The Agatha Christie Challenge
A trio of competitions to challenge even the most resourceful amateur sleuths has been devised to celebrate the world famous Agatha Christie Festival, taking place on the English Riviera 11 – 18th September 2011.
1) The Library Question, Test Your Christie Credentials….
Agatha Christie fans know that there’s always something exciting to discover in the library! But where’s the body?
The English Riviera Tourism Company has teamed up with Agatha Christie Ltd, HarperCollins, John Curran (author of Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks) and Great British Life to offer the chance to win the world’s biggest book.
To enter visit the Great British Life website
Win! The World’s Biggest Book ‘The Complete Miss Marple’
a stunningly beautiful leather bound tome worth £1,000.
2) The ABC Murders Trail – Follow the Clues
On the 75th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s legendary The ABC Murders, a special treasure hunt with 26 clues will run throughout the festival. 26 letters, A – Z will be hidden around the three towns of Torquay, Brixham and Paignton with a series of clues to help amateur detectives discover them. Clue sheets can be collected from Visitor Information Centres in the three towns as well as libraries throughout the resort from Friday 9th September. The forms can also be downloaded from the website at http://www.englishriviera.co.uk/agathachristie from the same date.
Win! Trips on the British Pullman Orient Express
Or… The Northern Belle Orient Express
3) Agatha Christie Mystery Shopping – Shop and Sleuth
Shopping and sleuthing are two unlikely partners in crime throughout Agatha Christie Festival week in Paignton town centre as the shops dress their windows with cunning clues. Decipher all the windows to win a prize! Contact Torbay Bookshop 01803 522011
Win! Great Prizes… Plus …Tiny Clues and Miniature Murders!
Babbacombe Model Village will be concealing various miniature ‘Murder Mystery’ scenes throughout its gardens during the whole festival week. The challenge is to identify the scenes and see if you can deduce which Agatha Christie novel each scene relates to. Some will be easy, some may be a challenge for even the more ardent Agatha Christie fans. How will you rate among the super sleuths? Visit Babbacombe Model Village website
And…Test your Christie knowledge at the Agatha Christie Quiz
To be hosted by special guest John Curran, author of Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks. The event will take
place at Christie’s honeymoon hotel The Grand, in Torquay, on Wednesday 14th September.
The world-famous annual Agatha Christie Festival takes place on the English Riviera in South Devon, from 11th-18th September 2011. This spectacular annual festival celebrates the world’s greatest crime fiction writer, Dame Agatha Christie and her best-known detectives, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. The Agatha Christie Festival is always a huge success and is expected to draw a large number of amateur sleuths to Devon from all over the world.
Fans will enjoy exclusive visits to her holiday home at Greenway, vintage bus rides, murder mystery dinners, tea dances, garden parties and more, while Agatha Christie’s Verdict comes to the Princess Theatre, produced by the Agatha Christie Theatre Company. The festival begins with the now traditional Agatha Christie Fete, on Sunday 11th, where stall holders will dress in their 1920s/30s finery and where the day’s entertainment will include live music, magic, Punch and Judy and dancing. There may even be a certain detective on hand…
Throughout the festival at Paignton Library, there will be a rare opportunity to view first hand an original manuscript for her book Five Little Pigs, where references to Greenway are recognisable.
Visitors can enjoy the new Agatha Christie Trail based on the 20 special places that inspired her life and works across the English Riviera and South Devon.
Plus, the famous Agatha Christie Mile along Torquay’s seafront takes people to some of the additional places that were so special to her in her younger years including: Princess Pier where she enjoyed roller-skating, Beacon Cove where she was a regular swimmer and the Victorian Pavilion where she loved to dance.
The festival draws to a close with a special Cream Tea Day at Cockington Court, Torquay, and the Agatha Christie Swim in aid of Devon Air Ambulance, taking place at Broadsands Beach.
For the full Agatha Christie Festival programme, visit the English Riviera Tourism Company website here.
