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21

Jul

Last Updated: 21/07/2025
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture

GALLERY: Famous authors have festival fun in Harrogate

by John Plummer

| 21 Jul, 2025
Comment

1

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Jeremy Vine at the festival. Pic: Gerard Binks

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The curtain came down on the four-day Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate yesterday (July 20).

Almost 20,000 tickets were sold for what is the biggest event organised each year by the arts charity Harrogate International Festivals.

The event has established itself as the world’s longest-running and most prestigious celebration of crime writing.

Many of the leading names in the genre gathered at the Old Swan, where Agatha Christie famously disappeared to in 1926. Next year’s event will mark 100 years since that happened.

This year’s festival line-up included Lee and Andrew Child, Irvine Welsh, Attica Locke, Kate Atkinson, Paula Hawkins, Kate Mosse, Steph McGovern, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham.

Hunted by Abir Mukherjee was named crime novel of the year on the opening night.

Here are some photos taken over the weekend.

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Pic: Richard Maude

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Val McDermid (left) and Steph McGovern. Pic: Gerard Binks

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Pic: Richard Maude

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Pic: Gerard Binks

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Pic: Gerard Binks

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Pic: Richard Maude

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Abir Mukherjee (right) receives the crime novel of the year award from Simon Theakston

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Pic: Richard Maude

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Mick Herron, Saskia-Reeves and Will-Smith. Pic: Richard-Maude

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Pic: Gerard Binks

StarBest-selling authors gather in Harrogate as crime writing festival beginsStarEditor’s Pick of the Week: Crime writers discover murder is easier than parking in Harrogate