agatha Christie write about gender, queerness, feminism, and how often? The answer is: very insightfully, and a lot more than you might think!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Rock 'n' Roll

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:59 - Sex

00:08:09 - Pornography

00:16:03 - Girls into women

00:30:20 - “Sexed up” adaptations

00:45:15 - Love and marriage

00:52:00 - Children born out of wedlock, divorce, abortion

01:00:48 - Feminism

01:15:42 - Queerness

01:31:09 - Next episode, how to get in touch

01:31:55 - Closing titles

01:32:16 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - Hallowe'en Party, Endless Night, A Caribbean Mystery, At Bertram's Hotel

TW - sexual references including sexualisation of young people, misogynistic language quoted, homophobic language quoted.

Introduction Jan 06, 2024

In the introductory episode of The Swinging Christies, Mark and Gray explain why they are embarking on his project to highlight the work of Agatha Christie in the 1960s!

You can find us on Instagram (as well as X) @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

Next episode: Sex

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:01:20 - Mark’s love of Christie

00:04:59 - Gray’s love of Christie

00:08:46 - Plan for the series ahead

00:19:04 - How to get in touch

00:20:21 - Closing titles

00:20:52 - Coda