And Then There Were None
The cast of And Then There Were None BBC 1/ Lifetime

Around 5.31 million viewers were glued to the TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's best-selling mystery novel And Then There Were None over Christmas, helping BBC to dominate the holiday TV ratings.

More about Christmas TV

The Daily Express reports that 6m viewers watched the first episode of three-part drama on BBC 1 on Boxing Day, becoming the second-most watched show after the BBC News.

All three episodes are also in the Top 5 most-watched shows on BBC iPlayer.

Deviating from the usual whodunnit style of Christie mysteries, it tells the tale of revenge. Neither the Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot nor Miss Marple are in the story.

A mysterious host lures 10 people to a huge mansion in a deserted island off the Devon Coast. Two servants – a husband and wife – welcome them. Inside the house, they find figurines of 10 little soldiers along with a framed copy of nursery rhyme 'Ten little soldiers' on the wall. That night, when they start their dinner, a record begins to play with a voice accusing them of crimes they committed in the past. One by one, they all die, and whenever a death occurs, one of the figurines is removed.

The Daily Express described the drama as more a stylish horror than a murder-mystery. "Sarah Phelps's script worked fresh magic from Christie's best-seller." Though Phelps was accused of 'sexing up' the Christie novel, The Independent says "such complaints were minor in the face of a hugely atmospheric take on this clever but tricksy tale". Though there were some other adaptations, this one was closest to the novel, said the Daily Express.

Popular Poldark star Aidan Turner starred alongside Charles Dance, Sam Neill and Miranda Richardson.

The drama helped the BBC dominate viewing over the Christmas period despite losing out on the top spot on Christmas Day to the final episode of Downton Abbey. Eight of the 10 most-watched shows on Christmas Day were broadcast by the BBC.

The novel, which appeared in 1939, sold 100 millions books across the globe.