THE INTERNATIONAL AGATHA CHRISTIE FESTIVAL 2015

FESTIVAL PROMISES FRESH 125^thBIRTHDAY INSIGHTS INTO THE LIFE, WORK

AND LEGACY OF WORLD’S FAVOURITE AUTHOR

Friday 11 to Sunday 20 September 2015

Torquay marks the 125^th anniversary of Dame Agatha Christie’s birth in the town with a nine-day international festival celebrating the Queen of Crime’s life, literature and legacy and offering a choice of more than 100 attractions, including talks, tours, book launches, theatre, film, exhibitions vintage entertainment, food, drink and family fun.

Festival hub: Torre Abbey | Torquay | TQ2 5JE | UK

For full programme details, including venues, ticket prices and bookings, please see: www.agathachristiefestival.com

Fresh insights into the life, literature and legacy of the world’s best-selling author are promised to visitors of all ages when the expanded 125^th anniversary edition of the International Agatha Christie Festival (IACF) takes place in her home town of Torquay in Devon, UK, from September 11-20.

Upwards of 10,000 people are expected to be drawn in by the festival’s nine days of talks, tours, book launches, exhibitions, theatre, films, writing workshops, vintage entertainments and by a celebrity guest list which includes broadcaster Kate Adie; novelists Martin Edwards, Sophie Hannah, Bonnie MacBird and Ali Sparkes; Christie scholar John Curran, theatre expert Julius Green and artist Tom Adams, among many others.

Speaking as the full programme was published online, Dr Anna Farthing, director of the 2015 festival, said: “As well as being the world’s best-selling author, its most translated novelist and the UK’s most successful woman playwright, Dame Agatha Christie was a fascinating character, whose work was shaped by her life and times and whose enduring impact reaches much further than her writings. In programming this 125^th anniversary festival, my aim has been to fully reflect this breadth and depth by supplementing favourite and familiar stories with new viewpoints and fresh insights – some of them never made public before – in ways that will appeal as much to younger people and newcomers as they will to lifelong fans.”

More than 100 events will be on the festival menu with each day taking a special theme, starting on Saturday 12 September with a Family Day of children’s author-led workshops, trails, stories and an outdoor show on the lawns where a young Agatha herself performed.

The week then continues with focuses on the First World War years; Miss Marple; the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, International Agatha, Agatha & Theatre and Agatha For Everyone.

At the heart of the programme will be a birthday party on September 15 at the festival’s main venue, Torre Abbey, while other highlights and locations will include:

an exhibition of previously unpublished photos from the Christie family’s private archives;
book talks and launches by, among others, Kate Adie (discussing Agatha & WW1); Sophie Hannah (whose new novel A GAME FOR ALL THE FAMILY was written while she was also working on her recent Poirot best-seller), crime writer Martin Edwards sharing episodes from his factual account, THE GOLDEN AGE OF MURDER and Julius Green, whose latest title CURTAIN UP, explores Agatha Christie’s output as the world’s most successful female playwright;
French cookery writer Anne Martinetti, author of a series of recipe books linked to writers/film-makers, preparing food from Christie stories in the kitchen at Agatha’s long-time Devon home: Greenway on the river Dart, near Brixham;
John Curran leading an illustrated Q&A with the artist Tom Adams, 90 next year, who between 1963 and 1975 designed around 100 covers for Christie’s paperbacks
daily workshops led by leading authors and publishers
a series of vintage and social occasions – among them a vintage fair, a tea dance, a cocktail party and a grand ball at Greenway
an introduction to poisons by A IS FOR ARSENIC author Dr Kathryn Harkup and a guided tour of the potent plants garden at Torre Abbey
A resident company of professional actors giving pop-up performances and readings
Events linked to the BBC’s new David Walliams and Jessica Raine series, PARTNERS IN CRIME, based on Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence stories plus a rare silent film featuring the same characters showing with a live piano accompaniment
A gala evening marking the 80^th anniversary of the RNIB’s Talking Book for the Blind service and its choice of Christie’s THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD as its first work of fiction.

