Cast of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?: 2022, 2009, 1980

If you’ve been hunting for the cast of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? across its different screen lives, you probably noticed something curious: this Agatha Christie mystery has been adapted at least three times, and each version brought completely different faces to the same characters. Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton lead the most recent take, but earlier adaptations featured entirely different ensembles spanning decades. This guide lays out exactly who played who in each version, with the sources to back every name.

Bobby Jones (2022): Will Poulter · Frankie Derwent (2022): Lucy Boynton · Dr. James Nicholson (2022): Hugh Laurie · Lord Marchington (2022): Jim Broadbent · Miss Marple (2009): Julia McKenzie

Why didn’t they ask Evans Ivy, the actress?

Carlie Enoch plays Ivy in the 2022 adaptation—a role that connects back to the broader ensemble of that year’s production. (Wikipedia)

Carlie Enoch as Ivy

In the 2022 series, Ivy is portrayed by Carlie Enoch, contributing to the ensemble cast that also includes Maeve Dermody as Moira Nicholson (appearing in all episodes), Emma Thompson as Lady Marcham, and Jim Broadbent as Lord Marcham. (Wikipedia)

The production also features Jonathan Jules as Ralph “Knocker” Beadon and Daniel Ings as Roger Bassington-ffrench, rounding out a cast that draws from established film and television talent. (Wikipedia)

Why didn’t they ask Evans Hugh Laurie?

Hugh Laurie holds a dual role in the 2022 adaptation—he both directed and starred in the production, playing Dr. James Nicholson in what turned out to be one of the more talked-about casting decisions for this Christie mystery. (Wikipedia)

Role in 2022 series

Laurie appears in episodes 2 and 3 of the three-part 2022 series, stepping into the shoes of Dr. James Nicholson—a character whose involvement in the mystery gives him a crucial position in the narrative. (Wikipedia)

This wasn’t Laurie’s first work with Agatha Christie material, and his involvement brought name recognition to a production that had already secured Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton as its leads. (Radio Times)

Reviews

The critical response to the 2022 adaptation highlighted the casting choices as a particular strength, with Poulter’s work as Bobby Jones and Boynton’s performance drawing specific praise. (Radio Times)

Why did Joan Hickson stop playing Miss Marple?

Joan Hickson’s tenure as Miss Marple ended because she was an octogenarian during most of the BBC series’ production, which eventually caught up with her. (Wikipedia)

Connection to adaptations

Before she became the definitive Miss Marple for British television, Hickson appeared in a minor role as Mrs Rivington in the 1980 Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? adaptation—a kind of casting foreshadowing that the BBC would later capitalize on. (Wikipedia)

Her performance in the 1980 adaptation reportedly influenced the BBC’s decision to develop the Miss Marple series following ITV’s success with Christie adaptations at the time. (Mai Feminism)

Hickson was the first actor to be cast as Miss Marple for British television, beginning filming in 1983 across locations in Norfolk, Devon, and Oxfordshire. (Wikipedia)

Do Bobby and Frankie get together?

The relationship between Bobby and Frankie develops across the course of the 2022 adaptation, with Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton bringing the characters to life. (Wikipedia)

Actors portraying them across versions

In the 2022 series, Will Poulter plays Bobby Jones while Lucy Boynton portrays Frankie Derwent—the young couple who stumble onto a mystery that drives the narrative. (Wikipedia)

Poulter brings film credentials including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to the role, while Boynton is known for Sing Street and Bohemian Rhapsody. (Radio Times)

In the 2009 Marple series adaptation, the equivalent characters were Bobby Attfield, played by Sean Biggerstaff, with Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple. (Wikipedia)

McKenzie brought a softer and self-deprecating quality to the Miss Marple role, differing from the more severe portrayals that came before. (Screen Rant)

Why didn’t they ask Evans 1980 where to watch?

The 1980 Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? adaptation is available on BritBox, giving viewers a way to access this earlier interpretation of the Christie mystery. (Mai Feminism)

Cast highlights

The 1980 version aired as a two-and-a-half-hour Sunday evening transmission with high production values and a star cast led by Francesca Annis, John Gielgud, and Bernard Miles. (Mai Feminism)

Francesca Annis headlined the 1980 production, playing a central role in a version that benefited from the production standards of its era. (Mai Feminism)

Interestingly, Joan Hickson appeared in the 1980 adaptation in a minor role before her later casting as Miss Marple—a detail that adds historical texture to this version. (Wikipedia)

Three adaptations spanning four decades show how the same Christie novel gets re-imagined through different casts—each version reflecting the acting pool and production values of its era.

The comparison below tracks how key roles shifted across the three adaptations, revealing the casting patterns that defined each era.

The pattern reveals a clear escalation in star power for the 2022 adaptation, adding recognizable names to roles that carried less weight in earlier versions.

Margaret Rutherford’s performances in four 1960s films remain the character most strongly associated with Miss Marple before Joan Hickson arrived on the scene. (Mai Feminism)

Helen Hayes was the first woman to win the EGOT award and played Miss Marple in A Caribbean Mystery (1983) and Murder with Mirrors (1985), roles that marked her final television appearances. (Screen Rant)