In my opinion the star of this movie is Leigh Lawson, who plays the villain Roger Bassington-ffrench. (Yes, in England they really do have names like that!) Such an attractive villain! So handsome, so charming, so intelligent and sensitive that it is almost impossible to hate him. And he falls genuinely in love with Frankie (Lady Frances Derwent, played by Francesca Annis). It is true love, not just the result of cold, villainous calculation. If I were Frankie I'd be sorely tempted to accept his offer (made in the superb final scene between them) of running away with him to a new life and making an honest man of him.

In 1981 London Weekend Television presented a three hour adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? (starring two actors who would go on to play Tommy and Tuppence in another series of Christie mysteries) James Warwick and Francesca (DUNE) Annis. In this adventure the two play amateur sleuths Bobby Jones and Lady Frankie Derwent in a 1920s murder investigation caper.
The story opens with Jones tackling a game of golf on the Welsh coast. Playing his ball onto the edge of a cliff he comes across the body of a man lying on the rocks below and his companion (the local doctor) goes to fetch help (seems a little backwards, but no matter). Regaining consciousness briefly the man utters the cryptic words `Why didn't the ask Evans?' and then passes away. Jones finds a copy of a ladies picture in the man's pocket - a woman he feels an obvious attraction towards.
Passing on the role of watcher over the dead body to a passing man so he can keep an appointment, Jones takes of without thinking anything of it but that it was a tragic accident.
However his suspicions are raised when the man's body is identified by means of the police tracing the girl depicted on the photograph they find on his body. However, this girls photograph is of a different person than that which he discovered.
What follows is an intriguing and well acted made-for-television feature. I did not notice any particular problems with the picture as was noted in other reviews, but the sound level did fade in and out and was at times distracting. This is not the best DVD transfer I have seen, but it also is far from the worst either.
Overall this comes recommended for Christie fans, not the best of her stories, but certainly one with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end.

If you like the Agatha Christie Partners in Crime Tommy and Tuppence series, you're going to love this story! Actually, it doesn't matter because this is an enjoyable 1920s mystery romp with just enough humor and romance blended into the more serious goings-on to please most everyone. It's amazing how complex and LONG a story this is. I checked the online description and the back of the box, but I couldn't discover if this had been a television mini-series or just a lengthy made-for-TV movie. Even though it's lots of fun, it does seem to go on forever!

The lead characters, played by Francesca Annis and James Warwick, are just as attractive a couple as they are in Tommy and Tuppence, except they don't seem to realize it until they've both had romantic "flings" with other characters in the cast. The sets and costumes look authentic 1920s, and the cars are particularly interesting, especially in the used car lot.

The only reluctance I had for giving this DVD release 5 stars is because of the uneven look of the movie itself. Sometimes this looks like sharply focused videotape, and at other times it looks like fuzzy film. This is probably because of the source material from 1980 rather than the fault of the DVD production, but it still should be noted. This is the same "look" as on the earlier Upstairs, Downstairs programs.

Nit-picking aside, this is a thoroughly worthwhile DVD that should appeal to most mystery and Agatha Christie fans in particular.

And why indeed didn't they? While this long, made for T.V. movie could have been much shorter if they simply had asked Evans, it would not have been nearly as enjoyable. The script, adapted from an Agatha Christie novel of the same name, mimics the pace and rythem of the original quite well. While the quality of acting was good, the picture quality of the DVD was grainy and the sound faded in and out at times. The attempts at action and/or suspense via fights or late night escapades also did not come off very well partially due to the bad picture quality. These scenes did not in any real way hinder the movie since the real fun is trying to solve the mystery before Bobby and Frankie do. (If you find out who Evans is before they do, my hat is off to you!) The last scene with the villain is a clumsy and implausable plot device (how many times is Frankie going to fall for the same ruse?) to the viewer to get a detailed description of the plot from the villain himself but if you like mysteries in the Agatha Christie style, then you will enjoy this movie.