BBC Remakes Agatha Christie In AI

BBC Studios has created a deepfake version of renowned mystery author Agatha Christie (Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile) to teach a BBC Maestro course.

The Big Twist: This isn’t the first time that a deceased celebrity has been resurrected for a performance… but it might be the first time it’s been done for education purposes instead of entertainment. If the course is a hit, it may launch a new form of learning — one that curates and condenses a person’s writing, interviews, interview appearances, etc., into one interactive class.

Behind the Course: Knowledge is forever… and, now, so is the knowledge giver.

• The BBC Maestro course — which has also featured top British writers like Harlan Coben and Jed Mercurio — will walk students through her writing techniques and an overview of her work.
• BBC Studios worked with Christie’s estate, Agatha Christie Limited, to build the mystery-writing course, using her writing, old photographs, and the few existing recordings of her.
• The production recruited actress Vivien Keene to play Christie, with her voice and appearance changed by AI to make her seem like the legendary author.
• Per Deadline, Keene said she was cast because of the shape of her face and had to play the role while “barely moving her face,” since the side of Christie’s head had never been recorded before.

Final Reveal: The BBC has a long relationship with the Christie estate, having adapted several of her stories into movies and shows. Also, the best-selling Christie is enjoying renewed interest, thanks to a Hollywood franchise centering on her most famous character, Hercule Poirot, directed by and starring beloved British thespian Kenneth Branagh. That may drive a record number of signups for the Christie class… and open up a new way to honor (or exploit, your mileage may vary) an artist’s legacy.