Original subtitles

♪♪

David Suchet: In 1924,

Agatha Christie published a rather different

detective novel, set not in England,

but in South Africa, a place she had visited herself.

♪♪

She writes gloriously in her books about what she sees.

♪♪

Listen to this. "It made me catch my breath,

and have that curious hungry pain inside

that seizes one sometimes when one comes across something

that's extra beautiful."

And you know, I'm convinced

that this is Agatha speaking through her heroine.

And she goes on, "South Africa, South Africa.

You're seeing the world. This is the world.

You're seeing it."

♪♪

In 1922, before Agatha Christie was famous,

she travelled the world as part of a mission

to champion an upcoming British Empire exhibition.

Held in London,

it was to be a resplendent celebration

of empire and industry,

designed to strengthen bonds and boost trade.

Over a hundred years later, I'm following in her footsteps.

I really feel that I'm back in time with her now.

I'm David Suchet,

and I played Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot for 25 years.

Now, with my trusty camera,

I'm retracing her travels through southern Africa.

I've never seen anything like this, ever.

-Australia, New Zealand... -Welcome.

Suchet: ...and Canada.

Oh, wow. That is extraordinary.

And I'm even following her on holiday to Hawaii.

Woman: She found this magical place in surfing,

and it captured her heart.

Suchet: I want to find out how different life was

in these places in the 1920s...

There were 94,099 sheep shorn the year that Agatha was here.

What?!

...and explore the impact of colonialism a century on.

We are still Black, dispossessed,

displaced and landless.

You can't understand why things are the way

they are with indigenous people in Canada

if you don't look at what the history is.

Suchet: I'll see the world through the eyes of a writer...

Goodness me. I mustn't be tempted.

...who has been so pivotal in my own life.

She embraced life for all it was worth.

Wow, what a discovery.

♪♪

♪♪

My great adventure is starting with a pilgrimage to Torquay,

Agatha's hometown on the English Riviera.

♪♪

It's the site of an annual international festival,

where fans come to celebrate the world's bestselling novelist.

Someone who's very close to my heart.

I can't separate Agatha or Poirot from each other.

Both changed my life, changed my career.

He became my very best friend.

As soon as the moustache was placed,

from that moment,

I would then be him, and be him for the rest of the day,

except at lunch, when the moustache came off.

When she was 31,

Agatha Christie, and her husband Archie,

were asked to help promote

the upcoming British Empire Exhibition.

It was Archie's old schoolmaster,

Major Ernest Belcher, who came with the most incredible offer.

Would Archie like a job travelling through various parts

of the British Empire,

to promote and prepare for the exhibition?

And would his wife like to join him?

Of course, Agatha said yes.

It's very exciting for me.

I've only known the mature Agatha Christie,

who's rather shy and reclusive.

In 1922, what was she like?

What was she like before she became famous?

I'm looking forward to meeting a lady

that I've not known in any way before.

I can't wait.

♪♪

First, I'm meeting Christie expert, Dr. Mark Aldridge...

Aldridge: I'm very excited about this adventure you're going on.

Suchet: I know!

...at the Grand Hotel, where the newly married

Christies spent their honeymoon.

I'm keen to know where Agatha was in her life,

as she embarked on this incredible journey.

She has a young daughter, her and Archie are happily together,

and frankly, she's not Agatha Christie the writer yet.

-She has published. -No.

She's Mrs Christie.

She doesn't go as a famous writer at all.

-One novel. -Yes, yes.

Albeit the Poirot novel.

-Quite a good novel, yes. -A pretty good novel.

Pretty good start.

But I've actually got a really nice article.

-Have you? -This is the Pall Mall Gazette.

It is an interview with Agatha Christie,

just before she sets off on her tour.

She says, "Once you adopt crime, it's difficult to give it up.

-I know I could never do so." -Oh, fascinating.

How right she was.

And it's her voice, isn't it?

-Yes. -You can hear her speaking.

-Yes, yes. -What does she say here?

"I'm not sure that the people in the overseas dominions

are going to like me.

they may find my love of crime objectionable."

"It cannot be helped." Isn't that lovely?

And of course the empire, at this time,

still geographically very large, but structurally it's very weak.

