BBC Audio Drama Awards 2017 (1 October 2015 - 31 October 2016)

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01pf59s

Welcome to

the BBC Audio Drama Awards

Celebrating the best of audio drama in the UK

About the awards

The BBC Audio Drama Awards were established in 2012 to pay tribute to the cultural
importance of audio drama, on air and online, and are intended to give recognition to the
actors, writers, producers, sound designers and others who work in the genre.
The awards are judged by experts from across the industry, including Dame Harriet
Walter, Andrew Davies and Ruth Jones.
The 2012 and 2013 awards were presented by David Tennant, and since 2014 the
awards have been presented by Lenny Henry.
Previous winners include Andrew Scott, Michelle Fairley, Neil Gaiman, Alfred
Molina, Monica Dolan, John Hurt, June Whitfield and Sir Ian McKellen.
Imison and Tinniswood Awards
The BBC is delighted also to be joining forces again with the Society of Authors and
Writers Guild of Great Britain to announce the winners of this years Imison Award for
best original radio drama by a writer new to radio and the Tinniswood Award for best
original radio drama script.

Categories
Best Original Audio Drama (Single Play)
Best Audio Drama (Series or Serial)
Best Audio Drama (Adaptation)
Best Actor in an Audio Drama
Best Actress in an Audio Drama
Best Supporting Actor/Actress in an Audio Drama
Best Debut Performance in an Audio Drama
Best Use of Sound in an Audio Drama
Best Scripted Comedy (script award)
Best Scripted Comedy with a Live Audience (script award)
Best Online or Non-Broadcast Audio Drama
The 2017 Finalists
The finalists for the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2017 have been revealed, with Zola, Dr Who
and The Archers all featuring in the line-up. The winners will be announced in a
ceremony at the BBC Radio Theatre on 29 January 2017, hosted by Sir Lenny
Henry.
The awards presented by the BBC in partnership with the Society of Authors and the
Writers Guild of Great Britain recognise the cultural significance, range and originality of
audio drama, on air as well as online, and credit the creativity of the actors, writers,
producers, sound designers and others who work within the field.
Each category is judged by a team of industry experts including actress Alison Steadman,
journalist Baz Bamigboye, and producer Piers Plowright. Now in its sixth year, the Audio

BBC Audio Drama Awards 2017 (1 October 2015 - 31 October 2016)

Drama Awards have previously recognised such luminaries as John Hurt, Neil Gaiman, Sir
Ian McKellen and June Whitfield.
Best Single Drama
Lee Ruford, The Loneliness of the
Comment is Free by James Fritz,
Long Distance Runner
producer Becky Ripley
Jump Blue by Hannah Silva, producers
Best Use of Sound
Nicolas Jackson & Steve Bond
Mary Rose, sound by Laura Moody, Peter
The Sky is Wider by Linda Marshall
Ringrose, Ross Burman, Alison Craig,
Griffiths, producer Nadia Molinari
producer Abigail le Fleming
The Sky is Wider, sound by Steve
Best Audio Drama (Series)
Brooke, producer Nadia Molinari
The Archers (Helens trial week) by
Tracks, sound by Nigel Lewis, producers
Tim Stimpson, editor Sean OConnor
James Robinson, Helen Perry and Abigail le
Life Lines by Al Smith, producer Sally
Fleming
Avens
Tracks by Matthew Broughton, producers Best Scripted Comedy
James Robinson, Helen Perry and Abigail le
Guilt Trip by Felicity Montagu, Olivia
Fleming
Nixon & Katherine Jakeways, producer Jane
Berthoud
Best Adaptation
Secret Kebabs by Christine Entwisle,
Emile Zola: Blood, Sex and Money
producer Kirsty Williams
adapted by Oliver Emanuel, Martin Jameson, The Strange Vanishing of Julian
Lavinia Murray and Dan Rebellato, producers Quark by Tom Wainwright, producer Sasha
Gary Brown, Pauline Harris, Nadia Molinari,
Yevtushenko
Polly Thomas, Kirsty Williams
Roald Dahl: Going Solo adapted by
Best Comedy with a Live Audience
Lucy Catherine, producer Helen Perry
Mae Martins Guide to 21st Century
True West by Sam Shepard, adapted
Sexuality by Mae Martin, producer Alex
by John Peacock, producer Celia de Wolf
Smith
Mark Steels in Town: Stockport by
Best Actor
Mark Steel, producer Carl Cooper
Danny Sapani, A Raisin in the Sun
Robert Newmans Entirely Accurate
Robert Lindsay, A Play for the Heart
Encyclopaedia of Evolution by Rob
Newman, producer Jonathan Harvey
Timothy Watson, The Archers
Best Actress
Christine Bottomley, The Sky is Wider
Pippa Haywood, Tess in Winter
Louiza Patikas, The Archers
Best Supporting Actor/Actress
Ralph Ineson, Black Dog
Valene Kane, The Stroma Sessions
Joe Sims, Life Lines
Best Debut Performance from an actor
or actress
Christina Ritter, North
Katie West, Oranges Are Not the Only
Fruit

