Sarah Hall's shortlisted story of how profound loss is followed by new life and new love. Read by Rebekah Staton. Show more
BBC National Short Story Award
BBC National Short Story Award 2015
Episode 4: The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, by Hilary Mantel
30 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 Extra
In Hilary Mantel's shortlisted story for this coveted award which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2015, a woman is held captive in leafy Windsor. Read by Rebekah Staton. Show more
By Lisa Blower. The annual family holiday to the Welsh coast conjures memories of a car full of children, parents, grandparents, picnics and arguments. Read by Rebekah Staton. Show more
BBC National Short Story Award
2023 BBC Young Writers' Award Showcase with Katie Thistleton
49 minutesFirst broadcast:
Available for 2 months
Listen to the five shortlisted stories from the 2023 BBC Young Writers' Award. Presented by Katie Thistleton and produced by Rick Woska.
By Jonathan Buckley. A family seek the help of a clairvoyant to shed light on the fate of their missing daughter. Read by Maxine Peake. Show more
BBC National Short Story Award
BBC National Short Story Award 2022
And the moon descends on the temple that was by Kerry Andrew
28 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LWLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FM
Available for years
The second in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Two strangers are thrown together, in a world shattered by disaster. Read by Matthew Needham. Show more
The first in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. A tense family holiday is interrupted by the arrival of Blue. Read by Tuppence Middleton. Show more
The third in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. A woman seeks escape through a mysterious organisation known only as 'W'. Read by Maxine Peake. Show more
BBC National Short Story Award
BBC National Short Story Award 2022
Green Afternoon by Vanessa Onwuemezi
28 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LWLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FM
Available for years
The fourth in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Part visceral prose-poem, part picaresque murder mystery. Read by Nicholas Pinnock. Show more
BBC National Short Story Award
BBC National Short Story Award 2022
Long Way to Come for a Sip of Water
28 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
Available for years
The fifth in this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University. Texan man Ready drives through a divided US to see his dying brother. Read by Joseph Balderrama. Show more
By Cynan Jones. The winning story of horror at sea. When things go terribly wrong, can the protagonist survive? Read by Jamie Parker. Show more
4 Extra Debut. Kiare Ladner's shortlisted story of how a simple note brings solace and the prospect of new hope. Read by Carolyn Pickles. Show more
Nell Stevens' shortlisted story in which art and activism unite. Things aren’t quite what they seem. Read by Tuppence Middleton. Show more
Jack Houston's experimental story is about two young women living on society's edge who are caught in a downward spiral of addiction and poverty .The reader is Anne-Marie Duff. Show more
Caleb Azumah Nelson's story is a poetic parable about loss, longing and brotherhood. Recalling a hot summer in South East London, it is evocative and urgent. Ben Bailey Smith reads. Show more
Welcome to this new BBC podcast. If you subscribe to this podcast feed, you should receive the first episode of this series automatically within the next seven days.
Jamie Parker reads The Edge of the Shoal by Cynan Jones
By Sarah Hall. A husband is shocked out of his complacency when his wife undergoes a remarkable transformation. Andrea Riseborough reads 2013's prize-winning tale. Show more
By Tahmima Anam. Shortlisted tale of an impoverished woman paying a high price for seeking a better life. Read by Ayesha Dharker. Show more
By KJ Orr. In the winning story, reinvention and disguise offer a retired professional the possibility of another way to be. Read by David Horovitch. Show more