Tea at the Midland

The first of the shortlisted stories in contention for this major award is Tea at the Midland by David Constantine. What begins as a romantic outing for a couple turns into an afternoon fraught with tension as a piece of artwork exposes fundamental differences in their outlooks on life. The reader is Sian Thomas. It is followed by the award-winning Irish novelist and short story writer, Colm Tóibín, on a very personal selection of extracts from his favourite short stories.

Produced by Gemma Jenkins and Emma Harding.

A link to a free podcast of the story will be available for download for two weeks after broadcast from the BBC Radio 4 website, where you can also watch previews of the other shortlisted stories and join the debate about this year's shortlist.