downton abbey 3

Did you spot this Downton Abbey star in Agatha Christie's Poirot? 

Have you been watching Agatha Christie's Poirot

TV & Film Editor
August 26, 2020

Agatha Christie's Poirot did two things during its time on television from 1997 to 2013. Firstly, it adapted every single one of Agatha Christie's major literary works. Secondly, it welcomed some truly brilliant guest stars. 

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From Emily Blunt to Jessica Chastain, Hollywood's finest have donned 1930-esque attire for the period drama, but we were particularly excited to see one of Downton Abbey's Crawley family members take centre stage - but can you guess who? Find out here...

MORE: Joanne Froggatt shares photo from Downton Abbey days

Elizabeth McGovern in Poirot

Elizabeth starred in Poirot as Dame Celia Westholme

The Countess of Downton herself, Elizabeth McGovern, starred in the 11th series of the hit show in an adaptation of Appointment with Death as Dame Celia Westholme. In the episode, Poirot has 24 hours to discover who killed Lady Boynton, after previously overhearing someone claim that they want to murder her. 

In the adaptation, Celia served as a maid at Lady Boynton's before she fell pregnant and had a baby which Lady Boynton kept. After discovering that Boynton had been abusing the children in her care, she and her lover, Dr Gerard, decided to kill her. Dramatic! 

Elizabeth starred in Appointment with Death

Elizabeth since found fame and fortune as Countess Cora Crawley, and opened up about reprising the role in 2019 in an interview with ScreenRant. She said: "It was very easy; it was as though we’d never stopped shooting. The house had remained unchanged, and all the dynamics slipped fairly easily back into place. That was my overwhelming impression." 

Speaking about how Cora had changed from the beginning of the series, she added: "At the beginning of the series, of course, she had young daughters that were still not grown up. She had a lot more anxiety about settling them, having them to find a happy path before they screwed things up irreparably. Now she's done that; she's achieved that goal." 

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