AGATHA Christie occasionally drew on animals as inspiration for her titles: Cat Among The Pigeons, The Pale Horse, Elephants Can Remember.

But it was to pigs that she turned for the title to the mystery she later adapted into the play Go Back For Murder.

Christie’s title for the original novel was Five Little Pigs, and it is renowned for having one of her most clever plots.

Keighley Playhouse actors are this week performing the play – also written by Christie – until Saturday, at 7.30pm nightly.

They promise a night full of red herrings, never-ending twists and turns, an intriguing storyline, and the revelation of a shocking family secret.

Five Little Pigs, which features popular Christie detective Hercule Poirot, was published in 1942 and in America had the title Murder In Retrospect.

The novel is seen as a rigorous attempt to demonstrate Poirot’s opinion that he could solve a mystery simply by reflecting on the testimonies of those involved.

As Poirot stated in several novels, he didn’t actually need access to the scene of the crime to successfully catch the murderer.

Five Little Pigs came at the end of a prolific phase of Poirot novels, with Christie writing 13 over a seven-year period.

Five Little Pigs is unusual because the same events are retold from several different points.

The stage version follows a similar premise, flashing back to the time of the murder and showing that everyone linked to the victim had a reason and opportunity to commit the crime.

Go Back For Murder shows what happens after the death of Caroline, who was sentenced to prison for the poisoning of her husband.

Her daughter finds a letter claiming her innocence, and tracks down the suspects from the past to try to uncover the truth.

Call 07599 890769 to book tickets.