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From the vantage point of her bedroom at Gull's Point, Lady Tresillian awaits the arrival of her family, the famous tennis player Neville Strange, who's arriving with his new wife Kay, as well as his ex wife, Audrey.

It's a decent start, it introduces the characters, looks great, and does the ground work, establishing the motives and various relationships. I'm going to state that if is a little on the slow side, don't expect multiple murders, this first part is all about introducing the main players.

I read the book over Christmas, just to be prepared for it, and it's fair to say there are several changes, but the core of the story is there.

The fashions are divine, visually it's a real feast, the sets are decadent, I'd still argue that nobody does historical output like The BBC, they got it spot on. Neville's tennis scenes at Wimbledon looked very authentic.

I love that it was filmed primarily at Burgh Island, it really does give it an Agatha Christie vibe.

Anjelica Houston was excellent as Lady Tresillian, a commanding performance from her, a real presence, and a fine English accent.

It's a good start, I just hope the pace picks up in episode two.

7/10.

Don't be fooled by this being an Agatha Christie story, this is not a classic whodunnit. The clue lies in the title and the opening monologue. Murder does not begin when someone dies, but when the motive is seeded and from there the story rushes towards the death, "towards zero". Only, this is a mini-series, so nothing rushes here.

Instead the entire first episode introduces us the characters and their backstories - and let's just say, there are plenty of motives around, so someone will certainly end up dead eventually.

There's Neville Strange, a professional tennis player, his second wife Kay, who he married right after his very public divorce from his first wife Audrey. All three have chosen August to visit Gull's Point, the splendid coastal home of Lady Tressilian, who happens to more or less be a mother figure to both Neville and Audrey and does not think them being there together an at all good idea. Then there's her companion Mary Aldin, who has become secret pen pals with banished Nephew Thomas Royde and has invited him against her mistresses expressed wishes, perhaps hoping for a little more than friendship. The family attorney Mr Treeves along with his troubled ward Sylvia, Neville's mysterious man servant Arthur MacDonald, and the depressed Inspector Leach round out the explosive group collecting at Gull's Point for the summer.

Soon, and as expected, the tensions run high. Despite the efforts of Lady Tressilian who tries to get the rowdy bunch under control by summoning them to her bedroom and scolding them into submission, the members of the group are at each others throats in no time at all.

Devon's coast looks gorgeous and moody, the costumes are fabulous and the acting is very good. It is a slow burn though and the first episode is little more than a family drama, so murder mystery enthusiasts might be disappointed.

"I don't know why the BBC bothers making these so-called Agatha Christie series when they have nothing to do with her novels. They change key plots, rewrite characters, and add unnecessary modern twists that distort her original stories. Instead of honoring her brilliance, they seem more interested in reimagining her work to fit current trends. If they won't stay true to the source material, why call it Agatha Christie at all? Fans of her books deserve faithful adaptations, not loosely inspired retellings that barely resemble the originals and miss the essence of her storytelling. Sad to see."

I see the hand of Geppetto very clearly at work in creating all these wooden characters, rather than the deft and delicate touch of Agatha Christie. I haven't read the book, but other reviewers write that it bears little resemblance to the original work.

But who did the casting?

Why was the 'family lawyer' of aristocrats in a stately home in 1930s Devon played by a black American? His English accent was mostly passable, but far from perfect, so we can only assume that this was made purely for a USA audience who wouldn't know the difference. Nor would they know that a 'family lawyer' in England must be a solicitor, who cannot legally take on the role of a barrister in a court case, which is a huge goof.

Anjeiica Huston's English accent was by comparison just about flawless, but surely England must have enough eminent elderly female actors to find one to take on the role.

The other leads were really a bit lightweight, especially the two Mrs Stranges. Lots of simmering and pouting, but that was it.

It wasn't quite bad enough to quit at this point, and we will watch the remaining two episodes out of sheer curiosity, but we are not filled with too much hope.

Towards Zero begins with a lead character telling an audience that he likes a good detective story.

That is begins with a murder but it should be at the end.

So do not expect a murder in this episode. Even though Towards Zero is an Agatha Christie adaptation.

Directed by Sam Yates who made the not that great Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar,

Yates somehow makes a dogs dinner out of this. The first episode is poor but looks great and Anjelica Huston is imperial.

She plays Lady Tressilian and she has some relatives coming over to stay. This includes bounder Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) a tennis player going through a sensational divorce. It has attracted press attention.

The first few minutes of the opening episode offered some promise. It then tailed off.

So far, I'm super bummed. Towards Zero isn't just one of Ms. Christie's favorites - it's one of mine, too. Mostly because of Battle, so Battle not being in the show is a bad start. Changing the story with his daughter to Treves and his ward was also a disappointment. The daughter's beginning story sets up the whole solution.

This is a slow start, which is fine, but the other changes are not great, but I will hold out hope that it will improve.

All in all, I don't understand the side story with Sylvia. Or the way they ended up treating Leach. Why does everyone insist on making coppers drinks now?