Podcast
The Swinging Christies: Agatha Christie in the 1960s
Hosted by The Swinging Christies · EN
Sex. Drugs. Rock 'n' Roll. Agatha Christie?? Agatha Christie may not be the first person you think of when you think of the Swinging Sixties, but her writing has much to say about the big topics of the day. Join Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown on a rad journey through time with the Queen of Crime.
23episodes
Episodes
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The Swinging Christies LIVE! The Confessions of Agatha Christie
3w ago00:45:00Tap to summarizeBack 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 they resurface a long-forgotten document: The Confessions of Agatha Christie…!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, has launched - just search Westmapod in your podcatcher of choice to check it out or click the link here!Please subscribe to the 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 Bartlett Studio and Tom Double. Filmed and edited by John Tomkins at Emberlense Films.00:00:00 - Opening titles00:01:23 - Our rundown of the Confessions of Agatha Christie...00:41:20 - EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!00:44:01 - How to get in touch00:44:34 - Coda, closing titles
Transcribe →Commentary for Murder at the Gallop, Agatha Christie’s Marple
Apr 2301:22:35Tap to summarizeTo 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 films starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. You can purchase Mark’s book, Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness in paperback, ebook and audio now!WE'VE WRITTEN A BOOK! You can pre-order The Swinging Christies: How Agatha Christie Conquered the 1960s NOW!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, launched on 31 March 2026 - just search Westmapod in your podcatcher of choice to check it out!Please subscribe to the 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 Bartlett Studio and Tom Double.00:00:00 - Opening titles00:00:44 - Introductory chat00:02:36 - Commentary track for Murder at the Gallop (1963)01:20:41 - How to get in touch01:21:58 - Closing titles01:22:17 - CodaSolutions revealed - After the Funeral, The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Transcribe →Introducing Westmapod! Our new Agatha Christie podcast
Apr 500:28:44Tap to summarizeHello 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 make sure you subscribe!It’s the introductory episode of Westmapod: Agatha Christie’s Secret Identity with co-hosts Gray and Mark (aka Christie Time).The alter ego of best-selling novelist Agatha Christie, Westmacott wrote six fascinating novels - and in this bookclub-style limited series, we will be going book-by-book to answer to question: who is Mary Westmacott?Read along with us! Each episode drops after a fortnight, on Tuesdays. You have until Tuesday 14 April 2026 to read book 1, Giant’s Bread!WE'VE WRITTEN A BOOK! You can pre-order The Swinging Christies: How Agatha Christie Conquered the 1960s NOW!You can find us on Instagram @Christie_Time. Our website is ChristieTime.com. We are also on Bluesky at ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @Westmapod. Please subscribe to the podcast so you’re notified every time an episode drops! And do also stay subscribed to The Swinging Christies for monthly episodes over there!Please also consider giving us a star rating and/or reviewing us on your podcatcher of choice.Westmapod is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. Artwork designed by Tom Double.00:00:00 - Exclusive Swinging Christies intro to Westmapod!00:03:09 - Opening titles00:04:03 - Introduction to Westmapod00:05:54 - Who is Mary Westmacott?00:11:49 - The six Mary Westmacott books00:17:55 - What are we looking to discover?00:21:34 - Series plan, next episode, how to get in touch00:25:43 - Closing titles00:26:40 - Coda
Transcribe →Agatha Christie: Work In Progress
Mar 100:56:08Tap to summarizeMark 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 into the Queen of Crime’s unique planning process!You can find us on Instagram @Christie_Time. We are also on Bluesky at ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies. WESTMAPOD launches on 31 March 2026!Please subscribe to the 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.Our website is ChristieTime.com.The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.00:00:00 - Opening titles00:00:43 - Introductory chat00:03:45 - Drag naming game!00:08:07 - Work In Progress00:11:43 - Cat Among the Pigeons (1959)00:14:50 - The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (1960)00:17:17 - The Pale Horse (1961)00:19:23 - The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (1962)00:25:33 - The Rule of Three (1962)00:30:49 - The Clocks (1963)00:33:47 - A Caribbean Mystery (1964)00:36:56 - At Bertram’s Hotel (1965)00:38:10 - Third Girl (1966)00:41:31 - Endless Night (1967)00:44:15 - By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968)00:50:18 - Hallowe’en Party (1969)00:51:53 - Passenger to Frankfurt (1970)00:54:04 - How to get in touch00:55:24 - Closing titles00:55:51 - CodaSolutions revealed - Cat Among the Pigeons, The Pale Horse, At Bertram’s Hotel, Hallowe’en PartyTW - language quoted that some members of the traveller communities may find offensive
Transcribe →Agatha Christie in Devon at the Burgh Island Hotel
Feb 100:40:17Tap to summarizeGray 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 works, and then meet Giles Fuchs, proprietor of the Burgh Island Hotel! But will there be a murder? (Spoiler: no.)You can find us on Instagram @Christie_Time. We are also on Bluesky at ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies. You can find out more about Burgh Island at BurghIsland.com.Don't forget - our other podcast, WESTMAPOD, launches on 31 March 2026!Please subscribe to the 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.Our website is ChristieTime.com.The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.00:00:00 - Opening titles00:00:37 - Introductory chat00:03:14 - Agatha Christie in Devon00:16:29 - Devon in the Swinging Christies texts00:27:15 - Interview with Giles Fuchs, proprietor of the Burgh Island Hotel00:38:25 - Next episode, how to get in touch00:39:30 - Closing titles00:39:45 - Coda
