- 15 Minutes
The Time Being 
The Time Being
Series of original stories by unpublished writers.
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 01 | Diss Grace | 20020805 | 20031005 | by Laura Marney. Estranged from her set of friends as marriage and babies consume them and she, single, is left behind, Donna unexpectedly finds comfort in church going. But can she admit this to her friends? Read by Tracy Wiles |
| 01 | 02 | Flamingos | 20020806 | 20031012 | by Jake Elliot. A London photographer has heard a strange rumour about bird migration - can it be true? |
| 01 | 03 | Skin Deep | 20020807 | 20031019 | By Suzanne Mcgruther. Driving into an Indian reservation in search of cheap petrol an aging couple inadvertently pick up a reservation Indian. Events take a turn when the Indian refuses to get out of the car as night is drawing in. Read by Pat Starr. |
| 01 | 04 | Carrying On | 20020808 | by Jo Verity. Hospitalised and bored, 90-year-old Ted looks for ways to spend his days and nights. Read by Tony Rohr | |
| 01 | 05 LAST | How The Herring Became A Kipper | 20020809 | 20031102 | by Emma Parfitt. When Benjamin falls ill one day and refuses to eat his wife is determined to find out why her husband has lost his appetite. But the answer lies in an underwater home at the bottom of the sea. Read by Stella Gonet |
| 02 | 01 | The White Road | 20050110 | 20061105 | By Tania Hershman, read by Liza Ross. While her customers seek coffee and shelter from the Antarctic cold, Mags makes ready for a change of view. by Tania Hershman. |
| 02 | 02 | Bosendorfer | 20050111 | 20061112 | By Griselda Gordon, read by Siobhan Redmond. With her 40th birthday approaching, Janice finds herself in a love triangle with a man and a grand piano. |
| 02 | 03 | Detained | 20050112 | 20061119 | by Heidi Amsinck. Stranded in a snowbound airport, Clarissa kills time, and finds life is not all it seems. Read by Lesley Manville. |
| 02 | 04 | Gunpoint Optimism | 20050113 | 20061126 | By Lauren Frankel, read by Andrea Harris. Inspired by a tragedy she sees from her window, Gilbey plays games of friendship and love. |
| 02 | 05 LAST | Gerald Says | 20050114 | 20061203 | by Sally Hinchcliffe. As she spends more time on site, Elizabeth struggles to keep building and marriage intact. |
| 03 | 01 | Autarky | 20070423 | By Joe Dunthorne. On a family holiday in Tuscany, a teenage boy views his parents with all the scorn he can muster. Read by Matt Green. | |
| 03 | 02 | The Second Chance | 20070424 | By Jill McGivering, read by Amit Shah. Reprieved after 11 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, a young man finds his first day of freedom is not quite what he expected. | |
| 03 | 03 | Kellster | 20070425 | By EJ Patience, read by Annette Crosbie. In the midst of life, the inhabitants of a remote Scottish island develop a singular response to death. | |
| 03 | 04 | Mr Kuan-ti | 20070426 | By Joanna Berry, read by Paul Panting. A grandfather's tall tale haunts a young boy's imaginings far into manhood. | |
| 03 | 05 LAST | Yuki And Cyrus Take On The World | 20070427 | By Shaun Manning. Teen spirit ignites when Yuki and Cyrus bare their tortured souls upon a bigger stage. Read by Siobhan Redmond. | |
| 04 | 01 | Jules | 20100105 | 20110807 | has been diagnosed as having cancer. But for a number of reasons, not all of them noble, her best friend Kate finds it hard to be as supportive as she should. By Tamara Pollock, read by Nicola Walker. A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4. By Tamara Pollock. Jules has cancer, but her best friend finds it hard to be supportive. Jules has been diagnosed as having cancer. |
| 04 | 02 | The Painter And The Dybbuk | 20100106 | In Jewish folklore a Dybbuk is the wandering soul of a dead person that enters the body of a living person and controls his or her behaviour. A painter's talent has so far kept him alive in Auschwitz. But as he starts on a portrait of one of the guards, he wonders just who is in control. By Claire Griffiths, read by Nicholas Farrell. A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4. By Claire Griffiths. A painter in Auschwitz starts on a portrait of one of the guards. | |
| 04 | 03 LAST | Smell My Fleece | 20100107 | 20110821 | With four fewer teeth and a mouth stuffed with cotton wool, Debra isn't having the easiest of days. And then she meets Dale. A curious tale of dentistry, stalking and poetry. By Anna Towers, read by Claire Foy. A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4. By Anna Towers. After a trip to the dentist, Debra isn't having the easiest of days. |
| 05 | 01 | Photo Finish | 20110925 | The latest season of The Time Being brings another showcase for new voices, none of whom have been previously broadcast. Previous series have brought new talent to a wider audience and provided a stepping stone for writers who have since gone on to enjoy further success both on radio and in print, such as Tania Hershman, Heidi Amsinck, Sally Hinchcliffe and Submarine author and National Short Story judge Joe Dunthorne. Photo Finish written by Louise Lee. Terri discovered her talent for running when she was chased by her mother's angry boyfriend. Fifteen years later it's the Olympic marathon. Terri is tipped for gold, but she will have to overcome her rivals: voluptuous World No. 1 Jana de Groot and the surgically modified Nadine Uberhang. Louise Lee had a proper job once but gave it all up to become a private investigator. A current Birkbeck MA student in Creative Writing, she is busy writing her first novel, The Last Honeytrap, based on her own experiences in the seedy and often comical world of entrapment. Reader: Philippa Stanton Producer: Jeremy Osborne A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4. By Louise Lee. To win Olympic gold Terri must overcome her rivals in both mind and body. | |