There's a lot of change happening here.

Interesting, that, yes.

Agatha's empire journey also interests me

because it came before a great crisis in her life.

In 1926, her mother died,

and her husband Archie asked for a divorce.

Deeply upset, she famously went missing for 11 days.

I think it destabilised her hugely.

She very much withdrew from interviews and the press.

She certainly changed.

But at this stage in her life,

I think that she is much more confident.

Suchet: Yes.

Aldridge: She really loved to meet different people,

and that is always the core of her storytelling.

She says, "The tools of my trade

are going round the world with me.

Typewriter, notebooks, and heaps and heaps of paper."

-Yes. -She's not stopping here.

I'm really looking forward to this.

Been marvellous talking to you.

I'm so envious!

So, if you've got room in your suitcase, I'll come with you.

-Thank you so much. -Thank you, David.

Suchet: In January 1922,

the RMS Kildonan Castle set sail from England,

with Agatha and Archie Christie on board.

Ahead of Agatha lay adventures to some

of the furthest reaches of the world.

After a two-and-a-half-week voyage,

the ship docked at their first destination: Cape Town.

♪♪

A lively, bustling city.

Framed by the magnificent Table Mountain.

It's iconic, isn't it?

It's as though someone's come along with a big knife

and just taken the top right off.

♪♪

Agatha's two-month-long visit here came

after four British colonies had combined,

to form the Union of South Africa,

a self-governing dominion of the British Empire.

And whilst in Cape Town,

Agatha stayed at the colonial-era Mount Nelson Hotel.

♪♪

Wow, an avenue of trees. Very elegant.

Oh, my goodness. There's the hotel.

I don't think I've ever seen a pink hotel before.

It's huge.

♪♪

♪♪

-Sir David. -Hello.

Welcome to Mount Nelson Hotel.

-I'm so happy! -Thank you. Thank you.

-Please do come through. -Thank you.

Suchet: Gabby Palmer has worked for the hotel for 10 years.

Let's go outside into the beautiful gardens.

♪♪

Oh, it's beautiful, isn't it?

Palmer: And what a beautiful day it is, too.

Tell me about the hotel.

Palmer: The first thing you might've noticed is the pink.

Suchet: Yes.

The pink is a celebration of the end of World War I,

and pink is the colour of peace, hope, joy, love, passion.

-Oh, how lovely! -All the positive emotions.

And it's been the same pink ever since 1918.

It looks lovely, doesn't it?

Yes, it really does.

-Shall we go? -Yes.

Suchet: The hotel opened in 1899,

and belonged to the owner of the Union-Castle shipping line,

which took mail and passengers from Britain to South Africa.

♪♪

And in the dining room,

the chairs come from the same Union-Castle ships

that brought visitors to Cape Town.

Agatha Christie would've sat in something like that?

-She would have. -Oh, that's fascinating.

Do you wanna sit down and see what it feels like?

Yes, I do. Thank you.

-That is very comfortable. -Exceedingly so.

It was only for the first class passengers.

-Yes. -Certainly wasn't for

any other of the classes.

No. Lucky Agatha.

[ Both laugh ]

♪♪

My Agatha adventures are off to a great start,

and this trip means so much to me in a number of ways.

This book was her very first book,

"Mysterious Affair at Styles," first Poirot book.

This was published in 1920,

that led her writing Poirot books

for the best part of 50 years.

Thankfully, because I was able to be in every one of them.

My family, in a sense, comes from South Africa,

and I brought a picture of my late grandfather

on my father's side.

If you were to put a little moustache on that man,

I wonder who he'd look like. Hercule Poirot.

He was known as the best-dressed man in Cape Town.

He moved here from Lithuania, and my father was born here.

I always carry my camera wherever I go.

My late maternal grandfather, he was a Fleet Street photographer.

This camera is based on the first Leica, the M3,

that my grandfather gave me.

He taught me on that camera.

So, yeah, very personal, very emotional,

and I'm looking forward to it very much.

♪♪

♪♪

To start my journey,

I'm following Agatha Christie to Cape Town's

renowned wine region.

♪♪

Dutch colonists planted the first vines here

in the mid-17th century, using slaves to work the farms.

Agatha toured the area with the empire mission,

who were interested in its wine and fruit industries.

Craig is giving me a tour of Klein Constantia...

-Harris: Hello, Craig. -Sir David, welcome.

Suchet: ...one of the oldest winemaking estates in South Africa.

-Harris: Terrible weather. -Suchet: Yes.

♪♪

Just stop for two seconds,

I just want to catch -- Can you switch the wipers

off just for a minute?

There we go. Thank you.

Shall I wipe quickly, get it clear,

and then you can get a shot?

-No, yeah. -Ready? Wipe. Off.

-Thank you. -Teamwork.

[ Laughs ]

Craig, tell me, why this particular area?

It's a bit more sheltered from the wind,

we're in a bit of a valley,

it's a little bit richer, a little bit deeper,

there's an abundance of water,

we have over a thousand mils of rain on average in the year.

-Suchet: Yes. -Harris: There was a time

when the dessert wine from Constantia

was the most famous wine in the world.

Suchet: Constantia wine was highly prized,

but at the end of the 19th century,

vineyards across the world

were decimated by a deadly insect pest: phylloxera.

It could put this vineyard out of business.

Harris: Absolutely.

Fruit trees are resistant to phylloxera,

which is why fruit trees were planted.

-Suchet: Yes. -Harris: So, apples, pears,

plums, peaches, in this specific area.

Suchet: Yes.

By 1922, when the mission came to this area,

they would've found a flourishing fruit industry,

alongside recovering vineyards.

And both offered potential for inter-empire trade.

I'm meeting wine historian Joanne...

Buh-bye.

...to learn more about the mission's visit here,

and perhaps, like Agatha, taste some wine.

Hello, Joanne.

-Hello, Sir David. -Hello.

-Hi. Come in. -Thank you.

♪♪

I don't know if you've seen this.

No, I haven't.

This is a British Empire Exhibition 1924 Official Guide.

I want to read something inside,

because this was on display in the actual

South African Pavillion, in the Great Exhibition,

and it almost sounds as though it's where we are now.

"In a little Dutch house,

looking out on a vineyard scene of Constantia,

are displayed South African wines, which equal,

and are said by many to surpass,

European vintages of a similar nature."

-Amazing. [ Laughs ] -Isn't it?

Constantia wine was world famous during the 18th century.

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

had more Constantia in their cellar

-at Versailles than Burgundy. -My goodness!

-Would you like a taste of... -Well, yes, I certainly would.

You've made me very thirsty for it.

So, this is Vin de Constance,

which is Klein Constantia's recreation

of the famous legendary sweet wine of Constantia.

Oh, my goodness.

It's very perfumed, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

And it is very sweet.

It's usually drunk as a dessert wine.

I know what I'm going to order next time.

Gibson: This one is Clara,

which is named after the woman who owned Klein Constantia

when Agatha Christie visited, in the 1920s.

-Oh. -It's a dry wine.

I'll give you a taste.

I haven't drunk this much in one go for a long time.

Gibson: [ Laughs ]

Oh, it's very different. That is different, isn't it?

Gibson: It's a different grape variety, sauvignon blanc.

Oh, it's lovely.

I've learned such a lot.

♪♪

During their stay in Cape Town,

the mission visited the house of a controversial man,

who in 1922 still cast a long shadow 20 years after his death.

Cecil John Rhodes was an imperialist, businessman,

and Cape Colony prime minister,

who forever changed the face of South Africa.

Dr. Rayda Becker is the curator at his former home.

-Sir David. -Hello.

How nice to see you, and welcome to Groote Schuur.

-Thank you. -Would you like to come inside?

Yes, I'd love to.

Rhodes came from England to South Africa in 1870,

as a sickly boy.

But in ten years became one of richest

and most powerful men in the world,

intent on empire building.

So, David, this is the president's office.

Oh.

And I would like you to sit at the desk,

if you don't mind, because Rhodes sat at this desk.

All the premiers throughout the 20th century of South Africa

sat at this desk.

Suchet: And I'm now sitting at the desk.

You're sitting at the desk.

Suchet: I'm fascinated by all those books in that bookcase.

