Audio - BBC Audio Drama Awards Winners

David Threlfall, Eve Myles and the WWI epic Home Front were among those honoured at BBC Audio Drama Awards at the weekend...

Home Front, Radio 4’s drama marking the centenary of World War One was awarded the coveted  Outstanding Contribution Award, having recently completed its four-year run in November 2018. The trophy, presented by BBC Director of Radio and Education, James Purnell, was accepted by a reunited crowd of actors, writers and producers from the Home Front team.

David Threlfall’s portrayal of comic icon Spike Milligan in Spike and The Elfin Oak garnered the Best Actor award, and Eve Myles’ performance in the emotional true story, 19 Weeks, was awarded the Best Actress title. These two prizes were given by actors Emma Fielding and Shaun Dooley, respectively.

However, the best news of the evening for us was that Red Moon, Wireless Theatre company’s alternative history and Cold War thriller was named Best Podcast or Online Drama.

Among the other awards, actress and playwright Amelia Bullmore’s County Lines won Best Single Drama, presented by actor Danny Sapani, with The Truth About Hawaii taking Best Series for their tale of a near-future where antibiotics are no longer available. Writer and actress, Ruth Jones presented Ayeesha Menon - a previous recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Award - with Best Adaptation for A Tale of Two Cities: Aleppo and London. 

Two of the Love Henry James series were recognised, taking home Best Sound for The Turn of the Screw, and Best Debut Performance for Daisy Head’s role as Maggie Verver in The Golden Bowl. Daisy Head was presented her award by actor Neil Dudgeon.

On the evening a new prize for Best Director was given by actor Paul Rhys to Abigail le Fleming for The Effect. Actor Anthony Head presented a second new category of Best European Drama, won by Munch and Munch - Diptych, written and directed by Jasna Mesarić, produced by Katja Šimunić for HRT Croatian Radio.

In the comedy categories judges selected Rob Newman’s philosophical Total Eclipse of Descartes as Best Comedy Longform, whilst John Finnemore’s award-winning Souvenir Programme scored another trophy as Best Comedy Sketch Show. 

2018’s Tinniswood recipient, Sarah Woods presented the Tinniswood Audio Drama Award for Best Radio Drama Script to Oliver Emanuel for his innovative post-apocalyptic story, When the Pips Stop. This was Emanuel’s second win of the evening as he is also the writer for Best Series recipient, The Truth About Hawaii. Woods also presented the Imison Award for Best Audio Drama Script by a New Writer to Lulu Rackza for her tale of friendship, Of A Lifetime. These two prizes were established by the Society of Authors and Writers’ Guild of Great Britain in memory of the radio drama producer Richard Imison and the radio drama writer Peter Tinniswood.

The Audio Drama Awards highlight the originality and creativity of on air and online productions, celebrating talent both in front of, and behind the microphone. The winners were presented at a ceremony at the Radio Theatre in BBC Broadcasting House on the evening of Sunday 3rd February, which was hosted by Tracy-Ann Oberman and featured a performance by the Jay Rayner Jazz Quartet.

Here's the full list of finalists with the ** WINNER ** in each category highlighted.

Best Original Single Drama

19 Weeks by Emily Steel, produced/directed by Helen Perry for BBC Radio 4
The Chosen One written and directed by Avi Garvi, produced by Nadir Khan and John Dryden, Goldhawk Productions for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** County Lines by Amelia Bullmore, produced/directed by Mary Peate for BBC Radio 4


Best Original Series or Serial

Stone by Martin Jameson, Richard Monks, Cath Staincliffe, Alex Ganley, Vivienne Harvey, produced/directed by Nadia Molinari and Gary Brown for BBC Radio 4
Tommies by Avin Shah, directed by Jonquil Panting, produced by David Hunter, Jonquil Panting and Jonathan Ruffle for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** The Truth about Hawaii by Oliver Emanuel, produced/directed by Kirsty Williams for BBC Radio 4


Best Adaptation

Das Kapital by Karl Marx, adapted by Sarah Woods, produced/directed by James Robinson for BBC Radio 4
Love Henry James: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, adapted by Linda Marshall Griffiths, produced/directed by Nadia Molinari for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** A Tale of Two Cities: Aleppo and London by Charles Dickens, adapted by Ayeesha Menon, directed by Polly Thomas, produced by Gill Parry and Emma Hearn, Goldhawk Productions for BBC Radio 4