The festival’s board is chaired by the author’s grandson Mathew Prichard, who also chairs Agatha Christie Ltd, which manages the worldwide literary and media rights to the author’s works.

He says: “I am delighted that the 125th anniversary of my grandmother’s birth in Torquay is being celebrated with such a lively and wide-ranging programme. I am also pleased that we have been able to release so much new material from the family’s collections so enabling visitors to see photographs which have never been on public view before, learn more about Archie Christie, the grandfather I never met, and to hear recordings of my grandmother’s voice when we mark the 80^th anniversary of the RNIB’s Talking Books for the Blind service.”

He added: “I feel sure that my grandmother would have welcomed the diversity of the programme and how it will reach so many different audiences, particularly through the workshop programme for emerging writers and the many new opportunities for children, older people, film-makers and local students to get involved.”

A day-by-day guide to the International Agatha Christie Festival 2015 can be found online at www.agathachristiefestival.com along with links to the online bookings system. Festival news is also available via a Facebook group or by following @AChristieFest on Twitter

The principal sponsor of the International Agatha Christie Festival 2015 is Arts Council England.

Much-appreciated additional support is coming from the English Riviera Tourism Company, Torbay Council, the Christie Archive Trust, Agatha Christie Ltd, the Colwinston Trust, the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind), HarperCollins, The Grand Hotel, Red Herring Games, Waterstones, Wollen Michelmore Solicitors, Francis Clark Chartered Accountants, South Devon College, Belmond British Pullman and the National Trust.

FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER

7pm – 10pm: Vintage Launch Party
Venue: The Grand Hotel, Torbay Road, Torquay, Devon TQ2 6NT
Join Agatha Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard, Festival Director Anna Farthing and VIP guests as IACF 2015 launches with a party featuring vintage music, live entertainment, fizz, canapés and a private preview of an exhibition by the Viva group of Torbay artists. A selection of 1920s-era cocktails will also be available at the pay bar. TICKETS: £25.

SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER

10am – 4pm: Man Overboard Mystery
Venue: Oddicombe Beach, off Babbacombe Downs Road, Torquay TQ1 3LF
The festival’s ever popular outdoor murder mystery game for all ages returns with a brand new case to crack: is the death of a rich businessman a tragic accident or was he pushed deliberately off his luxury yacht? With a live jazz band. TICKETS: free, no booking required (but NB – usual Babbacombe Cliff Railway fares apply).

10.00 am – 10.45 am: Dan Metcalf and The Lottie Lipton Adventures
Venue: Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Devon-based children’s author Dan Metcalf leads his audience on a storytelling journey in and around the grounds of Torre Abbey inspired by his book series, the Lottie Lipton Adventures, about a sparky nine year old who solves museum mysteries. For audiences aged five up. TICKETS: £5.

11:00 am – noon: Ali Sparkes : Car-Jacked
Venue: Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Blue Peter Book Award winner Ali Sparkes leads another of the fun family workshops which have made her a major hit at many other festivals – this one inspired by Agatha Christie’s frequent use of quarrelling families and by characters in Ali’s latest novel, Car-Jacked. For audiences aged seven up. TICKETS: £5.

11am – noon: John Curran talk – Christie through the decades
Venue: Torquay Museum, Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 1HG
Christie scholar and author Dr John Curran, explores how the Queen of Crime’s style of story-telling changed during her five decades of crime writing. TICKETS: £10.

12.15 pm – 1.15 pm: Bonnie MacBird writes Sherlock Holmes
Venue: Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Emmy award-winning screenwriter, film producer and UCLA teacher of creative writing Bonnie MacBird talks about her latest writing venture: Art in the Blood, a Sherlock Holmes story told in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and shares Hollywood-honed tips and tricks. For audiences aged 14 up. TICKETS: £10.