Come and have a look.

Rhodes was a classical scholar.

His two favourite books were Marcus Aurelius' Meditations,

and Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Oh, wonderful.

These are translations into English,

covered in Moroccan leather.

Clearly he was passionate for the ancient classical world.

Yes.

And for Marcus Aurelius,

who was a philosopher imperialist, if you like.

Suchet: Rhodes' fervour for emperors

continued in a Roman-style bathroom.

Look at that bath! That is one piece?

-Of solid granite. -Wow. Magnificent.

Even the bath has imperial echoes.

However, how much hot water are you gonna

have to get this to be warm?

It was fine for Rhodes,

'cause he didn't mind a cold bath.

But tough luck on the visitors.

Suchet: My goodness.

Rhodes' dream was to connect the British Empire in the cape

to its territories further north, in Egypt.

So, David, this was and always was Rhodes' bedroom.

And importantly, the map has got some red marks on it,

which indicate the ambition of building a railway

from Cape Town to Cairo.

One of the reasons was to claim the centre

of Africa for the British.

He added a million square miles to the British Empire.

He was an arch imperialist.

He was dreaming of this in his bed.

In pursuit of his ambitions,

Rhodes carved out huge swathes of African territory,

exploiting the indigenous Black population,

and laying the foundations of racial segregation.

He leaves behind a complex and contested legacy.

Cecil Rhodes owned the whole of this land.

Yes, he did.

But he leaves this whole estate to the nation,

and it's been state property ever since then.

So, what does the nation feel about Rhodes now?

Negatively, because he is seen as an imperialist.

He did not really see Black people as equals.

He starts the Grey Act, which is a forerunner to apartheid.

I think he does amazing things for this country,

but he does do damage to the society as a whole.

♪♪

Suchet: After the tour of his house,

members of the mission were taken to the Rhodes Memorial,

a huge monument overlooking Cape Town.

It's totally symmetrical, which I love.

But it's also bizarre.

I mean, those doric columns, almost too high,

I don't know, like an emperor, or Caesar.

♪♪

Today, sites like these are contested spaces.

Aza, Lindo, and Chumani are founders

of the Rhodes Must Fall movement,

which confronts the impact of colonialism.

It started in 2015,

when Chumani, then a student of the University of Cape Town,

threw human excrement at a Rhodes statue

on the university grounds.

It was a potent symbol of impoverished Black life

in South African townships and prevailing inequality.

Chumani's act led to the removal of Rhodes' statue

at the university,

and to protests at Oxford University in the UK.

-Hey, David. -Hey, David.

Chumani, Lindo, and Aza.

Nice to meet you.

Suchet: Let's sit down over on these steps.

Lindo, can I come to you first?

Would you tell me how this all began,

the Rhodes Must Fall movement?

It began with Chumani's heroic act, I always say.

Rhodes as a symbol,

this was an opportune moment

to discuss the serious legacies of colonialism

that are still not only lingering in the country,

but are continuing to reproduce themselves.

Suchet: At UCT, the University of Cape Town,

inequality in education is a focus of the campaign.

You've got a university in Africa

that majority is of a lot of white people,

and white students, and white lecturers, and so on,

claiming that UCT was a land that was donated by Rhodes.

And of course, this sort of discussion

was almost insulting to us as Black students.

Rhodes, out of anything else,

is the centre of our problems in southern Africa,

from imperialism to colonialism and apartheid.

So, in a sense,

what you're saying is all roads lead to Rhodes.

-Yes. -Okay.

Asa, where do you see the future for your movement,

which, to be honest, is going global?

The statue has fallen, and the questions are still lingering.

We need to really interrogate the effects of the empire,

because education in South Africa is still a privilege.

If you have money, you can study.

If you don't have money, you cannot study.

We are still Black, dispossessed,

displaced, and landless.

Change must be seen, not just heard,

but it must be seen happening.

We want to tell our own stories.

We want that which belongs to Africa to return back to Africa.

Thank you very much, all of you.

You've helped me understand a lot.

Cecil Rhodes knew in his lifetime

that his record was contentious, and it's remained so ever since.

