Theakston’s Crime Writing Festival 2024: Full Line-Up Revealed

By Sarah Morgan, April 2025

Don’t get caught out – it’s time to plan your visit to the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which is once again taking place at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate this July, from Thursday 17th to Sunday 20th.

Every year the organisers claim the latest event will be the best yet, and it seems likely that’s true this time around, because Festival chair, Mick Herron (pictured above with Simon Theakston at the launch), creator of the acclaimed Slough House series, has lined up some amazing names.

He’ll be offering a behind-the-scenes look at the TV drama based on his bestsellers with its Emmy Award-winning showrunner Will Smith, while Scottish literary legend Irvine Welsh makes his Harrogate debut.

Watch out too for Rev Richard Coles, Belinda Bauer, Lee and Andrew Child, Steph McGovern, Kate Atkinson, Paula Hawkins and Kate Mosse, who are sure to keep the crowds entertained.

Steph McGovern will appear in 2025
image: Carolyn Mendelsohn

“Laying bare the human heart”

If that’s not enough, AA Dhand, who was behind the BBC’s recent Bradford-set crime thriller Virdee, will also be attendance, alongside Attica Locke, Abigail Dean, Nick Harkaway (son of John Le Carre), Janice Hallett, Abir Mukherjee, Broadchurch creator/former Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall and Festival stalwarts Val McDermid and Mark Billingham.

“The first committee meeting for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2025 took place the day before the 2024 festival began, so it’s been in the planning for a year and a day – a suitably storybook length of time,” says Herron.

“We’re looking forward to another long weekend of criminal inquiries, forensic examinations and manifold ways of laying bare the human heart without shedding a drop of blood. Or so we hope…”

Further details and tickets can be found here: harrogateinternationalfestivals.com
top image: Mike Whorley