Hay Festival 2015

Two lifelong fans of The Beatles come together to share their love of the band and reflect on its enduring influence on popular culture. Broadcaster Samira Ahmed’s first book A Hard Day’s Night is a look at how the 1964 film captures the band’s charisma and the shifting cultural landscape of 1960s Britain. Fellow broadcaster Stuart Maconie has written With a Little Help from Their Friends, an epic tale of the people who made the band who made Britain, interspersed with his own experiences, encounters and conversations. This celebratory event is perfect for superfans of the band.

How did the divisions of the American Revolutionary War play out in literature? On the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Professor of American Literature Sarah Churchwell and historian Simon Schama consider how American and British literature diverged in the wake of revolution – and how these literary traditions eventually found their way back to each other.

With discussion and short readings of their favourite books from both sides of the Atlantic, this session traces how writers responded to political rupture, cultural independence and shared language, and how a transatlantic literary relationship was reshaped, challenged and renewed over time.

A screening of New Queer Cinema troublemaker Gregg Araki’s incendiary yet sensitive tale. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the film busts open the dark secrets of the American heartland, and stages an unforgettable reckoning with trauma. One of the best coming-of-age films of the 2000s.

In Mysterious Skin, Brian Lackey is a young man who went missing for five hours when he was eight, an event he’s convinced was an alien abduction. In the same small Kansas town, teenage hustler Neil McCormick is a confused outsider with a dark past. Both young men pursue a self-destructive path that will lead them toward each other.

Do you love art and want to know more but don’t know where to start? Using their Art School (in a Book) as a starting point, actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament​ introduce us to the world of contemporary art, from Frida Kahlo to David Hockney.

Whether you have a passion for pictures, or are just keen to dip your brush into the world of art history, this interactive event will leave you feeling enriched and inspired by some of our greatest and most exciting contemporary artists.

With Russell and Robert as your guides, you’ll also discover the artist within you, as they share tips on new ways of seeing and reacting to the world around you and guidance on how you can develop your own creativity. They talk to illustrator Rob Biddulph.

How will our everyday lives be altered by climate change in 100 years? In his new novel, Ian McEwan imagines the radical changes we’ll all have had to accept. What We Can Know is the story of a great poem, read aloud in 2014 and never heard again. A century later, in 2119, scholar Tom Metcalfe is living in a UK ravaged by climate change when he stumbles across a clue that may lead to the lost poem.

Here, McEwan reflects on his career, the inspiration behind his book and what it means to write about climate change. He’s in conversation with Julia Gillard, whose work as Chair of the Wellcome Trust supports science to solve the planet’s urgent challenges. McEwan’s 18 novels include the Booker Prize-winning Amsterdam, and Atonement, which was adapted into a BAFTA-winning film.

A masterclass in how to train your brain to adapt and survive in a world of AI and technology. Neuroscientist and author Hannah Critchlow reveals how our 21st-century brains are already changing. But don’t panic – she also knows how we can actively nurture them to thrive in our rapidly changing world. She reveals what cutting-edge neuroscience tells us about creativity, empathy and resilience – and why these human strengths will be more important than ever. A Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge and one of the UK’s most compelling scientific voices, Critchlow invites us all to reconsider not just how our brains function, but what they’re capable of becoming.

How can we really understand another culture? Through its food, as chefs Ixta Belfrage and Bel Coelho will show you. Come and experience the real Brazil on this culinary journey into the heart of Amazonia. Belfrage and Coelho talk to food researcher and British Library curator Dr Polly Russell about recipes new and old, the interplay between heritage and relationship with food, and how Brazilian cuisine is travelling across the world.

São Paulo-based chef Coelho’s Tasting the Forest explores food, culture and biodiversity. She reveals ancient recipes which intertwine with her lived experience as a writer and activist for social justice and rural traditional farming. Belfrage offers up fresh takes on the food of her mother’s homeland, sharing personal stories as well as vibrant recipes from her cookbook Fusão.

Tanya Sweeney discusses her debut novel, a story of obsession and modern life, with Irish novelist Liz Nugent. In Esther is Now Following You, Esther first sees actor Ted in a park in London. Feeling something she’s never felt before when their eyes meet, she begins researching him, and soon joins a fan site where she and the ‘Tedettes’ stalk his every move. When Ted gets a girlfriend, Esther leaves her husband, takes all their savings and buys a one-way ticket to Canada, convinced she and Ted belong together.