He continued to feature on the empire mission's

travel itinerary,

but today I've met a generation determined

to be the impetus for lasting change.

♪♪

♪♪

Agatha Christie's adventures soon took her away

from Cape Town, and nearly a thousand kilometres north-east,

to Kimberley,

where Cecil Rhodes made his vast fortune

and founded De Beers Diamonds.

♪♪

I've come to a mine called the Big Hole.

It's now a museum

and draws tourists from all over the world to the northern cape.

Historian Steve can tell me more.

-Hello, Steve. -Sir David.

So lovely to see and to meet you.

Well, it's lovely to meet you too in this iconic location.

Tell me about it.

Lunderstedt: The famous Big Hole of Kimberley.

It's one of the largest man-made pick

and shovel-dug holes in the world.

The discovery of Kimberley Mine in July of 1871,

it brought some 40,000 people within a 48-hour period.

-40,000 in 48 hours. -In 48 hours.

So, the diamonds saw this instant town.

You can imagine, with 40,000 people, you've gotta feed them.

They've gotta get water.

The nearest water is 13, 14 miles away.

Suchet: Soon, Kimberley Town was up and running,

with rail links and utilities

for those trying their luck at the mines.

Some 14 1/2 million carats worth of diamonds

-came out of this hole. -Suchet: My goodness.

Lunderstedt: And that's quite something.

Suchet: Cecil Rhodes made vast sums of money

from the Kimberley diamond mines.

But it was dangerous work for the predominantly Black miners,

and countless lives were lost on his watch.

Before long, Rhodes came to control 90%

of the world's diamond production.

Rhodes was fortunate to get some good financial advisers,

and had the backing of the Rothschilds,

so I think once you've got that in your back pocket,

I think you're going to do alright.

He's not well liked these days.

And do you think

when Agatha came she would've revered Rhodes?

I don't think so.

She would have certainly known about the controversy

surrounding many of his deeds.

Yes.

Suchet: By the time Agatha Christie visited Kimberley,

the diamond industry was in the midst of a recession

after World War I.

Lunderstedt: When Agatha came here,

the diamond mines were not operating.

De Beers still existed, and all the mines were kept.

They still had the sorting houses,

sorting out the diamonds.

So, she would have gone into the sorting houses.

Steve, this has been so interesting.

Thank you so very much indeed.

Absolute pleasure, Sir David.

-I have one other question. -Yes, sir.

May I take your photograph?

Goodness. I can sign it for you too.

Thank you. So, if you would stand here.

The Big Hole has remained shut since its closure in 1921.

Thank you.

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

But diamond mining and processing

is still prevalent in Kimberley.

I'm visiting a cutting and polishing facility owned

and run by Black South Africans,

using ethically sourced natural diamonds.

-Hello, Desmond. -Hey, Sir David. How are you?

-I'm very well. -I'm good, thank you.

It's very nice to meet you. Thank you.

Welcome, welcome, welcome. Come in.

Suchet: Thank you.

After studying diamonds from the age of 18,

Desmond developed a passion for Kimberley gems.

Wow.

So, is this the whole process that goes on?

Ratsoma: Yes. What the two ladies are doing right there,

they are doing cutting and polishing.

They're also giving it that sparkle and fine brilliance.

How would a miner, you know, with all the dirt

and the rocks and everything like that,

how would they identify that, "Oh, there's a diamond"?

The miners would know because if they don't know

the difference and they throw it away...

-Yes. -...then it won't be

-good for the business. -No, quite.

Ratsoma: Okay, this is how a rough diamond would look like.

-You can have a look at it. -You put it in there?

Yes, yes.

Suchet: Wow. Do you know what strikes me immediately?

This is far brighter. I'm surprised that it's shiny.

Yes, yes. They are graded from D

all the way to Z, D being a top colour.

And this colour, I would say it's about M.

So it's your average to low quality.

-It looks pretty good to me. -It is a pretty diamond.

You cannot take away the prettiness from a diamond.

Suchet: No.

Kedibone and Adrisha are qualified polishers.

They use powdered diamonds, and a lot of skill,

to achieve a brilliant sparkle on each unique gem.

So, we've got two lovely ladies

that are doing a wonderful job of transforming...

