A brand-new live stage show celebrating Agatha Christie will tour the UK this October, marking 50 years since the death of the world’s best-selling novelist.
Between The Covers Live! – Celebrating Agatha Christie will open at Fareham Live on 5 October before visiting venues across the country on a 10-date tour.
Hosted by Amanda Ross, creator and executive producer of the BBC’s Between the Covers, the show will feature actor and author Ben Miller alongside bestselling crime writer Lucy Foley, with additional guests to be announced.
The live event promises an entertaining exploration of Christie’s enduring legacy, from iconic characters such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple to her lasting influence on modern crime fiction.
Ben Miller said: “Sparkling Cyanide was my eyes-wide introduction to Agatha Christie aged eleven – and the Hercule Poirot books are now my favourite thing to read with my daughter. I’ve tried to keep the flame alive with my own Golden Age thriller, A Very Dangerous Pursuit, steering, I hope, between the Scylla and Charybdis of Christie and Buchan. And it would be churlish, I think, not to recognise a huge debt to Christie in Death In Paradise, not least in the baffling way the lead detective gathers everyone together at the end of each story to make his suspicions known! If I were the villain, I’d refuse the invitation… All of which is a very roundabout way of saying how much I’m looking forward to joining Between The Covers Live! on tour this October and celebrating our greatest crime writer! Tickets will be disappearing faster than guests at a country house weekend, so grab yours fast!”
Lucy Foley added: “I am so looking forward to going on tour with the Between the Covers Live! Agatha Christie celebration. I have been an Agatha Christie fan since childhood and so it is a lifelong dream to be taking on the incredible literary mantle of Christie and to have written my first Miss Marple novel, Murder At The Grand Alpine Hotel. There is no other writer who explores the dark secrets hidden in ordinary people the way Christie does. I cannot wait to join Ben Miller on stages up and down the country and talk with him about the nation’s love for The Queen of Crime and her legacy. Agatha has inspired so many crime writers with her meticulous plotting and Ben and I will have so much fun looking in detail at all the incredible characters she has created between her pages.”
James Prichard, Chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited, said: “It is always hugely humbling to hear what a tremendous impact my great grandmother still has on writers and audiences 50 years on from her last published book. This autumn, and beyond, is set to be truly exciting for Christie fans with new TV, theatre and audio in development as well as an exhibition of her life and works. Lucy Foley’s astounding Miss Marple novel sits at the centre of our activity and how wonderful for Christie fans to hear directly from Lucy, and the acclaimed and talented Ben Miller, how Christie stories have inspired and influenced their own passion for reading and writing.”
Amanda Ross added: “I’m delighted to be bringing the Nation’s favourite TV book club back for another live stage tour this autumn. It’s so exciting to be able to celebrate the undisputed “Queen of Crime”, the bestselling fiction author of all time, and explore her incredible legacy with entertaining authors who have learned so much from her work. Expect an evening of entertainment and enlightenment, as we take you on a journey through Agatha Christie’s incomparable, broad catalogue of characters that undoubtedly has something for everyone.”
The tour will also feature post-show signing sessions, giving audiences the chance to meet the artists and pick up classic Christie titles.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
