BBC Resurrects Agatha Christie with AI for Innovative Writing Course

The BBC deepfaked Agatha Christie to teach a writing course

Umar Shakir is a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge. BBC Studios is using AI to recreate the voice and likeness of late detective story author Agatha Christie for the purpose of featuring it in digital classes that teaches prospective writers "how to craft the perfect crime novel." A real life actor, Vivien Keene, is standing in for Christie, with her appearance augmented by AI to resemble the author. The new class, called Agatha Christie Writing, is available today on BBC Maestro, the company's $10-per-month online course service that usually gives you access to content from living professionals teaching things like graphic design, bread making, time management, and more. Deepfaked Agatha Christie's teachings are "in Agatha's very own words," her great-grandson James Prichard said in a press release. It uses insights from the real Christie and is scripted by academics -- so the actual content appears to be human-made and not generated from a model that's been fed all of her work. BBC collaborated with Agatha Christie Estate and used restored audio recordings, licensed images, interviews, and her own writings to make this all happen. Live now, the class has 11 video lessons with 12 exercises for prospective writing students, including how to "structure an airtight plot" and "build suspense."

The BBC used AI (and an actor) to bring Agatha Christie to life for its writing masterclass series

The BBC announced a new addition to its Maestro series of masterclasses, featuring its first posthumous teacher, Agatha Christie, presenting her writing tips in 4K video. The best-selling author of literature in human history teaches an 11-lesson course on writing mysteries, and the BBC seems very aware of the issues circling AI, which provokes a mix of intrigue and, honestly, wariness. Christie, who died in 1976, has had her likeness composited through a blend of licensed images, limited footage and past audio recordings. That data has been blended with actor Vivien Keene, who 'performs' the words of Christie on video. This is a more cautious approach. During a Q&A event at the course's launch in London, Keene stated outright that this was a performance. It seems a particularly risky choice, too: a lot of writers, editors, and authors are facing AI tools that reduce job opportunities or absorb their writing (and IP) without permission to train AI models. The BBC says all the writing advice comes directly from her writings, author's notes and archival interviews, curated by leading Christie experts and scholars, including Dr Mark Aldridge, Michelle Kazmer, Gray Robert Brown and Jamie Bernthal-Hooker. One of the stipulations from the Christie estate was that all the writing tips and guidance come directly from her. The makers claim that AI hasn't filled in the gaps or made guesses about her writing style, or what advice she might give. The BBC's Maestro series is part of the company's business arm, offering over 40 courses in the style of Masterclass but with, obviously a lot more Brits, priced at $10 per month. (Don't let the fact that the Diary of a CEO guy is there put you off - the Billy Connolly course is excellent.) However, for this course, the team ballooned to over 100 people, factoring AI rendering experts, sound engineers and more, to deliver a convincing portrayal of the author of Murder on the Orient Express, Mousetrap and, well, all the others. During the Q&A (at the glamorous Claridges hotel, of course), Dr. Mark Aldridge explained that in A Murder's Announced, Christie had a different murderer in mind when she first began writing that book - something vital if you're trying to convey her writing process. This could then be folded into the course guidance and content. At the launch event - with almost enough champagne to fill the Nile - I got to delve into the lessons. I'm not ready to pen a 50,000-word page-turner, it's a convincing facsimile. There's still a glint of uncanny valley, of course, (I think it's something to do with the eyes?), but even BBC Maestro CEO Michael Levine noted that since the project's inception a few years ago, the technology had evolved so quickly that the team was able to do even more than it first thought. Levine joked that the only books that rivaled sales of Christie's body of work by sheer volume are the works of Shakespeare and The Bible. There are no plans yet to add further 'resurrected' experts to the Maestro lineup.

