BBC Audiobooks Launches Interactive Listening Experience at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Festival

BBC Audiobooks are set to get people talking with a free listening experience at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Festival in Harrogate this July, bringing to life four bestselling BBC audiobooks.

The publisher is set to launch its first experiential marketing stunt at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Festival, taking place between 18-21 July at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate. With an attendance of 18,000 last year, the festival is widely regarded as the world's most prestigious celebration of crime and thriller fiction, attracting some of the biggest names in the genre.

BBC Audiobooks will debut an interactive listening experience that showcases the BBC’s timeless stories. Four seating spaces will be themed around a different bestselling audiobook, with striking artwork and set dressing. Speakers incorporated into props will allow festival visitors to sit and listen to extracts of these much-loved audiobooks.

The audiobooks to be featured will be family favourites including ‘Blackadder: The Complete Collected Series’, ‘Winnie-The-Pooh: The Complete BBC Collection’, ‘Sherlock Holmes: The Complete BBC Collection’, and ‘The Jane Austen BBC Radio Drama Collection’.

"We are delighted to launch this innovative listening experience at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Festival," said Jan Paterson, director of books and audiobooks publishing at BBC Studios. "BBC Audiobooks offer a phenomenal range of timeless radio dramatisations voiced by exceptional storytellers such as the epic 48-hour Sherlock Holmes collection starring Clive Merrison and Michael Williams alongside a full cast including Judi Dench, Brian Blessed and Harriet Walter. We believe that this immersive, memorable stunt will seize people’s attention and showcase the incredible listening experience these audiobooks offer in a unique and engaging way."

The activation is set to take place in the festival's 'Secret Garden' area: a must-visit for all festival attendees.

For more information about the activation and BBC Audiobooks' range, please visit here. BBC Audiobooks are available for digital download from all major audiobook retailers.