Rufus Sewell and Kaya Scodelario to star in Agatha Christie drama The Pale Horse

Rufus Sewell, Kaya Scodelario and Bertie Carvel will star in a BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse, it has been announced.

They will be joined in the cast by Gotham actor Sean Pertwee, Killing Eve’s Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Call The Midwife star Poppy Gilbert.

The Man In The High Castle star Sewell will play Mark Easterbrook while Skins actress Scodelario will play Hermia.

Doctor Foster star Carvel will take on the role of Zachariah Osborne.

The Pale Horse follows Easterbrook as he tries to uncover the mystery of a list of names found in the shoe of a dead woman.

His investigation leads him to the peculiar village of Much Deeping, and The Pale Horse, the home of a trio of rumoured witches.

Word has it that the witches can do away with wealthy relatives by means of the dark arts, but as the bodies mount up, Easterbrook is certain there has to be a rational explanation.

Pertwee will play Detective Inspector Lejeune while Lloyd-Hughes will play David Ardingly and Gilbert will appear as Thomasina Tuckerton.

Filming on the two-part drama, the latest in a string of BBC adaptations of Christie’s work penned by Sarah Phelps, has begun in and around the Bristol area.

Tommy Bulfin, commissioning editor of BBC drama, said: “We are thrilled that filming is now under way on The Pale Horse for BBC One.

“Sarah’s brilliant scripts and her unique take on the famous Agatha Christie stories have once again attracted an array of top and exciting talent.”

James Prichard, executive producer and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited, added: “This adaptation feels like nothing we have done before.

“This is a very different story from most that my great-grandmother wrote, and Sarah has taken it to new heights. The cast, with the likes of Rufus Sewell and Bertie Carvel, is superlative, and it should be a highly entertaining drama.”