1.30 pm – 2.00 pm: Lunch and Listen
Venue: Book Tent, Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
A chance to chat informally with today’s visiting authors Bonnie MacBird, Dan Metcalf and Ali Sparkes about their work and what inspires them. TICKETS: free with entry to Torre Abbey; no booking required

3.00 pm – 5.00 pm Heartbreak Productions present MR STINK by David Walliams
Venue: Cockington Court, Cockington Lane, Torquay, Torbay TQ2 6XA
An open air theatre show, based on the hugely popular children’s story by David Walliams (star of the BBC’s newest Christie series Partners in Crime) and performed on the very lawns where Agatha Christie herself performed as a child. TICKETS: £12, adults; £7 children/ concessions.

7.30 pm – 9.30 pm: John Curran’s Mystery Film Night
Venue: Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Just as Agatha Christie kept readers guessing the identity of the murderer until the end, so Christie scholar John Curran won’t give up the title of the rare Agatha Christie film he will be showing and discussing here until the moment the cinema darkens. But what CAN be revealed is that his mystery film night was a stand-out favourite last year. TICKETS: £10.

SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER

10am: Starter at 10am
Venue: Book Tent, Torre Abbey , The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Every morning a festival participant reads the opening chapter of an Agatha Christie novel. TICKETS: free with entry to Torre Abbey; no booking required.
11.00 am – 4.30 pm: Vintage Fair
Venue: Torre Abbey , The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Torre Abbey is turned into a vintage wonderland as more 30 of the South West’s top collectors and traders offering an eclectic range of vintage and vintage-inspired clothes, accessories, homeware and crafts. With live entertainment, music, demonstrations, a National Trust shop and displays. TICKETS: free with entry to Torre Abbey; no booking required.

11am – 12.30pm: Agatha, Archie and The Grand Hotel
Venue The Grand Hotel, Torbay Road, Torquay, Devon TQ2 6NT
It was on Christmas Eve 1914 that Miss Agatha Miller of Torquay changed her surname to Christie with her marriage to career soldier and aviator Archie Christie during his brief home leave from the Great War. In this illustrated talk, in the very hotel where the newlyweds honeymooned, Festival director Anna Farthing and others share newly-uncovered details about the couple’s very different upbringings, their war-shadowed courtship and the early years of their marriage. To include a visit to a honeymoon suite (if vacant). TICKETS: £10.

2.30pm – 3.30pm Kate Adie: Agatha Christie and the First World War
Venue: Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Calling on research from her best-selling book, Fighting on the Home Front, and new material, broadcaster and author Kate Adie looks at Agatha Christie’s wartime experiences, including her work as a hospital volunteer in Torquay and considers the impact of the conflict and its aftermath on Christie’s generation of young women. TICKETS: £15.

4pm: Everything Stops for Tea
Venue: Book Tent, Torre Abbey , The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Sit down with a cuppa and listen as an ever changing cast of festival guests reads an excerpt from their favourite Christie novel or a short story. TICKETS: Free, no need to book.

7.30pm – 9.30pm: Accessible Agatha: A Celebration of Talking Books with the RNIB
Venue The Little Theatre, Saint Mark’s Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2EL
As well as being the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s birth, 2015 is also the 80th anniversary of Talking Books for the Blind – with Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd chosen as the very first novel to be recorded. This gala double celebration will reveal how the service began, why Christie was a keen supporter and how audio book technology, and the demand for book recordings, has changed. Plus a unique chance to hear rare recordings by the Queen of Crime herself. TICKETS: £15.

MONDAY 14 SEPTEMBER:

10am: Starter at 10
Venue: Book Tent, Torre Abbey , The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Every morning a festival participant reads the opening chapter of an Agatha Christie novel. TICKETS: free with entry to Torre Abbey; no booking required.

11am – 12 noon: Sophie Hannah: A Game For All The Family
Venue: Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Novelist Sophie Hannah got the idea for her latest thriller, A Game For All the Family, while staying at Greenway and working on her best-selling new case for Poirot, The Monogram Murders. Here she shares what it‘s like to be writing one book in a style borrowed from the Golden Age of detective fiction while plotting another in her own ‘voice’. TICKETS: £10.