Sweeney and Nugent discuss fame, family and what we do to cope when life gets too much. Sweeney is an Irish journalist, columnist and regular contributor to radio and TV. Nugent is the author of five crime novels, most recently The Truth About Ruby Cooper.

How do you write characters who feel authentic, original and intriguing? How do you fill your fiction with people your readers feel compelled to spend time with? Award-winning writer Helen Oyeyemi (A New New Me) will help you develop or create fresh aspects of your characters’ relationships to each other, as well as your characters’ perceptions of their own stories. Through short writing exercises and discussion you’ll refresh your approaches to the people you’re imagining.

Arvon is the UK’s leading creative writing charity. Founded in 1968, it is known for its diverse creative writing courses and events led by leading authors. Its online programme offers writing weeks, writing days, masterclasses and a Saturday Writing Club. Residential courses are set in historic writing houses in inspiring countryside locations. Courses cover a range of genres including fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, theatre, screenwriting and more.

Four women who’ve dedicated their lives to front-line politics reveal the reality of working at the top of public life. Are sexism, misogyny and abuse making it just too hard for women to thrive in politics and public office? And what’s the impact if more women walk away or never seek public office in the first place?

Ruth Davidson is the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives. Julia Gillard is the former Prime Minister of Australia whose ‘misogyny speech’ in Parliament became a global phenomenon. Harriet Harman is a Labour peer and the UK’s Special Envoy for Women and Girls. Beth Rigby is political editor for Sky News. They talk to Katya Adler, the BBC’s Europe Editor.

Fire up your creative impulses, as the artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries praises the extraordinary powers of art. Hans Ulrich Obrist speaks to BBC broadcaster Kirsty Lang about how art drives our imagination and even helps us to heal. Before joining London’s Serpentine Gallery, Obrist was a curator at the Paris Musée d’Art Moderne. Drawing on his memoir Life in Progress, he looks back on the first time he connected with art after a car accident at the age of six, which led him to spend weeks in hospital. He recalls the many exhibitions he’s curated in galleries, hotels and even in his own kitchen.

Spend a leisurely evening with broadcasting royalty Clare Balding CBE in conversation with sports journalist Carolyn Hitt. The award-winning presenter shares how she got her stripes, and presents her feel-good debut novel, Pastures New.

The heroine of Balding’s first novel for adults is a woman whose life is turned upside down by the mysterious inheritance of a crumbling sheep farm in Wales. Balding will recount her own childhood in the countryside – surrounded by horses and dogs, and reading everything from Jilly Cooper to Henry James. She’ll talk about her passion for sport and journalism, leading her to the very top of her game, presenting award-winning coverage of the Olympics, Wimbledon and royal events. A recent Celebrity Traitors participant and acknowledged national treasure, Clare is also a passionate campaigner for equality and women’s sport.

An evening filled with sixteenth-century wisdom, laughter and hope for our anxiety-ridden contemporary lives. No matter what the century, nuns know best!

When most of us think of nuns, we picture cloistered halls and hands clasped in prayer. But what about the nuns who erupted into jealous fights over makeup or crushed on their girlfriends? These women were no one-dimensional martyrs. Scholars, podcasters and best friends Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita lift the veil on monastic life, sharing the infectiously edifying advice of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century nuns, with writer Kim Sherwood

Resourceful, rebellious and refreshingly relatable, the nuns offer guidance on everything from procrastination to imposter syndrome, friendship drama to creativity slumps – with a wink and a prayer.

The acclaimed marital drama from Andrew Haigh, in which the atmospheric Norfolk Broads form a potent backdrop to the devastating portrait of a once-solid marriage plunged into crisis. Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay both won Silver Bears for their extraordinary, understated performances.

In 45 Years, it’s one week until Kate and Geoff’s 45th anniversary, and a huge party is being planned. But then a letter arrives for Geoff. The body of Katya, his first love, has been discovered frozen and immaculately preserved in the glaciers of the Swiss Alps. Kate becomes obsessed with Geoff’s past.

