Everything you need to know about Harrogate’s crime writing festival

One of the highlights of the crime fiction calendar will return to Harrogate this week. 

The Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival, presented by Harrogate International Festivals, celebrates some of the biggest names in the genre.

Launched in 2003, the festival has attracted the likes of Richard Osman, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham. This year it will welcome the creator of Apple TV’s Slow Horses, Mick Herron, as festival chair, along with a decorated selection of crime fiction authors.

The event, from July 17 to 20, has become Europe’s largest event of its kind and includes a number of prestigious awards, such as crime novel of the year. 

All events are held at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, where crime fiction legend Agatha Christie famously disappeared to in 1926. 

What’s on?

Thursday

The festival begins with a creative writing workshop at 9am on Thursday, with the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Awards night starting at 8pm. 

Friday

Attica Locke, crime fiction author and producer of TV drama ‘Little Fires Everywhere’, will start Friday’s schedule when she is interviewed by journalist Matt Nixson.

A number of panel events will be held throughout the day, including four lawyers-turned-novelists pleading the cases of some of the most well-known fictitious villains.

An interview with Irvine Welsh, the brains behind the iconic 1989 novel Trainspotting, is Friday’s penultimate event at 8.30pm. 

The day will be brought to a close by a performance from The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers – a band made up of some of the biggest names in crime writing. 

Saturday

Starting early on Saturday, Paula Hawkins – best known for her psychological thriller novel, The Girl on the Train, and Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth, will hold an hour-long session at 9am.

Sessions with debut authors and expert investigators will be held throughout the day, as well as free event The Big Read. 

Mick Herron and screenwriter Will Smith will give an insight into the creation of Slow Horses – an adaptation of Herron’s Slough House series – at 5pm.

Apple TV’s adaptation – which stars Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden – has been nominated for Golden Globes, Academy Awards and Primetime Emmy awards.

TV and radio presenter Paddy O'Connell will interview brothers Lee and Andrew Child – whose real names are James and Andrew Grant respectively – as they discuss their latest collaboration and the 30th addition to Lee’s Reacher series, Exit Strategy.

The Reacher series has sold a mammoth 100 million copies worldwide. 

Sunday

To bring the festival to a close, York-born author Kate Atkinson, the creator of the six-part Jackon Brodie series, will be interviewed by Lee Child at 9am.

At 10.30am, a group of crime writers will host a panel debate called It’s the Way You Tell ‘Em, chaired by Communard-turned-reverend-turned-author, Reverend Richard Coles.

The final event of the weekend, scheduled for midday on July 20, will be an hour-long conversation between crime fiction author and co-founder of the festival, Val McDermid, and journalist Steph McGovern.

McGovern, who was once a Harrogate resident, recently published her debut crime thriller Deadline.