The Swinging Christies: Agatha Christie in the 1960s

The Swinging Christies
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Sex. Drugs. Rock 'n' Roll. Agatha Christie?? Agatha Christie may not be the first person you think of when you think of the Swinging Sixties, but her writing has much to say about the big topics of the day. Join Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown on a rad journey through time with the Queen of Crime.

  1. 3 MAY

    The Swinging Christies LIVE! The Confessions of Agatha Christie

    Back by popular demand, The Swinging Christies goes LIVE for only the second time! This special episode was recorded in Torquay at the Agatha Christie Festival Spring Gathering on 11 April 2026. Join Mark and Gray as they resurface a long-forgotten document: The Confessions of Agatha Christie…! WE'VE WRITTEN A BOOK! You can pre-order The Swinging Christies: How Agatha Christie Conquered the 1960s ⁠NOW⁠! We will be LIVE AGAIN in September 2026 for the next Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay - you can check out the event details here. You can find us on Instagram ⁠@Christie_Time⁠. We are also on Bluesky at ⁠ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies. Our website is ⁠ChristieTime.com⁠. Our other podcast, Westmapod, has launched - just search Westmapod in your podcatcher of choice to check it out or click the link here! Please subscribe to the podcast so you’re notified every time an episode drops. Please also consider giving us a star rating and/or reviewing us on your podcatcher of choice. The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. Artwork designed by Bartlett Studio and Tom Double. Filmed and edited by John Tomkins at Emberlense Films. 00:00:00 - Opening titles 00:01:23 - Our rundown of the Confessions of Agatha Christie... 00:41:20 - EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! 00:44:01 - How to get in touch 00:44:34 - Coda, closing titles

    45 min

  2. 23 APR

    Commentary for Murder at the Gallop, Agatha Christie’s Marple

    To mark (Aldridge) the occasion of Mark Aldridge’s latest book being available in PAPERBACK for the first time, Gray and Mark sit down to watch and natter through Murder at the Gallop (1963), the second of four 1960s films starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. You can purchase Mark’s book, Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness in paperback, ebook and audio now! WE'VE WRITTEN A BOOK! You can pre-order The Swinging Christies: How Agatha Christie Conquered the 1960s ⁠NOW⁠! You can find us on Instagram ⁠@Christie_Time⁠. We are also on Bluesky at ⁠ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies.  Our website is⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ChristieTime.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our other podcast, Westmapod, launched on 31 March 2026 - just search Westmapod in your podcatcher of choice to check it out! Please subscribe to the podcast so you’re notified every time an episode drops. Please also consider giving us a star rating and/or reviewing us on your podcatcher of choice. The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. Artwork designed by Bartlett Studio and Tom Double. 00:00:00 - Opening titles 00:00:44 - Introductory chat 00:02:36 - Commentary track for Murder at the Gallop (1963) 01:20:41 - How to get in touch 01:21:58 - Closing titles 01:22:17 - Coda Solutions revealed - After the Funeral, The Mysterious Affair at Styles

    1hr 23min

  3. 5 APR

    Introducing Westmapod! Our new Agatha Christie podcast

    Hello Swingers, we have a new Agatha Christie podcast over on another feed we wanted to tell you about! But don't worry, The Swinging Christies isn't going anywhere. Go search WESTMAPOD in your podcatcher of choice and make sure you subscribe! It’s the introductory episode of Westmapod: Agatha Christie’s Secret Identity with co-hosts Gray and Mark (aka Christie Time). The alter ego of best-selling novelist Agatha Christie, Westmacott wrote six fascinating novels - and in this bookclub-style limited series, we will be going book-by-book to answer to question: who is Mary Westmacott? Read along with us! Each episode drops after a fortnight, on Tuesdays. You have until Tuesday 14 April 2026 to read book 1, Giant’s Bread! WE'VE WRITTEN A BOOK! You can pre-order The Swinging Christies: How Agatha Christie Conquered the 1960s ⁠NOW⁠! You can find us on Instagram ⁠@Christie_Time⁠. Our website is ChristieTime.com. We are also on Bluesky at ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @Westmapod.  Please subscribe to the podcast so you’re notified every time an episode drops! And do also stay subscribed to The Swinging Christies for monthly episodes over there! Please also consider giving us a star rating and/or reviewing us on your podcatcher of choice. Westmapod is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. Artwork designed by Tom Double. 00:00:00 - Exclusive Swinging Christies intro to Westmapod! 00:03:09 - Opening titles 00:04:03 - Introduction to Westmapod 00:05:54 - Who is Mary Westmacott? 00:11:49 - The six Mary Westmacott books 00:17:55 - What are we looking to discover? 00:21:34 - Series plan, next episode, how to get in touch 00:25:43 - Closing titles 00:26:40 - Coda

