BBC National Short Story Award 2016

Miriam Margolyes reads the first of the entries in contention for this year's award, a comic story filled with unlikely memories, lost lives and the odd bad joke.

Now in its 11th year, the five shortlisted stories for the BBC National Short Story Award 2016 comprise a mix of established and new writers of this most inventive and imaginative of genres. Human connection, the desire for it, and what happens when it falls away are at the heart of this year’s shortlist, which takes us across the globe and the generations, shining a light on the intimate inner lives of each story’s protagonist.

The winner, and the runner up of this prestigious award for the short story will be announced live on Front Row from the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House, on Tuesday 4 October at 7.15pm.

Read by Miriam Margolyes

Producer/ Julian Wilkinson for the BBC

Publicity contact: RH