-Hello. Hello. -Hello.

...the diamonds from raw to embellished.

Suchet: Could you show me that one?

-Yes. -Wow. So...

are you saying that that becomes that?

Sekonyela: Yes, that's right.

Suchet: And would it start this size?

Sekonyela: Yes, it would start at that size.

I can only use about less than 40% of the stone.

-40%? -Yes, when polishing it.

I can't lose more than that or else

we're not gonna make any profit.

No. [ Laughs ]

So, how long would it take to get

from this diamond to the finished?

Sekonyela: A day and a half.

Suchet: Once finished, the cut diamonds get certification

before being sold or set in jewellery.

My goodness. Wow, that's beautiful.

That's about a 2.7-carat round, brilliant, beautiful stone.

Suchet: And is this one in the box?

-Ratsoma: Yes. -Suchet: Wow.

Goodness me. I mustn't be tempted.

[ Laughter ]

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

♪♪

What a backdrop.

Can you imagine what this was like

when diamonds were first discovered,

and 40,000 people came here in 48 hours?

And we know that Agatha included diamonds in some of her books.

You've got "Death on the Nile,"

the famous fancy yellow Tiffany diamond dug up

at the Kimberley mine,

and then "The Man in the Brown Suit"

has a whole plotline about stolen raw diamonds

that were hidden in a Kodak film cannister.

So, with all the diamonds and the jewels in her stories,

it all probably began here.

♪♪

♪♪

A new dawn has broken, and I'm ready for more adventures.

After Kimberley, Agatha travelled

over a thousand kilometres north,

by train, from Pretoria, to her final destination,

in Zimbabwe -- Victoria Falls.

♪♪

Agatha wrote this very same journey

into her South African-set novel,

where heroine Anne is on the trail of the mysterious man

in the brown suit.

♪♪

The more I read this book, "Man in the Brown Suit,"

the more I'm becoming aware of

how many of Agatha's own experiences

make their way into the plot.

For example, Anne is travelling with the very grumpy,

tempestuous, foot-stamping Sir Eustace Pedler.

Well, he's annoying to everyone around him,

and it's very clear that Agatha is basing that character

on the empire mission's leader, Major Ernest Belcher,

who was very annoying to everyone around him as well.

And I believe that Belcher even asked Agatha

if he could be cast as the murderer.

Well, I'm not gonna spoil the plot by telling you

whether Agatha granted that request or not.

♪♪

[ Metal creaking ]

Now I'm doing the same trip that heroine Anne and Agatha did,

on a beautifully restored vintage train,

for a flavour of that bygone era.

Well, I suppose the last time I got on board

a train similar to this would've been

when I actually filmed "Murder on the Orient Express,"

so yeah, it'll be very interesting to compare the two.

♪♪

[ Children shouting ]

It's all very luxurious

and even requires me to dress for dinner.

Feed it, pull it, shape it.

Voilà.

Poirot never, ever wore a straight tie,

so he would've had it like that.

♪♪

♪♪

Well, I think I'm sitting here in the dining car,

in the most perfect location for the character

I played for nearly a quarter of a century, Hercule Poirot.

♪♪

I read every single story that she wrote

and made notes, and I came up with a list,

which I've got here, of 93 details about the character.

Belgian, not French.

Drinks tisane, hardly ever tea,

which he calls "the English poison."

He believes he's the best detective in the world

and expects everyone to know him

and then thinks he's very modest.

So, he's a wonderful little man.

Being on this train and doing this journey...

...in a way I feel Poirot's on my shoulder.

I really do.

♪♪

♪♪

Of course, it's not Poirot's footsteps I'm following in now,

but those of Agatha and her heroine, Anne.

And my next stop is Zimbabwe's stunning Matobo National Park.

It has massive granite rock formations, river valleys,

and incredible wildlife.

♪♪

But it's also home to a controversial site.

Accompanying me is park guide Ian.

His family have lived in the area since the 1800s

and the era of Cecil Rhodes.

Ian, what's the significance of this extraordinary place?

Well, David, it's the grave of Mr. Rhodes,

and a spot we know as the Malindidzimu,

the dwelling place of the benevolent spirits.