12.15pm – 1.15pm: Kathryn Harkup: A is for Arsenic
Venue: Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Poison was Agatha Christie’s favourite murder weapon; in her books, she used a dozen or so varieties and showed a detailed knowledge of how each works. In A is for Arsenic, research chemist and Christie fan Dr Kathryn Harkup sheds light on how Christie gained her poisons know-how; reveals why and how certain chemicals kill, and discusses the likelihood of a poisoner evading justice, either in the past or now. TICKETS: £10.
2.30pm and 7.30pm: Murder, Margaret and Me
Venue: The Little Theatre, Saint Mark’s Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2EL
Agatha Christie didn’t want Margaret Rutherford to play Miss Marple and Margaret Rutherford needed some persuading to take the role. So how was it that they became such firm friends that Christie later dedicated a novel to the woman who defined Miss Marple on screen for a generation? Award-winning actor Janet Prince tells their story and secrets in this acclaimed play, written by Philip Meeks, and directed by Stella Duffy (author of the Saz Martin crime novels). ‘A gem of a production…moving, mirthful and entertaining’ – THE SCOTSMAN. TICKETS: £12/ £10.

5pm – 6pm: MP Wright: Marple Through Music
Venue: The Little Theatre, Saint Mark’s Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2EL
Before the soaraway success of his Heartman thriller M.P. Wright worked in the music industry. For this session he combines his love of both music and crime fiction to explore how different composers – Ron Goodwin and Ken Howard among them – have chosen to represent Agatha Christie’s best known lady sleuth, Miss Marple. TICKETS: £10.

TUESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER: THE BIRTHDAY

10am: Starter at 10
Venue: Book Tent, Torre Abbey , The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Every morning a festival participant reads the opening chapter of an Agatha Christie novel. And don’t worry about getting hooked; full versions will be on sale. TICKETS: free with entry to Torre Abbey; no booking required.

11am – noon: Agatha Christie: Literary Daughter of South Devon
Venue: Torquay Museum, 529 Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 1HG
John Risden is not only an author, historian and tour guide but also someone who knew the Christie family well. In this session, he talks about Agatha Christie’s childhood in Torquay and the influence of Devon on her literary career. TICKETS: £10

12.30pm – 3pm: 125th Birthday Garden Party & Luncheon
Venue: Torre Abbey Gardens, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Exactly 125 years since the Queen of Crime’s birth in Torquay, a very English garden party celebration, featuring live music and entertainments, a buffet lunch and birthday cake – all themed to recall the Golden Age of detective fiction. Vintage style dressing up strongly encouraged. TICKETS: £30.

4pm: Everything Stops for Tea
Venue: Book Tent, Torre Abbey , The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Sit down with a cuppa to listen as an ever changing cast of festival guests reads an excerpt from their favourite Christie novel or a short story. TICKETS: Free, no need to book.
6pm – 8pm: Agatha Christie: reaching new audiences
Venue: Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Screen projects linked to this year’s anniversary include the BBC’s Partners in Crime series and an all-star TV remake of And Then There Were None. This session explores the enduring screen appeal of Agatha Christie and the other ways in which her work is being adapted to reach new audiences. TICKETS: £8.

9pm-10pm: 125th Birthday: Evening Celebration
Venue: To be announced
As with all the best whodunits, Agatha Christie’s actual birthday will end with a surprise twist. Watch the media, website, Facebook page or Twitter account for news.
WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER

10am – 11am: And Then There Were… how many?
Venue: Torquay Museum, 529 Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 1HG
In the very place where the manuscript of the best-selling And Then There Were None is held, a panel of expert guests, including screenwriters, publishers and actors, look at the story’s many different stage and screen incarnations in the 75 years since it first appeared. TICKETS: £8.

11am – 1pm: Crèmes & Châtiments: the recipes of Agatha Christie
Venue: Greenway House, Greenway Road, Kingswear, near Brixham, TQ5 0ES
French food writer Anne Martinetti uses Agatha Christie’s very own kitchen at Greenway to prepare and share some of the 80+ recipes she created for dishes mentioned in the Queen of Crime’s novels While cooking/ serving, Anne will also talk about the many links between gastronomy and thrillers, from the part played in plots by meals to the foodie passions of several detectives and their authors. TICKETS: £25 including lunch (strychnine extra)

12 noon – 1pm: Martin Edwards: The Golden Age of Murder
Venue: Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Martin Edwards is both a successful and prolific crime writer and an expert on the genre’s history. Here he tells the story of how Agatha Christie and her colleagues in the legendary Detection Club invented the modern detective novel, and takes a fresh look at their books and their lives (often far less conventional than their reputation suggests).TICKETS: £8.

