Margaret Rutherford with her husband in real life Stringer Davis

In ”Murder at the Gallop” (1963), ”Miss Marple” and ”Mr. Stringer” join forces to solve the mystery of Mrs. McGinty’s blackmail.

Miss Marple suspects the blackmail is tied to a ”1951 theatrical production” by the ”Cosgood Company” and identifies the ”Lord Chamberlain’s office” in London as the key to uncovering details about the play.

She sends Mr. Stringer to investigate its history, showcasing their resourceful teamwork. Together, they edge closer to exposing the blackmailer and solving the case.

Away from film land there was a very dark side to Margaret Rutherford’s early life: Her grandfather, the Rev Julius Benn, was murdered by his son William – Margaret’s father – who was then imprisoned in a mental diseases institution. Her mother changed the family name to Rutherford, before committing suicide herself. Margaret struggled all her life to overcome the weight of these horrors, which she tried to keep out of the media – not entirely successfully. She was brought up by an Aunt Bessie in Wimbledon, where there is a blue plaque to celebrate that detail. Two in fact, the other at Wimbledon High School, where she excelled at music, drama and elocution. On the school’s recommendation, Bessie funded acting lessons. Margaret was known at the school as shy Peggy Rutherford.

Tony Benn, who was a cousin, spoke of her as a genial companion and produced a photo for a BBC documentary of the two of them sitting in deck chairs on a beach. He said she was exactly the same on screen and off.

I did go to see Tony Benn when he toured in his one-man show – and asked him what was probably the only non-political question about Margaret Rutherford. He says that Yes – she was a dear old Aunt who he visited often in his growing up years