The Mysterious Disappearance of Agatha Christie

Maybe it was a way for Agatha Christie to force her husband into a divorce. At the time you could only get a divorce if infidelity was proven. Having the police find the husband shacked up with a mistress was pretty conclusive proof.

I loved this one, thank you for covering this story! I would like to share a theory I have heard, I may not be the first in the comments to say something similar... My Mom used to tell the story of this disappearance to me as a bedtime story (in her defense, I was a kid who loved mysteries.) There are some elements to this that are missing, and can be found in a few articles from the time, as well as articles covering these events. There is a LOT of material on this, to be fair. When Archie requested a divorce, it was implied that he would keep custody of their daughter. Either possibly by him directly or just the circumstance of ending a marriage in the 1920s. This was not uncommon at that time in England. Divorce was rare and it still favored men greatly, famous author wives or not. Infidelity was hard to prove and Archie had been careful to hide hard evidence, at least nothing that could be solidly pointed to in court. By the end of this disappearance, it was known far and wide he was having an affair. Agatha did not have to prove a thing. And with that being the true reason of the marriage's disolvement, she could retain custody of her daughter. She created a scenario where the actual government proved it for her, and the nation was her witness. Agatha Christie was no fool. And she was awarded full custody of her child. She was a master mystery builder, I think she orchestrated this very carefully so the police would have to investigate Archibald's alibi--the mistress--and the facts behind any future request of a divorce from him would be plastered across every paper. When she was found, she's found under the mistress' surname. One more bit of insurance that there would be an investigation into that name, in case Archie managed to hide his true alibi. Thus Agatha Christie kept her child, assets, and dignity at a time where women had very little power in a divorce. Like I said, this is my Mom's theory--but I think it gives full credit to the mastermind of mystery creation that Agatha Christie was. Who knows--but I love to think this is close to the truth, if only for it makes for a happier story of Agatha Christie taking control of her fate in a very exciting way. Anyone who's read this far into a looong comment, thank you! I hope you enjoyed my Mom's take on this mysterious happening. (It was GREAT bedtime story for a Mom to tell her daughter.)

Her daughter wasn't left alone, she had a maid and governess, both of whom were interviewed by police early on to determine the timeline of Christie's disappearance. They took care of her daughter while she was missing.

I adopted a stray kitten last year. I named her Agatha, after Agatha Christie. I had put her in the bathroom with food, water and a litter box until she got used to her new home. She escaped from the bathroom and disappeared into my apartment for four months 🤣. I had proof of life because while I was sleeping she'd eat her food, drink her water, use her box, and play with her toys. I couldn't help thinking maybe I should have named her after someone who didn't go missing 🤣.

2:40 Jen earned a like for the video simply for the dancing aliens as Simon rambles on about aliens not being on earth. I always enjoy her additions to the videos.

Simon: "She wrote mystery novels didn't she?" Agatha Christie is an absolute legend, and arguably the greatest mystery author the world has ever known. Even if you haven't heard of Agatha Christie you've almost certainly heard of her novels like "Murder on the Orient Express," "Death on the Nile," or "Poirot." Many of her works have been adapted to movies and TV. Poirot is one of my favorite TV series of all time. Agatha Christie wasn't a good writer; she was an all-time great.

The intrusive thoughts to randomly jump off a ledge, drive into oncoming traffic, or other similar acts is fairly common. It's called the "call of the void" or "l'appel du vide"

I’m from the Pittsburgh area, and I remember my dad telling me a story about a bomber airplane that crashed into the Monongahela river back in the 50s. I googled it and sure enough, the plane crashed. There were survivors. The plane was reportedly never found though. It’s called “The Ghost Bomber”, and I thought it would be a fun topic for this show. Love your work!

Re; leaving the kid... this was back in the day when someone like Agatha Christie absolutely had a servant or more likely, servants. So the kid wasn't left alone.

Simon almost implies that he is sure, if he disapeared, the police would use more resources looking for him, due to public scrutiny... Forgetting, of course, they may be the cause of said disapearance due to some of his Casual Criminalist episodes.

