Richard & Judy sign five-year deal for Book Club

Richard & Judy sign five-year deal for Book Club
Richard & Judy sign five-year deal for Book Club (Image credit: PA Wire/PA Photos)

Richard and Judy have signed a five-year deal with WH Smith after their Book Club proved such a huge success for the firm. The husband and wife duo, who found their literary Midas touch during their Channel 4 series, will also work their magic on a further eight authors as their summer list was announced. Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan will also produce podcasts as part of their latest deal. The couple began working with the retailer last September, keeping their Book Club alive, despite them no longer hosting a TV chat show. They're credited with shifting around two million titles since its launch. Richard said of their latest selection: "Judy and I considered the combination of novels carefully to ensure we picked something for everyone this summer, and guarantee holiday-makers exceptionally good reads - and, my goodness, all eight summer book titles are fantastic." "As well as introducing a further two debut novelists, we really have another great mix of titles, authors and genres. "From historical dramas to thrillers, romance, suspense and drama, we've got everything you need for your summer reading. "As always we've really enjoyed choosing them and we hope that everyone loves them as much as we do." WH Smith will be launching the Summer Book Club list from Thursday, focusing on a new book each fortnight, with instore discounts. The new list includes When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman, The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly, The Confession Of Katherine Howard by Suzannah Dunn, The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld, The Novel In The Viola by Natasha Solomons, The Return Of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller, Every Last One by Anna Quindlen and Summer Of The Bear by Bella Pollen.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.