From Queen – to the Queen of Crime
Bohemian Rhapsody star Lucy Boynton is riding high as she films new Agatha Christie drama
SHE won acclaim for her portrayal of Freddie Mercury’s girlfriend Mary Austin in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Now Lucy Boynton has turned her skills to playing a socialite sleuth in a tangled murder mystery.
The 27-year-old actress was spotted last week in the picturesque village of Shere in Surrey filming scenes for a new three-part adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Written and produced by Hugh Laurie, the mini-series for BritBox marks the veteran star’s TV directing comeback nine years after he called the shots on an episode of his acclaimed US medical drama House. His new drama is expected to air next year.
Laurie watched as Ms Boynton, who plays Lady Frances ‘Frankie’ Derwent, expertly rode bareback down the High Street.
‘A large crowd turned out to watch when they realised that the village had been taken over by a film crew,’ said one resident. ‘Thankfully the weather was kind to them so they could keep filming through the day. Hugh looked pleased with their work and Lucy seemed to be a natural on the horse.’
The drama tells the story of Bobby Jones, played by The Revenant star Will Poulter, and Frankie who discover a dying man while playing golf and take it upon themselves to find the killer. Laurie, 62, also plays the role of Dr James Nicholson, the clinical director of a nearby sanatorium.
When the project was announced in April, Laurie said: ‘The hairs on the back of my neck haven’t properly settled down from the first time I grasped the beauty of the essential mystery.
‘Since then, I have fallen deeper in love with the characters, and feel honoured to have been given the chance to retell their story.’
Ms Boynton has been in a relationship with Rami Malek, who played Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, since 2018.
Shere is an apt location for an Agatha Christie mystery as it is just two miles from Newlands Corner, where the writer staged her own disappearance in 1926.