Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery Death On The Nile is coming to the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford from January 13 to 17.

On board a luxurious cruise under the heat of the Egyptian sun in the 1930s, a couple’s idyllic honeymoon is cut short by a brutal murder.

As secrets that have been buried in the sands of time finally resurface, can the world-famous detective Hercule Poirot untangle the web of lies and solve another crime?

This Fiery Angel production has been adapted by Ken Ludwig and will be directed by Lucy Bailey.

Starring as Poirot is Mark Hadfield (Belfast, Outlander, Wallander), who will be joined on stage by Glynis Barber (Dempsey and Makepeace, EastEnders) and Bob Barrett (Murder on the Orient Express, Holby City).

Mark Hadfield has the approval of none other than Sir Kenneth Branagh. The two actors are friends. "And he's been incredibly encouraging," Mark said about chats he has had with Branagh, who played Poirot in three big screen outings.

Encouragement also comes from Michael Maloney, another actor friend who took on the role of the Belgian sleuth in the recent touring production of Murder On The Orient Express - which, like the UK and Ireland tour of Death On The Nile, was adapted from the Agatha Christie novel by Ken Ludwig, directed by Lucy Bailey and produced by Fiery Angel.

"They both encouraged me to do this because they said 'You will have so much enjoyment in bringing him to life'," Hadfield said of Branagh and Maloney.

"And I think Death On The Nile is one of Christie's best stories, so that also drew me in. Poirot's journey within it is fascinating to play, because he goes from being on what he thinks is a relaxing holiday to having to solve a murder."

Poirot has been played by many revered performers before - not just Branagh and Maloney, but also Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov and David Suchet.

"And he is such an iconic character that everyone has their own version of what they think he should be like," Mark mused. "The challenge is to try to incorporate people's expectations but also to bring in a few surprises."

He smiled, and added: "I'm not expecting people to say 'Oh my God, that was the most original Poirot I've ever seen' by giving him a punk hairdo or what have you. But I hope to find that balance of pleasing people while leaving them going 'We haven't seen that before'."

Mark's Poirot will, of course, have a moustache. "It's still a work in progress," he said as he fluffed up the one he had been growing during rehearsals. "It's getting there. I may need a bit of help to flesh it out to begin with, but halfway through the tour I should be going solo with the tache!"

Performances are at 7.30pm every evening, and 2.30pm on January 14, 15 and 17. For tickets, priced from £39 (concessions from £20), call 01483 440000 or visit https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whats-on/death-on-the-nile