Swinging USA: New York (Part 1)

Swinging USA: New York (Part 1)

Author: The Swinging Christies June 1, 2025 Duration: 1:01:22

Mark and Gray take Manhattan in the first in this very special miniseries recorded in the USA. In New York, Gray and Mark discuss Agatha’s 1960s connections to America, plus their discoveries in papers held at the Princeton University Archive.

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

Next episode: Part 2 of Swinging USA - we go to Washington DC!


00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:40 - Introductory chat at Heathrow airport

00:03:57 - Agatha and America in the 1960s at Central Park

00:32:38 - Discoveries in the Princeton Archive

00:55:49 - Wrap up, Schubert Archive, and off to Washington DC!

00:58:30 - How to get in touch

00:59:41 - Closing titles

01:00:12 - Coda

Solutions revealed! - Cat Among the Pigeons, The Clocks, The Pale Horse, At Bertram’s Hotel


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: 35

The Swinging Christies: Agatha Christie in the 1960s
Podcast Episodes
Agatha Christie: Murder and Mirth? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:04
Welcome to a very special episode, recorded at the London Comedy Film Festival, the world’s premiere comedy film festival! Gray was interviewed by festival director and Agatha fan Benedict Morrison about the 1960s filmic…
The Swinging Christies LIVE! The Confessions of Agatha Christie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:00
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 the…
Commentary for Murder at the Gallop, Agatha Christie’s Marple [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:35
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 fil…
Introducing Westmapod! Our new Agatha Christie podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:44
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 m…
Agatha Christie: Work In Progress [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:08
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 int…
Agatha Christie in Devon at the Burgh Island Hotel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:17
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 wor…
Climate Change [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:30
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’…
Christmas 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:44
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 t…
Echoes of the Disappearance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:44
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, t…
Hallowe’en 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:51
Mwahahaha! It’s the now-traditional The Swinging Christies x Hallowe’en extravaganza, and this year Mark and Gray are talking about the recent film adaptation of Hallowe’en Party, A Haunting in Venice (2023). What do we…