Best Online/Non-Broadcast
Bakers End: The King of Cats,
Bafflegab Productions
Doctor Who: Absent Friends, Big Finish
Productions
Torchwood: More Than This, Big Finish
Productions
Imison Award for Best Audio Drama
Script by a New Writer
(Judges: Elizabeth-Anne Wheal, Stefan Buczacki,
Jamila Gavin, Isla Gray, Christopher William Hill,
Catherine Johnson, Marcy Kahan, Hilary Robinson
and Mike Walker)

James Fritz for Comment Is Free

James Meek for The Virtues of Oblivion

BBC Audio Drama Awards 2017 (1 October 2015 - 31 October 2016)

Jonny ONeill for Community Service

(Judges: Nicholas McInerny, Shelley Silas, Tim

Stimpson)

Tinniswood Award for Best Audio Drama Timothy X Atack for The Stroma
Sessions
Script
Oliver Emanuel for A History of Paper
James Fritz for Comment Is Free
-Comment is Free by James Fritz Best Single Drama // Imison Award for Best Audio
Drama Script by a New Writer // Tinniswood Award for Best Audio Drama Script
Jump Blue by Hannah Silva Best Single Drama
The Sky is Wider by Linda Marshall Griffiths Best Single Drama // Best Actress // Best
Use of Sound

The Archers (Helens trial week) by Tim Stimpson Best Audio Drama (Series)//
Best Actor
// Best Actress
Life Lines by Al Smith Best Audio Drama (Series) // Best Supporting Actor/Actress
Tracks by Matthew Broughton Best Audio Drama (Series) // Best Use of Sound
Emile Zola: Blood, Sex and Money Best Adaptation
Roald Dahl: Going Solo Best Adaptation
True West by Sam Shepard Best Adaptation
A Raisin in the Sun Best Actor
A Play for the Heart Best Actor
Tess in Winter Best Actress
Black Dog Best Supporting Actor/Actress
The Stroma Sessions Best Supporting Actor/Actress
North Best Debut Performance from an actor or actress
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Best Debut Performance from an actor or actress
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner Best Debut Performance from an actor
or actress
Mary Rose Best Use of Sound
Guilt Trip Best Scripted Comedy
Secret Kebabs Best Scripted Comedy
The Strange Vanishing of Julian Quark Best Scripted Comedy
Mae Martins Guide to 21st Century Sexuality Best Comedy with a Live Audience
Mark Steels in Town: Stockport Best Comedy with a Live Audience
Robert Newmans Entirely Accurate Encyclopaedia of Evolution Best Comedy with
a Live Audience
Bakers End: The King of Cats Best Online/Non-Broadcast
Doctor Who: Absent Friends Best Online/Non-Broadcast
Torchwood: More Than This Best Online/Non-Broadcast

BBC Audio Drama Awards 2017 (1 October 2015 - 31 October 2016)

The Virtues of Oblivion Imison Award for Best Audio Drama Script by a New Writer
Community Service Imison Award for Best Audio Drama Script by a New Writer
The Stroma Sessions Tinniswood Award for Best Audio Drama Script
A History of Paper Tinniswood Award for Best Audio Drama Script
-http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07wtd70
Comment Is Free
Drama 45 minutes
Everybody hates Alistair Cooper and they're not afraid of saying it.
Starring Rachael Stirling (Detectorists, Capital) and Tobias Menzies (Games of Thrones,
Outlander) alongside a cast of hundreds, Hilary Cooper watches her husband's story get
chewed up and spat out by an unscrupulous media and a divided public. The whole nation
competes to be the quickest to comment in this thrilling portrayal of the sound and fury of
modern British politics.
Written by James Fritz. Produced and directed by Becky Ripley.
Credits
Role Contributor
Actor Rachael Stirling
Actor Tobias Menzies

