Where to Start with The Swinging Christies

Where to Start with The Swinging Christies

Author: The Swinging Christies July 5, 2026 Duration: 42:50

You there! Are you a new Swinger (not like that) or just wondering which of the Swinging-era Agatha Christie books you should read next? Well, we are here with a host of recommendations for you, from our favourite Poirot and Marple titles, to the best option if you’re looking for something darker... Plus we reveal our favourite episodes we've made so far!

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, is available now - just search Westmapod in your podcatcher of choice or click the link here!

Please subscribe to this 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 Tom Double and Bartlett Studio.

00:00:00 - Opening titles

00:00:25 - Introductory chat

00:04:00 - Where to start with... this podcast 

00:10:00 - Where to start if... you want something dark

00:13:42 - Where to start if... you’re a Poirot fan

00:18:13 - Where to start if... you’re a Miss Marple fan

00:23:08 - Where to start if... you want something trad

00:26:57 - Where to start with... the Swinging Christies films

00:31:21 - Where to start if... you’re looking for a beach read

00:34:40 - Where to start if... you want to learn something new

00:36:39 - How to get in touch

00:38:50 - Closing titles

00:39:29 - Coda


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
The Further Confessions of Agatha Christie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:17
Agatha Christie wrote many confession scenes - but what were her own innermost secrets? Throughout her life Agatha and her family filled in a Confessions book several times - join Mark and Gray as they take an intimate l…
Spotlight on: Murder Most Foul, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:42
Come settle in with Gray and Mark as they watch the next Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple film, Murder Most Foul (1964). Try as a commentary, by syncing up your copy of the film, or simply sit back and let our giddy obser…
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…
Spotlight on: Murder at the Gallop, Agatha Christie’s Miss 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…