All the great kings and warriors that died would rest here.

Rhodes had to gain permission for his burial

at the grave site,

which of course was given by the African people.

Suchet: When Rhodes died aged 48,

thousands of people attended his funeral procession in Cape Town,

before he was taken by ceremonial train

to be buried at his chosen spot.

It is said that people lined the streets and the railway,

all the way from Cape Town to Bulawayo.

I have family photos taken at the funeral.

3,000 people surrounded this grave.

♪♪

♪♪

Suchet: Rhodes called this spot the view of the world,

a name that reflects his imperialist vision,

the costs of which are still being counted.

Many see his burial on this sacred site

as a final display of power, and a debate continues over

whether his grave should remain here.

Southern Africa is grappling with the legacy

of a man whose presence has loomed large

on both Agatha's journey and mine.

♪♪

♪♪

My rail trip through Zimbabwe is heading for Victoria Falls,

a place of spectacular natural beauty

that Agatha Christie visited with her husband, Archie.

And en route, I have another chance to do just as Agatha did:

some souvenir shopping.

My God, you have some beautiful things.

I'm looking for a giraffe.

Okay.

-This one is $8. -$8?

He's very nice.

I really feel that I'm stepping right into the footsteps

of Agatha Christie because I know that she bought giraffes

from exactly this sort of place.

Eight. Thank you.

Next, the train crosses

Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park...

...before reaching Victoria Falls...

...where travellers are welcomed by traditional dancing and song

rooted in Zulu culture.

[ Singing in foreign language ]

Good morning, and welcome to Victoria Falls.

[ Man singing in foreign language ]

Suchet: Agatha must've been full of excitement

at the prospect of seeing the falls, as am I.

The Victoria Falls Hotel is where Agatha stayed with Archie.

It was a little romantic interlude for them

in this location.

I don't think it's changed much at all.

♪♪

From the hotel, there's an increasingly

tropical walk to the falls,

which only serves to build the anticipation.

It's very tantalising because I know

the falls are just over there.

But I must wait until I see them in all their glory,

so I mustn't look.

♪♪

I'm getting very excited.

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

And they do not disappoint.

♪♪

♪♪

Never seen anything like this, ever.

♪♪

I find it really quite emotional.

♪♪

It's just the size of it, the power of nature.

It's just wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

♪♪

Agatha had hoped to come back and make another visit,

but she never did.

She wrote something wonderful in her autobiography.

There was something about her first memory,

which she kept like a treasure for the rest of her life.

It's not what I expected to hear her say,

but it was so poetic and magical.

'I'm glad I've never been back

so that my first memory of them remains unaffected.

Great trees, soft mists of rain, its rainbow colouring,

wandering through the forest with Archie,

and every now and then the rainbow mist parting

to show you for one tantalising second

the falls in all their glory, pouring down."

♪♪

Amazing, isn't it?

What an impression they made on her.

As they made on me.

Quite extraordinary.

Ooh!

Sorry. I can't help it!

♪♪

Victoria Falls were given their English name in 1855

after the British monarch and empress.

But the people living nearby have a relationship

to this natural wonder

that long predates the first European visitors.

Felistus is from Mukuni Village,

on the Zambian side of the falls.

Mwaanga: The falls represent the vision of beauty to the local people.

That is the place where the holy water is drawn.

-Holy water? -Yes, for praying for the rain.

It is a very spiritual place.

What do you know it as, apart from Victoria Falls?

We call it Shungu Namutitima.

-And what does that mean? -"The smoke that thunders."

-The smoke that thunders. -Yes.

The falls has different names depending on its mood.

When it is dry, it is called Shungu Morfu,

or "silent falls."

-Silent Falls. -Yes.

Suchet: With their colossal power and beauty,

it's little wonder the falls had such an impact on Agatha.

♪♪

♪♪

Today has been very special for me, really,

because of coming to the falls,

knowing how she felt about them,

made an indelible impression on her emotional life.

Well, I felt the same when I saw them.

How would I feel now if I never come back?

I can never beat this first time.

It was very emotional.

I'd never seen anything on the scale of these falls,

and I feel very grateful to have been given the chance.

So, I have to say thank you to Agatha.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