Agatha Christie went missing after quarrelling with her husband in December 1926. Her car was found abandoned the following morning at the edge of a chalk quarry. Hundreds of policemen and thousands of volunteers combed the frozen countryside for days but she could not be found anywhere – until she showed up in a hotel 11 days later, claiming to have lost her memory. People were sceptical, and what had been public concern, turned rapidly to anger at the waste of resources devoted to the search for her.
Exactly what happened has never been fully explained and the author herself avoided talking about it, so there are lots of competing theories. In this video I explore the facts from my perspective as a forensic psychiatrist to tell the story of her long and productive life and fill in the gaps surrounding Agatha Christie’s greatest mystery – her own disappearance.
Finding Out More
Agatha’s autobiography is a fascinating account of everything in her life, apart from her disappearance, but there are two excellent biographies by Janet Morgan and Lucy Worsley and I have listed these on my Amazon Store Page.
Academic References
Brown, W. (1919). War Neurosis: A Comparison of Early Cases seen in the Field with those seen idris elba at the Base. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 12, 52-61.
McNally, R. J. (2005). Debunking myths lite stock about trauma and memory. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 50(13), 817-822.
Staniloiu, A., and Markowitsch, H. J. (2014). Dissociative amnesia. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(3), 226-241.
Copyright Disclaimer
The primary purpose of this video is educational. I have tried to use material in the public domain or with Creative Commons Non-attribution licences wherever possible. Where attribution is required, I have listed this below. I believe that any copyright material used falls under the remit of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this, I will not hesitate to immediately remove that content. It is not my intention to infringe on content ownership in any way. If you happen to find current silver price may 2026 your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to credit you.
Images
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Wellcome Collection
Internet Archive
Music
Debussy, Préludes (Book I) – VIII -La Fille aux cheveux de lin - Marcelle Meyer PD
Edward Elgar: Enigma variations - Halle Orchestra, John Barbirolli (1947) Public Domain
Calcutta Sunset E’s - Jimmy Jams CC0
Arabian Nightfall - Doug Maxwell CC0
Lonely Man - Alex Hamlin CC0
Argonne - Zachariah Hickman CC0
Spirit of Fire - Jesse Gallacher CC0
Lost in the Forest - Doug Maxwell CC0
Impending Doom Film Trailer CC0
Josef Suk - Serenade 6 a Far Cry CC0
The Trapezist - Quicas Moreira CC0
Snowfall Butterflies - Asher Fulero CC0
Loom is to Love - Mini Vandals CC0
Sweetly My Heart - Asher Fulero CC0
Bach, Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 - Pablo Casals. PD
Palindrome - Alex Hamlin CC0
Video edited by Manavi Sakunika and produced by Graeme Yorston and Tom Yorston
