Peter Ustinov takes over from Albert Finney as pernickety Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in this solid, star-studded dramatisation of Agatha Christie's paddle-steamer mystery. The plot is suitably tricky, the Egyptian locations dazzling and all the actors onboard seem to be having a terrific time -especially Angela Lansbury as a drunken writer and Maggie Smith as an acid-tongued nurse. It's only in comparison with 1974's Murder on the Orient Express that the film inevitably suffers - the solution isn't quite as jaw-dropping, and some of the whys and wherefores overtax credibility - but a humorous Ustinov keeps the whole thing afloat with his ability to add a twinkle to even the most earnest lines of dialogue.

As Hercule Poirot enjoys a luxurious cruise down the Nile, a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board. Can Poirot identify the killer before the ship reaches the end of its journey?