The Moving Finger has two television records
Christie’s site identifies a BBC adaptation with Joan Hickson in 1985 and an ITV version with Geraldine McEwan in 2006. The shared case name does not make these one recording. Both can belong legitimately in an adaptation comparison.
For a particular viewing project, the lead performer provides a useful production marker. Keep the case, performer and screen year together. A folder containing both versions should not be cleaned up by removing one solely because the titles match.
A second case confirms the production distinction
At Bertram’s Hotel has a Hickson adaptation in 1987 and a McEwan version in 2007. The official account also notes substantial changes from the novel in the later production. A different scene or emphasis is therefore not automatically evidence of a damaged recording.
Establish the production before comparing remembered details. A viewer remembering one adaptation can otherwise misidentify a legitimate creative difference as a missing scene. Completeness is a question about the particular edition, not every screen version of the same source story.
The same title can also identify audio drama
The Moving Finger record names a BBC Radio4 dramatization with June Whitfield. That is another medium, despite sharing author, character and case title. A search result can correctly identify the story without offering either television version.
Keep audio and screen entries distinct if both interest you. For a television request, check the item’s medium before relying on its cover image or an abbreviated title. A cast list naming a performer as a voice can be an important clue.
Use a clear adaptation note
For ordinary viewing, retain the distributor’s full series title and the credited Marple. For comparison, group adaptations under the story while keeping separate entries for each production. Neither approach requires inventing a universal season order across BBC and ITV programmes.
If a Canadian guide says only Marple and the case name, identify the cast in its details or opening credits before assigning a version. A useful correction names the intended production and the one observed. The Christie records establish adaptation identity and history; they do not establish current Canadian transmission, subtitles or account access for every version.
Sources and scope
Scope notes distinguish published documentation, supplied information and editorial methods. They do not report a hands-on service test.
- Miss Marple adaptations: identify the production first — Hickson1985/McEwan2006 television adaptations and separate Whitfield radio production.
- Christie At Bertram’s Hotel — Hickson1987/McEwan2007 and noted later adaptation changes.
