Celebrations Mark 120 Years of Agatha Christie

To mark the 120th anniversary of Agatha Christie this year a number of special initiatives have been launched, involving books, films, online games and international travel.

"It's remarkable that 120 years after she was born, there is still a huge affection for Agatha Christie and the stories she created," says Mathew Prichard, Christie's grandson. "I hope that her many followers from around the world will find new ways to enjoy her work and that this year's special celebrations will inspire a new generation of fans."

Highlights include a weekend of screenings of rare and unusual adaptations of Agatha Christie's work at the BFI Southbank in London and a new interactive game at Iplay.com called Agatha Christie 4:50 from Paddington and a crime writing festival in Harrogate in which everyone in the town and surrounding area will be invited to read "Murder on the Orient Express." At The Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, plays, treasure hunts and tea dances are joined by Murder Mystery evenings, a cocktail masterclass and a charity open sea swim along the coastline where Christie bathed. The Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul re-opens this summer after a two-year restoration project, last destination for passengers on the Orient Express, and Brown's Hotel in Mayfair, London, will offer a special Agatha Christie afternoon tea between Sept. 12 to 19 in The English Tea Room.

Ninety years after she wrote her first novel, Agatha Christie remains the best-selling author of all time and has, to date, sold more than 2 billion books worldwide. This year is also the 80th anniversary of Miss Marple's first appearance in print and the 90th of Christie's Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot.