The Archers nominated for three awards as the finalists for BBC Audio Drama Awards 2017 are announced

The awards 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.

The winners will be announced in a ceremony on Sunday 29 January at the Radio Theatre in BBC Broadcasting House. The ceremony is hosted by Sir Lenny Henry and will feature live music from Mark Kermode’s Americana band The Dodge Brothers.

Each category is judged by a team of industry experts including actress Alison Steadman, journalist Baz Bamigboye, and producer Piers Plowright. Now in their sixth year, the Audio Drama Awards have previously recognised such luminaries as John Hurt, Neil Gaiman, Sir Ian McKellen and June Whitfield.

For more information please see BBC iPlayer Radio

Full shortlisted entries are as follows:
Best Single Drama
Comment Is Free by James Fritz, producer Becky Ripley
Jump Blue by Hannah Silva, producers Nicolas Jackson & Steve Bond
The Sky Is Wider by Linda Marshall Griffiths, producer Nadia Molinari

Best Audio Drama (Series)
The Archers (Helen’s trial week) by Tim Stimpson, editor Sean O’Connor
Life Lines by Al Smith, producer Sally Avens
Tracks by Matthew Broughton, producers James Robinson, Helen Perry and Abigail le Fleming

Best Adaptation
Emile Zola: Blood, Sex And Money adapted by Oliver Emanuel, Martin Jameson, Lavinia Murray and Dan Rebellato, producers Gary Brown, Pauline Harris, Nadia Molinari, Polly Thomas, Kirsty Williams
Roald Dahl: Going Solo adapted by Lucy Catherine, producer Helen Perry
True West by Sam Shepard, adapted by John Peacock, producer Celia de Wolff

Best Actor
Robert Lindsay, A Play For The Heart
Danny Sapani, A Raisin In The Sun
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
Lee Rufford, The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner
Katie West, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

Best Use of Sound
Mary Rose, sound by Peter Ringrose, Ross Burman, Alison Craig, producer Abigail le Fleming
The Sky Is Wider, sound by Steve Brooke, producer Nadia Molinari
Tracks, sound by Nigel Lewis, producers James Robinson, Helen Perry & Abigail le Fleming

Best Scripted Comedy
Guilt Trip by Felicity Montagu, Olivia Nixon & Katherine Jakeways, producer Jane Berthoud
Secret Kebabs by Christine Entwisle, producer Kirsty Williams
The Strange Vanishing of Julian Quark by Tom Wainwright, producer Sasha Yevtushenko

Best Comedy with a Live Audience
Mae Martin’s Guide To 21st Century Sexuality by Mae Martin, producer Alex Smith
Mark Steel’s In Town: Stockport by Mark Steel, producer Carl Cooper
Robert Newman’s Entirely Accurate Encyclopaedia Of Evolution by Rob Newman, producer Jonathan Harvey

Best Online/non Broadcast
Baker’s 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
Jonny O’Neill for Community Service

Tinniswood Award for Best Audio Drama Script
(Judges: Nicholas McInerny, Shelley Silas, Tim Stimpson)
Timothy X Atack for The Stroma Sessions
Oliver Emanuel for A History Of Paper
James Fritz for Comment Is Free

Notes to Editors

• The BBC Audio Drama Awards cover audio dramas first broadcast in English in the UK between 1 October 2015 and 31 October 2016 - or first uploaded/published for free listening online in the UK during the same period
• Entries were welcome from all makers of audio drama, and were not restricted to BBC broadcasts
• Each programme producer could enter up to four categories (one entry only per category)
• The audio drama had to be submitted exactly as broadcast or uploaded
• There was 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

Pictured: John Hurt and Fiona Shaw

IP

Related BBC Links

• BBC Audio Drama Awards