Opening Event

To coincide with the launch of her memoir, Getting Away with Murder: My Unexpected Life on Page, Stage and Screen, we are delighted to be opening the Agatha Christie Literary Festival with the legend that is Lynda La Plante.

Lynda La Plante is a phenomenally successful writer and the author of nearly forty novels, including the Prime Suspect series, all of which have been international bestsellers. Earlier this year, she was honoured with the Crime Writers' Association of Britain’s Diamond Dagger award, for her outstanding lifetime's contribution to the crime and mystery fiction genre.

She trained for the stage at RADA and worked with the National Theatre and RSC before becoming a television actress appearing in the likes of Rentaghost under her stage name of Lynda Marshall. She even appeared in the Agatha Christie TV productions in the 1980s – Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? and Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime: The Affair of the Pink Pearl.

She then turned to writing – and made her breakthrough with the phenomenally successful TV series Widows, while her original script for the much-acclaimed Prime Suspect won awards from BAFTA, Emmys, British Broadcasting and Royal Television Society as well as the 1993 Edgar Allan Poe Award.

Lynda La Plante says: “I have lived a very long and productive life, and it was only in writing my memoir I saw what I have achieved. It has been an enjoyable and thought-provoking process and I cannot wait to bring it into being this autumn.”

Lynda is an honorary fellow of the British Film Institute and a member of the UK Crime Writers' Awards Hall of Fame. She was awarded the BAFTA Dennis Potter Best Writer's Award in 2000. In 2008, she was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to Literature, Drama and Charity.

Lynda La Plante is the first layperson to be awarded an honorary fellowship to the Forensic Science Society. In 2020 she launched the acclaimed Listening to the Dead podcast with former CSI Cass Sutherland, exploring forensic science and its impact on solving crimes. She runs her own television production company and lives in London and Easthampton, New York.

Lynda’s life has been one lived to the full, so expect fascinating stories from an incredible legend of film, television and publishing.

Information

Getting to the venue

The Spanish Barn is in the grounds of Torre Abbey. This is on Torquay seafront and walkable from most hotels in the area. It is also right next to Torquay Train Station. The nearest car park is Torre Valley - Torbay Council

Accessibility

There is a drop-off point and limited parking within the grounds for disabled visitors. Entry to the Spanish Barn is relatively level, but there are a few cobble stones to cross, before entering the completely flat interior. We have space for wheelchairs, although if you let us know in advance, we can ensure that there is ample dedicated space for the number of wheelchair users. We have also raised the height of the main stage this year, so that guest speakers can easily be seen. We also have two TV screens midway down the barn screening what is happening on the stage. We also have a disabled toilet available to the rear of the Spanish Barn.

If you have any particular access requirements or enquiries, do please get in touch and we will do whatever we feasibly can to accommodate you. Please email admin@iacf-uk.org