Richard discusses books old, new and future in this interview with 2024 Programming Chair Ruth Ware. Richard has gone from national institution and much loved TV personality to publishing phenomenon. His wonderful Thursday Murder Club series has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and made him the biggest new fiction author of the decade. In a time of celebrity novelists, Richard is the real deal – crafting smart, thrilling, laugh-out-loud books that readers rightly love.

Wine is one of the most popular drinks across the globe, it brings people together and has a rich social and cultural history, it's also astoundingly delicious. But it can also be intimidating, confusing and unnecessarily complicated. It can be hard to know where to start: how is wine made? What's the difference between red and white? How do I know what to buy in a shop? Am I holding my glass correctly?

In this modern, accessible, warm and funny introduction to wine, Tom Surgey answers all these questions and more; doing away with old-school snobbery and teaching you how to get the most out of your favourite drink.

Interviewed live by Matt Stadlen as part of Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival

Podcast Music by Joseph McDade

This week on HIF player we explore the most surprising events in recent years with journalist, writer and broadcaster Phoenix Andrews, recorded live at Berwins Salon North. 

He sheds light on the fascinating world of fandoms and reveals how a passion wave of people power has become the hidden force behind the most surprising events in recent history – from the mass movements resulting in Brexit and Trump, culture wars and conspiracy theories, to online engagement that enriches lives and inspires positive social and political change.

Podcast Music by Joseph McDade.

Tune into Erin Kelly and Jane Casey recorded live at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2024.

Erin Kelly and Jane Casey have both produced a string of hugely impressive novels, creating books and characters that speak to a generation. As well as possessing brilliantly twisted minds, they are fabulously entertaining speakers and this conversation between two smart, insightful crime writers is not to be missed.

A natural storyteller, Erin is the author of such outstanding novels as He Said, She Said and The Skeleton Key. Exploring the dark consequences of obsession and guilt with consummate skill, she has readers clamouring for more.

Dublin-born Jane Casey is the creator of the standard-setting Maeve Kerrigan series as well as several acclaimed standalones. Her rare gift for sharp dialogue, complex characterisation and meticulous plots have made the Kerrigan novels an unmissable treat.

Podcast music by Joseph McDade.

Join Tom Chatfield, author and tech philosopher, as we explore the co-evolution of humanity and technology – and the lessons our deep past may hold for the present – from the first use of tools and the taming of fire to the development of the computer, the creation of the internet and the emergence of AI.

Recorded live at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2024.

Listen along to two of the most popular crime fiction authors in the business in conversation at this year's Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Collectively, Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee are the Red Hot Chilli Writers and present a riotous podcast of the same name. Individually, they craft superb historical and contemporary novels that shouldn’t be missed.

Vaseem is the creator of two much-loved series, the Inspector Ganesh novels and the Malabar House series, both set in India. The latest, Death of a Lesser God, is a beautifully written and insightful thriller.

Abir’s latest book, the heart-stopping Hunted, is a blistering departure from his award-winning Wyndam and Banerjee series. In it, two parents race to find their children before the FBI does in the hope of preventing an unimaginable atrocity.

Podcast music by Joseph McDade.

This week on HIF player we debunk the myths behind running with Allie Bailey, recorded live at Berwins Salon North.

Named by The Guardian as “one of the most inspiring female adventurers in the UK”, ultrarunner, adventurer and endurance running and mindset coach Allie Bailey has finished over 200 marathons and ultramarathons and run in some of the most extreme places in the world. The most remarkable thing about all of her achievements, however, is that she accomplished most of them while battling depression and alcoholism.

Some of the UK’s top crime fiction critics have selected four terrific debuts and the authors will discuss them with 2024 Festival Programming Chair, Ruth Ware.

Colin Walsh’s Kala is a heartbreaking thriller set on the west coast of Ireland, a tale of secrets building to a stunning climax. The Kellerby Code by Jonny Sweet is a piercing portrayal of toxic friendships and the potential for brutality that might lie within us all. The atmospheric Where They Lie, a haunting tale of secrets and startling truths, is the absorbing debut from Claire Coughlan. Martta Kaukonen’s Follow The Butterfly is a powerful, poignant and gripping exploration of whether a killer can be cured, or stopped.

Tom Chatfield by Harrogate International Festival

Phoenix Andrew’s by Harrogate International Festival