I actually suffer from fugue episodes. It's absolutely astounding what your brain can do when you combine chemical imbalances with stressful situations. One time I lost 6 weeks!! For those who don't know, it's alot like multiple personalities but you don't become someone else. Your brain goes on "autopilot". Thankfully with treatment I haven't had an episode in years. If Agatha was grief ridden and under martial stress, I wouldn't be surprised if she lost her memory.

Simon it really depends on the child. I started leaving my daughter home alone for short periods (i.e. running down the rd to the store). I also took care of 30 horses at a 10 acres barn at the time. She would water the horses while I got their food together. I never had to worry about her. She did make me crack of when one of the owners told me when they saw her alone asked who she belonged to. My daughter had the best response "My Mom". Then went back to filling the water bucket 😹😹 edit: My daughter was 8 at the time.

As a parent, and grandparent, you could probably safely leave the kids at home when they get to be in their mid-20s.

The Doctor Who episode doesn't actually have a unicorn, it was a thief that goes by a codename.

To add to the intentional disappearance thing. My theory about this, and why the husband burned the letter, and his brother never showed the actual letter he had, was that she wrote where she would be, and that she was checking in under his mistresses last name, as an attempt to publicly shame him. Basically giving him the option to either come out with the affair, or the option he ended up taking. So I think he burned that letter knowing she was fine, and not worrying about looking suspicious, because she wasn't dead, and tried to get his brother to tell everyone that she told him she is at the spa, hoping that would get people to realize that she wasn't missing.

Leaving the child: the Christies probably had a maid and a governess, given their status and the expectations of the times.

Not sure if it's a new addition or I just never noticed it, but Jen changing the music between script and rant is just chef's kiss

“The guy who wrote the bible.” 😂 Simon, never change.

As a gun toting american, i truly enjoy Simon's impression of southern rural towns. He truly nails it

Having suffered fugue states I can honestly say they are terrifying. After the fact. It's as if all self is washed away. You both recongnise nothing and no one whilst still understanding what everything is. I wrote an essay in University (hand written. Yes I'm old) and was extremely tired and pressured due to real world things going on around me. I was trying to use my university work to distract me from the god aweful shit going on around me - that's how bad things were. I finished my essay at around 3 am. It was in a writing pad with perforrated strips so you could tear it free neatly from the pad. My last conscious act was tearing that essay free. I remember it clearly, there was no amneasia. But I also was removed from all context. I tore out those pages with my essay. I continued to tear out the blank sheets left in the pad. It was a new 500 sheet pad and I emptied the entire thing. Calmly. Carefully. Methodically. Each sheet torn free and put on my lap. When that pad was done I reached for the next pad. I had a multipack of ten with eight left. I emptied all of them in the same manner. Then I started on my research books and my magazines. Everything of that roughly A4 paper size. Then, when they were empty, I began tearing them into fine paper strips. Slowly. Calmly. Methodically. Fold an centimetre of paper over from the left hand side of the sheet, bend it back on the fold to score it, then tear it free along the fault. The cleaner who mopped our floors and emptied our bins came in about 2pm and found me in a pile of shredded paper up to my knees. I was completely unresponsive. She called the student welfare team who called an ambulance. I was given an injection and woke up five days later in hospital. I remember being 'awake' in the meantime but just looking at the ceiling, being fed, having a drip put in my arm. None of these actions meant anything to me. I wasn't afraid, or bored or tired. I was just observing. it was. and still is, the longest fugue I've experienced. I remember it quite vividly, but also with no sense of time or purpose. It's hard to fully describe the altered consciousness correctlly. In one sense, I was totally gone. My self was absent. In another sense I 'as a conscious entity' was hper aware. I was fixated on the tearing of the paper, the voices in the corridor, the hum of the strip light above me, the wind blowing, the leaves rustling and the air pressure differential flexing the glass and window pane to make it creak and warp. The aging pipes that ran through my room and the next to the toilets on my floor. The smell of the paper I was tearing and the glue that held the paper in the textbooks. I could go on for pages about the details but no single detail was more important than the next. The nurse struggling to find a vein for the IV was no different to me than the dust on the suspended ceiling above me. I think that's the best I can do to describe the feeling but even calling it a feeling is misleading. A period of different existence? Sounds pretentious but... Anyway. Not amneasia.