Audio Drama Awards 2026
Awards for radio plays broadcast between Oct 2024 and Oct 2025.
The BBC Audio Drama Awards celebrate the range, originality and quality of audio drama on air and online and give recognition to the creativity of actors, writers, producers, sound designers and others who work in the genre.
The finalists were announced in early February, along with those for the Imison and Tinniswood Awards. Finalists were sent information at that point about invitations to the winners’ ceremony in the BBC Radio Theatre.
The winners were announced on Sunday 1 Mar 2026 in the Radio Theatre at BBC Broadcasting House London. The winners of the Imison and Tinniswood Awards (judged and administered by the Society of Authors and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain) were also announced at this event, along with the winner of a new award instigated by Radio Times.
Guests were ushered into the Radio Theatre to the lively music of The Chris Holland Experience, who also supplied the musical links between the awards. The event was introduced by the BBC's chief content officer, Kate Philipps. She welcomed the audience to the radio drama evening, and thanked those assembled for their contributions; British radio drama was the envy of the world, with many broadcasts of classics and of new works. The BBC was (still) the biggest producer of audio drama globally: she mentioned The Archers (now been on air for 75 years); serials, one-off plays. The craft of the BBC and others would tonight be celebrated. She drew attention to the Government Green paper on the BBC and encouraged the audience to contribute and have their say. "We need the BBC, and without it the UK would be a much crappier place".
Kate then handed over to Miles Jupp, MC for the evening, back by popular demand.
Miles thanked the band and then moved on, saying "we are all passionately fond of radio drama ..............or presenting an award ... (laughter). "We are here to celebrate audio drama in a changing world... if Starmer was nominated to play a prime minister in a radio play he probably wouldn't be nominated for an award ... (.. more laughter). We represent on of thge parts of the BBC that the people don't despise................ BBC Governors regards Audio Drama as number 1 .................whenever they're considering cuts! And this evening sees the new Radio Times Drama Award, for the first time. "
Miles handed the mike to Bill Nighy, who gave a short and moving tribute to the late Tom Stoppard, in whose plays he frequently appeared....... Tom died late in 2025, aged 88. Bill pointed out that Tom loved radio plays; he always stressed the importance of radio drama in his work, encouraged as he was by producers John Tydeman and Richard Imison. Tom regarded radio drama as 'this magical medium'. He loved the freedom of form that radio provides, and it upset Tom very much when his radio work was overlooked. Bill recounted a short anecdote reported by David Mamet, writing in The Free Press:
"Steven Spielberg asked Tom to write the screenplay for Jaws, and Tom said he couldn’t as he was writing a play for the BBC.
Spielberg said, 'I'm offering you a fortune to collaborate with me on a Hollywood blockbuster, and you turn me down to write a play for BBC TV?"
"No," Tom said, "BBC Radio."
Bill finished his short tribute by playing a medley of clips from Tom's plays, and ended by saying "We thank, you, Tom Stoppard, for loving Radio Drama."
I must say at this point that the evening was positive in outlook; much more so than last year when the future of radio drama was in doubt; there had been months of arguing about proposed cuts to the schedules, and the excising of all drama from radio 3. However there was a much better turnout; the ground floor of the Radio Theatre was packed and there were plenty of people in the gallery too. It seemed that there was a new optimism; a party; not a wake. There was no shortage of superb entries, many from newcomers and younger writers, and after hearing clips from the sequence of winning entries, it seemed to me that the future of radio drama was in capable hands.
Miles Jupp then started the ball rolling by beginning the Audio Drama Awards programme.
The Awards are for:
• Best Original Single Drama
• Best Original Series or Serial
• Best Adaptation
• Best Podcast Audio Drama
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Supporting Performance
• Marc Beeby Award for Best Debut Performance
• Best Use of Sound
• Best Scripted Comedy (Longform)
• Best Scripted Comedy (Sketch Show)
• Best European Audio Drama
Best Original Single Drama presented by Rachel Joyce
Best Adaptation presented by Cecilia Appiah
Best Original Series or Serial presented by Carl Prekopp
Best Actress presented by Dominic Dromgoole
Best Actor presented by Louiza Patikas
Best Podcast Audio Drama presented by Don Gilet
Best Comedy Performance presented by Miles Jupp
The Marc Beeby Award for Best Debut Performance presented by Anastasia ... see below*
Best Sit Com or Comedy Drama presented by Rosie Cavaliero
Best Stand Up or Sketch Comedy presented by M. Smith (see below**)
Best Use of Sound presented by Ed Harris
Best European Drama presented by Alison Hindell
IMISON AWARD FINALISTS presented by Nell Leyshon
TINNISWOOD AWARD FINALISTS presented by Nell Leyshon
UNKNOWN PRESENTERS
*Marc Beeby Award - I didn't catch the surname of the person presenting this award. If it was you, please email.
