New star for BBC’s trouble-hit Christie
IT was supposed to be the BBC’s Christmas blockbuster, only to be pulled when one of its stars faced allegations of rape and sexual misconduct.
But the multi-million-pound adaptation of Agatha Christie novel Ordeal By Innocence could be an Easter hit instead after being reshot with a different actor.
A picture of the cast, which includes Bill Nighy and Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson, was released yesterday, and BBC sources say it will air ‘soon’.
The mini-series was reshot following sexual assault allegations against British actor Ed Westwick, 30, who has been replaced in the drama by Christian Cooke. The new photo shows Cooke, 30, standing front and centre in the cast line-up.
The stars had to reconvene earlier this year in Scotland for the reshoot, which was estimated to have cost the BBC and the production companies involved tens of thousands of pounds.
The three-part series centres on the murder of a wealthy philanthropist, played by Anna Chancellor.
Westwick, who is best known for starring in US teen drama Gossip Girl, played her adopted son – and appeared in publicity images released by the BBC.
In November Westwick was accused of raping two women in 2013 in the Los Angeles area. He has strenuously denied the allegations.
Later, a third woman came forward to accuse him of sexual assault. He is yet to respond to this claim.