Writer James Fritz

Producer
Becky Ripley
Director
Becky Ripley

Broadcast
Wed 5 Oct 2016 14:15
BBC Radio 4

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z43ss
Jump Blue
20 minutes
On 2 August 2015, the great Russian freediver Natalia Molchanova disappeared in
Spanish territorial waters. Through sound, text and music, "Jump Blue" takes us to
extraordinary depths in this immersive re-imagining of her final descent.
Apnea, or freediving without breathing apparatus, requires the few who practise it
to encounter a profound stillness as their heart rate slows and their lungs contract.
In the darkness of the abyss, on a single breath, they truly meet themselves. In
Hannah Silva's lyrical text, voiced by actress Fiona Shaw, memory and sensation
fragment and intertwine in shifting layers of consciousness.
"Jump Blue" is based on extensive interviews with many of the world's leading
freedivers, including Natalia Molchanova's son Alexey.
Freediver ..... Fiona Shaw
Text by Hannah Silva
Research by Nicolas Jackson
Executive producer, Sara Davies
Music by Aaron May
Sound design by Steve Bond
Produced by Nicolas Jackson and Steve Bond
'Jump Blue' is an Afonica production for BBC Radio 3.
Broadcast
Sat 15 Oct 2016 21:40
BBC Radio 3
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07j68n9
States of Mind: The Sky Is Wider
Drama
45 minutes
When Ella is asked questions pointing her towards places and memories, she
begins to realise that the world she lives in now is just the imagined life of her
mind and in reality she is in hospital in a minimally conscious state. Ella realises
that these questions, posed by a neurologist, are attempts to discover whether she
is conscious and that her possible answers are her only way to communicate with
others, especially with her daughter, Charlie, who has her own questions that
desperately need answers.

The Sky is Wider was developed through Wellcome Experimental Stories in

consultation with Anil Seth (Professor of Cognitive and Computational
Neuroscience and co-director at Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science,
University of Sussex). The drama was inspired by the themes of the current States
of Mind exhibition at Wellcome Collection in London which explores the nature of
consciousness and runs until 16th October 2016.
The drama asks what it is to be a self. It explores an 'active approach' in which the
neurologist asks questions of the patient in an attempt to ascertain their level of
consciousness by examining the brain responses. Currently brain imaging (fMRI,
EEG) can be used to actively decode responses to questions in patients who,
following severe brain injury, are left in minimally conscious states. These methods
represent a revolution in clinical neurology; allowing us to assess whether there is
any residual consciousness or awareness left, following devastating brain injury
and allowing us to open a means of communication.
Written by Linda Marshall Griffiths
Directed by Nadia Molinari
Sound Design by Steve Brooke
Programme Consultant Anil Seth
Listen on headphones for a unique 3D immersive experience.
At the edges of awareness
by Anil Seth
Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience and co-director
at Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex
Imagine this. Following a brain injury you lie in a hospital bed and from the outside
you appear to be totally unconscious. You dont respond to anything the doctors or
your family say, you make no voluntary movements, and although you still go to
sleep and wake up there seems to be nobody at home. But your inner universe of
conscious awareness still remains, perhaps flickering and inconsistent, but
definitely there. How could anyone else ever know, and how could you ever
communicate with your loved ones again?
Two radio dramas, The Sky is Wider and Real Worlds, engage with these critical
questions by drawing on the cutting edge of the neurology and neuroscience.
Recent advances have enabled researchers to not only diagnose residual
awareness following severe brain injuries, but also to open new channels of
communication with behaviourally unresponsive patients. The key medical
challenge is to distinguish between the so-called vegetative state
[[ http://www.msktc.org/tbi/factsheets/Vegetative-And-Minimally-Conscious-StatesAfter-Severe-Brain-Injury Facts about the Vegetative and Minimally Conscious
States after Severe Brain Injury
Based on Research by TBI Model Systems ]] in which there truly is no conscious
awareness, from minimally conscious or locked-in conditions where some degree
of consciousness persists (even normal consciousness, in the locked-in state), even
though there are no outward signs.

