Audio Drama Awards 2015
The presentations took place in the Radio Theatre at BBC Broadcasting House on 31 Jan 2016. Music for the event was supplied by the Dodge Brothers and there were some opening remarks by Helen Boaden, who gave a short tribute to Terry Wogan, who had died earlier in the day. Helen remarked on the good health of BBC Radio drama; there is now no other major radio network broadcasting radio plays since ABC (Australia) stopped doing it; and each day, one million listeners tune in. Radio drama remains an important part of BBC output; Alison Hindell instigated these Awards a while back, and in this year, the fifth, there were 100 more entries than ever before.
Alison and I were invited to the event in the light of our work for 'Diversity' in promoting radio drama. We were pleased to see so many members of the younger generation on the shortlists and in the audience.
There were two other presentations: John Hurt was honoured by an Outstanding Contribution to Radio Award and June Whitfield received a Lifetime Achievement Award - 70 years in radio.
MC for the evening was Lenny Henry.
The longlists, shortlists (x) and winners for awards for drama broadcast from 1 Oct 2014 to 31 Oct 2015 are shown below:
Best Actress
x Eve Myles in Frank and the Bear
Helen McCrory in The Pumpkin Eater
x Monica Dolan in Vincent in Brixton *WINNER*
Sorcha Cusack in Juno and the Paycock
x Sue Johnston in Love in Recovery
Susan Wokoma in Cuttin’ It
Best Scripted Comedy with a Live Audience
Andrew O’Neill: Pharmacist Baffler, by Andrew O’Neill
x Dead Ringers, by Bill Dare, Jim Farthing, Jon Culshaw, Debra Stephenson, Lewis MacLeod
John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme, by John Finnemore
x Reluctant Persuaders Ep 3, by Chris Pye *WINNER*
The Big Broadcast: Snow, by Neil Brand
x The Penny Dreadfuls Present: Macbeth Rebothered, by David Reed with Humphrey Ker
Best Online Drama
Dark Shadows: Bloodlust, by Big Finish
x Hood: King’s Command, by Spiteful Puppet Entertainment Ltd
Survivors: The Hunted, by Big Finish
The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes, by Big Finish
x The Kindness of Time, by Rosie Boulton *WINNER*
x The Omega Factor: The Old Gods, by Big Finish
Best Adaptation
A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel, dramatized by Melissa Murray, producer Marc Beeby
x Between the Ears: Mr Rainbow, dramatized by Sebastian Baczkiewicz from Franz Kafka, producer Joby Waldman
x King Charles III, by Mike Bartlett, producer Toby Swift
The Last Days of Troy, dramatized from Homer by Simon Armitage, producer Sue Roberts
x The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov, dramatized by Lucy Catherine, producer Sasha Yevtushenko *WINNER*
The Sea, the Sea, by Iris Murdoch, dramatized by Robin Brooks, producer Fiona McAlpine
The Song of Hiawatha, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, adapted and produced by Pauline Harris
Best Actor
x Alfred Molina in A View from the Bridge *WINNER*
x Anton Lesser in Vampyre Man
David Benson in Frankie Takes a Trip
John Hurt in Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell
x Nico Mirallegro in Orpheus and Eurydice
Roger Allam in Cabin Pressure – Finale (Zurich)
Simon Russell Beale in Dead Girls Tell No Tales
Best original single drama
x Cuttin’ It, by Charlene James, producer Jessica Brown *WINNER*
x Dream of White Horses, by Linda Marshall Griffiths, producer Nadia Molinari
x Monster, by Tony Pitts, producer Sally Harrison
Our Sea, by Ronan Bennett, producer Jenny Thompson
The Churchill Barriers, by Emma Spurgin Hussey, producer David Hunter
The Electrical Venus, by Julie Mayhew, producer Emma Harding
The Len Continuum, by Peter Strickland, producer Polly Thomas
Best Use of Sound
Fight Club, sound by Wilfredo Acosta, producer Heather Larmour
x Fright Night: Ring, sound by Catherine Robinson, producer James Robinson
x Fugue State, sound by Julian Simpson and David Thomas, producer Karen Rose *WINNER*
Good Omens, sound by Dirk Maggs, producer Heather Larmour
x Mayday Mayday, composer Aaron May, producer Becky Ripley
Unmade Movies: Orson Welles’ Heart of Darkness, sound by Wilfredo Acosta, producer Laurence Bowen
Best Scripted Comedy
x Cabin Pressure – Finale (Zurich), by John Finnemore, producer David Tyler
Dot, by Ed Harris, producer Jessica Brown
x In and Out of the Kitchen, by Justin Edwards, producer Sam Michell *WINNER*
John Finnemore’s Double Acts – A Flock of Tigers, by John Finnemore, producer David Tyler
x The Dad Who Fell to Earth, by Toby Hadoke, producer Charlotte Riches
The Man Who Wore Sanitary Pads, by Jon Sen, producer Sarah Bradshaw
Best drama series or serial
x A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry, dramatized by Ayeesha Menon & Kewel Karim, producer John Dryden
x Children in Need: D for Dexter, by Amanda Whittington, producer Mary Ward-Lowery *WINNER*
Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, dramatized by Dirk Maggs, producer Heather Larmour
Home Front, by Katie Hims, Sarah Daniels, Shaun McKenna, producer Jessica Dromgoole
Undercover Mumbai, by Ayeesha Menon, producer John Dryden
x War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, dramatized by Timberlake Wertenbaker, producer Celia de Wolff
Best Supporting Actor
Anton Lesser in The Master and Margarita
x Billy Kennedy in Home Front
Jane Horrocks in Shakespeare’s Fire
x Mark Strong in Unmade Movies: Harold Pinter’s Victory
Neil Maskell in Monster
x Susan Wokoma in Three Strong Women *WINNER*
Best Actor - Debut Performance
x Eleanor Tomlinson in Dead Girls Tell No Tales
Farshid Rokey in The Boy from Aleppo Who Painted the War
x Karen Bartke in My Name Is… *WINNER*
Melissa Benoist in A View from the Bridge
Phoebe Fox in War and Peace
x Richard Hawley in Monster
IMISON AWARD
30 EGGS by Eoin O’Connor *WINNER*
A THING INSIDE A THING INSIDE A THING by Iain A J Ross
THE CHURCHILL BARRIERS by Emma Spurgin Hussey
TINNISWOOD AWARD
FAR SIDE OF THE MOORE by Sean Grundy
VAMPYRE MAN by Joseph O'Connor
FUGUE STATE by Julian Simpson *WINNER*
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
June Whitfield, CBE
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO RADIO DRAMA
Sir John Hurt
18 Nov 15; updated 31 Jan 2016 immediately after the Audio Drama Awards presentations.
PICTURES
Lots of pictures on the BBC site from the award ceremony .
