Agatha Christie's 'Toward Zero' Cast on Being Grilled by Matthew Rhys

In the first episode of the BBC and BritBox miniseries adaptation of Agatha Christie's Towards Zero, there was an abundance of table setting (literally and figuratively) to introduce Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston), her assistant Mary (Anjana Vasan) and the ensemble of family and friends who orbit her bed bound life near the English seaside in Gull’s Point. 

Chaos comes calling in the form of Tressilian’s tennis champ nephew, Neville Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), his new wife, Kay (Mimi Keene), and his ex-wife, Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland). The divorced “friends” go above and beyond being civil with one another by agreeing to have their summer vacations overlap under the same roof. Of course, that ignites hurt feelings, jealousy, lust, subterfuge…and that’s just under Tressilian’s roof. Nearby, the melancholic Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys) is regularly spiraling through drunken benders and ends the episode leaping off a cliff in what looks like a suicide attempt. 

In Episode 2, Towards Zero settles into more familiar murder mystery territory as Leach survives his fall and recuperates in time to deal with the dramatic consequences of Lady Tressilian’s passionate house guests and Mary’s sneaky machinations with her pen pal crush and enemy of the family, Thomas Royde (Jack Farthing). 

As the various interpersonal relationships get more defined, there’s a notable frisson burbling to the surface between Neville and Audrey, right under Kay’s nose, which makes the forced proximity beyond awkward. 

“There’s this oddness to their relationship,” Jackson-Cohen confirmed to TellyVisions in a recent interview. “We spoke about it a lot, and used Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as a really good reference of watching codependency play out and the lengths that these two people will go to to make each other suffer. And then hold them in that space and never quite let them go. That was such an interesting dynamic to play with.”

He added that a “sense of doom” enveloped Neville and Audrey under that roof, which implied that they were never going to be apart and could not be apart. “There’s an acceptance on both their ends that, however painful, however numb they become to it, this is just who they are. This is their life, and they can’t see a world outside of that.”

Unfortunately, that puts Kay in a pinch as she is rendered the odd woman out even after breaking up that marriage and becoming the new Mrs. Strange. Actress Mimi Keene said this episode evoked more sympathy for her character as she desperately tries to inflict hurt on Neville for his unrelenting pining for Audrey. 

“I think that we really feel for her as a character. I definitely do. But I'm biased because I love my character,” Keene admitted. “I always feel emotionally for my characters because if I don't, I'm not able to portray it properly. As much as I can do that, and there are definitely a lot of things that help. Even down to her costumes and makeup as the story and the emotions change, it's done purposefully to help the audience feel it, and it also just helps me feel it. 

“Like, if it's a day where [Kay] is low and she's feeling vulnerable and she's nervous, the makeup will be more pared down,” she said of scenes that come post their hotel dancing excursion. “There'll be no blush, and she's pale and more washed. The hair is neater. It's not as out of control as when she's excited. It really helps you as an actor.”

This episode is also the one that feels the most Christie-esque in structure and tone, as we get a classic interrogation of the suspects sequence. Once Leach assembles the household residents for inquiry in the wake of finding Lady Tressilian murdered in her bed, everyone’s motives are in question. 

Actress Anjana Vasan said filming that sequence was the one that truly made her feel like she was in a proper Agatha Christie whodunnit. “Matthew, who's so brilliant, was doing the interrogation, and for a moment I forgot, 'Am I a suspect? Am I innocent? I didn't know anymore because it felt so genuine. The questions were good,” the actress laughed. “This is the stuff that you know the audience wants, and I felt like I'm an audience member now, watching myself and really enjoying what's happening.”

“He was so incredible,” Keene concurred. That [interrogation] was for me, definitely the most emotional part of the journey. Specifically, for my character as well. It was all Matthew, honestly. He was just so fantastic. I felt upset when I was watching it, and we know it's not real. But it felt real.”

Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero continues with new episodes released daily; the finale arrives on Friday, April 18, 2025.