Dame Agatha Torbay mini-festival goers have a ball

Roaring 20s in full swing after Christie statue event

The Agatha Christie Ball Pic Appleton Event Photography

Reporter:

Jim Parker

20 Apr 2025 11:00 AM

Email:

jim.parker@clearskypublishing.co.uk

The organisers of the Agatha Christie Festival hosted a special one-day mini festival to celebrate the launch of the new Agatha Christie statue in Torquay.

Around 150 people joined the Spring Gathering, including people who had travelled from as far away as Germany, Switzerland, Estonia, the United States and even Mauritius.

Poignant moment as Agatha Christie's grandson Mathew Prichard reaches out to her statue Pic Appleton Event Photography

There were also representatives from the Agatha Christie Festival that takes place every two years in Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife where Agatha spent some time and wrote several stories. Agatha Christie’s grandson Mathew Prichard and his wife Lucy also joined for the special event.

Best selling author Robert Thorogood at the Christie festival

The day began in the Pengelly room at Torquay Museum with talks by bestselling authors, Robert Thorogood (Death in Paradise and The Marlow Murder Club) and Victoria Dowd (The Smart Woman’s mystery series), as well as Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown discussing the ever-popular Swinging Christies podcast.

TV presenter Jeremy Vine enjoying the Agatha Christie mini-festival. Pic Appleton Avent Photography

They were also joined by journalist, broadcaster and now novelist Jeremy Vine, who launched his debut murder mystery at the Festival, the Devon-set Murder on Line One.

The day concluded with a glamorous Celebration Ball at the Imperial Hotel, Torquay.

Tickets for the main Agatha Christie Festival, which takes place in September, are now on sale.

Festivities begin with a Fringe Festival, with fun events taking place in unusual locations right across the Bay and beyond. Amongst the many highlights are underground Agatha Christie cinema screenings at Kents Cavern, a Murder Mystery at Paignton Zoo, an hysterical one-man show at Torquay Museum called It’s a Mystery and Murder, She Didn’t Write, which is an improvised murder mystery at Palace Theatre in Paignton.

The main Literary festival takes place in the Spanish barn at Torre Abbey. The event opens with Lucy Foley and Sophie Hannah chatting about the challenges of continuing the characters of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. The festival will also be welcoming Chris Chibnall, the creator and writer of Broadchurch and former Doctor Who showrunner. He has just adapted Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery for Netflix.
Matt Newbury, the Creative Director of the Agatha Christie Festival said: “We are extremely proud of how the Festival is growing, with more than 4,000 people joining us from around 18 different countries last year.

"It really seems that people are finally starting to take the potential of the world’s most successful writer coming from Torquay seriously for the first time.

"Elizabeth Hadley’s beautiful new sculpture is amazing, as is the news that the Pavilion could become an International Agatha Christie Centre, with hospitality and retail opportunities anchored by her name."

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