Transcribe →Climate Change
Jan 400:56:30Tap to summarizeNew 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’s a thread that can be traced through some of Agatha Christie’s 1960s writing too… Join Mark and Gray for a brand new year on The Swinging Christies! PLUS: an announcement!You can find us on Instagram @Christie_Time. We are also on Bluesky at ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies. WESTMAPOD launches on 31 March 2026!Please subscribe to the 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.Our website is ChristieTime.com.This episode is dedicated to Chandra Maharaj.The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.00:00:00 - Dedication00:00:44 - Opening titles00:01:20 - Introductory chat00:03:28 - An announcement 00:06:09 - Climate Change in the 1960s00:20:52 - In the Cool of the Evening from Star Over Bethlehem (1965)00:32:47 - Case study: The Birds (1963)00:42:22 - Enter Albert!00:54:09 - Next episode, how to get in touch00:55:42 - Closing titles00:56:09 - CodaSolutions revealed! - Hallowe'en PartyTW: the death of the planet
Transcribe →Christmas 2025
Dec 1400:56:44Tap to summarizeMark 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 the Spanish/Baghdad Chest, and The Theft of the Royal Ruby, aka The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding! Expect an abundance of sleigh bells, a tuneful game, two Edward Claytons, and a partridge in a pear tree!You can find us on Instagram @Christie_Time. We are also on Bluesky at ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies. Please subscribe to the 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.Our website is ChristieTime.com.The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.00:00:00 - Opening titles00:00:40- Introductory chat00:02:45 - Christmas song game!00:06:50 - The Mystery of the Spanish Chest (1991)00:30:47 - The Theft of the Royal Ruby (1991)00:41:55 - The Return of the Mailbag00:52:32 - Next episode, how to get in touch00:53:53 - Closing titles00:54:21 - CodaSolutions revealed - The Mystery of the Baghdad/Spanish Chest, The Mirror Crack’d from Side to SideTW: being stabbed through the eye (Merry Christmas!)
Transcribe →Echoes of the Disappearance
Nov 1600:59:44Tap to summarizeGray 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, the shadows of that dark time in her life were still evident.You can find us on Instagram @Christie_Time. We are also on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies. Please subscribe to the 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.Our website is ChristieTime.com.The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.00:00:00 - Opening titles00:00:40 - Introductory chat00:04:16 - The Disappearance - in Agatha’s own words00:24:46 - The Disappearance in Agatha’s Swinging works, from Davenham to Marina Gregg00:57:22 - Next episode, how to get in touch00:59:15 - Closing titles00:59:38 - CodaSolutions revealed - Endless Night, The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim, The Dream, Third GirlTW: references to suicide, mental health crises, quoted outdated terminology, deaths and bereavements
Transcribe →Hallowe’en 2025
Oct 2500:50:51Tap to summarizeMwahahaha! 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 make of the 1969 setting moved to 1947? Will we survive a risky game of apple bobbing, in a very non-galvanised bucket? Listen on to find out.You can find us on Instagram @Christie_Time. We are also on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies. Please subscribe to the 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.Our website is ChristieTime.com.The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.Next episode: we're doing something we have never done before...00:00:00 - Opening titles00:00:40 - Introductory chat00:03:12 - A Haunting in Venice00:18:33 - Apple bobbing!00:22:09 - Differences between Hallowe’en Party and A Haunting in Venice00:47:51 - How to get in touch00:48:54 - Closing titles00:49:21 - CodaSolutions revealed - Hallowe’en Party, The Pale Horse, Third GirlTW: brief discussion of eating disorders and violence against children
Transcribe →The Swinging Christies LIVE! Cool Covers & Groovy Graphics - Packaging Agatha Christie for the 1960s
Sep 2800:49:13Tap to summarizeIt’s The Swinging Christies as you've never heard (or seen) it before - with a live audience! Join Mark and Gray at the 2025 International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, Devon, for this special recorded and filmed episode all about the way Agatha Christie’s books were packaged for a whole new Swinging era! Expect laughs, mishaps, ribbing, and even the occasional fact.With heartfelt thanks to everyone at the festival for making this happen, from the volunteers to the organisers to the bookshop, and a special thanks to our brilliant director and editor for this episode, John Tomkins of Emberlense Productions.You can find us on Instagram @Christie_Time. We are also on Bluesky at christietime.bsky.social. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies. Please subscribe to the 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.Our website is ChristieTime.com.The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.Next episode: we’re going apple bobbing… It’s the Hallowe’en special!00:00:00 - Opening titles00:04:15 - Colour00:17:50 - Shape00:26:54 - Pattern00:31:18 - Headline00:34:21 - Femme00:39:10 - Psychedelia00:45:48 - Wrap up, next episode00:48:48 - Closing titlesSolutions revealed - Cat among the Pigeons
Transcribe →