BBC harnesses AI to create writing classes given by Agatha Christie

Videos will share the author's tips on everything from story structure and plot twists to the art of suspense Aspiring crime writers now have the chance to be taught by "Agatha Christie", thanks to a course of online video lessons by BBC Maestro. The videos "starring" the author, who died in 1976, have been made using AI-enhanced technology, licensed images and carefully restored audio recordings. Videos made using a reconstruction of Christie's voice will share tips on everything from story structure and plot twists to the art of suspense. The writing advice has been drawn directly from her writings and archival interviews and curated by the leading Christie scholars Dr Mark Aldridge, Michelle Kazmer, Gray Robert Brown and Jamie Bernthal-Hooker. "We meticulously pieced together Agatha Christie's own words from her letters, interviews, and writings," said Aldridge. "Witnessing her insights come to life has been a profoundly moving experience." The videos will be available on the subscription-based educational streaming platform BBC Maestro, and were made in collaboration with the corporation's commercial subsidiary, BBC Studios, and the Agatha Christie estate with the full support of the author's family. James Prichard, Christie's great-grandson and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited, said the team of academics and researchers had "extracted from a number of her writings an extraordinary array of her views and opinions on how to write. Through this course, you truly will receive a lesson in crafting a masterful mystery, in Agatha's very own words." The actor Vivien Keene and "expert visual effects artists" were hired to create a faithful representation of Christie's voice and likeness in the videos, according to BBC Studios. "This role was unlike any other in my 44 years of acting," Keene said. "The process required me to study the few existing clips of Agatha very closely, capturing her subtle mannerisms and expressions." Undoubtedly there will be ethical issues raised in relation to the technology used to create BBC Maestro's videos. A number of authors have expressed concerns in recent years that AI could be a threat to their livelihoods. "I'd be lying if I said there weren't worries" Prichard told the Telegraph. "But I believe and I hope that this is using AI in both a helpful and ethical way. The AI model of Agatha doesn't work without the performance of Vivien Keene. This was not written by AI. It is a leading academic unearthing everything that she said about writing. And I believe that what we are delivering here in terms of her message is better presented and will reach more people as a result of being presented, if I can use inverted commas, 'by her.'" Christie, known as the Queen of Crime, wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections in her lifetime. They have sold more than 2bn copies worldwide. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, and her books have inspired numerous screen adaptations.

BBC and Agatha Christie estate respond to 'deepfake' controversy

On Wednesday, BBC Maestro -- a similar service to Masterclass -- launched a new writing course taught by the best-selling novelist of all time. There's a catch: the author, genre-defining mystery writer Agatha Christie, died 50 years ago, and was thus unavailable to participate. Instead, BBC Maestro used an actress and artificial intelligence to recreate Christie, drawing from the author's own novels, interviews, and letters for the course material. The creators describe the effort as a "world-first," and the "Agatha Christie On Writing" masterclass is available now. Almost as soon as the course launched, critics accused the BBC of making an Agatha Christie "deepfake." Meanwhile, BBC Maestro wants to emphasize the participation of the Christie estate and their high esteem for the late author. "This groundbreaking course was carefully created over two years by a team of almost 100 people, including academics, researchers, creative professionals, and a team of leading global Agatha Christie scholars, who have each studied Agatha's written and spoken words and who curated the course to reflect all her teachings," an announcement reads. The BBC Maestro says viewers and aspiring writers can learn "the art of suspense, plot twists, and unforgettable characters" from Christie herself, yet many creatives are extremely wary of applying artificial intelligence to the arts -- no matter what. Whether the course qualifies as a deepfake depends on how you define deepfake. A 2024 article from BBC Newsround defines deepfakes as "videos, picture or audio clips made with artificial intelligence to look real. They can be used for fun, or even for scientific research, but sometimes they're used to impersonate people like politicians or world leaders, in order to deliberately mislead people." The term is most often used with negative connotations to refer to AI-generated content created without consent. Just this week in the United States, congress passed the "Take It Down" Act to prevent deepfakes and revenge porn from spreading online. Obviously, Christie can't personally consent to her likeness and voice being used to sell writing courses, but the Christie estate was involved in this project from its inception. The BBC worked closely with Christie's great-grandson James Prichard, who manages the author's estate. Certainly, the BBC knew this project would be controversial, and both Prichard and BBC Maestro reject the use of the term "deepfake" in this context. In a statement provided to Mashable, Prichard, the Chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Ltd., said, "What we have created is a course that distills my great-grandmother's ingenious craft into an easy to follow and accessible course. This isn't a fake. The words are Christie's own, carefully sourced by researchers. As a family, we approached the project with the utmost care and respect with the overarching goal of honouring my great-grandmother and to share her immense talent and process with the world." Both Prichard and BBC Maestro are keen to emphasize that Christie's likeness was lovingly rendered, despite the controversial nature of AI resurrection projects like this. In answer to our questions, BBC Maestro CEO Michael Levine told us that the term "deepfake" most commonly refers to material made "without permission" and "often for malicious purpose." "That is absolutely not what we're doing," Levine said in an email statement to Mashable. "Every step was guided by ethics, transparency, and a deep respect for her legacy." Levine also emphasized the involvement of Christie's own estate and leading scholars of her work. "From the outset, our focus was on being 100% ethical and respectful in honouring Agatha Christie's remarkable legacy. We worked hand-in-hand with the Christie Estate to ensure her image is used only with their express approval and in a way that reflects her values. We collaborated with four world-leading Agatha Christie scholars who developed the script using her own words and writings. An actor then performed the role with full awareness of how the material would be used -- exclusively in the context of this programme." The team took great care over two years to represent Christie as realistically as possible, yet AI skeptics condemned the entire project immediately. Whether you think this is an exciting opportunity to "learn directly from the most successful novelist of all time" or a grotesque application of AI technology, BBC Maestro is absolutely correct to call the course "groundbreaking."