    29 min

  4. 1 MAR

    Agatha Christie: Work In Progress

    Mark and Gray are reunited to discuss the working titles of Agatha Christie’s Swinging works - novels, plays and short stories to boot! Recorded in a very special location this is a fun rundown and a valuable glimpse into the Queen of Crime’s unique planning process! You can find us on Instagram ⁠@Christie_Time⁠. We are also on Bluesky at ⁠ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies.  WESTMAPOD launches on 31 March 2026! Please subscribe to the podcast so you’re notified every time an episode drops! Please also consider giving us a star rating and/or reviewing us on your podcatcher of choice. Our website is ⁠ChristieTime.com⁠. The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. 00:00:00 - Opening titles 00:00:43 - Introductory chat 00:03:45 - Drag naming game! 00:08:07 - Work In Progress 00:11:43 - Cat Among the Pigeons (1959) 00:14:50 - The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (1960) 00:17:17 - The Pale Horse (1961) 00:19:23 - The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (1962) 00:25:33 - The Rule of Three (1962) 00:30:49 - The Clocks (1963) 00:33:47 - A Caribbean Mystery (1964) 00:36:56 - At Bertram’s Hotel (1965) 00:38:10 - Third Girl (1966) 00:41:31 - Endless Night (1967) 00:44:15 - By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968) 00:50:18 - Hallowe’en Party (1969) 00:51:53 - Passenger to Frankfurt (1970) 00:54:04 - How to get in touch 00:55:24 - Closing titles 00:55:51 - Coda Solutions revealed - Cat Among the Pigeons, The Pale Horse, At Bertram’s Hotel, Hallowe’en Party TW - language quoted that some members of the traveller communities may find offensive

    56 min

  5. 1 FEB

    Agatha Christie in Devon at the Burgh Island Hotel

    Gray and Mark take the sea tractor over the crashing waves to the magnificent Burgh Island Hotel in Devon. Cut off from the mainland, they discuss Agatha Christie’s Devonshire locations and references in the Swinging works, and then meet Giles Fuchs, proprietor of the Burgh Island Hotel! But will there be a murder? (Spoiler: no.) You can find us on Instagram ⁠@Christie_Time⁠. We are also on Bluesky at ⁠ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies.  You can find out more about Burgh Island at BurghIsland.com. Don't forget - our other podcast, WESTMAPOD, launches on 31 March 2026! Please subscribe to the podcast so you’re notified every time an episode drops! Please also consider giving us a star rating and/or reviewing us on your podcatcher of choice. Our website is ⁠ChristieTime.com⁠. The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. 00:00:00 - Opening titles 00:00:37 - Introductory chat 00:03:14 - Agatha Christie in Devon 00:16:29 - Devon in the Swinging Christies texts 00:27:15 - Interview with Giles Fuchs, proprietor of the Burgh Island Hotel 00:38:25 - Next episode, how to get in touch 00:39:30 - Closing titles 00:39:45 - Coda