| 05 | 02 | The Family Snaps | 20111002 | The latest season of The Time Being brings another showcase for new voices, none of whom have been previously broadcast. Previous series have brought new talent to a wider audience and provided a stepping stone for writers who have since gone on to enjoy further success both on radio and in print, such as Tania Hershman, Heidi Amsinck, Sally Hinchcliffe and Submarine author and National Short Story judge Joe Dunthorne. The Family Snaps by Jarred McGinnis Morna had her son Colin professionally photographed. When she goes to collect the prints she find she doesn't have enough money for them. But it's Colin's 'last day' and she can't wait until another time. Jarred McGinnis, an American living in London, is the co-founder of the literary variety night, The Special Relationship. In addition to writing fiction, he holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence. He too is writing a novel. Reader: Tracy WilesProducer: Jeremy OsborneA Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4. By Jarred McGinnis. Morna needs money to buy the portrait of her son on his 'last day'. | |
| 05 | 03 LAST | Fripperies | 20111009 | Written by Rupert Smith. The latest season of The Time Being brings another showcase for new voices, none of whom have been previously broadcast. Previous series have brought new talent to a wider audience and provided a stepping stone for writers who have since gone on to enjoy further success both on radio and in print, such as Tania Hershman, Heidi Amsinck, Sally Hinchcliffe and Submarine author and National Short Story judge Joe Dunthorne. He was a good chef with a Michelin-star restaurant, but when his narcolepsy got worse things began to go wrong. Recovering at home, he tries to teach his daughter his favourite family dish between sleeps. Rupert Smith is an actor and award-winning poet, and most recently a mature graduate from the University of Kent with an MA in creative writing. He is currently undertaking a PGCE to teach secondary level English and lives with his family in Kent. Reader: James Fleet Producer Jeremy Osborne A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4. By Rupert Smith. A narcoleptic chef tries to teach his daughter a family recipe. | |
| 06 | 01 | Marathon | 20130519 | The latest season of The Time Being brings another showcase for new voices, none of whom have been previously broadcast. Previous series have brought new talent to a wider audience and provided a stepping stone for writers who have since gone on to enjoy further success both on radio and in print, such as Tania Hershman, Heidi Amsinck, Sally Hinchcliffe and Joe Dunthorne. Marathon by Claire Powell An extra-marital affair - long-nourished by alcohol - starts going badly wrong when the man starts to get fit: training for a half-marathon with his son. Claire Powell was born and brought up in south-east London. She graduated from UEA's Creative Writing (Prose) MA in 2012, where she received the year's highest mark for a dissertation, and was awarded the Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Bursary and Malcolm Bradbury Continuation Grant. She has just signed up for her first half-marathon. Reader: Lorraine Pilkington Producer: Jeremy Osborne A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4. | |
| 06 | 02 | Llama Sutra | 20130526 | The latest season of The Time Being offers another showcase for new writers, none of whom have had their work broadcast before. Previous series provided a stepping stone for writers who have gone on to enjoy further success both on radio and in print - such as Tania Hershman, Heidi Amsinck, Sally Hinchcliffe and Joe Dunthorne. Programme 2: Llama Sutra by Melanie Whipman Things get complicated for a couple undergoing IVF after they visit the llama farm. Melanie Whipman lives in a leafy Surrey village with her husband, teenage twins, dog, cats and chickens. She has an MA in Creative Writing and is currently a PhD student at the University of Chichester. Her short stories have been listed or placed in various competitions and her work has appeared online and in several magazines and anthologies. Her story, Peacock Girl, was the winner of this year's Rubery Prize. Reader: Camilla Marie Beeput Producer: Jeremy Osborne A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4. | |
| 06 | 03 LAST | The Dog Track | 20130602 | The latest season of The Time Being brings another showcase for new voices, none of whom have been previously broadcast. Previous series have brought new talent to a wider audience and provided a stepping stone for writers who have since gone on to enjoy further success both on radio and in print, such as Tania Hershman, Heidi Amsinck, Sally Hinchcliffe and Joe Dunthorne. The Dog Track by Rebecca F. John A young woman visits the dog track for the first time, and weighs up a matter of life and death. Rebecca F. John was born in 1986 and grew up in Pwll, a small village on the Welsh coast. She has previously worked as a ski instructor and in the financial sector, and holds an MA in Creative Writing from Swansea University. Reader: Rakie Ayola Producer: Jeremy Osborne A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4. |
