Opening on 30 October 2026 and marking 50 years since her death, this major exhibition at the British Library in London will explore the work of celebrated crime writer, Agatha Christie.

Agatha boarding the train from Bulawayo to the Cape 1922 © The Christie Archive Trust 

Agatha Christie is the bestselling novelist of all time and this new exhibition will examine not only the origins of iconic fictional creations like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, but will also go behind the characters and stories to explore Christie's life, her travels, and her wide-ranging interests including archaeology and pharmacology.

Next year also marks 100 years since the publication of seminal mystery The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Christie’s third Poirot novel, and 50 years since the publication of Sleeping Murder, Miss Marple’s ‘last’ case.

Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express, 2017 © 20th Century Studios

The exhibition will offer visitors the chance to gain a deeper understanding of how Christie crafted her genre-defining stories. Throughout the display of her notebooks, personal letters and early manuscript drafts, visitors will also have the chance to listen to Christie’s own voice through her dictaphone recordings and to view personal objects belonging to Christie, many of which provided direct inspiration for her stories and have never been on public display before.

The exhibition will also explore how Christie influenced crime writing, her experiences adapting her work for the stage and the impact her stories continue to have, as they are freshly interpreted for today’s global audience.

Agatha Christie under a tree on Honolulu beach after surfing, 1922. © The Christie Archive Trust

Born in Torquay, England in 1890, Agatha Christie has sold over one billion books in English and another billion in over 100 languages - she is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Christie wrote 80 crime novels and collections of short stories, over 25 plays (including The Mousetrap, the world’s longest running play), and six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introduced the world to the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, followed a decade later by the shrewd and often-underestimated Miss Marple. Agatha Christie was made a Dame (DBE) in 1971 and died peacefully in 1976 at the age of 85.

Agatha Christie relaxing during a sightseeing tour, Tajoura, Libya, 1955. © The Christie Archive Trust

Created with support from Agatha Christie Limited and The Christie Archive Trust, items on display in the exhibition will include:

• Christie’s Remington typewriter from 1937, purported to have been used to compose And Then There Were None and other works
• Christie’s notes for the Witness for the Prosecution theatre adaptation
• Typescript of House of Beauty, Agatha Christie’s first short story written when she was just a teenager
• Christie’s study notes for her pharmaceutical exam taken in 1917
• Family photographs of Christie throughout her life, including her travels in Egypt, Hawaii and Southern Africa
• Personal letters from Christie to family members, including one to her second husband about her journey on the Orient Express.

Agatha Christie’s Remington typewriter from 1937. © The Christie Archive Trust

The exhibition will form a major part of Agatha Christie Limited’s anniversary programme in 2026, with celebrations of Agatha Christie’s legacy and ongoing impact on the genre throughout the year.

Jamie Andrews, Director of Public Engagement at the British Library, said: “Next year marks 50 years since the death of Agatha Christie, the most famous crime writer of all time and we’re honoured to be working with The Christie Archive Trust and Agatha Christie Limited on this very special exhibition to mark her legacy.

“This will be the biggest exhibition held in the UK in the last 20 years to celebrate Christie’s writing and will feature items from our own collection, lenders and the Trust, including material never displayed before. The exhibition will take visitors back to Christie’s childhood and explore her journey to becoming an iconic writer, while celebrating how adaptions of her novels for stage and screen continue to enthral audiences today.”

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Located near St Pancras Station in London, it is the largest library in the world, with an estimated collection of over 200 million items from all over the world. Visitors to the British Library can see iconic treasures such as the Magna Carta, the Gutenberg Bible and Shakespeare's First Folio. 

Still from And Then There Were None, 2015, BBC. © Agatha Christie Limited

James Prichard, CEO and Chairman of Agatha Christie Limited and Agatha Christie’s great-grandson, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the British Library for this major exhibition dedicated to my great grandmother’s extraordinary life and works.

“My father, Mathew, has carefully selected a wide range of items from the Christie Archive which offer remarkable insights into Agatha Christie from both a professional, and personal perspective, and that are sure to fascinate visitors.

“It feels fitting to do this to help mark the 50th anniversary of her death; this combines an opportunity for quiet reflection, but also an opportunity to celebrate the immense achievements of her life. Hers was truly one of the most remarkable lives of the 20th century.”

The exhibition will run from 30 October 2026 – 20 June 2027.

If you or your group would like to visit the Agatha Christie exhibition at the British Library as part of a tailor-made trip to London in 2026 or 2027, please contact our friendly team today.