Tom Bateman

Tom Bateman plays Bouc, the manager on board the Orient Express, who Bateman describes as “a bon vivant and a lover of life.” His character has been reinterpreted from his original incarnation in Christie’s novel, as Bateman explains: “In the book, he is a contemporary of Poirot's. He's supposed to be the same age, French, and they are these two older men talking and laughing about the world. We've flipped that and given it an interesting dynamic where an older Belgian man and a younger Englishman have this sweet fondness for each other. In my mind, they have a common view of the world - they both see the good and bad in things - and they match each other in that way."

In 2017 Tom Bateman starred opposite Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn in Snatched and in 2018 he will be seen alongside Emmy Rossum, Laura Dern and Liam Neeson in Hard Powder. Bateman has played roles in numerous BBC series including The Honourable Woman, The Tunnel, Da Vinci's Demons and Parade's End, amongst several others, as well as ITV's Jekyll & Hyde.

Tom Bateman is a member of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company and has collaborated with Branagh on his theatre productions of The Winter's Tale and Harlequinade. Other theatre credits include Shakespeare in Love, Lizzie Siddal, The Duchess of Malfi, The Lion in Winter and Much Ado About Nothing. Bateman trained at LAMDA in London where he was awarded The Leverhulme Scholarship.

Discover more about the cast of Murder on the Orient Express.

Sign up to the newsletter to receive The World of Agatha Christie: 1920s magazine