2pm – 3.30pm: The Imperial Terrace: Afternoon Tea and Jazz
Venue: The Imperial Hotel, Parkhill Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2DG
Agatha Christie spent many hours sitting and writing on the Imperial Hotel terrace, inspired by its stunning views. Share the same experience while also enjoying a traditional afternoon tea and the evocative sounds of live vintage jazz. TICKETS: £8.

2.30pm – 3.30pm: David Brawn: Publishing Christie and Poirot’s Little Grey Cells
Venue: Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
David Brawn is in charge of ‘estates’ publishing at HarperCollins. Here he talks wittily about the curious quirks of a role which involves looking after some of the book world’s best known deceased authors (Agatha Christie among them) and their heirs. He will also introduce the latest book he is editing: Poirot’s Little Grey Cells, a collection of Christie quotes. TICKETS: £8.

5pm – 6pm: British Library: Publishing Golden Age Detective Fiction
Venue: The Imperial Hotel, Parkhill Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2DG
The public’s appetite for forgotten crime stories is making the British Library’s Crime Classics series a modern publishing phenomenon. Here, series editor Rob Davies and consultant Martin Edwards talk about the enduring appeal of novels and short stories from the Golden Age of Murder and look forward to what will re-appear next. TICKETS: £8.

6pm – 8pm: Twilight Tour
Venue: Greenway House, Greenway Road, Kingswear, near Brixham, TQ5 0ES
Enjoy an expert-led private tour of the holiday hideaway Agatha Christie called ‘the loveliest place in the world” plus exclusive readings from first editions, canapés and a welcome drink. TICKETS: XXXX????

7.30pm – 9pm: Nigel Wollen: Wills and Codicils
Venue: The Little Theatre, Saint Mark’s Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2EL
The Wollen family of solicitors has been providing legal advice to Agatha Christie’s ever since the law firm’s founder Cecil Wollen met Agatha’s father at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club in 1900. Here, Cecil’s grandson, Nigel Wollen of Wollen Michelmore, is joined by the festival’s resident company of actors to explores a topic that is often a lynchpin of both real and fictional crime – Wills and their amendments. TICKETS: £10.
THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER

11am – 12.30pm: Les petits meurtres d’Agatha Christie
Venue: Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Today’s focus is on Christie’s international impact and it begins with a soupçon of French flair: an attractive and witty adaptation of Sparkling Cyanide, made by Escazal Films and showing here with English subtitles. TICKETS: £7
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11am – 1pm: Crèmes et Châtiments: the delicious and criminal recipes of Agatha Christie
Venue: Greenway House, Greenway Road, Kingswear, near Brixham, TQ5 0ES
French food writer Anne Martinetti cooks and serves recipes inspired by dishes mentioned in Agatha Christie’s writings. See Wednesday listing for more details. TICKETS: £25 including food (strychnine extra…)

5pm – 7pm: Tommy and Tuppence on the Silent Screen
Venue: The Little Theatre, Saint Mark’s Road, Torquay, TQ1 2EL
Adventurers Inc , or Die Abenteuer GmbH, (Dir: Fred Sauer, Germany, 1929, 75 mins) was the very first screen adaptation of an Agatha Christie story: The Secret Adversary in which the crime-fighting duo of Tommy and Tuppence Beresford made their debut. In silent cinema tradition, the film will be accompanied live on piano by a virtuoso of the form, Neil Brand. TICKETS: £12

2.30pm – 4.30pm: Sparkling Tea Dance
Venue: The Grand Hotel, Torbay Road, Torquay, Devon TQ2 6NT
A traditional tea dance at the seafront hotel where the newly-married Agatha and Archie Christie spent their honeymoon. The ticket price includes high tea, a glass of bubbly and vintage dance tunes from a live band. Vintage dressing-up most welcome. TICKETS: £15.

