Swinging India

Swinging India

Author: The Swinging Christies April 20, 2025 Duration: 1:48:02

Mark and Gray travel to India (metaphorically) in search of the Queen of Crime! Along the way, they discuss various Hindi and Bengali adaptations, and meet with friend-of-the-podcast and expert adaptor/writer Ayeesha Menon to discuss her Mumbai stage version of The Mirror Crack’d!

You can find us on Instagram @Christie_Time. We are on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Please do subscribe, rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Our website is ChristieTime.com.

Ayeesha Menon can be found via her production company ⁠Goldhawk Productions⁠. Her excellent drama podcast ⁠Mumbai Crime⁠ is available on all good podcatchers.

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

Next episode: stay tuned…!


0:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:41 - Introductory chat

00:06:25 - Agatha and India

00:14:57 - Chupi Chupi Aashey (1960 Bengali version of The Mousetrap)

00:29:51 - Gumnaam (1965 Hindi version of And Then There Were None)

00:39:42 - Shubho Mahurat (2003 Bengali version of The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side)

00:56:12 - Interview with Ayeesha Menon, adaptor of The Mirror Crack’d for the Mumbai stage

01:45:12 - How to get in touch

01:46:35 - Closing titles

01:47:02 - Coda


Solutions revealed! - The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side. NOT THE MOUSETRAP! We would never!

TW: discussion of struggle with fertility, miscarriage, IVF etc.


The Swinging Christies: Agatha Christie in the 1960s might seem like a contradiction, but that’s the fascinating territory this podcast explores. Hosted by Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown, it’s a deep and often surprising look at how the Queen of Crime’s later work intersected with a decade of radical change. Forget the stereotypical image of a cosy, unchanging writer; here, we examine how Christie’s stories from that era engaged with shifting attitudes towards youth culture, morality, and social upheaval. Each episode digs into a specific novel or theme, unpacking the subtle-and sometimes not so subtle-ways her writing reflected or reacted to the world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a rad journey through time that treats her work with serious scholarly insight while embracing the vibrant spirit of the period. You’ll come away from this podcast with a completely refreshed perspective on one of history’s most prolific authors, hearing her familiar plots through a new, decidedly swinging lens.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 38

The Swinging Christies: Agatha Christie in the 1960s
Podcast Episodes
6. Drugs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:42
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 ever…
5. Horror [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:41:59
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)…
4. Fashion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:53
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 a…
3. Money [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:29
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) @C…
2. Rock 'n' Roll [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:33
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…
1. Sex [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:29
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:…
Introduction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:36
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) @Chris…