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In traditional retellings of the Greek myths, the focus is invariably on gods and men, but in Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths, classicist and Women’s Prize shortlisted writer Natalie Haynes refocuses our gaze on the remarkable women at the centre of these ancient stories. Natalie Haynes in conversation with Gerry Foley was recorded live as part of the digital Raworths Harrogate Literature...

Best known for his BBC Radio 2 lunchtime programme and Eggheads, much loved presenter and broadcaster Jeremy Vine presents his debut novel The Diver and The Lover. Inspired by true events and Vine’s obsession with Salvador Dali, this is a powerful story of love and sacrifice and the lengths we will go to for who – or what – we love. Jeremy Vine in conversation with Matthew Stadlen was recorded liv...

Join the award-winning and bestselling author, Matt Haig, as he talks about his latest novel, The Midnight Library. Welcome to the strangest library of them all – one that houses second chances. From the author of How to Stop Time and The Humans comes this poignant, unique novel about regret, hope and forgiveness. Profound and sparkling with imagination, The Midnight Library gifts us with a burnin...

Join authors and podcasters The Red Hot Chilli Crime Writers: Abir Mukherjee and Vaseem Khan as they take to our digital stage to discuss making crime a career with Mark Edwards, Claire McGowan, Dreda Say Mitchell and Susi Holliday. The Red Hot Chilli Writers present Career Criminals was recorded live as part of the digital Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2020. This episode is kindly...

To celebrate the upcoming release of 'The Sentinel', which heralds a new dawn for everyone's favourite literary avenger, as Lee Child and Andrew Child (Grant) take on co-authorship, we share a very special event from the archive. In 2009 Lee Child and his brother Andrew took to the stage together at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Were there inklings of what was to come? What wa...

Ian Rankin, who was set to be the 2020 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Chair, sits down with N. J. Cooper to reflect on his lost programming chair year. The pair also dig into Ian’s upcoming novel A Song for the Dark Times, the next of the Inspector Rebus books. Ian Rankin in conversation with N. J. Cooper was recorded live as part of the digital Theakston Old Peculier Cr...

2020 marks the publication of Mark Billingham’s twentieth Tom Thorne novel – what an achievement! In a celebratory interview with Joe Haddow, Mark looks back at the series beginning with the debut novel Sleepy Head. Stick around to the end for a short dramatised snippet of the novel, narrated by Mark himself. Mark Billingham in Conversation with Joe Haddow was recorded live as part of the digital...

Val McDermid unpacks the success of the iconic New Blood panel revealing how she picks the chosen four each year, whether she has seen trends change over the years and expressing what the platform means to debut authors and the industry. In this interview Mark Lawson ekes out the heritage and impact of 17 years of the New Blood panel. Val McDermid in Conversation with Mark Lawson was recorded live...

Stella Duffy, author and creative revolutioner joins interviewer Jenny Harris to discuss how the pandemic has impacted on culture and how important work such as Fun Palaces can help people to co-create their own cultural offering off-line. Stella Duffy in Conversation with Jenny Harris was recorded live as part of the digital HIF Weekender in July 2020. Podcast music by: Joseph McDade.

With a writing career spanning more than 20 years, Joe Finder delves into the life of firm festival favourite and past programming chair, Lee Child. Best known for his Jack Reacher novel series, the debut of which was published in 1997, with the 25th book The Sentinel set to be published later in 2020. Lee Child In Conversation With Joseph Finder was recorded live as part of the digital Theakston...

Featuring: Ryan David Jahn, Gillian Flynn, Chris Mooney, Megan Abbott and John Connolly. Back in 2012 we were thrilled to showcase four of the most acclaimed new crime writers in America. Ryan David Jahn’s Acts Of Violence won the New Blood Dagger while Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn picked up not only the New Blood award but also the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. Chris Mooney has received rave review...

Featuring: Helen FitzGerald, Mark Billingham, Sarah Hilary, Alex North and Fiona Cummins. Strong stomachs and smelling salts at the ready. Authors on both sides of the bloody fence tackle the icky questions that splits readers like a butcher cleaving a carcass. How far is too far? Are crime writers really dizzy with bloodlust? Why do women suffer horrific violence on the page when statistics show...

