Richard Armitage on Writing Geneva

Hi everyone, 

Richard Armitage here introducing you to my Shots magazine guest post and my debut novel ‘Geneva’. Some of you might know me through my work as an actor on TV, Film and Stage, but also from the many recordings I have made for Audible which is how ‘Geneva’ came about. Audible asked me if I would be interested in writing a crime thriller; one of the genres which I was particularly enthusiastic about as one of their readers and I didn’t have to be asked twice; I jumped at the chance. There have been various doors which brought me to my work as an actor, but my love of literature was the driving force. Many of the roles I have played have been adaptations of novel; Tolkien's ‘The Hobbit’, ‘North and South’ by Elizabeth Gaskell, Harlan Coben's ‘The Stranger’ ‘Stay Close’ and Josephine Harts ‘Damage’ and many more. These authors have inspired me, and I’ve always loved working on drama that begins life as a book. Literature has played a crucial role in how I prepare a character; I always have a pile of research books for each person that I am examining.

Over the years I have acquired an obsession for the structure of storytelling. What makes us lean in? What makes the hairs on the backs of our necks stand up? What makes us rush home to watch the next episode or read the next chapter? I set out to find out the answers to these questions when I began work on ‘Geneva’.

I’ve always be curious about science and science fiction which is has its toes on the line of ‘science fact’. I had friends who's loved ones had been touched by dementia, and I was dreaming of this story at the end of the Covid pandemic, which gave me the seeds of an idea for a story. I had followed the work of Sarah Gilbert who was the virologist who headed up the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine program, so she became my foundation. Inspired by the films of Hitchcock and Orson Wells, and story tellers such as Agatha Christie and Ian Fleming, I set out to write a modern crime thriller with a central female character, Sarah Collier, who finds herself at the centre of a sabotage story and an unfathomable crime. At the heart of the tale is a once impassioned marriage which is now broken, a happy family decaying from the inside, but a dazzling opportunity presents itself which Daniel Collier, Sarah’s husband, believes will fix all of their woes. However, the course of events which unfold in Geneva are not quite what Sarah had anticipated. 

This was a debut novel for me so as I imagine most first attempts are, a big, exciting experiment of themes and ideas. I have worked closely in the past with screenwriters and producers on TV and Film scripts but have never fully held the reins of the story myself until now. It was a huge learning curve and one which I hope will serve me well for future stories. I started writing the story of ‘Geneva’ in a Winnebago up in Manchester on the set of ‘Stay Close’. My next stop was a hotel room just outside Seville on the set of ‘The Man from Rome’, another hotel in Madrid, and a third in Rome (what a life!!!), I wrote on the long-haul flight from New York to London as I came home for Christmas 2021. Another Winnebago on the set of the Netflix show, ‘Obsession’, as I did the final edits and then I decided to put the finishing touches to the novel from the city of Geneva itself. I toured the city and its environs, finding all the places in the novel that you might notice if ever you get to visit, I rented a car and travelled to the mountains of Chateaux D’Oex and Gsaadt, trying to make sure my geography was as accurate as possible. I found a potential site for The Schiller Institute and the place where Daniels car tumbles off the edge of a cliff (spoiler alert!). One might say I was on an early location scout for the TV adaptation… well all I can say is ‘watch this space’.

I really hope that you enjoy Geneva.

Geneva by Richard Armitage (Faber & Faber) Out Now 

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier has started to show the same tell-tale signs of the Alzheimer's disease as her father: memory loss, even blackouts. So she is reluctant to accept the invitation to be the guest of honour at a prestigious biotech conference - until her husband Daniel, also a neuroscientist, persuades her that the publicity storm will be worth it. The technology being unveiled at this conference could revolutionise medicine forever. More than that, it could save Sarah's life. In Geneva, the couple are feted as stars - at least, Sarah is. But behind the five-star luxury, investors are circling, controversial blogger Terri Landau is all over the story, and Sarah's symptoms are getting worse. As events begin to spiral out of control, Sarah can't be sure who to trust - including herself.

More information about his novel Geneva can be found on the website. You can find Richard Armitage on X @RCArmitage and on Instagram @richardcarmitage

Photograph - ©Kaitlyn Mikayla