Editing Hercule Poirot (section)

== Recurring characters ==

=== Captain Arthur Hastings ===
{{Main|Arthur Hastings}}

Hastings, a former British Army officer, meets Poirot during Poirot's years as a police officer in Belgium and almost immediately after they both arrive in England. He becomes Poirot's lifelong friend and appears in many cases. Poirot regards Hastings as a poor private detective, not particularly intelligent, yet helpful in his way of being fooled by the criminal or seeing things the way the average man would see them and for his tendency to unknowingly "stumble" onto the truth.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2000 |first=Bunson |last=Matthew |title=Hastings, Captain Arthur, O.B.E. |encyclopedia=The Complete Christie: An Agatha Christie Encyclopedia |publisher=Pocket Books |location=New York}}</ref> Hastings marries and has four children – two sons and two daughters. As a loyal, albeit somewhat naïve companion, Hastings is to Poirot what Watson is to Sherlock Holmes.

Hastings is capable of great bravery and courage, facing death unflinchingly when confronted by ''The Big Four'' and displaying unwavering loyalty towards Poirot. However, when forced to choose between Poirot and his wife in that novel, he initially chooses to betray Poirot to protect his wife. Later, though, he tells Poirot to draw back and escape the trap.

The two are an airtight team until Hastings meets and marries Dulcie Duveen, a beautiful music hall performer half his age, after investigating the ''Murder on the Links''. They later emigrated to Argentina, leaving Poirot behind as a "very unhappy old man". Poirot and Hastings reunite during the novels ''The Big Four'', ''Peril at End House'', ''The ABC Murders'', ''Lord Edgware Dies'', and ''Dumb Witness,'' when Hastings arrives in England for business, with Poirot noting in ''ABC Murders'' that he enjoys having Hastings over because he feels that he always has his most interesting cases with Hastings. 

The two collaborate for the final time in ''Curtain'' when the seemingly-crippled Poirot asks Hastings to assist him in his final case. When the killer they are tracking nearly manipulates Hastings into committing murder, Poirot describes this in his final farewell letter to Hastings as the catalyst that prompted him to eliminate the man himself, as Poirot ''knew'' that his friend was not a murderer and refused to let a man capable of manipulating Hastings in such a manner go on.

=== Mrs Ariadne Oliver ===
{{Main|Ariadne Oliver}}
Detective novelist Ariadne Oliver is Agatha Christie's humorous self-caricature. Like Christie, she is not overly fond of the detective whom she is most famous for creating–in Ariadne's case, Finnish sleuth [[Sven Hjerson]]. We never learn anything about her husband, but we do know that she hates alcohol and public appearances and has a great fondness for apples, until she is put off them by the events of ''[[Hallowe'en Party]]''. She has a habit of constantly changing her hairstyle. In every appearance by her much is made of her clothes and hats. Her maid Maria prevents the public adoration from becoming too much of a burden on her employer but does nothing to prevent her from becoming too much of a burden on others.

She has authored more than 56 novels and greatly dislikes people modifying her characters. She is the only one in Poirot's universe to have noted that "It's not natural for five or six people to be on the spot when B is murdered and all have a motive for killing B." She first met Poirot in the story ''Cards on the Table'' and has bothered him ever since.

=== Miss Felicity Lemon ===
Poirot's secretary, Miss Felicity Lemon, has few human weaknesses. The only mistakes she makes within the series are a typing error during the events of ''Hickory Dickory Dock'' and the mis-mailing of an electricity bill, although she was worried about strange events surrounding her sister who worked at a student hostel at the time. Poirot described her as being "Unbelievably ugly and incredibly efficient. Anything that she mentioned as worth consideration usually was worth consideration." She is an expert on nearly everything and plans to create the perfect filing system. 

In ''The Agatha Christie Hour'', she was portrayed by Angela Easterling, while in ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]'' she was portrayed by [[Pauline Moran]] (where she was shown to be efficient, prim and modest, but not remotely "unbelievably ugly".)  On a number of occasions, she joins Poirot in his inquiries or seeks out answers alone at his request.

=== Chief Inspector James Harold Japp ===
{{Main|Inspector Japp}}

Japp is a [[Scotland Yard]] Inspector and appears in many of the stories trying to solve cases that Poirot is working on. Japp is outgoing, loud, and sometimes inconsiderate by nature, and his relationship with the refined Belgian is one of the stranger aspects of Poirot's world. He first met Poirot in Belgium in 1904, during the Abercrombie Forgery. Later that year they joined forces again to hunt down a criminal known as Baron Altara. They also meet in England where Poirot often helps Japp and lets him take credit in return for special favours. These favours usually entail Poirot being supplied with other interesting cases.<ref>Captain Arthur Hastings {{harvnb|Christie|2004b|loc=Chapter 9}}</ref> 

In ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]'', Japp was portrayed by [[Philip Jackson (actor)|Philip Jackson]]. In the film, ''[[Thirteen at Dinner (film)|Thirteen at Dinner]]'' (1985), adapted from ''Lord Edgware Dies'', the role of Japp was taken by the actor [[David Suchet]], who would later star as Poirot in the ITV adaptations.