Submitting stories to the Readings Unit

The Afternoon Reading is broadcast each weekday from Monday to Friday, starting at 3:30pm.

Brief guidelines for writers submitting short stories

The BBC Radio Drama Readings Unit welcomes unsolicited submissions from writers new to radio for their annual series, Opening Lines, which is broadcast in the Afternoon Reading slot at 3.30 p.m.

The next window for sending in material is September 28 2009 - November 30 2009. Stories submitted outside this time-frame will be returned unread. We will read and respond to your story within three months of the submission deadline.

Content and format

We are looking for original short stories with a strong emphasis on narrative, avoiding too much dialogue, character description, and digression. The BBC has a rigorous taste and decency policy so we cannot accept stories of a sexist or racist nature, or those which use swearwords. The time allotted for each story is around 14 minutes, which means stories must be between 1,900 and 2,000 words in length.

Submissions must be typed and double-spaced on A4 paper and it is important to put your name and address on the script itself. Please do not send a cassette or CD recording of the text.

Submission details

When submitting your work, please include a SAE and a brief covering letter giving your name, email address (if applicable), the story's title, word count, and details of your writing track record. We regret that we can only accept one submission per writer and if we intend to broadcast your story we shall contact you.

Stories that fall outside these guidelines will be returned unread.

Please send us a copy of your story, not your original work.

If you would like to submit work, please send it to:

BBC Radio Drama Readings
Room G12
East Wing
Bush House
Aldwych
London
WC2B 4PH