BBC RADIO BLOG Behind the scenes

Ed's note: The Drama Awards shortlist is announced today. Here's the press release with the details. You can read about the launch of the Awards here - PM.

Today, the shortlist for the first ever BBC Audio Drama Awards is announced. The awards aim to celebrate and recognise the cultural importance of audio drama, on air and online, and to give recognition to the actors, writers, producers, sound designers, and others who work in the genre.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held on Sunday 29 January 2012 in the Radio Theatre at BBC Broadcasting House in central London and presented by actor David Tennant. In conjunction with the Society of Authors and The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, The Imison and Tinniswood Awards will also be announced and presented by playwright and Guild President, David Edgar.

The BBC Audio Drama Awards shortlist for each category is:

Best Audio Drama
(Judges: Lord Hall, Razia Iqbal, Sarah Sands)

• A Shoebox Of Snow by Julie Mayhew
  Producer: Justine Potter, Red Production Company for Radio 4
• Lost Property - The Year My Mother Went Missing by Katie Hims
  Producer: Jessica Dromgoole, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4
• The First Domino by Jonathan Cash
  Producer: Frank Stirling, Unique Broadcasting Company for Radio 3

Best Actor in an Audio Drama:
(Judges: Ian Brown, Lisa Campbell, Dame Harriet Walter CBE)

• Damian Lewis, Giovanni's Room dramatised by Neil Bartlett
  Producer: Turan Ali, Bona Broadcasting for Radio 3
• David Tennant, Kafka: The Musical by Murray Gold
  Producer: Jeremy Mortimer, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 3
• Rory Kinnear, Flare Path by Terence Rattigan
  Producer: Jeremy Herrin, Catherine Bailey Productions Ltd for Radio 3
• *Special Commendation* Tom Riley, Henry's Demons by Patrick and Henry Cockburn
  Producer: Karen Rose, Sweet Talk Productions for Radio 4

Best Actress in an Audio Drama:
(Judges: Michael Billington, Kate Harwood, Robin Lustig)

• Candis Nergaard, Atching Tan by Dan Allum
  Producer: Charlotte Riches, BBC Audio Drama North for Radio 4
• June Whitfield, A Montrous Vitality by Andy Merriman
  Producer: David Hunter, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4
• Rosie Cavaliero, Lost Property: A Telegram From The Queen by Katie Hims
  Producer: Jessica Dromgoole, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4

Best Supporting Actor/Actress in an Audio Drama:
(Judges: Daniel Evans, Gillian Reynolds, Imogen Stubbs)

• Andrew Scott, Referee by Nick Perry
  Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4
• Carl Prekopp, The History of Titus Groan dramatised by Brian Sibley
  Producers: David Hunter, Gemma Jenkins and Jeremy Mortimer, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4
• Rupert Penry-Jones, Flare Path by Terence Rattigan
  Producer: Jeremy Herrin, Catherine Bailey Productions Ltd for Radio 3

Best Scripted Comedy Drama:c (Judges: Andrew Davies, Christopher William Hill, Miranda Sawyer)

• Cabin Pressure by John Finnemore
  Producer: David Tyler, Pozzitive for Radio 4
• Ed Reardon's Week by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds
  Producer: Dawn Ellis, BBC Radio Comedy for Radio 4
• Floating by Hugh Hughes
  Producer: James Robinson, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4

Best Online Only Audio Drama:
(Judges: Nicolas Kent, Julie Myerson, Jane Thynne)

• Rock by Tim Fountain
  Producer: Iain Mackness, Made in Manchester for The Independent Online
• Wild Hackney
  Producer: Francesca Panetta and Russell Finch for Hackney Podcast

Best Adaptation:
(Judges: Viv Gardner, Maxine Peak, Fiammetta Rocco)

• Alone In Berlin dramatised by Shelagh Stephenson
  Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan, BBC Northern Ireland for Radio 4
• Five Days In May by Matthew Solon
  Producer: John Dryden, Goldhawk Productions for Radio 4
• The History of Titus Groan dramatised by Brian Sibley
  Producers: David Hunter, Gemma Jenkins and Jeremy Mortimer, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4

Best Use of Sound in an Audio Drama:
(Judges: Kevin Brew, John Hardy, Elisabeth Mahoney)

• Bad Memories by Julian Simpson
  Producer: Karen Rose, Sweet Talk Productions for Radio 4
• Can You Hear Me? by Margaret Wilkinson
  Producer: Nadia Molinari, BBC Audio Drama North for Radio 4
• The History of Titus Groan dramatised by Brian Sibley
  Producers: David Hunter, Gemma Jenkins and Jeremy Mortimer, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4

Innovation Award:
(Judges: Susannah Clapp, Rupert Goold, Stephen Wright)

• Blue Eyed Boy by Helen Cross
  Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery, BBC Bristol for Radio 4
• The Unfortunates adapted by Graham White
  Producer: Mary Peate, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 3
• Wild Hackney
  Producer: Francesca Panetta for Hackney Podcast

The shortlist for the Imison Award for Best Radio Drama Script broadcast in 2010 by a new writer is:

• Atching Tan by Dan Allum
• The Pursuit by Matt Hartley
• The Barber and the Ark by Marcia Layne
• Amazing Grace by Michelle Lipton

(Society of Author's Broadcasting Committee: Alison Joseph, Mike Bartlett, Lucy Caldwell, Nazrin Choudhury, Christopher William Hill, Karen Liebreich, Sue Limb, Karl Sabbagh, Colin Teevan and John Taylor)

The Tinniswood Award shortlist for Best Radio Drama Script broadcast in 2010 is:

• The Climb by Andrea Earl
• Sarah and Ken by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
• Setting a Glass by Nick Warburton
• Gerontius by Stephen Wyatt

(Judges: Robert Bathurst, Paul Donovan, Nell Leyshon)

The panel of judges taken from within and outside the BBC are:
Michael Billington, Theatre Critic, The Guardian
Kevin Brew, Producer, RTE
Ian Brown, Artistic Director, West Yorkshire Playhouse
Lisa Campbell, Editor, Broadcast
Susannah Clapp, Theatre Critic, The Observer
Andrew Davies, British Author and Screenwriter
Daniel Evans, Artistic Director, Sheffield Crucible
Viv Gardner, Professor of Theatre Studies, Manchester
Rupert Goold, Artistic Director, Headlong Theatre and Associate Director, RSC
Lord Hall of Birkenhead, Chief Executive, Royal Opera House
John Hardy, Composer
Kate Harwood, Controller, Series and Serials TV Drama
Christopher William Hill, Radio Dramatist and Playwright
Razia Iqbal, Journalist, BBC News
Nicolas Kent, Artistic Director, Tricycle Theatre
Robin Lustig, Journalist, BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4
Elisabeth Mahoney, Radio Critic, The Guardian
Julie Myerson, Author and Critic
Maxine Peake, Actress
Gillian Reynolds, Radio Critic, The Daily Telegraph
Fiammetta Rocco, Editor of Books and Arts, The Economist
Miranda Sawyer, Radio Critic, The Observer
Sarah Sands, Deputy Editor, Evening Standard
Imogen Stubbs, Actress and Playwright
Jane Thynne, Radio Critic, The Independent
Dame Harriet Walter CBE
Stephen Wright, Head of Drama, BBC Northern Ireland