Crime Day
November 2 @ 11:00 – 16:30
Crime Writing Fans! This is your pass to duck under the crime scene tape. As part of the 2025 Farsley Literature Festival we are very excited to bring you CRIME DAY at The Old Woollen. We have THREE exciting crime events in one sitting, and even more authors. Are you ready?
Taking place on Sunday 2nd November, what better way to spend an autumn day than celebrating crime-writing. We have a packed schedule of entertaining, hugely interesting and interactive events.
Attend just one, come to two, or join us for all three!
A selection of the authors’ books will be available to buy and get signed at their events.
* 11am: Whodunnits: From Page to Stage, Screen and Beyond with RC Bridgestock, JM Hall & Natalie Anderson
* 1pm: ‘Locked Room Crime’ with Tom Hindle, L.D Smithson & Rachel North
* 3pm: A Thrilling, Interactive Crime-Busting Afternoon with Antony Johnston
11am: Whodunnits: From Page to Stage, Screen and Beyond with RC Bridgestock, JM Hall & Natalie Anderson
True crime experience meets narrative craft – the anatomy of the perfect whodunnit revealed. Join RC Bridgestock, JM Hall, and actress Natalie Anderson as they explore crime storytelling across novels, stage, radio, and screen.
Drawing on 26 real-life murder investigations and hostage negotiations, RC Bridgestock bring gritty authenticity to their fiction.This husband-and-wife team have nearly 50 years of working police experience between them. The pair are also storyline consultants on police dramas Happy Valley and Scott and Bailey.
J.M Hall, author of A Brush with Death, successful playwright (and Deputy Head of a primary school) adds his mastery of stage and radio. His plays have been produced in theatres across the UK as well as for radio, the most recent of which being Trust starring Julie Hesmondhalgh on BBC Radio 4.
Natalie Anderson brings insight as an actress (Coronation Street, Wicked), producer, presenter, singer and creator of The Capsule, a women and wellbeing platform. She also worked on the Netflix adaptation of Harlan Coben’s Fool Me Once, giving a unique perspective on crime, performance, and audience connection.
Together, this extraordinary panel will reveal how crime leaps from case files to page, stage, radio, and screen – exposing the craft, cunning and storytelling secrets behind the perfect whodunnit.
1pm: ‘Locked Room Crime’ with Tom Hindle, L.D Smithson and Rachel North
A luxury airship. A remote sea fort in a reality TV show. A private island. We’ll be in conversation with these bestselling authors about their latest novels and their locations; delving into the unfailingly entertaining subgenre of ‘locked room crime’.
Originally hailing from Leeds, Sunday Times Bestseller Tom Hindle’s newest novel ‘Death in the Arctic’ – like his previous books (including The Murder Game and A Fatal Crossing) was inspired by masters of the crime genre including Agatha Christie and Anthony Horowitz.
L. D. Smithson was born in Staffordshire and now lives in Ilkley with her husband and their three children. She is an occupational psychologist as well as a crime writer with six psychological crime thrillers under her belt.
Rachel North was born in Scarborough but now lives in Leeds. She has an MA in Creative Writing. Under the name Caroline Bond, she is the author of six novels, including two Radio 2 Book Club picks.
3pm: A Thrilling Interactive Crime-Busting Afternoon with Antony Johnston
This unique interactive experience invites you to play detective, examining clues, questioning suspects and piecing together evidence to crack the case. Guided by Antony himself, you’ll be immersed in a gripping whodunnit where your decisions shape the investigation. Come alone or gather your wannabe policing pals.
This thrilling event is inspired by Antony’s latest book ‘Can You Solve the Murder?’ Perfect for mystery lovers and puzzle solvers alike, this is your chance to put your sleuthing skills to the test. Will you be the one to solve the murder?
