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The International Agatha Christie Festival 2023
The International Agatha Christie festival is back for another year to celebrate the Queen of Crime. This is a fantastic opportunity to delve deeper into the world of Agatha Christie both from a personal and literary perspective. Taking place 8-17 September at memorable and historical venues across Devon, there is an excellent programme of events lined up.
This year there are over 30 events spanning workshops, parties, cultural talks, performances and much more. Divided into two weeks, the first is filled with exciting opportunities such as a literary bar crawl, a wine and crime evening, a walking tour as well as the annual sea swim! Week two offers a more cultural insight into Agatha Christie's life and works with talks and discussion panels from Christie experts.
Explore the full programme here. Tickets are on sale now.
Key Events
Conversation with Robert Thorogood and Ruth Ware
Opening the festival is a conversation with Robert Thorogood, author and creator of Death in Paradise, and Ruth Ware, author of The It Girl and one of the contributing writers for Marple: Twelve New Mysteries ('Miss Marple's Christmas').
Tickets: £15
Time: 14th September, 15:00
Location: Spanish Barn, Torre Abbey, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
'Mother in Mind' with Rachel Trethewey
Drawing on previously unpublished material from worldwide archives, Rachel's book examines the complex relationships between Agatha Christie, Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath with their respective mothers.
Tickets: £12
Time: 15th September, 10:00
Location: Spanish Barn, Torre Abbey, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
How to survive an Agatha Christie novel
Classic crime expert, Kate Jackson, will take the audience on a unique 'choose your own adventure journey' where she will use her expertise to help you avoid being framed for murder or to evade an untimely demise.
Tickets: £12
Time: 15th September, 17:00
Location: Spanish Barn, Torre Abbey, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple: Murder and Mirth
Dr Mark Aldridge will be exploring Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of Miss Marple as well as discussing Agatha Christie's own opinions on the films. This talk will be followed by a screening of Murder at the Gallop (1963), an adaptation of After the Funeral.
Tickets: £15
Time: 16th September, 19:00
Location: Spanish Barn, Torre Abbey, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Hercule Poirot's Silent Night - Sophie Hannah with David Brawn
Sophie Hannah will be providing an insight into her upcoming Poirot continuation novel, in which the Belgian detective must put his little grey cells to work in order to solve a perplexing mystery set at Christmas.
Tickets: £12
Time: 17th September, 12:00
Location: Spanish Barn, Torre Abbey, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Unmissable Fringe Events
Board the Dart Venturer for an exceptional cruise around the Bay, passing by some of Agatha's personal favourite locations as well as those that feature in her novels. The tour wouldn't be complete, however, without a little murder mystery to solve, courtesy of Moonstone Theatre Company.
Tickets: £20
Time: 9th September, 18:30
Location: Dart Venturer
The Mousetrap 70th Anniversary Tour
Enjoy a talk from former festival director Tony Medawar about the history of The Mousetrap in the afternoon before heading over to watch the world's longest running play at Princess Theatre.
Tickets: £32
Time: 11th September, 14:00 (talk) 19:30 (show)
Location: Princess Theatre
Caroline Hostein will be providing an insightful conversation about cocktails in Christie's works and will be joined by award-winning mixologist, Cosmo Boardman, who will demonstrate the art of making your favourite alcoholic beverages.
Tickets: £30
Time: 13th September, 19:00
Location: The Livermead House Hotel, Seafront, Torquay, TQ2 6QJ
Agatha's Adventures in Archaeology
Emma Seaman, local author, discusses some of Christie's less famous novels that were inspired by her travels abroad, particularly those that took place on archaeological expeditions.
Tickets: £6
Time: 14th September, 10:30
Location: Palace Theatre, Palace Avenue, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 3HF
