Chiltern Kills
All ticket sales in aid of CENTREPOINT Youth Homeless Charity. Dozens of top crime authors. Celeb TV guests. Saturday 3rd October 2026, 9am-11pm, Gerrards Cross, 20 mins from Marylebone.
Thanks to our sponsors Sacla’ UK, Vaaroom Motorhome Hire, Ewing Law & Quantaco.
Chiltern Kills really is the BEST crime festival out there – Robert Thorogood
Chiltern Kills is an incredible festival – Roxie Key
Arguably best one-day crime festival on the planet – Craig Sisterson
The best one-day crime fiction festival I’ve been to. Looking forward to next year already! – Alex North
For me the best one-day festival going – Andy Wormald
Chiltern Kills 2026 – Authors TBC. In 2025 we had: Lisa Jewell · Rev Richard Coles · Claire Douglas · Robert Thorogood · Jeremy Vine · Stig Abell · Mark Edwards · Ed James · Tony Kent · Paul Waters · SJ Fleet · The Secret Barrister · John Niven · Claire McGowan · · Vaseem Khan · Imran Mahmood · Michael Cordy · Neil Lancaster · Anna Mazzola · Craig Robertson · Erin Kelly · Nikki Smith · Roger Corke · Helen Fields · Jane Casey · Janice Hallett · Olivia Kiernan · Cass Green · Phil Williams · Natalie Jamieson · Marnie Riches · Natasha Knight · Graham Bartlett · Nicola Williams · Linda Calvey · Stevyn Colgan · Lisa Hall · Russel McLean · TM Payne · Linda Calvey · AA Chaudhuri · Mason Cross · Fiona Cummins · Amanda Jennings · Emma Tallon · Robert Rutherford · Rachel Wolf · Kate London · Howard Linskey · Teri Terry · Jemma McDonagh & Nicky Lovick (& watch this space…)
Farewell to Frederick Forsyth, pilot, spy, author, reporter & Chiltern Kills patron.
Frederick Forsyth opening Chiltern Kills, with festival organisers Aneysha Minocha, Paul Waters, Tony Kent & Victoria Christian. Plus Neil Child-Dyer of Centrepoint. We’ll miss Freddie’s humour & support this year, but we’ll be celebrating his life & work – plus his new book, The Revenge of Odessa, jointly written with Tony. (Meanwhile, if anyone has seen those golden scissors since Freddie snipped the tape, let us know. That mystery continues…)
Chiltern Kills is the single most intense one day of crime & thriller writing entertainment, with many of the biggest names in crime writing & celeb moderators, all together with @centrepointuk to help young people escape and avoid homelessness.
Tickets £45 (including booking fee) – with ALL proceeds to Centrepoint. (Our costs are covered by our generous sponsors. All authors appear for free.) Or choose an enhanced special ticket which gets you a one-to-one face-to-face consultation with a top literary agent for £70.
NB: All tickets give all-day access to both stages, the signing bookshop, the bars, the food court & mingling areas, but each panel event is first-come-first-seated, & NOT everyone will fit into each panel. Both stages will be running panels at the same time, the bookshop will be hosting signings & crime authors will be pulling pints behind the bar – so plenty to enjoy.
Chiltern Kills 2025 Schedule
| TIMING | POIROT STAGE | MARPLE STAGE |
| 9am DOORS OPEN & OPENING CEREMONY | ||
| 10am | LEADING LADIES OF IRISH CRIME Jane Casey Olivia Kiernan Claire McGowan Chair: Paul Waters | DEADLY WOMEN AA Chaudhuri Emma Tallon Marnie Riches Teri Terry Chair: TM Payne |
| 11am | LAIRDS OF CALEDONIAN CRIME Ed James Mason Cross Russel McLean Craig Robertson Chair: Neil Lancaster | IN CONVERSATION Robert Thorogood with BBC Radio 2’s Phil Williams |
| 12.05pm | IN CONVERSATION Rev Richard Coles of BBC Radio 4, Strictly Come Dancing & The Communards v. Stig Abell of Times Radio With Paul Waters | TRUE CRIME PANEL: COPS, ROBBERS & COURTS Graham Bartlett HHJ Nicola Williams Linda Calvey Chair: Imran Mahmood |
| 1pm | LUNCH | LUNCH |
| 2pm | IN CONVERSATION Lisa Jewell with Jeremy Vine of BBC Radio 2 & Channel 5 TV | IN CONVERSATION John Niven with Neil Lancaster |
| 3pm | QUEENS OF THE BESTSELLER Claire Douglas Janice Hallett Nikki Smith Anna Mazzola Chair: Cass Green | BESTSELLERS POD with Phil Williams Natalie Jamieson & mystery guests |
| 4.20pm | NEW KIDS ON THE (CHOPPING) BLOCK SJ Fleet (aka The Secret Barrister) Roger Corke Teri Terry Chair: Tony Kent | THE DARK SIDE: WHERE CRIME & HORROR COMBINE Amanda Jennings Fiona Cummins Helen Fields Mark Edwards Chair: Ed James |
| 5.30pm | THE LEGACY OF LEGENDS A Tribute to Frederick Forsyth and Ian Fleming Tony Kent Vaseem Khan with Robert Rutherford | NORTH, SOUTH OR NEITHER Rachel Wolf Lisa Hall Kate London Michael Cordy Howard Linskey |
| 6.50pm | Adlibretto’s special improvised audience- inspired crime musical show | Stage closed |
| 8pm | How To Murder A Song – the legendary Chiltern Kills after-party karaoke at the inside bar. | Stage closed |
Gallery
Please use public transport. We’re only 20 minutes from Marylebone by train, and then a short walk from the station. Unmissable.
Chiltern Kills crime writing fest, Gerrards Cross
Chiltern Kills is at historic Colston Hall, (GXCA Memorial Centre), 8 East Common, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 7AD.
Get the last train home or stay at one of our lovely local hotels. We recommend The Bull Hotel. But you might also consider The Crowne Plaza Gerrards Cross, The Ethorpe Hotel, The Greyhound Inn, The Rioshouse George Inn, or The Ibis Budget Beaconsfield.
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