Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Comorbidities by Naomi Wood | 20230911 | 20231227 (R4) | Charlotte Ritchie reads the first story in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. After the realisation that heir sex life isn’t exactly on fire, a couple with two young children decide they must take action. But how to spice things up? Reader: Charlotte Ritchie is an acclaimed stage and TV actor, known most recently for her roles in Ghosts, Call the Midwife and Fresh Meat. Writer: Naomi Wood is the author of The Godless Boys and the award-winning Mrs. Hemingway, which won the British Library Writer’s Award and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award. She teaches at the University of East Anglia and lives in Norwich. Producer: Justine Willett The first in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award A couple with young children decide it’s time to spice up their flagging sex life, in Naomi Wood’s ‘Comorbidities’, read by Charlotte Ritchie
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| 01 | Comorbidities by Naomi Wood | 20230911 | Charlotte Ritchie reads the first story in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. After the realisation that heir sex life isn't exactly on fire, a couple with two young children decide they must take action. But how to spice things up? Reader: Charlotte Ritchie is an acclaimed stage and TV actor, known most recently for her roles in Ghosts, Call the Midwife and Fresh Meat. Writer: Naomi Wood is the author of The Godless Boys and the award-winning Mrs. Hemingway, which won the British Library Writer's Award and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award. She teaches at the University of East Anglia and lives in Norwich. Producer: Justine Willett The first in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award | |
| 01 | Comorbidities, By Naomi Wood | 20230911 | 20231227 (R4) | Charlotte Ritchie reads the first story in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. After the realisation that heir sex life isn't exactly on fire, a couple with two young children decide they must take action. But how to spice things up? Reader: Charlotte Ritchie is an acclaimed stage and TV actor, known most recently for her roles in Ghosts, Call the Midwife and Fresh Meat. Writer: Naomi Wood is the author of The Godless Boys and the award-winning Mrs. Hemingway, which won the British Library Writer's Award and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award. She teaches at the University of East Anglia and lives in Norwich. Producer: Justine Willett The first in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award A couple with young children decide it's time to spice up their flagging sex life, in Naomi Wood's ‘Comorbidities', read by Charlotte Ritchie |
| 02 | Guests by Cherise Saywell | 20230912 | Natalie is a young Australian woman, carefree and adrift. A mother, Bilen is a similarly young Eritrean woman, less carefree and adrift in a different way. The two neighbours live in close physical proximity, kept apart by a contested swimming pool. They are brought together by a shared coffee ceremony, but wider tensions percolate underneath the surfac | |
| 02 | Guests by Cherise Saywell | 20230912 | 20231228 (R4) | Natalie is a young Australian woman, carefree and adrift. A mother, Bilen is a similarly young Eritrean woman, less carefree and adrift in a different way. The two neighbours live in close physical proximity, kept apart by a contested swimming pool. They are brought together by a shared coffee ceremony, but wider tensions percolate underneath the surface… Reader: Nahel Tzegai has starred in Miracle Workers, The Swimmers and Cold Storage (forthcoming). Most recently she appeared at the National Theatre in Grenfell: in the words of survivors. Writer: Cherise Saywell is author of two novels, Desert Fish and Twitcher. Her short stories have previously won the Pindrop, Mslexia and V.S. Pritchett prizes She currently works for the Royal Literary Fund's Bridge Project and lives in Edinburgh. Producer: Ciaran Bermingham The second in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award Nahel Tzegai reads Guests, the second story in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University.
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| 02 | Guests, By Cherise Saywell | 20230912 | 20231228 (R4) | Natalie is a young Australian woman, carefree and adrift. A mother, Bilen is a similarly young Eritrean woman, less carefree and adrift in a different way. The two neighbours live in close physical proximity, kept apart by a contested swimming pool. They are brought together by a shared coffee ceremony, but wider tensions percolate underneath the surface - Reader: Nahel Tzegai has starred in Miracle Workers, The Swimmers and Cold Storage (forthcoming). Most recently she appeared at the National Theatre in Grenfell: in the words of survivors. Writer: Cherise Saywell is author of two novels, Desert Fish and Twitcher. Her short stories have previously won the Pindrop, Mslexia and V.S. Pritchett prizes She currently works for the Royal Literary Fund's Bridge Project and lives in Edinburgh. Producer: Ciaran Bermingham The second in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award Nahel Tzegai reads Guests, the second story in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. |
| 03 | It's Me by K Patrick | 20230913 | 20231229 (R4) | A beautiful story about ‘queer instinct’ and how queer memory shifts and changes as it needs to. A shy and tentative bookworm is working in a coffee shop but is desperate to get back to their Truman Capote novel whenever they can. There is a desire to have been called Bulldog at school just like Capote was. There is the joy from wearing an ex-boyfriend’s bomber jacket. The wish to be strong like the delivery driver they mirror. The coffee shop manager and the customers are all woven into the story as the morning rush begins but then a crowd of office workers arrive and there is something familiar about one of them called Elle and the connection between barista and customer unravels. Reader: Ell Potter is an actor, writer and award-winning narrator. Ell's most recent work has been The Last Show Before We Die at this year's Edinburgh Festival. Writer: K Patrick's poetry has appeared in PoetryReview, Granta and Five Dials, and was shortlisted for The White Review Poet’s Prize in 2021, the same year that K was shortlisted for The White Review’s Short Story Prize. In 2020 they were runner-up in the Ivan JuritzPrize and the Laura Kinsella Fellowship. Producer: Tracey Neale The third in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award Ell Potter reads the third in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University.
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| 03 | It's Me, By K Patrick | 20230913 | 20231229 (R4) | A beautiful story about ‘queer instinct' and how queer memory shifts and changes as it needs to. A shy and tentative bookworm is working in a coffee shop but is desperate to get back to their Truman Capote novel whenever they can. There is a desire to have been called Bulldog at school just like Capote was. There is the joy from wearing an ex-boyfriend's bomber jacket. The wish to be strong like the delivery driver they mirror. The coffee shop manager and the customers are all woven into the story as the morning rush begins but then a crowd of office workers arrive and there is something familiar about one of them called Elle and the connection between barista and customer unravels. Reader: Ell Potter is an actor, writer and award-winning narrator. Ell's most recent work has been The Last Show Before We Die at this year's Edinburgh Festival. Writer: K Patrick's poetry has appeared in PoetryReview, Granta and Five Dials, and was shortlisted for The White Review Poet's Prize in 2021, the same year that K was shortlisted for The White Review's Short Story Prize. In 2020 they were runner-up in the Ivan JuritzPrize and the Laura Kinsella Fellowship. Their debut novel, Mrs S was selected as an Observer Best Debut of the Year, and K was named a Granta Best of Young British Novelists for 2023. Their debut poetry collection, Three Births, will be published by Granta Poetry in 2024, and they live in Scotland. Producer: Tracey Neale The third in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award Ell Potter reads the third in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. A beautiful story about queer instinct' and how queer memory shifts and changes as it needs to. A shy and tentative bookworm is working in a coffee shop but is desperate to get back to their Truman Capote novel whenever they can. There is a desire to have been called Bulldog at school just like Capote was. There is the joy from wearing an ex-boyfriend's bomber jacket. The wish to be strong like the delivery driver they mirror. The coffee shop manager and the customers are all woven into the story as the morning rush begins but then a crowd of office workers arrive and there is something familiar about one of them called Elle and the connection between barista and customer unravels. |
| 04 | The Storm by Nick Mulgrew | 20230914 | Dirk and Clement are pulled into an elaborate show of machismo courtesy of a divorcee dad with something to prove. Something unsettling brews in this tragi-comic story of toxic masculinity, not just the ominous weather. Reader: Cokey Falkow is an actor, writer and comedian originally from Durban, South Africa. Recent credits include War Of The Worlds, Jurassic World Dominion, Suspicion, The English, Inside Man and Lenny Henry's 3 Little Birds (forthcoming) Writer: Nick Mulgrew grew up in South Africa and New Zealand. He is the founder and publisher of the poetry press uHlanga, and is the author of two collections of poetry, two volumes of short stories and two novels. Previously shortlisted for The White Review Prize, Nick also received the Nadine Gordimer Award for his collection, The First Law of Sadness. Nick lives in Edinburgh. Produced and abridged by Ciaran Bermingham The fourth in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award | |
| 04 | The Storm by Nick Mulgrew | 20230914 | 20231230 (R4) | Dirk and Clement are pulled into an elaborate show of machismo courtesy of a divorcee dad with something to prove. Something unsettling brews in this tragi-comic story of toxic masculinity, not just the ominous weather. Reader: Cokey Falkow is an actor, writer and comedian originally from Durban, South Africa. Recent credits include War Of The Worlds, Jurassic World Dominion, Suspicion, The English, Inside Man and Lenny Henry's 3 Little Birds (forthcoming) Writer: Nick Mulgrew grew up in South Africa and New Zealand. He is the founder and publisher of the poetry press uHlanga, and is the author of two collections of poetry, two volumes of short stories and two novels. Previously shortlisted for The White Review Prize, Nick also received the Nadine Gordimer Award for his collection, The First Law of Sadness. Nick lives in Edinburgh. Produced and abridged by Ciaran Bermingham The fourth in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award Cokey Falkow reads The Storm, the fourth in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University.
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| 04 | The Storm, By Nick Mulgrew | 20230914 | 20231230 (R4) | Dirk and Clement are pulled into an elaborate show of machismo courtesy of a divorcee dad with something to prove. Something unsettling brews in this tragi-comic story of toxic masculinity, not just the ominous weather. Reader: Cokey Falkow is an actor, writer and comedian originally from Durban, South Africa. Recent credits include War Of The Worlds, Jurassic World Dominion, Suspicion, The English, Inside Man and Lenny Henry's 3 Little Birds (forthcoming) Writer: Nick Mulgrew grew up in South Africa and New Zealand. He is the founder and publisher of the poetry press uHlanga, and is the author of two collections of poetry, two volumes of short stories and two novels. Previously shortlisted for The White Review Prize, Nick also received the Nadine Gordimer Award for his collection, The First Law of Sadness. Nick lives in Edinburgh. Produced and abridged by Ciaran Bermingham The fourth in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award Cokey Falkow reads The Storm, the fourth in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. |
| 05 | Churail by Kamila Shamsie | 20230915 | A young woman seeks to transcend the constraints of her overbearing father in this haunting, contemporary tale which combines the duel traditions of Pakistani folklore and feminist gothic in the spirit of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Reader: Zoha Rahman is a British-Pakistani actor best known for her groundbreaking role in Spider-Man: Far From Home, in which she played the first Muslim character in a Marvel film. Writer: Kamila Shamsie is the author of eight novels, which have been translated into over 30 languages. Home Fire (2018) won the Women's Prize for Fiction, was long listed for the Man Booker Prize, and shortlisted for the Costa Prize. A Vice-President and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Manchester, she was one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists' in 2013. She grew up in Karachi, and now lives in London. Her most recent novel is Best of Friends (2022), which was shortlisted for the Indie Book Awards. Producer: Ciaran Bermingham The fifth story in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award |