As a Briton, the works of Agatha Christie are one of those cultural pieces you tell yourself you should be well acquainted with.

Heaven forbid you be in a situation where someone says “Well, yes of course it’s great, but it’s nothing on early Christie” and all you can do is nod without knowing what they mean.

I am ashamed to admit that it was with this in mind that I strolled down to The Woodville theatre in Gravesend to watch Christie’s The Mousetrap.

The play is at The Woodville as part of its first ever tour, which marks 60 years of the production running, temporarily leaving its home at St Martin's Theatre in London.

Those who are unacquainted with Christie's work, like me, could be led to believe it’s mostly about adorable grannies solving minor crimes - but The Mousetrap could not be more different. It starts with a bang or rather, a scream.

The play opens with murder but audience members are allowed only the shrill sound of a woman screaming from the darkness of the stage.

After this distressing start we are whisked off to a contrasting scene of marital bliss, at a rural guest house, in 1950s England.

Monkswell Manor is run by young couple Mollie and Giles Ralston, who are giving that jolly tricky guest house lark a go for the first time.

There is something entertaining about watching the couple exchange witty repartee as they welcome their guests, totally unaware that all is going to hit the proverbial fan fairly swiftly.

The audience are soon introduced to an array of oddball guests and as the story unravels we are informed that all of them could have a potential link to the murder.

Each character is richly steeped in ambiguity and intrigue, with Christie masterfully leading you down a plethora of narrative paths, until a brilliant twist at the end.

Whether The Mousetrap is your cup of tea or not, as the cast take their final bow, it is clear to see why new audiences have been coming back year after year to enjoy this quintessentially British crime caper.

The Mousetrap is showing at The Woodville until Saturday September 26. For information visit www.woodville.seatlive.com/Online/ or call 01474 337 459.