“A deceptively simple and richly disorienting glance into the abyss” – The Guardian

Discover the story of how Hay-on-Wye came to be known as a book town, and the man who made it happen. Journalist James Hanning talks to writer and broadcaster Horatio Clare about the story of Richard Booth, the eccentric and chaotic entrepreneur known as the King of Hay. Guests Derek Addyman (who worked for Booth in the ‘70s) and Anne Brichto, who together run four bookshops in Hay including Addyman Books and Murder & Mayhem, bring first-hand experience of the early days of Booth’s reign.

They delve into Booth’s life, from buying a small shop in an obscure market town on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, to creating the world’s largest second-hand bookshop. Booth laid the foundations for the town’s reputation, eventually resulting in the founding of Hay Festival, a rival attraction that dismayed him.

Come and join the comedian, broadcaster, campaigner (and tiny Danish beacon of hope) for an evening celebrating her love and passion for writers and books. The show will be packed with silly stories, profound truths, fascinating facts, readings from her latest book Friends of Dorothy and a quick-fire Q&A. Life affirming, wise and funny.

Spend an uplifting evening with the fresh sound and strong female presence of Marshall Gilmour Webbs – a group formed of Louise Marshall (the celebrated vocalist from Jools Holland’s Orchestra), Romany Gilmour (hit single ‘Between Two Points’) and Hattie & Charley Webb (known for their work with Leonard Cohen and Tom Petty).

Their swelling vocals, ethereal harmonies and eclectic instrumentation bring new perspectives to the music of The Roches, Dolly Parton, Billy Joel, Minnie Riperton and more, along with their own original songs written collaboratively from Louise’s living room.

An hour of movement and breathwork, led by a highly-skilled Hay-on-Wye practitioner, to start your day at Hay Festival with open heart and mind. Whether you need grounding and recharging before a busy day at the Festival, an opportunity to stretch and move your body, or simply an hour to focus on your breathing, this yoga class is open and accessible to all. The class leader will adapt to different levels of experience, so that each student takes what they need from the practice.

A riveting dissection of what’s really going on in British politics from three women on the inside. Harriet Harman is a veteran Labour politician and life peer. Ruth Davidson led the Scottish Conservatives for eight years and now also sits in the House of Lords. Beth Rigby is political editor for Sky News. Join the hosts of the Electoral Dysfunction podcast to find out what the political parties really think of the May local election results, and get their predictions for what might happen next.

Irish storytelling comes to the fore in this discussion between writer Liz Nugent and actor Ardal O’Hanlon. They discuss their new books, the craft of creating a mystery story and how Ireland’s heritage and culture impacts their work, with author Kim Sherwood.

Nugent’s The Truth About Ruby Cooper is about sisters Ruby and Erin, whose world implodes when Ruby is involved in an accident, causing a wake of destruction that lasts decades. Nugent brings experience in film, theatre and television to her work as a writer. O’Hanlon’s A Plot to Die For is the first in a new mystery series about beloved celebrity gardener Finn O’Leary, who returns to his hometown to care for his mother and finds himself trying to solve a murder, or two. Father Ted star O’Hanlon is one of Ireland’s best-loved actors and stand-up comedians.

Watch a selection of short films, curated by MUBI, throughout the morning. The day’s schedule will be listed each morning at the venue – pop along and take a look.

Step into the magical world of Bird & Blend Tea Co., discover the secrets of tea mixology and create your own perfect blend in an immersive and interactive Tea Mixology Experience led by an expert mixologist. This hands-on workshop invites you to taste up to six unique blends and test your tea knowledge with an engaging and fun tea matching game.

With expert guidance, you’ll get to craft two custom tea blends to take home and pair with your next fave book! You’ll also learn about different tea types and brewing tips to enhance your tea-making ritual at home. There’ll be an opportunity to ask questions, plus you’ll get a goody bag with free samples. Visit the Bird & Blend Tea Co. stand afterwards for a free gift with purchase (find a special token in your goody bag). Book now – it’s going to be TEArrific!

Come on a walk through the beautiful surrounds of Hay-on-Wye, led by guides from the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The National Park is also home to a UNESCO geopark, and on the walk the Park’s Geopark Officer Alan Bowring will offer a journey through deep time, exploring the geology of the hills.