8pm – 10pm: Words For Voices
Venue: Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
In Torre Abbey’s historic chapel, Torbay’s four-strong Words for Voices ensemble presents a programme of prose, poetry and song, chosen to reflect Agatha Christie’s life, interests and times. TICKETS: £10

7.30pm – 9pm: Workshop: Consonants! Speak Your Christie Crisply, Crispin…
Venue: The Little Theatre, Saint Mark’s Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2EL
A fun workshop, open to all ages and showing how to mimic the sharper speech styles of bygone days. TICKETS: £5

8pm – 10.30pm: John Curran’s Literary Dinner
Venue: Greenway House, Greenway Road, Kingswear, near Brixham, TQ5 0ES
This is event is already fully booked with a waiting list

FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER

11am – 12 noon: Uncovered: The Art of Agatha Christie, with Tom Adams
Venue: Torquay Museum, Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 1HG
Artist Tom Adams, 90 next year, revolutionised book cover design with his 60s and 70s paintings for more than 100 Agatha Christie paperbacks. Here, he talks with John Curran about the Christie covers, his many other assignments and about their new book, Uncovered: The Art of Agatha Christie and Beyond. TICKETS: £10

1pm – 5pm: Creative writing – the next generation
Venue: Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
A showcase for the writings produced by local children during workshops led by the festival in association with Torquay Library andTorre Abbey and a chance to explore other approaches to creative education and outreach. TICKETS: Free

2.30pm – 3.30pm: Curtain Up:?book talk by Julius Green
Venue: The Little Theatre, Saint Mark’s Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2EL
Julius Green, one of the UK’s busiest theatre produces talks about his new book Curtain Up – the first comprehensive study of the stage work of the most successful woman playwright of all time. TICKETS: £10

7pm – 10pm: Murder Mystery & Dinner: A dark night at the Abbey
Venue: Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
A murder mystery event blending all the favourite features of a whodunit dinner party with the added bonus of walkabout theatre. Ticket price includes drink on arrival + five course dinner. Cash bar also available. TICKETS: £50

SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER

10am – noon: Dan Metcalf reads the Lottie Lipton Adventures
Venue Torquay Museum, Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 1HG
Dan Metcalf’s books for children, the Lottie Lipton Adventures, are set in a museum. So, where better to hear more about the stories than in the fascination-rich, family-friendly, Torquay Museum? For audiences aged five up. TICKETS: £5

11am – noon: Following in her footsteps: Killer Women
Venue Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
What is life like now for a successful woman crime writer? Meet Alison Joseph (Sister Agnes Mysteries), Helen Smith (Emily Castles Mysteries) and Louise Voss (Detective Lennon Series), of the Killer Women collective and their guest Rebecca Chance (Mile High) for a discussion about writing, readers, research (such as Rebecca’s recent trip on the Orient Express) and the challenge of trying to live up to Agatha Christie’s legacy. TICKETS: £10

2pm – 3.30pm: Bludgeoned with a gun…
Venue: The Little Theatre, Saint Mark’s Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2EL
A light-hearted round-up of stories from people who have been involved in pro or amateur productions of an Agatha Christie play – with a special focus on those moments requiring quick thinking, ingenuity and rapid improvisation. TICKETS: £8

4pm: Everything Stops for Tea
Venue: Book Tent, Torre Abbey , The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Sit down and relax with a cuppa while listening as an every changing cast of festival guests reads an excerpt from their favourite Christie novel or a short story. TICKETS: Free, no need to book.

