International Agatha Christie Events at Torre Abbey

About Us

The Festival will take place from 11 to 18 September 2021 at Torre Abbey, as well as other locations across Torbay, Devon.

As well as the main Festival programme there will be a wide range of Festival Fringe events including theatrical productions.

The full programme for the International Agatha Christie Festival can be viewed here

and events at Torre Abbey:

11 SEPTEMBER 2021

Day Events – Torre Abbey Museum, Torquay

Evening Events – Torre Abbey Museum, Torquay

In the afternoon, the opening event sees two of Britain’s best-loved authors – Anthony Horowitz and Kate Mosse in conversation about Agatha Christie and much else besides.

Later, Agatha Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard will open a new exhibition about Christie’s travels in the Middle East. The exhibition will run for one month and has been curated by Alice Graham with the assistance of the Christie Archive Trust.

And the day ends with Brian Eastman, director of the ITV television series Agatha Christie’s Poirot, in conversation with Dr Mark Aldridge, author of Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World and Agatha Christie on Screen. Brian will also introduce a special showing of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd starring Sir David Suchet.

12 SEPTEMBER 2021

Day Events – Torre Abbey Museum and Rowcroft Hospice, Torquay

The day begins at Torre Abbey Museum with an illustrated exploration of Agatha Christie’s London hosted by City of London & Westminster tour guide Tina Hodgkinson. While all day in the grounds of Rowcroft Hospice there will be an Agatha Christie Treasure Hunt.

After lunch, Carla Valentine will be speaking about her new book, Murder Isn’t Easy: The Forensics of Agatha Christie. Carla is the curator of the Pathology Museum at Barts Hospital and presenter of Channel 4’s The Bone Detectives.

13 SEPTEMBER 2021

Day Events – Torre Abbey Museum, Torquay

Evening Events – Torre Abbey Museum, Torquay

The day begins with an attempt to solve the mystery of Hercule Poirot by Dr Mark Aldridge, author of Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World and Agatha Christie on Screen.

In the afternoon, the Spanish Barn hosts a live edition of the hit US podcast All About Agatha, hosted by Kemper Donovan and Catherine Brobeck.

In the Spanish Barn in the evening, the award-winning storytelling theatre company Scary Little Girls present an evening of stories by Agatha Christie and other writers of the Riviera.

14 SEPTEMBER 2021

Day Events – Torre Abbey Museum, Torquay

The day begins with Judy Dewey, curator of Wallingford Museum, on ‘Life with the Mallowans’ in the town where Christie spent her final years.

In the afternoon, Martin Edwards, president of the Detection Club and author of the Lake District Mysteries and The Golden Age of Murder will talk about the craft of crime fiction and, later, host a crime-writing workshop for aspiring local writers.

15 SEPTEMBER 2021

Day Events – Torre Abbey Museum, Torquay, and The Prison Museum, Dartmoor

Our celebration of Agatha Christie’s birthday opens with Dr John Curran, the foremost authority on her life and work, speaking on The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the first novel featuring Hercule Poirot, first published in the United Kingdom in 1921.

After lunch there will be a unique event at Dartmoor Prison where Dr Jamie Bernthal-Hooker, author of Agatha Goes to War, will speak about the moorland mysteries of Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The talk will be followed by a guided tour of the evocative French and American prisoner of war cemeteries.

16 SEPTEMBER 2021

Day Events – Torre Abbey Museum, Torquay

Events begin with The Queen of Crime in the Queen of the Suburbs, a talk by Dr Jonathan Oates, archivist and historian, on Christie’s childhood in the London borough of Ealing.

In the afternoon, author Sophie Hannah talks about her role in continuing to tell stories about Christie’s best-loved detective Hercule Poirot. This is followed by local history expert Matt Newbury on Christie’s interest in wild swimming, followed by a panel discussion and the premiere of Agatha Swims, a new short film directed by Karen Marshall.

18 SEPTEMBER 2021

Day Events – Torre Abbey Museum and Torquay

The final day begins with Dr Julius Green, author of Agatha Christie: A Life in Theatre, on ‘Poirot on stage’.

Later in the day, things take a sporting turn with Murder: Of Course!, which takes place at Abbey Park Pitch ‘n’ Putt Golf Course and later, a wild sea-swimming event between Beacon Cove and Meadfoot Beach in Torquay, where Agatha Christie swam regularly.