Julia McKenzie takes over as the new Miss Marple

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She follows in the footsteps of Geraldine McEwan, 75, the sixth screen Miss Marple, who retired last month after five years.

McKenzie, 66, recently starred in BBC drama Cranford and the film Notes On A Scandal, while earlier credits include Bright Young Things, Fresh Fields and Blott On The Landscape.

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The new Mrs Marple: Geraldine McEwan has taken over as the famous sleuth

The ITV dramas, based on Agatha Christie's murder mystery novels, have been a huge hit, pulling in audiences of up to 10million.

Replaced: Geraldine McEwan, the sixth screen Miss Marple, retired last month after five years

The famous sleuth was played by Gracie Fields in the 1950s, followed by Margaret Rutherford, Angela Lansbury, Helen Hayes and Joan Hickson.

ITV said the character of Miss Marple could undergo some change with a new actress in the role.

McKenzie said: "I'm very excited but also slightly daunted by the enormous responsibility that comes with taking on such an iconic role.

"Just about everybody in the world knows about Miss Marple and has an opinion of what she should be like, so I'm under no illusions about the size of the task ahead. And I suppose I'll have to remind myself how to knit."

Laura Mackie, ITV's Director of Drama, said: "Although the Miss Marple brand is one of the strongest in British television, the character herself is always open to interpretation.

"Julia McKenzie will bring another dimension to a classic character, and I hope the public are as excited as I am to see her bring her own unique interpretation to one of fiction's most well loved detectives."

Christie's grandson Mathew Prichard said: "Everyone has their favourite Miss Marple from past series and films, and it would be unfair of me to reveal my own favourite at this time - but I will say that I can imagine Julia McKenzie playing Miss Marple with exactly the right balance of sympathy and intelligence, and I confidently predict that she will become a Miss Marple to rank with the very best."