Two years ago, as the 2024 Agatha Christie Festival came to a close, a trio of California lads who had bonded over their passion for the Queen of Crime vowed then and there that they would meet up again in two years on the same promenade in Torquay.
And so it came to pass that on 10 September, I boarded a plane bound for Heathrow, on my way to the 2026 Agatha Christie Festival. This time, I was going to experience it all: the action-packed Fringe Festival and the intellectually stimulating Literary Festival, in which I was taking part in two events!
I’m an anxious traveler, always looking for signs and omens that I’m headed in the right direction. Then I met my neighbors on the plane, Vicky and Steve from Chico, who were off on a month’s adventure through Europe. When I told them that I was going to the festival, Vicky, who had read a lot of Christie’s novels, told me a story of when she was traveling in Egypt in 1977 with a boyfriend and visited the Temple complex in Karnak. She heard a woman’s voice that she could swear belonged to Mia Farrow! And what do you know? The company of Death on the Nile was there filming the scene where Simon and Linnet almost get squashed to death. Vicky was allowed to stay and watch, and she filled me in on a couple of secrets that I know will shock you: Angela Lansbury was a charming and beautiful woman, and Bette Davis smoked like a chimney!
Omen Number Two: I spent my first night in London, where at breakfast in my hotel I sat next to a retired attorney from Denver named Julian, who had only recently discovered the joys of mystery fiction. We tore into the merits of Louise Penny and Tana French, and I urged him to give Christie a try. Then I boarded a train for Torquay and a reunion with my buddies, Chris Diehl and Jeff Rock. We stayed together at a charming bed and breakfast called the Cranborne on Belgrave Road. I can’t stop heaping praise on our hosts, Mandy and Sharon, who made us feel so welcome and served us a delicious breakfast each day. I will definitely be back!
There are so many highlights of the Fringe to mention, starting with It’s a Mystery, a one-man show performed by Australian comedian Tim Benzie. This was a hilarious exploration into the classic mystery that became instantly relatable and quite moving as Tim described the ways that mysteries shaped how the life of a frightened kid too perplexed by the mysteries of his own life to find any answers. Tim travels all over the world performing this, so if he comes to a space near you, you have to see his show!
We attended a multi-media presentation on “What Agatha Did In the War” in the Assembly Room of the Torquay Town Hall, where young Mrs. Christie tended to wounded soldiers in her role as a VAD. There were speakers to fill in the story, a wonderful short film written by Festival Director Matt Newbury, and a panel to finish the tale. A raffle was held to benefit the British Red Cross, and a big band gave everyone a reason to dance.
Another highlight was our visit to Burgh Island, where Agatha often stayed and wrote in “The Writer’s Block,” a special cottage that theatre impresario Archie Nettlefield, the island’s owner, built for his friend. The tide was out, so we walked across the sand instead of using a sea tractor. (Our guide, “Miss Lemon” pointed out that while the island was the inspiration for Soldier Island in And Then There Were None, Christie had to move it a mile further out to sea; otherwise, the “trapped” characters could have easily walked to shore twice a day.) It was an extremely foggy day, so our visibility outside was pretty poor – although the fog did lift somewhat before we left. The hotel there is an Art Deco masterpiece, and after we had traipsed about the island, we marched into the dining room and were treated to a delicious cream tea. Then we explored the grounds, including the magnificent Mermaid Pool, a natural swimming area fed by sea water. It was a once in a lifetime experience (quite literally – unless I get treated to a stay there by the new owner!)
The following day, September 15, was the Queen of Crime’s Birthday and we celebrated by being in constant motion with other Christie fans. First, a taxi whisked us to the train station in Paignton, where we boarded a special steam train that deposited us at the banks of the River Dart. A ferry took us across the river, and then we boarded a paddle boat for an hour’s guided tour (our guide was hilarious!) from the mouth of the river that leads to the English Channel all the way to the grove of trees that separated us from Christie’s beloved Greenway. We returned to the quay and spent a couple of ours exploring the winding streets and shops of Dartmouth before hopping back on the ferry, crossing the river, and back onto the train for our return to Paignton.
The Literary Festival kicked off the next day with a special event: a conversation between Harper Collins editor David Brawn and Lucy Foley, author of four best-selling thrillers and now the creator of the first Miss Marple continuation novel, Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel. Ms. Foley talked about her love of Agatha Christie and its influence on her work. The book comes out in a week from the date of this writing, but a lucky hundred of us were able to purchase a beautiful special edition of the book (only three thousand copies were printed of it) and then have it signed by Lucy (yes, once she signed my copy, I felt we were on a first-name basis.) My review of the book will be coming out in two days. Watch this space!
The talks that followed were equally interesting: fashion historian Amber Butchart spoke about forensics and fashion in Christie’s work; Dr. Mark Aldridge shared some rare cinematic clips (and cheeky commentary) of Christie films and TV programs; and John Mallowan (Max’s nephew) regaled us with “home” movies and photographs taken by Agatha herself of Max at work at his digs. The evening brought a “mix and mingle” up at the Imperial Hotel. Really, though, the whole day was a chance to meet up with old friends and make new ones as we chatted constantly about our favorite mystery author!
The next day was Roger Ackroyd Day, commemorating the centenary of the publication of Christie’s classic novel. I came dressed for the occasion.
We were guided through this celebration by Dr. John Curran, who guided us through a close look at the clever text. (There were spoilers!) Then David Morris of Collecting Christie went over the history of the title, from its publishing through its various adaptations. Next, we were treated to author Martin Edwards, president of the Detection Club, regaling us with the role Agatha played in that august institution. Finally, Gray Robert Brown of The Swinging Christies gave a cheeky presentation about “Roger Styles,” the pseudonym bestowed upon Soviet spy Guy Burgess as part of the thrilling saga of the Cambridge Five.
