If you’ve ever sat watching Agatha Christie’s Poirot and thought, “Hold my ale, haven’t I seen that face before?” — trust us, you’re not hallucinating. Over its whopping 25-year tenure, Poirot was well and truly a launching pad for some of the UK’s greatest character actors. Most of us came back in completely new parts, usually changed so much within by wigs, accents, or simply great acting abilities that even keen-eyed fans were left behind. From stage icons to known British TV staples, these are 18 of the most unexpected actor makeovers in the series, numbered from newest to oldest. These turns demonstrate that in the world of Poirot, a fine disguise isn’t simply reserved for the underworld.

18. Lucy Liemann

Liemann presented us with two aspects of the same coin: gentle Miss Burgess in Cards on the Table, and the sharper, more controlled Sonia in Third Girl. One of them is naive and trusting, and the other is reserved and professional. Together, they demonstrate just how much subtlety can transform a performance.

17. Fenella Woolgar

Woolgar’s roles as Ellis in Lord Edgware Dies and Miss Whittaker in Hallowe’en Party aren’t worlds apart, but her ability to alter tone and presence makes her dual performances a rewarding spot for returning fans.

16. Patrick Ryecart

Ryecart is perfect as both Charles Arundell in Dumb Witness and Sir Anthony Morgan in The Labours of Hercules. In either role, he portrays upper-crust charm with just the right amount of restlessness to make you wonder about his motivations.

15. Nicholas Farrell

From the moodily unstable Donald Fraser in The A.B.C. Murders to the ruthless Major Knighton in The Mystery of the Blue Train, Farrell adds depth to men both tormented by—and occasionally at fault for—deep tragedy.

14. Beth Goddard

In The Case of the Missing Will, she’s a new-age, opinionated Violet; by Appointment with Death, she’s a mysterious convent inhabitant in a human trafficking scheme. The transition from activist to villain is nothing short of shocking—and remarkable.

13. Richard Lintern

Lintern plays two sharply dressed but morally ambiguous men in Dead Man’s Mirror and Mrs McGinty’s Dead. He may look similar in both, but the motivations and moods he brings to each role are subtly distinct.

12. Simon Shepherd

From the emotionally frayed playwright in Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan to the tight-lipped physician in Mrs McGinty’s Dead, Shepherd shifts effortlessly between vulnerability and authority.

11. Catherine Russell

Russell progresses from emotionally traumatized Katrina Reiger in How Does Your Garden Grow? to the smirking, unrepentant editor in Mrs McGinty’s Dead. If you didn’t see her, you’re not alone—her makeover is complete.

10. Barbara Barnes

As Mrs. Charles Lester in The Lost Mine, she’s off-putting and grating. As Louise Leidner in Murder in Mesopotamia, she’s enigmatic and complex. The thread that runs through both? Both women find themselves at the center of dysfunctional marriages—but only one performance will linger for all the right reasons.

9. Haydn Gwynne

With a face designed for subtle sarcasm, Gwynne transitions from the flashy flapper Coco Courtney in The Affair at the Victory Ball to the buttoned-down Miss Battersby in Third Girl. Two vastly different roles, one consistently brilliant actress.

8. Beatie Edney

Edney performs one of the show’s most dramatic role changes: from elegant, ambivalent Mary Cavendish in The Mysterious Affair at Styles to eccentric cat-fancier retiree in The Clocks. It’s as if witnessing a life’s body of work in two performances.

7. Geoffrey Beevers

You’d be forgiven for missing Beevers entirely—his performances as Mr. Tolliver in Problem at Sea and the legal advisor in Sad Cypress are quiet, subtle, and precise. Yet he anchors both scenes with gravitas, proving that not every standout moment needs to shout.

6. Pip Torrens

Torrens has a talent for playing repressed, morally ambiguous men. Whether he’s playing Major Rich in The Mystery of the Spanish Chest or Jeremy Cloade in Taken at the Flood, his pent-up frustration is always bubbling just below the surface. Double bonus points for making the two characters feel different despite the similar mood. 

5. Carol MacReady

MacReady uses us from an Australian fraudster in Peril at End House to a straightforward English matron in Cat Among the Pigeons. It’s like a night-and-day change that showcases her incredible range.

4. Frances Barber

Barber leans into villainy in both of these appearances: first as the manipulative Lady Millicent Castle-Vaughan in The Veiled Lady, then again as the flamboyant Merlina Rival in The Clocks. Both are larger-than-life, and both know how to play to a crowd, including Poirot. 

3. Sean Pertwee

Pertwee’s transition from the humble Ronnie Oglander in The King of Clubs to the towering Sir George Stubbs in Dead Man’s Folly is unbelievable. The clue? Both are concealing large secrets and links to the Cusack sisters. Coincidence? Not in Christie land.

2. Danny Webb

Webb’s Poirot career is a glow-up in the best sense. He begins life as a cheeky porter in The Adventure of the Clapham Cook and closes it as a veteran detective in Elephants Can Remember. He’s one of only three actors to have appeared in both the initial and final seasons—a tidy bookend for a show constructed of keen observation.

1. David Yelland

Yelland takes the prize for his tour-de-force transformation from the self-important Charles Laverton West of Murder in the Mews to Poirot’s unforgettablely discreet valet George, a character whom he inhabited for six consecutive seasons. Both are proper to excess, but only one became a beloved institution in Poirot’s inner circle.

These actor makeovers aren’t mere fun facts—they’re part of what made Poirot such a multilayered show. The series’ talent-rich bench of British actors, combined with an affection for disguises, deception, and second chances, meant even old faces could catch us off guard. In the world of Agatha Christie, after all, appearances are usually deceptive—and that goes for the cast list too.