SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Episode 6 of “Tommy & Tuppence,” now streaming on BritBox.
The finale of “Tommy & Tuppence” finds the Agatha Christie detective duo, played by Josh Dylan and Antonia Thomas, on the verge of a new chapter.
The series’ sixth episode sees Tommy and Tuppence solve a cold case surrounding harrowing child murders in the countryside, just as Tuppence at last acknowledges her feelings for Tommy and decides to divorce her husband. In classic rom-com fashion, just as Tuppence bursts through Tommy’s door with the news, she sees him kissing police detective Draper (Callie Cooke). Then, Tuppence’s sister presents them with their biggest mission yet: helping the U.K. government with a major case.
“Finally, it clicks and she realizes — but is she just a bit too late?” Thomas tells Variety over Zoom.
Below, Dylan and Thomas break down the finale episode, reveal how they established Tommy and Tuppence’s chemistry and discuss a potential Season 2.
First of all, what made you want to come on board the series?
Thomas: Tommy and Tuppence are amateurs anyway, so it lends itself really well to the more modern-day idea of being a sleuth and listening to a podcast and trying to figure something out yourself. Like we can all relate to that; I love a true crime podcast. And the way that [Christie] wrote those characters was quite modern actually, for the time. Particularly Tuppence being a pretty outspoken, front-footed woman, she was very modern in the way that she behaved. So that felt like a very easy transfer.
Tommy and Tuppence are married in Christie’s stories, but in this adaptation they’re exes in this sort of will they-won’t they phase. How did you establish that chemistry?
Thomas: Josh and I did a lot of meeting up and trying to work on the relationship and find a colloquial shorthand in and amongst the text. I certainly was quite daunted by the scenes where there’s quite a lot of exposition and they’re going through and trying to figure out the crime. I remember being like, “I don’t know how to do this!” And Josh was like, “I think these are the moments that they’re having the most fun and also when they as characters are connecting the most.” And as soon as you said that, it totally unlocked it for me. Because there’s two things going on, which is really fun about Tommy and Tuppence — the relationship between them and the crimes that they’re solving. So to use the crime-solving as a way to become closer was so fun. And then [writer] Phoebe [Eclair-Powell] was really open with allowing us to be freer with some of those bits to make it feel more modern.
Dylan: Yeah, and moments where it allowed for a little bit of improvisation. They let us get away with some of that, which was kind of them.
Antonia Thomas and Josh Dylan in “Tommy & Tuppence.”
Lara Cornell/LOOKOUT POINT / BRI
What were the conversations you had about Tommy and Tuppence’s history?
What makes them work so well together in a more professional sense, as a detective duo?
And I have to ask, what was it like working with Imelda Staunton as Aunt Ada?
Dylan: What a legend. She’s cool as hell and very twinkly and magical. And seems to kind of be the perfect Aunt Ada.Thomas: There’s so much fun to her, like she brought such a fun, almost impish, brilliant side to Ada. And working with her and just watching her work, she’s such a seasoned veteran. It was a brilliant.
Let’s get into the final episode. It’s quite intense — you’re hunting down Jane Lancaster, a child murderer who then sets the house you’re all in on fire, and then Tuppence finally confesses her feelings to Tommy while he’s unconscious. What was that like to film?
Dylan: Oh my god, that’s actually a bit triggering. I just got flashbacks to being in that cottage and being in the room with the wonderful actress Alice Krige as Jane Lancaster — being in this tiny little bedroom with her for like, two days. It was so intense.
Josh Dylan and Antonia Thomas in “Tommy & Tuppence.”
Lara Cornell/LOOKOUT POINT / BRI
Do you think Tommy heard Tuppence’s confession? At the end, he seems to be moving on with Draper…
It’s almost like we need a second season! And the ending sets that up quite well, with an offer for the duo to help the government on a case. What would you want to see from a potential Season 2?
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
