Richard Armitage has opened up on his new career venture following the release of his latest audiobook, The Cut.

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Having published suspense crime thriller Geneva back in 2023, Armitage is returning to the literary world for a second title - and he's already planning a third one!

In a new episode of Waitrose's Dish podcast, Armitage spoke with hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett, as he discussed how he got into writing his own books.

He explained: "Audible came to me and said... 'I think the algorithm had pinged something up', like these are the authors he's reading, this is his audience, these are the kinds of shows he's in - would that little cocktail of things be worth exploring a writing project?'"

From there, he was asked if he'd like to write a book and it was an immediate yes, but he admitted he was worried about writing something long form.

"We staggered the process and I presented an outline and then I worked with an editor," he said. "So that was Geneva and it did really well, and then it went to print, so then we've done it again with The Cut."

Angela, Richard and Nick.
Angela, Richard and Nick on The Dish. Dish/Waitrose/S:E Creative Studio

His new audiobook The Cut takes place in a remote village where an unsolved murder is brought back into the limelight when a Hollywood movie begins filming. You can listen to The Cut on Audible now.

Despite Armitage's initial worries, he has seen success with both books and even revealed he has a third in the works.

Speaking of how he knew he could write, Armitage explained: "I think having worked for quite a long time in long-form television, I've watched how shows are constructed and how your cliffhangers are made, and how you climax in the middle and how you finish something, how not to cheat an audience, how not to create too many coincidences...

Richard Armitage smiling ahead in front of a microphone.
Richard Armitage on The Dish. Dish/Waitrose/S:E Creative Studio

"So I love all of that and I love figuring it out. I realised the second time around, I was like, I can express myself without having to write an autobiography. I can sort of weave in a few little philosophical opinions, a few political opinions that I have about life, and it's all kind of nicely wrapped up like an M&M."

Describing the process as "thrilling", Armitage revealed: "I'm sort of planning a third."

Dish from Waitrose is available on all podcast providers.

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Authors

Katelyn MensahEntertainment and Factual Writer

Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.

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