Linda Marshall Griffiths' drama The Sky is Wider takes inspiration from an active
approach in which the neurologist asks questions of the patient and monitors their
brain activity for signs of response. In a classic study
[[ http://science.sciencemag.org/content/313/5792/1402 Detecting Awareness in
the Vegetative State Science 08 Sep 2006: Vol. 313, Issue 5792, pp. 1402
DOI: 10.1126/science.1130197 ]] from about 10 years ago, Adrian Owen and his
team asked behaviourally unresponsive patients to imagine either walking around
their house or playing tennis, while their brains were scanned using functional MRI
(which measures regional metabolic activity in the brain). These questions were
chosen because imagining these diferent behaviours activates diferent parts of
the brain, and so if we see these selective activations in a patient, we know that
they have understood and are voluntarily following the instructions. If they can do
this, they must be conscious. It turns out that between 10-20% of patients
[[ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811915010964 Detecting
and interpreting conscious experiences in behaviorally non-responsive patients ]]
behaviourally diagnosed as being in the vegetative state can pass this test. Equally
important, this same method can be used to establish simple communication by
(for example) asking a patient to imagine playing tennis to answer yes and
walking around a house to answer no.
These developments represent a revolution in clinical neurology. Current research
is increasing the efficiency of active approaches by using the more portable
electroencephalography (EEG) instead of bulky and expensive MRI. Passive
techniques in which residual consciousness can be inferred without requiring
patients to perform any task are also rapidly improving
[[ http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/5/198/198ra105.long A Theoretically Based
Index of Consciousness Independent of Sensory Processing and Behavior
Science Translational Medicine 14 Aug 2013: Vol. 5, Issue 198, pp. 198ra105
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3006294 ]]. These methods are important because
active approaches may underestimate the incidence of residual awareness since
not all conscious patients may understand or be able to follow verbal instructions.
Alongside these scientific developments we encounter pressing ethical questions.
How should we treat patients in these liminal states of awareness? And given a
means of communication, what kinds of questions should we ask? The Sky is Wider
explores these challenging ethical issues in a compelling narrative which gives
dramatic voice to the mysterious conditions of the vegetative and minimally
conscious states.
Credits
Role Contributor
Ella Christine Bottomley
Charlie
Sydney Wade
Neurologist Wil Johnson
NurseYusra Warsama
Writer
Linda Marshall Griffiths
Director
Nadia Molinari
Publicity
Steve Brooke
Broadcast

Wed 6 Jul 2016 14:15

BBC Radio 4

Life Lines
By Al Smith
Episode 1 of 5
15 Minute Drama
Carrie is an ambulance call handler. She never knows what the next emergency
will be or the efect it might have on her.
And sometimes you have to listen hard to find out exactly what's going on.
Directed by Sally Avens
Al Smith's tense drama goes behind the scenes of an ambulance control room
where we hear from Carrie about the job and hear how she deals with the vast
disparity of calls that come in - some are literally a matter of life or death and in
some of the others well the emergency may be more in the mind of the caller.
Al has written extensively for radio including Life In The Freezer and Everyday Time
Machines. He is a graduate of the BBC Writers Academy, has been a broadcast Hot
Shot and in 2012 won the BFI Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Prize. His play
Harrogate will be at The Royal Court later in the year and also stars Sarah
Ridgeway.
Sarah Ridgeway has appeared in Holby City, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and The
Crimson Petal and The White,.
Credits
Role Contributor
Carrie
Sarah Ridgeway
Destiny
Clare Perkins
Dave Nick Underwood
Margaret Elizabeth Bennett
Chris Tom Forrister
Connor
Lloyd Hutchinson
Dr Farnsworth
James Lailey
Director
Sally Avens
Writer

Al Smith

Episode 2 of 5
By Al Smith
Carrie is an ambulance call handler. She never knows what the next emergency
will be or the efect it might have on her.
And today a man is intent on taking his own life.

Directed by Sally Avens.

Credits
Role Contributor
Carrie
Sarah Ridgeway
Ben Joe Sims
Will Nick Underwood
Ian Michael Jibson
Connor
Lloyd Hutchinson
Director
Sally Avens
Writer

Al Smith

1. The Nervus Vagus

Tracks Episode 1 of 9
The first in a major new nine-part conspiracy thriller, starring Romola Garai.
Written by Matthew Broughton.
When Dr Helen Ash witnesses the brutal and disturbing crash of the plane that is
carrying her father, the incident sets her on an investigation into a dark conspiracy.
Florian Chauvin was flying to Wales to tell his daughter something important, but
his plane fell out of the sky.
What was Florian coming to tell Helen? Who was he travelling with? And why did
his plane crash?
Tracks: A story in nine parts about life, death and the human brain.
Original music by Stu Barker
Directed in Wales by James Robinson.
Credits
Role Contributor
HelenRomola Garai
Michael
Alex Beckett
Freddy
Jonathan Forbes
Rosie Susan Jameson
Miranda
Suzanne Packer
The Policeman
Matthew Gravelle
The Pilot
Richard Nichols
Mrs Trewin Caroline Berry

Susan
Florian
Director
Writer
Broadcast

Claire Cage
Sean Baker
James Robinson
Matthew Broughton

Tue 9 Aug 2016 14:15

BBC Radio 4

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2xvy0c7GNWfFxkWXl6w31ZM/louiza-patikastimothy-watson-and-tim-stimpson-on-the-archers-trial-week

Louiza Patikas, Timothy Watson and Tim Stimpson on

The Archers Trial Week
What will The Archers Trial Week be like for Helen?
LOUIZA: I hope that by the time of the trial, Helen will have found the strength to face
Rob and to see more clearly what he has done. The support of her family, of Ian and Kirsty,
and especially Kaz's wise and gentle coaxing, will strengthen her resolve. Having said that,
the pressure for Helen to get it right in court - in order to get her children back and to
minimise Rob's presence in their lives - is intense and almost overwhelming.

