BOLTON actor Andrew Buchan has spoken about working alongside Hollywood great John Malkovich in this year's hit Christmas drama, The ABC Murders.

The BBC adaptation of the Agatha Christie thriller had viewers gripped over three nights, with Malkovich taking the iconic role of Hercule Poirot.

Andrew, a former Rivington and Blackrod High School pupil, said one of the memorable moments he will take away from the shooting the programme will be "sitting in a rehearsal room not far from where I went to drama school, with John Malkovich."

Andrew, who plays Franklin Clarke in the drama, said: "There is something ethereal about John. He’s a very intelligent man; a thinker and has a huge history of working in theatre and directing. He is a truly lovely man.

"When I heard that it was going to be John Malkovich obviously several thousand images flash through your head. The number is quite sizeable, be it Of Mice and Men or Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Burn After Reading, he was hilariously brilliant in that so you think ‘what is this guy going to be like?’ He lives in France and speaks French incredibly well but this is a Belgian accent and his is a very subtle delivery of it which is perfect. It’s a privilege to be working with him."

The ABC Murders is widely regarded as one of Agatha Christie’s best mysteries. Set in 1933, and a killer stalks Britain, known only as ABC, with a copy of the ABC railway guide at the scene of each murder.

Andrew said: "It’s the 1930s post-war Britain and at this moment in time, in England, fascism is on the rise.

"There is underlying suspicion and a distinct mistrust of people from other countries. Hercule fits into that description and is on the receiving end of some quite unpleasant treatment and verbal abuse from passers-by; people he knows and all because he is Belgian. There is something desperately heart-breaking about this interpretation of Hercule Poirot. He’s not this energetic man, going about his detecting. Rather he’s a bit of a fallen angel and he’s sifting through the scraps of life. Being at the read-through sitting next to John it was magnificent to hear him lift Poirot off the page.

Andrew described the adaptation as "edgy, mysterious, dark, twisted".

He said: "I like a show about serial killers or a good documentary about that stuff. I like stuff where you have to unpick details and try and guess who it is before everyone else.

" I think I always seem to play every man in a crisis, whereas Franklin Clarke is in a lovely house with a lovely family and it’s a very nice change for me.

"Franklin is a very amiable, friendly guy who is the brother of Sir Carmichael Clarke. He lives at Combside with Sir Carmichael and his wife; Lady Hermione Clarke. They get on famously and it’s a nice tight-knit family atmosphere."

The complete series can be watched on BBC iPlayer.