It’s not the hardened criminal thrillers we see on Sunday nights after 9pm, but Poirot’s murder mysteries have captivated audiences for a quarter of a century. Now, though, as David Suchet sees himself on the small screen as the Belgian detective for the last time, it’s time to wave goodbye to the character, having filmed every one of the books Agatha Christie wrote for him.

PoirotDavid Suhet as Poirot

"Crime drama… has changed completely… it's become very dark and extraordinarily violent," says Suchet to BBC News. "That's not the world of Agatha Christie and the fact that he's still so popular must say a lot about the public - that they actually don't need the blood and gore and the sex and the drama."

Suchet confirmed that he won’t be appearing as Poirot again, and given that every story Christie painted about the detective’s ventures have been translated to screen, it seems an appropriate place to stop.

"It's grieving. I'm saying goodbye to a character I've been and have got to know over 25 years… it's goodbye to a best friend as an actor, as someone I've got to know,” he said. "But everything has its time and this is the right time, there are no more Agatha Christie films to make. So that's it."

The last case sees Poirot call on an old friend - Captain Hastings, played by Hugh Fraser - for help. They return to the scene of their first case, Styles Court, to try to prevent another murder from taking place. Curtain: Poirot's Last Case airs at 20:00 GMT on 13 November on ITV. David Suchet's book about his time as the detective, Poirot and Me, is out now.

Poirot TVAgatha Christie's Poirot enjoys his last case tonight, Nov 13th