David Suchet says he hasn’t watched Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot to protect himself from saying anything ‘derogatory’

The star played the fictional Belgian detective between 1989 and 2013

Sir David Suchet says he has chosen not to watch Sir Kenneth Branagh’s take on Hercule Poirot to protect himself from saying anything “derogatory” about his performance.

The star played the fictional Belgian detective in the British TV series between 1989 and 2013.

Other actors who have taken on the role include Albert Finney, who earned an Oscar nomination for his 1974 film version of Murder on the Orient Express, and John Moffatt, who voiced Poirot in a radio adaptation for the BBC.

Actor and director Branagh debuted in the role in the 2017 film version of Murder on the Orient Express and is due to reprise the part in Death on the Nile, which has been delayed to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Suchet recently told Radio Times that, despite being a fan of Branagh’s work, he has avoided watching his performance.

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He said: “Every journalist would like me to say what I think about Branagh, but the reason I haven’t watched Ken – and I have enormous admiration for him as an actor – is that people ask me what I think of the ‘newest, greatest Poirot’ and if I’ve never seen him, it’s best that I don’t have an opinion.

“It protects me and it keeps me from saying anything that might be derogatory. I’m sure that were I to see it, there would be hundreds of things to say that would be complimentary.”

Suchet also described saying goodbye to Poirot in 2013 as like losing his “best friend”.

He said: “As a human being, losing your real family is always painful, but my saddest day as an actor was filming Poirot’s death. I miss him in my life because he was my life for 25 years and I’ve lost my best friend.”

Poirot appeared in 33 of Dame Agatha Christie’s novels, with Murder on the Orient Express being one of her most-adapted stories.

Additional reporting by PA