Agatha Christie historian and speaker
On 8 February I’ll be giving my Miss Marple talk at Bromley Little Theatre, in between performances of their production of The Mirror Crack’d. Tickets are £5 and I’ll be signing books afterwards – you can book your ticket here!
I’m very excited about a special treat for the end of this year – I’ll be visiting the glorious Burgh Island to talk about Agatha Christie at Christmas on the afternoon of 10 December. What could be a better treat for the festive season?!
For those who don’t know, Burgh Island has many Christie connections, from influencing the likes of Evil Under the Sun and And Then There Were None, to as a filming location for adaptations in the Joan Hickson Miss Marple and David Suchet Poirot series.
You can book a special stay for the event on the Burgh Island Hotel’s website, or call/email them to book my talk and afternoon tea if you’re not able to stay (details at the link). I have a long history with the island but this will be the first time I’m actually staying at the hotel, and I can’t wait!
As we move towards the publication of my book Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness, so I start to give more talks, and I’m delighted to return to Wallingford’s Corn Exchange on 6 September.
I’ll be discussing all things Miss Marple, followed by questions and then a signing. You can book your ticket here!
The (almost) full details for the International Agatha Christie Festival 2024 have now been announced, and I’m thrilled to say that I’ll be speaking about the search for the “definitive” Miss Marple in the evening of 13 September at 7pm. I’ll be discussing Joan Hickson’s Miss Marple and other depictions (including Helen Hayes) sharing new information and some nice clips and illustrations. This is as well as the Swinging Christies event with Gray Robert Brown on the Wednesday. I’m also taking part in the All About Agatha panel on the Thursday evening (debating the best screen adaptation).
There is more to be announced, and I may pop up at another event… It’s sure to be a great week, so do join us in Torquay! Details here.
This year has probably been the busiest yet for me, such is the continuing popularity of Agatha Christie.
In September I had a wonderful time speaking at the International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay. I arrived straight from the Agatha Christie Conference at the University of Exeter, where I was one of the keynotes, and at the end of the week it was great to give the after dinner speech at Greenway House, Christie’s holiday home, on her birthday.
Most recently I was thrilled to be invited to India to speak at the Dehradun Literature Festival. My wonderful hosts ensured that this was a great event. I particularly enjoyed running a workshop for local children, where we used some of Christie’s techniques to create their own stories.
My next event is the Agatha Christie Festival Internacional in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. It’s always a brilliant event and I can’t wait to talk about Miss Marple. There is much more to come next year in support of my forthcoming book Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness, which you can preorder at Amazon UK now, if you’re keen… There is also The Swinging Christies, a new podcast project that I’m doing with the writer Gray Robert Brown. More on that soon!
All in all, it’s an exciting time to be researching Agatha Christie!
I’m really pleased to say that I’ll be making an appearance at this year’s Greenway Literary Festival. I’ll be speaking with Guy Slater, who produced the brilliant Miss Marple series on the BBC starring the peerless Joan Hickson. You can find more information and book a ticket here. We’ll be speaking in the evening of Friday 12 June, and there are plenty of other events that sound great – plus it’s good to have any excuse to visit Agatha Christie’s gorgeous Devon home, now owned by the National Trust.
I’m thrilled to say that I’ll be talking at the Perfect Crime festival in Liverpool in November 2020. I can’t wait to join Sophie Hannah for a panel about (who else?) Hercule Poirot in his centenary year. There is a great line up for the day – you can see the full programme here and book a place here.
Dr Mark Aldridge 