Lucy Worsley turns her historian’s powers of investigation onto the mysterious figure of Agatha Christie. Over the course of three hour-long episodes, Lucy uncovers the story of one of the most famous – and complex – women of the 20th century. Agatha Christie is the most successful novelist of all time, outsold only by Shakespeare and the Bible. Across 75 novels, plays and countless short stories, she defined the detective genre for over a century. But the real woman behind the literary persona has long remained an enigma.

Looked at through Lucy’s expert eyes, Christie’s life becomes a dynamic history of the 20th century. Over the course of her long life, Agatha Christie witnessed extraordinary upheaval: not just two World Wars, but revolutions in scientific understanding and enormous social change. Attitudes to everything from class and gender to race, Empire, science and technology were questioned and challenged. And – touched by these changes in very personal ways – she ploughed all of it into her books.

For the first time Agatha Christie and her art are forensically examined, providing a unique portrait of a society in flux. Her books hold a mirror to 20th century Britain… and provide a remarkable window into a remarkable mind.