That evening, we took the train to the Palace Theatre in Paignton for a special reading of Verdict, Christie’s little-known drama that has been long considered a bit of a stain on her reputation as “the Queen of the West End.” I hate to say it, but it’s not much of a play. Dr. Julius Green, author of Curtain Up: Agatha Christie, A Life in the Theatre, directed the reading and read the stage directions, and there were some fine actors in the cast. I’m thankful for the opportunity, but this isn’t a play I need watch again.
Friday was the big day when our California contingent took to the podium. My buddy Jeff Rock made a presentation about the stamps, coins, medals and tokens revolving around the life and literature of Agatha Christie. Yes, he forgot about “Strange Jest,” but the talk was fun and informative; Jeff even manufactured an honorific token of his esteem and gave one to every audience member!
Then it was time for me to take my place on the panel: Kemper Donovan, host of the All About Agatha podcast, led four of us in a discussion of the question: “Who is Agatha Christie’s Best Narrator?” My esteemed co-panelists were Victoria Dowd, author of The Smart Women’s series and much more, Tina Hodgkinson (Agatha Christie’s London) and Dr. Jamie Bernthal-Hooker (The Bloomsbury Guide to Agatha Christie). It was such a fun conversation, but I won’t tell you a thing about it – just listen to the podcast episode! What I will share here is a wonderful sketch that a local artist took of us as we were talking. (I’m the second from the left!)
That evening, we all traipsed over to the Livermead House Hotel to listen to the Swinging Christies (Dr. Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown) share their thoughts on three films from the 1980’s – 90’s adapted from novels of the 1960’s. Everyone laughed at the feathered hair!! I’m sure we are all anxiously anticipating the release of the Swinging Christie’s book early next year! I’ve already pre-ordered my copy!
Saturday brought several interesting talks: Sally and Tony Hope are retired doctors whose personal and professional lives have been enriched by their mutual love for Agatha Christie. One result is their book, Agatha Christie: Plots, Misdirections, and Clues, in which they detail the myriad of ways that Christie befuddles, tricks and entertains her readers. (Another review will be forthcoming.) To illustrate how their book works, they offered a lengthy analysis of one of my favorite Christie titles, After the Funeral. I thought they did a terrific job, both with their discussion of the novel’s trickery and with my question about that problematic family tree that Christie includes at the beginning! (Could this actually be a case of a rare authorial mistake?!?)
Tina Hodgkinson took us through an hour-long mini-tour of Agatha Christie’s London (can’t wait to see what you make of Christie’s relationship with the rest of Europe, Tina!) After that, we were treated to a wonderful discussion about Miss Marple, especially in relation to her final published novel, Sleeping Murder. The panelists were Michelle Kazmer, Dean and Professor from Florida State University, Caroline Crampton, host of the amazing mystery podcast, Shedunnit , and Rachel Trethewey, author of Mothers of the Mind, a book about the mothers of several famous women, including Agatha Christie, and how they influenced their daughters. We also had a special lunchtime treat: the return of actress Annette Badland (Ted Lasso, Midsomer Murders) to the Festival to read us a story! This time, it was “The Case of the Perfect Maid,” and if no one is going to cast this woman as Miss Marple, then I’d like her to become my nanny!
The final festival event that evening was A Gameshow Is Announced, which was actually two game shows in one: first came Torquay’s version of Mastermind, where four experts dazzled us with their knowledge of a particular subset of Christie lore. I’m happy to report that my fellow blogger and good friend, John Harrison (Countdown John’s Christie Blog) won that competition with his mastery over the early adventures of Tommy and Tuppence Beresford.
Then came the team quiz! It was Marple versus Poirot. (I was on Team Marple and had had another t-shirt made to prove it!) Kemper Donovan hosted, and his questions took us through what felt like the entire history of Agatha Christie’s life and work from birth to the present day! It was a tense six hours up there (well, maybe it was a half hour, but it felt much longer!) and in the end, it was Team . . . Marple who emerged the victors!!! Hooray for us!!! The prize was an urn filled with Roger Ackroyd’s ashes which every winner was strangely loathe to accept!
A week of stirring fringe events and mind-bending literary talks and panels came to an end on Sunday with a tea party and treasure hunt in Torre Abbey. The weather was absolutely brilliant as we wandered through the gardens, including Agatha, Christie’s poison garden, looking for clues that would give us the location of a great treasure. We solved the clues and left it up to chance as to who would win the treasure! (As of this writing I have not won!) This was followed by a cream tea, where we learned from author Figgy Mack about the proper way to eat a scone. Actually, it was a referendum on the Great Debate between Cornwall and Devon as to whether the clotted cream goes beneath the strawberry jam (Devon) or above it. As we were in Devon (and YOU try to smear thick clotted cream OVER jam and see what happens!!), my jam ended up on top!
I spent my final night at the fabled, if faded, Grand Hotel where Agatha spent her honeymoon with Archie. I have no need of ever staying there again, but it was part of the magic of a wonderful week celebrating my favorite author with hundreds of like-minded (thus highly intelligent) scholars and fans! That’s the best part, you know: traveling halfway around the world and finding your people in a small seaside community in Devon. If the opportunity every presents itself, I highly recommend that you experience the Agatha Christie Festival for yourself at least once!
Meanwhile, a few more happy images to send you on your way . . .
