Torquay, Agatha Christie’s Devon birthplace, has agreed a twinning partnership with Spa in Belgium, the birthplace assigned to her fictional detective Hercule Poirot. The arrangement links two places closely associated with Christie’s literary legacy and is intended to strengthen cultural and tourism ties.

Christie was born in Torquay in 1890, while Poirot is portrayed as a Belgian refugee from Spa. The partnership brings together the English Riviera town and the Belgian spa resort through the author’s most famous character, whose stories have attracted readers and television audiences worldwide.