Cleeves, Jewell and more confirmed for Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, chaired by Khan

Authors including Lisa Jewell, Lee Child and Ann Cleeves have been confirmed for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary and will be chaired by Vaseem Khan. 

Running from 20th to 23rd July 2023, the festival will return to Harrogate and will also see in attendance the likes of Andrew Child, Ruth Ware, Jeffery Deaver, Lucy Worsley, S A Cosby and Chris Hammer.

Khan is known for his Baby Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai and the Malabar House historical crime novels set in 1950s Bombay and works at the Department of Security and Crime Science at University College London as well as hosting the crime fiction podcast “The Red Hot Chilli Writers”.

He will be speaking with Ann Cleeves, while festival co-founder Val McDermid will open the 2023 festival with an in-conversation event, as well as hosting a showcase of the four debut crime writers to watch in the New Blood panel.

Khan said: “My late father and I used to watch ’Poirot’ together. Neither of us could have imagined that, decades later, I would chair a festival so closely connected to Agatha Christie. It is a privilege and a delight to chair the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, doubly so as the first British Asian crime writer to do so, triply so to take the helm of the world’s most important crime festival in its 20th anniversary year.

“Working with the amazing festival team, we have brought together an Avengers Assemble line-up of crime writers, showcasing the broad and bloody church that crime fiction represents. If you love the genre, you’d be (criminally) insane to miss it."

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, commented: “This year marks 20 years since the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival first launched in Harrogate and what a wonderful two decades it has been.

“Every year the festival has brought together some of the best names in crime writing and this year is no exception. It has been a brilliant experience working with Vaseem, who has curated a programme that truly celebrates this special moment in our history. We look forward to announcing the full programme in the coming months and we cannot wait to welcome one and all to what will be the best festival yet.”

The full programme for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival will be announced in the spring.