    40 min

  6. 4 JAN

    Climate Change

    New year, new us…new world? Since before the 1960s, scientists have been warning at the negative human impact on the world around us, but it’s a topic that really hit the headlines in the Swinging era. Interestingly, it’s a thread that can be traced through some of Agatha Christie’s 1960s writing too… Join Mark and Gray for a brand new year on The Swinging Christies! PLUS: an announcement! You can find us on Instagram ⁠@Christie_Time⁠. We are also on Bluesky at ⁠ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies.  WESTMAPOD launches on 31 March 2026! Please subscribe to the podcast so you’re notified every time an episode drops! Please also consider giving us a star rating and/or reviewing us on your podcatcher of choice. Our website is ⁠ChristieTime.com⁠. This episode is dedicated to Chandra Maharaj. The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. 00:00:00 - Dedication 00:00:44 - Opening titles 00:01:20 - Introductory chat 00:03:28 - An announcement  00:06:09 - Climate Change in the 1960s 00:20:52 - In the Cool of the Evening from Star Over Bethlehem (1965) 00:32:47 - Case study: The Birds (1963) 00:42:22 - Enter Albert! 00:54:09 - Next episode, how to get in touch 00:55:42 - Closing titles 00:56:09 - Coda Solutions revealed! - Hallowe'en Party TW: the death of the planet

    57 min

  7. 14/12/2025

    Christmas 2025

    Mark and Gray aka Donner and Blitzen are here with the now-annual Swinging Christies Christmas extravaganza! This time the discussion is about the ITV Agatha Christie’s Poirot David Suchet adaptations of The Mystery of the Spanish/Baghdad Chest, and The Theft of the Royal Ruby, aka The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding! Expect an abundance of sleigh bells, a tuneful game, two Edward Claytons, and a partridge in a pear tree! You can find us on Instagram ⁠@Christie_Time⁠. We are also on Bluesky at ⁠ChristieTime.com⁠. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies.  Please subscribe to the podcast so you’re notified every time an episode drops! Please also consider giving us a star rating and/or reviewing us on your podcatcher of choice. Our website is ⁠ChristieTime.com⁠. The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. 00:00:00 - Opening titles 00:00:40- Introductory chat 00:02:45 - Christmas song game! 00:06:50 - The Mystery of the Spanish Chest (1991) 00:30:47 - The Theft of the Royal Ruby (1991) 00:41:55 - The Return of the Mailbag 00:52:32 - Next episode, how to get in touch 00:53:53 - Closing titles 00:54:21 - Coda Solutions revealed - The Mystery of the Baghdad/Spanish Chest, The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side TW: being stabbed through the eye (Merry Christmas!)

    57 min

  8. 16/11/2025

    Echoes of the Disappearance

    Gray and Mark are sunning themselves in Puerto de la Cruz for Tenerife’s International Agatha Christie Festival! In the 1920s, Agatha came to this beautiful island to get away from it all, but even later, in the 1960s, the shadows of that dark time in her life were still evident. You can find us on Instagram ⁠@Christie_Time⁠. We are also on Bluesky at ⁠christietime.bsky.social⁠. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies.  Please subscribe to the podcast so you’re notified every time an episode drops! Please also consider giving us a star rating and/or reviewing us on your podcatcher of choice. Our website is ⁠ChristieTime.com⁠. The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. 00:00:00 - Opening titles 00:00:40 - Introductory chat 00:04:16 -  The Disappearance - in Agatha’s own words 00:24:46 - The Disappearance in Agatha’s Swinging works, from Davenham to Marina Gregg 00:57:22 - Next episode, how to get in touch 00:59:15 - Closing titles 00:59:38 - Coda Solutions revealed - Endless Night, The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim, The Dream, Third Girl TW: references to suicide, mental health crises, quoted outdated terminology, deaths and bereavements

    1 hr
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4.8
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Sex. Drugs. Rock 'n' Roll. Agatha Christie?? Agatha Christie may not be the first person you think of when you think of the Swinging Sixties, but her writing has much to say about the big topics of the day. Join Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown on a rad journey through time with the Queen of Crime.

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