Featuring: Mick Herron, Elly Griffiths, Lisa Jewell, Vaseem Khan, and Chair Ian Payne. Readers have a good cry and a great laugh. These authors bring it all. Elly Griffiths created one of the most engaging characters in Ruth Galloway. Her latest, The Stone Circle went straight into the Sunday Times Bestseller list. Vaseem Khan takes us to India with the charming Inspector Chopra, who tackles corru...

Featuring: Abir Mukherjee, Liam McIlvanney, Kate Rhodes, Eva Dolan and Lee Child. Alumni of Val McDermid’s New Blood panels from years past tell us how it went with their second books - and their third, fourth and fifth. Liam McIlvanney appeared in 2010 with All the Colours of the Town acclaimed by Val as, ‘authentic, atmospheric and ambitious.’ Kate Rhodes’ Crossbones Yard was picked in 2012, wit...

Featuring: Val McDermid, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Gytha Lodge, Holly Watt and Chris Hammer, The Queen of Crime, Val McDermid, handpicks four hot new talents. Gytha Lodge is a multi-award winning playwright who studied creative writing at UEA. Her debut, She Lies in Wait, is dubbed as the biggest debut of 2019. Contending that title is investigative journalist, Holly Watt, her first novel To the Lions...

Featuring: Richard Osman, Mark Billingham, Laura Lippman and Martyn Waites. Please note this episode features adult content and strong language. Star of TV’s Pointless, Richard Osman is an avid crime reader and September will see the release of his debut crime novel. In this light-hearted, late-night event, he teams up with bestsellers Martyn Waites, Laura Lippman and Mark Billingham to discuss th...

Featuring: Stella Duffy, Jane Harper, Vanda Symon, Christian White and Chair Craig Sisterson. Slap on the sunscreen. You’ll need it for the glare of the hottest crime wave. Down Under authors are on top of the world, marching to a different beat under the midday heat. Take a long-haul flight with writer and theatre-maker, Stella Duffy, torchbearer of the legendary Ngaio Marsh. Jane Harper makes mo...

From teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains to separating and identifying commingled body parts in her Montreal lab, as one of only seventy-seven forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Dr Kathy Reichs has brought her own dramatic work experience to her mesmerising forensic thrillers. Kathy has travelled to Rwanda to testify at t...

Welcome to our #TheakstonAward podcast ‘lites’, a series of interviews with the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of The Year Award, Longlisted authors. Here to talk about her novel ‘Conviction’ is Denise Mina, interviewed by Joe Haddow. The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year Award is the most wanted award in crime fiction, curated and produced by Harrogate International Festivals, in...

Welcome to our #TheakstonAward podcast ‘lites’, a series of interviews with the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of The Year Award, Longlisted authors. Here to talk about her novel ‘Blood Orange’ is Harriet Tyce, interviewed by Joe Haddow. The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year Award is the most wanted award in crime fiction, curated and produced by Harrogate International Festivals,...

Welcome to our #TheakstonAward podcast ‘lites’, a series of interviews with the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of The Year Award, Longlisted authors. Here to talk about her novel 'Worst Case Scenario’ is Helen Fitzgerald, interviewed by Joe Haddow. The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year Award is the most wanted award in crime fiction, curated and produced by Harrogate International...

Welcome to our #TheakstonAward podcast ‘lites’, a series of interviews with the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of The Year Award, Longlisted authors. Here to talk about her novel ‘Cruel Acts’ is Jane Casey, interviewed by Joe Haddow. The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year Award is the most wanted award in crime fiction, curated and produced by Harrogate International Festivals, in...

Welcome to our #TheakstonAward podcast ‘lites’, a series of interviews with the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of The Year Award, Longlisted authors. Here to talk about her novel ‘The Lost Man’ is Jane Harper, interviewed by Joe Haddow. The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year Award is the most wanted award in crime fiction, curated and produced by Harrogate International Festivals,...

Welcome to our #TheakstonAward podcast ‘lites’, a series of interviews with the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of The Year Award, Longlisted authors. Here to talk about her novel ‘Blood & Sugar’ is Laura Shepherd-Robinson, interviewed by Joe Haddow. The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year Award is the most wanted award in crime fiction, curated and produced by Harrogate Internationa...

Welcome to our #TheakstonAward podcast ‘lites’, a series of interviews with the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of The Year Award, Longlisted authors. Here to talk about his novel ‘Blue Moon’ is Lee Child, interviewed by Joe Haddow. The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year Award is the most wanted award in crime fiction, curated and produced by Harrogate International Festivals, in pa...