Richard Coles talks to Triona Adams

Writer, broadcaster and Anglican priest Rev Richard Coles talks about his life and his latest Canon Clement novella, Murder under the Mistletoe.

Canon Daniel Clement and his mother are joined by the residents and guests of the big house on Christmas Day. All is peace and goodwill until two people meet under the mistletoe and one falls dead. Can Canon Clement and Detective Sergeant Neil Vanloo solve the crime and catch the Christmas killer?

Coles originally came to prominence as one half of the successful 1980s band the Communards, which achieved three top ten hits. He went on to become a Church of England priest and a well-known writer and broadcaster. He co-presented Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4 for 11 years and has appeared on QI, Have I Got News For You and Would I Lie to You. He is a winner of Christmas Masterchef and was a contestant in the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing. His Canon Clement mysteries have all been bestsellers and his other books include another bestseller, The Madness of Grief, written in the aftermath of the death of his partner, Rev David Coles.  Here he talks to director of the festival’s crime fiction programme Triona Adams.