Hay-on-Wye is located within 520 square miles of beautiful countryside that makes up the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The National Park is driving change to bring about a sustainable future, meeting our needs within planetary boundaries. Their Hay Festival series of walks take you into the town’s local environment while offering the opportunity to learn more about the Park’s work.

It’s hard to be resilient in our ever-changing world. From dealing with the aftermath of lockdowns to navigating the online environment, life seems more complicated than ever. But Dr Hannah Critchlow is here to show us how we can stay on top of these changes, develop stronger resilience and switch our mindset from can don’t to can do.

Drawing on her new book Brainwave, the internationally acclaimed neuroscientist gives positive and practical guidance on improving our concentration and developing our decision-making. With a sound understanding of children’s behaviours and emotions, she’ll lead us from easily distracted to fully focused.

In this laugh-out-loud session with energetic live illustration, author Anders Sparring and illustrator Per Gustavsson join us – all the way from Sweden – to show you how to craft a hilariously gripping heist story.

Their popular book series The Pinchers features a proud family of villains, going back three generations. Son Theo loves his family, but he just doesn’t fit in; he can’t lie or cheat to save his life! Anders and Per bring to life their tale about one very law-abiding child born to a family of robbers, combining adventure, silliness and the familiar day-to-day of family life with hilarious results.

Do you want to try writing your own detective story? Have you got some ideas but no idea where to start? A good mystery is filled with questions… At this writing workshop with author Jenny Valentine, you can start developing your own thriller. An experienced writing tutor and mentor, she can help you form your plot and develop your characters. Embrace the unexpected and learn how a story leaves its own clues along the way. This is a creative session, with a chance to share your secrets at the end.

Jenny Valentine is an award-winning writer whose novels include Finding Violet Park, the Carnegie-shortlisted Fire Colour One, and Us in the Before and After.

Please bring your own notebook and pen to this event.

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative in these interactive sessions delivered by artists and discover that your imagination is the only limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 1.5 hour duration. Accompanying adults: please stay in attendance at all times, but you do not require a ticket.

Step inside Hay Castle – a border stronghold shaped by myth, power and reinvention. Visit the current BorderLands exhibition and enjoy full access to the castle, from cellar to rooftop. Explore rooms layered with stories, including Matilda’s room, the Richard Booth space, historic costumes and the castle cellar.

Experience the new, interactive exhibit on the second floor, then climb to the viewing platform for wide views across the Wye Valley. Your ticket also includes unlimited return visits for a full year, so you can come back as the seasons – and the castle – change.

This ticket allows you to visit the castle at a time of your choice on the day selected, and also gives you entry into the BorderLands exhibition.

Step inside Hay Castle during Hay Festival 2026 and explore a place shaped by power, survival and reinvention. Led by an expert volunteer guide, this tour traces 800 years of life inside the castle – from medieval plots and royal whispers to its rescue, restoration and reimagining as a place for ideas today. You’ll move through rooms, stairways and towers, hearing stories of the people who lived, schemed, dreamed and partied here. Along the way, take in sweeping views across the Wye Valley – a reminder that this is a border castle, built to watch and be watched.

Guided tours run daily at 11am and 2pm. Tour price includes entry into the Castle for a year including the current exhibition: BorderLands.

Back by popular demand, best-selling author Ben Macintyre brings a fascinating exploration of international espionage to Hay Festival. Macintyre has spent his career chronicling secret intelligence and the hidden lives of some of history’s most intriguing figures. He profiles the small and select list of world-changing spies: Oleg Gordievsky, Kim Philby, the Bletchley Park Code Breakers. And he reveals the important and far-reaching impact when espionage works (and when it doesn’t). A real treat for Macintyre’s existing fans, as well as anyone intrigued by the hidden forces and extraordinary people who’ve secretly shaped world events.

Take a seat with the nation’s favourite therapist as she discusses her fiction debut with lifestyle journalist Gaby Huddart. In Shrink Solves Crime a body washes up near Beachy Head, and while the police chalk it up to suicide, local psychotherapist Patricia Philipps – whose patient is the victim – isn’t convinced. With her chaotic best friend Pritchard in tow, Patricia swaps the therapy room for the crime scene to catch a killer hiding in plain sight.