Timothy Watson and Louiza Patikas play Rob and Helen in The Archers
Whats the one thing that Rob is most frustrated about ahead of the trial?
TIMOTHY: In Robs world, he is surrounded by idiots and incompetents. So he is probably
permanently frustrated.
What was it like recording the trial episodes for you as an actor?
TIMOTHY: The trial episodes were potent - theres no pretending otherwise. But in the
interests of finding as much truth as possible I have always tried to approach every scene
in every episode the same way: to tell the story of the moment as best I can.
LOUIZA: It's a crucial milestone in a powerful and impactful storyline. And, like Helen, I
wanted to get it right on the day. The lead writer on this storyline, Tim Stimpson, has done
an amazing job throughout and it's great for all of us that he got to follow it through to its
conclusion.
What was it like to write the script for the trial week?
TIM: I was thrilled to be asked to write the week of the trial, but it also felt like an onerous
responsibility. So many of our assumptions about the justice system are based on
American courtroom dramas, but British courts are much more sober and nonconfrontational. This is no doubt good for justice, but isnt so great for drama. The greatest
challenge was finding a way to maintain suspense within the limits of the law.

Scriptwriter Tim Stimpson wrote The Archers Trial Week episodes

Is it hard to write for both Helen and Rob and get into the minds of two very
different characters?
TIM: I've spent so long living with Helen and Rob in my head it wasn't hard to write for
them. Even a person like Rob will convince himself that he's a good person, and if you
follow those psychological contortions you can usually find the core of who they are. If
anything Helen was harder to write for as she has had to bury so much deep in her
subconscious.
The majority of the Helen & Rob storyline has happened behind closed doors.
Did it feel different to play Helen/Rob in an open court?
LOUIZA: After a long period of playing scenes where Helen is restricted to one-to-one
encounters, either at home with Rob or Ursula, or in prison with Kaz or Anna, it was
realistically disconcerting to suddenly find myself in an environment with lots of actors at
once, many of whom I hadn't met before.
TIMOTHY: Not really. Rob has always presented a public, as well as a private persona. He
fully expects support from the community for the 'wrongs he has sufered'. He has never
been afraid to make certain enemies in order to gain certain allies.
Whats the one thing that Helen is the most scared/worried about ahead of the
trial?
LOUIZA: Helen is most scared of losing her children. There are several possible outcomes
from the trial - it's not just win or lose. It would be devastating for Helen to be found guilty
and sent back to prison, thereby losing both of her children to Rob. But it would be equally
terrible to be found not guilty yet still potentially lose custody of Henry and Jack to Rob,
and have to live in Ambridge watching her children being brought up by him. The stakes
here are incredibly high for Helen.
The stakes here are incredibly high for Helen

Louiza Patikas
How is it possible that Rob still thinks he hasnt done anything wrong with the
way hes treated Helen?
TIMOTHY: Rob Titchener is narcissistic and horrendously abusive. A psychopath. He has
no ability to conduct a proper loving relationship.
During the trial how have you ensured Helens experiences are portrayed
realistically?
TIM: We have had a lot of assistance from professionals and charities to make sure that
the portrayal of Helen's experience is correct. I spent a day at Birmingham Crown Court
sitting in on a variety of trials and a barrister has helped us devise the storyline. We've
had lots of advice about what Helen's life would be like in a Mother and Baby Unit. Having
to bring little Jack with her to court means Helen's experience is quite unusual.
What has it been like to act with Louiza Patikas on this storyline?
TIMOTHY: It is talked about as the 'Helen and Rob' storyline but in fact this saga has been
the playing out of the latest chapter in Helens complicated journey and I am so proud to
have been part of the telling of it. Louiza is simply fantastic and has been a joy to work
with.
What has it been like to act with Timothy Watson on this storyline?
LOUIZA: Timothy is a very talented actor and it has been a great pleasure acting with
him. It just worked right from the beginning. In fact we miss acting together, as we don't
get many chances these days. It's odd passing each other on the way in and out of the
studio!