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3. The moustache

"As soon as the moustache goes on, I speak as him," Suchet says. "It changes the flexibility of my top lip and it's like a catalyst that, immediately, gets me into the little man... and once the voice is there, every single thing about him slots into place."

Suchet will not play Poirot unless he is sporting the moustache. During one recording, when the actors were re-dubbing some of their lines in a sound studio, Suchet discovered to his dismay that the famous moustache was missing. Even though the sound recording wasn't being filmed, he refused to perform until the moustache had been found and restored to its rightful place on his upper lip.

However the moustache does vary: "She [Christie] did describe the moustache in about 12 different ways, so we had a little leeway." This year, Suchet is growing his own, real moustache for Movember - but says he will shave it off on December 1 to avoid being recognised.

4. The paunch

To play the small, portly Belgian, Suchet has for many years had to wear layers of padding beneath Poirot's immaculate clothes. "I've always called it my armadillo suit," he says.

However, for Poirot's final case, we see the detective looking elderly and ill. Suchet shed the fake padding and lost a further two stone of his own, all to show authentically how frail Poirot had become.

5. Zee accent

Suchet listened to French and Belgian radio to find an accent somewhere between the two for Poirot. The result is mostly French, with occasional hints of guttural Flemish. Suchet maintains the accent throughout filming, even when the cameras are not rolling.

He has taken staying in character to eccentric extremes. When a visitor to the set of a Poirot episode being filmed in Paris became upset on realising that her handbag had been stolen earlier in the day, Suchet came to her aid. Except he did so as Hercule Poirot, launching into a lengthy, extemporised analysis of the crime, the rise of pickpocketing in Paris and a potential list of suspects. Poirot soothed her frazzled nerves but sadly the bag was never retrieved.

6. One lump or two?

During one scene, Suchet forgot how many lumps of sugar Poirot takes in his tea. Unable to continue, he called a halt to filming, phoned his wife from the set and asked her to consult his famous dossier for this crucial piece of information. The answer was: "three, but sometimes five".

MORE: Review: Poirot: The Labours of Hercules

MORE: Quiz: how well do you know Hercule Poirot?

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