Perry speaks about creating a fictional therapist and the influences she’s taken from her own work and life. She is an artist and psychotherapist as well as a TV and radio presenter. Her best-selling non-fiction books include The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read.

What would your World Record be, and how would you go about setting it? Find out all about the challenge of record-breaking, and discover what incredible looks like in 2026, in this fascinating deep dive into the Guinness Book of Records.

Join Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday as he brings the book to life, with the help of special guests – some actual record holders! Expect an action-packed, involving hour full of jaw-dropping records, remarkable feats and fun facts for the whole family, as you learn how record breaking has changed over the years. There’ll also be an exciting opportunity to take part, and set a Guinness World Records title! Please bring a book, which we’ll use to set a new record and then donate to Oxfam afterwards.

Can you solve the mystery? Join our storyteller in a gentle Mr Men Little Miss quest. An interactive event complete with live music, sensory participation, action and movement – and classic characters from the much-loved Mr Men and Little Miss universe. All mini-sleuths are cordially invited to get involved in this mystery – there’ll be solving, singing and storytelling. Can you solve the puzzle?

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative in these interactive sessions delivered by artists and discover that your imagination is the only limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 1.5 hour duration. Accompanying adults: please stay in attendance at all times, but you do not require a ticket.

Wonderland has come to a standstill! When Tick the clock is knocked over, time freezes, leaving everything paused. Now, the two culprits must set off on a magical quest to find the key that will wind Tick up again. Along the way, familiar faces and new friends join the adventure, bringing fun rhymes, lively music and enchanting physical theatre.

Performed by degree students from the School of Performance at Hereford College of Arts, this playful, family-friendly show invites everyone to sing, laugh and move along. Can you help restore the rhythm of Wonderland so Tick can tock again?

Who rebuilt the world, raising order from the ashes of the Second World War? Award-winning historian James Holland shares his extensive knowledge of the war and its aftermath, offering unique insight into the leaders, the philosophies and the policies that kickstarted unprecedented European growth and heralded peace and economic stability.

Through the economic and political earthquakes of the mid-twentieth century, Holland brings to life a broad sweep of history, linking to important lessons for the shifting world order we’re now experiencing.

An absolutely unmissable event with the queen of crime fiction. Val McDermid joins author Fflur Dafydd to introduce her latest book Silent Bones – a tense, multi-layered thriller. It’s the latest in McDermid’s popular Karen Pirie series, and navigates themes of corruption, privilege and hidden networks of the rich and powerful. A truly thrilling opportunity to hear from the iconic author herself about how she comes up with storylines, crime scenes and compelling characters... as well as the books she likes to read in her spare time. An absolute must for crime fiction super-fans.

Take a peep beyond the popcorn in this conversation exploring the crossover between food and film. Notebook – MUBI’s biannual print magazine exploring the art and culture of cinema – presents a reading and conversation drawn from its essays and contributions. The latest issue features work by director George Miller, film critic Wesley Morris, novelist Esther Kinsky, and poet Eileen Myles.

A BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert series exploring the music of Edvard Grieg and others. This second of three recitals recorded for broadcast features Alexander Ullman (piano), who performs a programme including Grieg and Wagner.

Programme:

Edvard Grieg, trans. Alexander Ullman Peer Gynt Suite No 1, Op 46

Edvard Grieg Lyric Pieces Book 10, Op 71

Richard Wagner, trans. Franz Liszt Tannhäuser Overture, S. 442

Join the BBC’s Dr Punam Krishan for an action-packed family session all about ailments, treatments and medical methods. Using inspiring examples from her books You and Your Body and The Superhero’s First Aid Manual, Dr Punam will explore what it’s like to be a real-life doctor. She’ll share life-saving tips, stay-calm tricks, and you’ll be able to test your skills in a medical quiz!

Jack Thorne is a ​groundbreaking playwright and BAFTA-winning screenwriter. His work is widely acclaimed and includes stage plays Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Motive and the Cue, television series Adolescence, His Dark Materials and This is England ’86/’88/’90, and films The Swimmers, The Aeronauts and Wonder. Jack will draw on his extensive experience to offer invaluable insights and advice on writing for stage and screen. He talks to BBC broadcaster Kirsty Lang.