Agatha Christie Comes to Life in AI-Enhanced BBC Maestro Writing Course

BBC Studios, the commercial arm of British broadcaster BBC, and the Agatha Christie estate have teamed up to launch a writing course on education-focused streaming service BBC Maestro taught by Christie herself. Well, to be precise, it is taught by the queen of crime, brought to life by actress Vivien Keene and AI, using the author's own words. "In a world-first, Agatha Christie -- bestselling novelist of all time -- will be offering aspiring writers an unparalleled opportunity to learn the secrets behind her writing, in her own words," the partners said. "Using meticulously restored archival interviews, private letters and writings researched by a team of Christie experts, this pioneering course reconstructs Christie's own voice and insights, guiding you through the art of suspense, plot twists and unforgettable characters." The partners unveiled news of "Agatha Christie Writing" in London on Wednesday, describing it as "the first-ever collaboration of its kind" and "an entirely new and original project unlike anything we've done before." Nicki Sheard, CEO of brands and licensing at BBC Studios, in a video highlighted that there has been "so much debate in our industry about how to apply AI." She added: "We're really proud to showcase that we have done this in a way that we think deploys incredible care and craft, great thought and the utmost respect to all of the contributors. And of course, the underlying IP is particularly special to us at BBC Studios because it embodies so many of the things that matter to us -- backing the best in British storytelling and perhaps, in fact, the best British storyteller ever, meaningful innovation through the application of technology, and, of course, working with the most brilliant and best partners there are." Concluded Sheard: "Agatha Christie was an icon of British storytelling, and to be able to deploy this technology in a way that is ethical and thoughtful, to both honor her legacy and bring her genius to a new generation in a fresh and different way, is a great thing to be able to do." The executive highlighted that a panel of experts, creators and actors worked together to ensure "meticulous planning" and a "really, really extraordinary" result. Key to the success of the venture was the blessing and collaboration of Agatha Christie Ltd. and its chairman and CEO James Pritchard, the great-grandson of Christie's. "They have been deeply involved from the beginning, and they have made sure this is not just something that Agatha would have understood, but, we hope, as a bit of an innovator herself, would have really enjoyed," said Sheard. "The casting process went through, I think, probably hundreds of actresses, looking at the facial biometrics," Keene shared during a panel hosted by BBC host Lucy Worsley. "So I literally got the job [based] on the shape of my face." "It was unlike any other job," she said about the experience, sharing that the director instructed her not to move her head too much. "Agatha Christie hadn't been filmed from the sides very much, and there's very little film, hardly any at all," she explained. "So, the AI couldn't cope" with material shot from the side. For the audio, Christie's and the actress' voices were put together. "You can hear my voice isn't anything like Christie's," Keene said. "And so I tried to get just the cadence. ... Her voice is pretty distinctive, actually, her voice, and she's very shy and feisty, and she doesn't really like being interviewed. And so I started to put the voice on thinking that they want me to use my voice in the final edit. But it has been re-speeched, I think is the word." The original project partnership was unveiled during a press event at the luxury hotel Claridge's in London's Mayfair district. Claridge's features in several of Christie's works. For example, in One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, Rebecca Arnholt stays at the famous. It also features in Cat Among the Pigeons, The Secret Adversary, and Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, in which Lady Peterhampton invites Frankie Derwent to a party at Claridge's. "Writing is a massive focus for us," explained BBC Maestro CEO Mark Levine.