**Best stand-up or sketch comedy - same here; didn't catch the first name. The sound system was blurry.
OTHER AWARDS:
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO RADIO DRAMA
This was presented by Mohit Bhakaya, halfway through the proceedings and was for 'a tapestry of multiple lives' - 'Faith, Hope and Glory'. It charts the history of post-war Britain through the intertwined lives of three Caribbean-born women—Hope Kiffin, Eunice "Faith" Lamming, and Gloria de Soto.
The series is anchored by a single, tragic event in 1946: Hope entrusts her baby daughter to her best friend, Eunice, to take back to Antigua from Tilbury Docks. Eunice, tempted into a bar, leaves the pram outside and returns to find the baby stolen.The series moves through the 1950s up to the 1980s and beyond, following the original characters, their children, and the stolen child (Joy) as they navigate racism, identity, and the social changes in modern Britain. The drama highlights the personal, domestic stories of the Windrush generation and their descendants, detailing their resilience in a often hostile environment.
The series featured 99 actors over a story lasting seventy years. The award was made to the whole team and was accepted by Roy Williams, who said a few words about what the project meant to him. It was a five-year project, and was an example of sustained radio drama at its best.
RADIO TIMES READERS' DRAMA AWARD
This award was given later in the evening by David Crawford of Radio Times.. It's a new award; there's a shortlist of thirty plays (same time-frame as the ADAs) chosen by a panel of critics. Votes are cast online and the closing date for voting was Feb 20th. It used online voting; one vote per person. This will be an annual event. The selected plays for the first award were:
Gatsby in Harlem - Radio 3
Central Intelligence - Radio 4
Moorgate - Radio 4
One Hundred and Fifty Days - Radio 4
The Fever - Radio 4
Buzz: the Man and the Moon - Podcast
Star - Radio 3
Breaking the Rules: O Is for Orson - Radio 4
When Alan Met Ray - Radio 4
Waiting for Waiting for Godot - Radio 4
The Film - Radio 4
An Inspector Calls on Moscow - Radio 4
Secrets and Lies: Mona Best and the Beatles - Radio 4
High Cockalorum - Radio 4
Samhain - Radio 4
Aldrich Kemp and the Rose of Pamir - Radio 4
Exemplar - Radio 4
Murder in Aland - Radio 4
It Can’t Happen Here - Radio 4
Faith Healer - Radio 4
Up in Smoke - Podcast
Chicken Burger N Chips - Radio 4
The Yafa Cherry Orchard - Radio 4
The ABC Murders - Audible
Secrets and Lies: The Final Touch - Radio 4
King Lear - Radio 4
Only One Word for Love - Radio 4
When Maggie Met Larry - Radio 4
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - Radio 4
Hersey’s Hiroshima - Radio 4
The winner was WHEN MAGGIE MET LARRY by Tim Walker, produced by Richard Clifford for Catherine Bailey productions.The runner-up was Chicken Burger & Chips, by Corey Bovell.
SPECIAL AWARD
Finally, Kate Philipps returned to the stage to make a final award, as follows:
'Who would have thought when it was first aired that we'd be celebrating the 75th anniversary of this amazing programme? It has millions of fans; we've had 20,000 episodes; a broadcasting phenomenon. There's no other serial in the world which has lasted as long. The idea arrived in 1948; from Godfrey Bazeley, after speaking to some farmers. They needed a 'Dick Barton' type story, based on farming life. It was tried, initially for a three-month run, and caught on - and this is the result'.
Next we were treated to a hilarious medley of clips from The Archers performed solo by 'Lilian Bellamy' (Sunny Ormonde).
Kate then asked everyone in the audience who had contributed in some way to the programme to go onto the stage, which they did. I counted about forty people assembled at the front. As Kate said - who would have thought that a story about everyday country folk would have such potency and durability? It has a small and dedicated production team and represents teamwork at its best.
Chris Holland's group struck up the music again as we exited the theatre. It was a memorable evening.
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The BBC Audio Drama Awards cover audio dramas first broadcast in English in the UK between 1 October 2024 and 31 October 2025 or first uploaded/published/released for free listening online in the UK during the same period. Productions may be entered from anywhere in the world subject to these criteria. In addition, the Best European Audio Drama welcomes dramas in other languages than English.
Entries are welcome from all makers of audio drama, and are not restricted to BBC broadcasts. Each programme producer can enter up to four categories (one entry only per category). The audio drama has to be submitted exactly as broadcast or uploaded. There is no entry fee.
The Imison Award is administered by the Society of Authors and the Tinniswood Award by the Society Of Authors and the Writers’ Guild. I am expecting shortlists for these awards probably early-Feb.