Best Actor

Liam Brennan, Five Days Which Changed Everything, directed by Kirsty Williams for BBC Radio 4
Jasper Britton, A Month of Maureen – Three Journeys, directed by Marion Nancarrow for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** David Threlfall, Spike and the Elfin Oak, directed by Gemma Jenkins for BBC Radio 4


Best Actress

Sudha Bhuchar, My Son the Doctor, directed by Jonquil Panting for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** Eve Myles, 19 Weeks, directed by Helen Perry for BBC Radio 4
Sydney Wade, D for Dexter, directed by Mary Ward-Lowery for BBC Radio 4


Best Director

** COMMENDED ** Steve Bond and Judith Kampfner, Shadowbahn, a Corporation for Independent Media production for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** Abigail le Fleming, The Effect, for BBC Radio 3
Peter Kavanagh, The Wild Duck, for BBC Radio 3


Best Debut Performance

Karlo Diaz, The Beast, directed by Nicolas Jackson and Steve Bond, an Afonica production for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** Daisy Head, Love Henry James: the Golden Bowl, directed by Nadia Molinari for BBC Radio 4
Georgia Scholes, Billy Homeless Dies at the End, directed by Boz Temple-Morris, a Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4

Best Use of Sound

The Beast, sound by Steve Bond, produced/directed by Nicolas Jackson and Steve Bond, an Afonica production for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** Love Henry James: the Turn of the Screw, sound by Steve Brooke and John Benton, produced/directed by Nadia Molinari for BBC Radio 4
Unmade Movies: Dennis Potter’s The White Hotel, sound by Wilfredo Acosta, directed by Jon Amiel, produced by Laurence Bowen and Peter Ettedgui, a Dancing Ledge production by BBC Radio 4


Best Scripted Comedy (Longform)

Bridget Christie’s Utopia by Bridget Christie, produced by Simon Nicholls and Alison Vernon-Smith, a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** Rob Newman’s Total Eclipse of Descartes by Rob Newman, produced by John Whitehall, Hat Trick Productions for BBC Radio 4
Tim Key’s Late-Night Poetry Programme by Tim Key, produced by James Robinson for BBC Radio 4


Best Scripted Comedy (Sketch Show)

Agendum by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, produced by David Tyler, a Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
Dead Ringers by Nev Fountain, Tom Jamieson, Laurence Howarth, Ed Amsden, Tom Coles, Sarah Campbell, James Bugg, Max Davis, Sarah Gibbs, Alex Hardy, Laura Major and Lewis Cook, produced by Bill Dare, a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4
** WINNER ** John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme by John Finnemore, produced by Ed Morrish, a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4


Best Podcast or Online Audio Drama

** COMMENDED ** ATA Girl by Gemma Page, Victoria Saxton, Helen Goldwyn and Jane Slavin, directed by Louise Jameson, produced by Helen Goldwyn, Big Finish Productions
** WINNER ** Red Moon written, directed and produced by Robert Valentine, The Wireless Theatre Company
** COMMENDED ** Tracks: Strata by Matthew Broughton, produced/directed by James Robinson for BBC Radio 4


Best European Drama

The Confession by Fyodor Dostoevsky, adapted by Doina Papp, produced/directed by Ilinca Stihi, Radio Romania
** WINNER ** Munch and Munch - Diptych written and directed by Jasna Mesarić, produced by Katja Šimunić, HRT Croatian Radio
Wrapped by Tracy Martin, produced/directed by Kevin Reynolds, RTÉ Ireland


Imison Award Finalists (chosen by the Society of Authors)

Ian Billings for Spike and the Elfin Oak, produced by Gemma Jenkins for BBC Radio 4
Carl Cattermole for Double Bubble, produced by Andrew Wilkie, National Prison Radio
** WINNER ** Lulu Raczka for Of a Lifetime, produced by Polly Thomas and Eloise Whitmore, Naked Productions for BBC Radio 3


Tinniswood Award Finalists ( chosen by the Society of Authors and the Writers’ Guild.)

** WINNER ** Oliver Emanuel for When the Pips Stop, produced by Kirsty Williams for BBC Radio 4
Vivienne Harvey for Playing Dead, produced by Nadia Molinari for BBC Radio 4
Martyn Wade for Holbein’s Skull, produced by Tracey Neale for BBC Radio 4

Images - BBC