4.30pm – 5.30pm: BritCrime: The World’s First Free Online Crime Fiction Festival
Venue: Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Crime writers Helen Smith (The Emily Castles Mysteries) and Louise Voss (Detective Lennon series) report back on what it was like to run the world’s first online crime fiction festival. TICKETS: £10

7pm – 11pm: The Greenway Ball
Venue: The Walled Garden at Greenway House, Kingswear, near Brixham, TQ5 0ES
A premier black tie occasion, inspired by the high society setting of Agatha Christie’s The Yellow Iris and supporting the on-going conservation of the holiday retreat the Queen of Crime once described as ‘the loveliest place in the world’. The ticket price includes cocktails on arrival, a garden serenade, a 10-piece band, dancing and superb hot buffet dinner. TICKETS: £115 each or a table of 10 for £1000.

7.30pm – 9pm: Film: Margaret Rutherford plays Miss Marple
Venue: The Little Theatre, Saint Mark’s Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2EL
Some loved Margaret Rutherford’s portrayal of Miss Marple, others loathed the air of bumbling eccentricity she gave to one of fiction’s acutest observers. But few would argue that her contribution to tonight’s film and others made Rutherford an internationally recognised star. Film title to be confirmed. TICKETS: £10

SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER

11am – 1pm: Die Hards Brunch
Venue: The Grand Hotel, Torbay Road, Torquay, Devon TQ2 6NT
A final chance to share experiences from this year’s festival, hear what is already in mind for 2016 and perhaps throw in some suggestions of your own. TICKETS: £17 including brunch.
LONGER RUNNING EVENTS

From September 12 to 20 (10am – 5 pm)
Agatha Christie: Unfinished Portrait: A Life in Photographs
Venue Torre Abbey,The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
An exhibition of previously unseen Agatha Christie photographs, illuminated by text in Christie’s own words and complemented by a display of original letters and personal anecdotes from global fans, collated as part of the #125Stories project. TICKETS: Free with Torre Abbey ticket

September 13 – 19 (10.30 am – 11:30am)
Workshops for Writers
Venue: The Imperial Hotel, Parkhill Road, Torquay, Torbay TQ1 2DG
Running alongside the festival’s residential retreat week for established writers, a daily open opportunity to meet and hear from a broad range of book industry professionals, including published authors and publishers. Watch the website – www.agathachristiefestival.com – for more details about both the retreat programme and the open workshops.

On September 14, 16, 17 and 18 (10.45 – 11.45)
Garden Tour: Dispensing Murder with Ali Marshall
Venue Torre Abbey Gardens, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Head Gardener Ali Marshall leads a tour of Torre’s potent plants garden and links it to
Agatha Christie’s life, her frequent use of poisons in her stories and the author’s fascination with medicinal plants, both dangerous and benign. TICKETS: £6
From September 14 – 19 (7.30 pm nightly + matinees)
And Then There Were None
Venue: Princess Theatre, Torbay Road, Torquay, Devon TQ2 5EZ
A brand new touring production of the most popular of all Agatha Christie’s best-sellers, performed by a cast of well-known TV names and faces. TICKETS: Seat prices vary; bookable only via the theatre’s box office

From September 14 – 17 (7.30 pm start)
The Hollow
Venue: Palace Theatre, Palace Avenue, Paignton, Torbay TQ3 3HF
So many people had motives for shooting John Christow, but who pulled the trigger? Find out when Torbay’s highly-rated amateur theatre company, Bijou, stages this classic country house mystery scripted for the stage by Agatha Christie from her own novel. TICKETS: Seat prices vary, bookable only via the theatre; phone 01803 665800; email [email protected] or visit www.palacetheatrepaignton.co.uk.

Daily from September 14 – 18 (10.00 am – 12.30pm)
Walk the Agatha Mile
Venue: Starts at Torre Abbey, The King’s Drive, Torquay, TQ2 5JE
Join expert guide Frank Turner for an informal but informative walk, visiting places associated with Agatha Christie’s life and writings. TICKETS: £5

Daily from September 12 – 19 (10pm on)
Lounging at The Grand Hotel
Venue: The Grand Hotel, Torbay Road, Torquay, Devon TQ2 6NT
Meet up with other festival-goers to share the day’s highlights, make plans for tomorrow or relax while listening to the piano. TICKETS: Free, no booking required.

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THE INTERNATIONAL AGATHA CHRISTIE FESTIVAL 2015

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