This event is one of a Hay Festival series of sessions delivered by inspiring producers and practitioners from the creative industries, giving their insights, experience and advice on progression in their field.

Do you want to try writing your own detective story? Have you got some ideas but no idea where to start? A good mystery is filled with questions… At this writing workshop with author Jenny Valentine, you can start developing your own thriller. An experienced writing tutor and mentor, she can help you form your plot and develop your characters. Embrace the unexpected and learn how a story leaves its own clues along the way. This is a creative session, with a chance to share your secrets at the end.

Jenny Valentine is an award-winning writer whose novels include Finding Violet Park, the Carnegie-shortlisted Fire Colour One, and Us in the Before and After.

Please bring your own notebook and pen to this event.

Come on a walk through the beautiful surrounds of Hay-on-Wye, led by guides from the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The National Park is also home to a UNESCO geopark, and on the walk the Park’s Geopark Officer Alan Bowring will offer a journey through deep time, exploring the geology of the hills.

Hay-on-Wye is located within 520 square miles of beautiful countryside that makes up the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The National Park is driving change to bring about a sustainable future, meeting our needs within planetary boundaries. Their Hay Festival series of walks take you into the town’s local environment while offering the opportunity to learn more about the Park’s work.

Step inside Hay Castle during Hay Festival 2026 and explore a place shaped by power, survival and reinvention. Led by an expert volunteer guide, this tour traces 800 years of life inside the castle – from medieval plots and royal whispers to its rescue, restoration and reimagining as a place for ideas today. You’ll move through rooms, stairways and towers, hearing stories of the people who lived, schemed, dreamed and partied here. Along the way, take in sweeping views across the Wye Valley – a reminder that this is a border castle, built to watch and be watched.

Guided tours run daily at 11am and 2pm. Tour price includes entry into the Castle for a year including the current exhibition: BorderLands.

Crime titles dominate the best-seller lists. Crime dramas fill our screens. And the biggest TV show of the year has us all rooting for deceit, deception and dastardly duplicity against the honesty of the faithful. We bring together a round table of our own to analyse the irresistible pull of the villain and what makes a good liar – with sports presenter Clare Balding, broadcaster David Olusoga and crime author Harriet Tyce talking to psychologist Philippa Perry.

What makes us who we are today? Science professors Turi King and Adam Rutherford discuss the fascinating world of DNA and genes with best-selling science writer Professor Dan Davis. The pair share true stories from history, show us how we’re all interconnected, and illuminate who we are and how we came to be.

King’s The Secrets of our DNA: How Genetics has Changed the World is a myth-busting book that examines the world of modern genetics and reveals how DNA is essential to everything from solving crime to keeping food safe and protecting threatened wildlife. King is a scientist, presenter and author who led the genetic analysis for the identification of King Richard III.

Rutherford’s A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived at 10 Years is a look at what our genes now tell us about human history, and what history can now tell us about our genes. Rutherford is a professor of genetics and biosciences, and an author and broadcaster.

Experience evocative storytelling that bridges page and screen, in this screening of BAFTA-nominated actor John Hannah’s narration of John Buchan’s First World War classic.

Hannah gives a thrilling reading performance, bringing to life the threat of murder, conspiracy and espionage that are the thrilling themes of Buchan’s gripping adventure novel set in London and Scotland against the backdrop of war.

The Read is a series of outstanding performance readings of iconic British novels. Each episode offers a richly immersive celebration of literature.

Sort your clues from your red herrings! Holly Jackson discusses her breakout YA mystery novel, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, adapted into an acclaimed six-part television series for BBC/Netflix, with writer and podcaster Andrew Hunter Murray.

A compelling murder mystery, the novel features a likeable teenage sleuth out to crack a cold case as part of her homework assignment. The twists, shocks and red herrings are many, but never allowed to overshadow the core relationships. Holly will discuss adapting the story into six episodes – the series won praise for its fast pacing and for honouring the source material – and how the characters of Pip and Ravi were brought to life by stars Emma Myers and Zain Iqbal. A second series, focusing on the next book Good Girl, Bad Blood, is scheduled for late 2025, co-written by Holly herself.