Miss Marple: A Pocketful of Rye

A prominent businessman is found dead under odd circumstances, and the only clue is a handful of grain tucked into his pocket. Miss Jane Marple senses a pattern where others see coincidence, and she pieces together small details and social clues to follow a trail that points to a murderer who seems obsessed with nursery rhymes. As she questions family members, servants and associates, a web of petty grievances and hidden motives comes into view, and the gentle spinster’s quiet observations begin to unravel a carefully staged crime. The episode keeps the focus on observation and deduction rather than action, letting character interactions and locked-room style puzzling drive the mystery without revealing the final surprises here.

This 1985 television adaptation was directed by Guy Slater, with the screenplay adapted from Agatha Christie by T.R. Bowen, and it stars Joan Hickson as Miss Marple alongside Timothy West, Tom Wilkinson, Peter Davison and Clive Merrison.

The production didn’t collect major industry awards, but Hickson’s portrayal was widely praised by viewers and critics, helping cement her association with Marple in the popular imagination. The episode reinforced her reputation as an actor who could render the detective’s mix of shrewdness and genteel manner.

Hickson’s Miss Marple has had a lasting effect on how many people picture Christie’s sleuth, influencing later TV and stage portrayals. Fans often cite this era of adaptations for its period detail, deliberate pacing and fidelity to Christie’s puzzle mechanics. The nursery rhyme motif in particular makes this story memorable among Christie adaptations.

Critical reception for the episode tends toward appreciation from mystery enthusiasts, reflected in a modest audience vote average of 7.143 out of 10 from 35 votes. The story foregrounds themes of class, reputation and concealed resentments, favoring intellectual deduction and social observation over graphic violence, which makes it a classic example of the traditional British whodunit style.