‘I've Been In Disguise All The Time'

The actor synonymous with Hercule Poirot discusses his other life, behind the lens

- David Suchet

MODERN technology can be a wonderful thing, but a disastrous social consequence has been the rise of a generation of Johnny no-talents, ever ready to bore you with out-of-focus, ill-framed iPhone snaps. David Suchet, an impulsive photographer who never leaves the house without a proper camera, certainly does not fit in that category. His new book, Behind the Lens: My Life, bursts with images of London locations famous and obscure, trees, boats, actors and ordinary people with which any working photographer would be delighted.

He bats away any notion of skill. ‘I’m not a good photographer, and I don’t aim to be. I could never set up a professional shot—I don’t have that technical knowledge,’ he says. I suspect he’s a lot more serious about the art than he’s letting on.

In the book, he admits to having a photographic mentor, but his modesty may also stem from the fact that he hails from a family of working photographers. The text of Behind the Lens is built up from a series of conversations with his editor, Claire Chesser, in which Mr Suchet offers piercing insights into his approach to acting, his faith and his family, as well as his love of music, canal boating and Nature.

Arguably, the most affecting parts are where he talks about his maternal grandfather, Jimmy Jarche, an accomplished, oldschool professional snapper, famed for getting the first public shot of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, in a nightclub.

‘He was an amazing man, the sort who could quietly walk into a room of 200 people and they’d all look round to see who he was. His charisma was extraordinary,’ reflects Mr Suchet, who made a touching ITV documentary about him in 2012.