From three friends on a quest for good sex to a heartbreaking exploration of the IPP prison scandal, the shortlists for this year’s Imison and Tinniswood awards celebrate some of the very best new audio drama.
This year’s Imison Award shortlistees are Do Not Disturb: ‘Good Sex in Progress’ by Sherise Blackman, A Tale of Two Trumpets by Sylvia-Anne Parker and When Maggie Met Larry by Tim Walker. The award recognises the best original script by a writer new to radio and the winner will receive £3,000. It was judged by members of the Society of Authors’ Scriptwriters Group: Connor Allen, Imogen Church, James Clarke, Juliet Gilkes-Romero, Sean Grundy, Robin Mukherjee and Rhiannon Tise.
James Fritz, Waleed Akhtar, Oliver Emanuel and Sarah Wooley are the shortlisted writers for this year’s Tinniswood Award, which recognises the best audio drama script of the year. The winner will receive £3,000 in prize money. The Tinniswood Award judges this year were Nell Leyshon, Christopher William Hill and Linda Marshall-Griffiths.
The Imison and Tinniswood Awards are presented each year as part of the BBC Audio Drama Awards. The 2026 awards are for a drama broadcast or made available online in the UK between 1 October 2024 and 31 October 2025.
Both awards will be presented as part of the BBC Audio Drama Awards on Sunday 1 March in the Radio Theatre. See the full list of BBC Audio Drama Awards finalists here.
The 2026 Imison Award shortlist
Do Not Disturb: ‘Good Sex in Progress’ by Sherise Blackman, producer Victoria Lloyd (Platform Media, Audible) | Listen
Meet Sade, Saffron and Raquel: three bold, Black, 30-somethings from South London, all on a quest for good sex. Insatiable Sade can’t get enough, until a health issue puts her sex life on hold. Saffron thinks she’s finally found her dream man, but her toxic ex Devon isn’t letting go that easily. And Raquel? This lovestruck hippy seems to have it all figured out, except how to tell her step-mum that she’s gay. They’re all living their best lives in so many ways but when it comes to love, sex and self-discovery, there’s no such thing as ‘Do Not Disturb’ between three best friends.
The judges said: “The dialogue was natural and felt like listening to everyday people. The characterisation shone and the dialogue was splendid, energetic and plausible. It was entertaining whilst resonating which made it striking. We knew where we were with each of the characters as they had their own journey. It has a great premise and the three women are brilliantly observed. The content is bold, and the frank discussions of sex, sexuality and women’s bodies are fresh and fearless.’
Sherise Blackman is a multi-hyphenate actor, writer, and producer with a sharp, fearless voice. She is the creator and lead writer on Audible Original scripted comedy series Do Not Disturb where she also stars as the lead character ‘Saffron’. Her writer credits include staff writer on Sky’s Dreamland (S2) and writers’ assistant on Netflix/Shondaland’s Bridgerton (S2). Sherise is a dynamic creative with a passion for bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and storytelling that resonates.
A Tale of Two Trumpets by Sylvia-Anne Parker, producer Kirsty Williams (BBC Audio Scotland; BBC Radio 4) | Listen
A music-fuelled drama set in the court of Henry VIII and playfully inspired by the life of Black Tudor and royal trumpeter – John Blanke. When Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII lose a child, the King prepares a celebration of the baby prince’s life and calls in the trailblazing trumpeter John Blanke to help him… And when John sees an opportunity to also help Henry VIII’s private passions, little does he know that his timely intervention will change the course of history in more ways than one…
The judges said: “This is a bold and engaging piece that brings a moment in history to life in a fresh and compelling way. It’s packed with strong characters and carries a clear, confident story from start to finish. It highlights social issues that were present then and still resonate today. The use of language and sound paints vivid images throughout, making it an enjoyable and memorable experience that stays with you long after it ends. It is fun, accessible, lively, with a great use of music bringing the fascinating, historical story of John Blanke to light in a hugely enjoyable way, particularly with its juxtaposition of Tudor and modern vibes. It was enjoyable, uplifting, inspiring and informative and well-suited to the medium of radio”.
Sylvia-Anne Parker is a London born writer for film and TV. She has films in development with Zubick Films and Starchild Pictures/BFI. A Fellow of the Sundance Episodic Lab with her TV pilot Blackbirds, she enjoys creating stories featuring ordinary people, placed in extraordinary circumstances, who manage to overcome adversity.
When Maggie Met Larry by Tim Walker, producer Catherine Bailey (Catherine Bailey Productions; BBC Radio 4) Listen
In 1976 when Margaret Thatcher became the leader of the Conservative Party she turned to Laurence Olivier, one of the country’s greatest actors – for presentational advice. In Tim Walker’s debut Radio 4 drama When Maggie Met Larry, he imagines what they may have said to each other ahead of Thatcher becoming Prime Minister. Derek Jacobi plays Olivier and Frances Barber, Margaret Thatcher. The Observer marvelled at how the play ‘even managed to bring slapstick to the genres that radio can master, given the chance.’ The play is authoritative on the world of politics and acting as they increasingly meet, but also funny because of its powerful grasp of the human condition and its absurdities. Thatcher is ambitious but painfully insecure while Olivier is only too well aware of his failing powers. Together they begin an era where performance has become every bit as important as policies in modern politics.
The judges said: “This is engaging and elegantly written and rang so many bells in recalling that era and particularly resonant for those who remember the Brighton conference bombing. Tim Walker reconstructs a moment of history with wit, authority, and absurd humour. The play demands attention for its sheer ambition, its journalistic intelligence, and its acute understanding of the human condition. It is brilliantly observed with well written characters from the real-life personas of Margaret Thatcher and Laurence Olivier with some wonderfully comic exchanges, effectively done.”
When Maggie Met Larry is Tim Walker‘s first play for radio. Bloody Difficult Women, his debut stage play, was first performed in 2022 at the Riverside Studios in London, and, later that year, at the Assembly Rooms during the Edinburgh Fringe. He previously worked in national newspapers.
ABOUT THE IMISON AWARD
The Imison Award is administered by the Society of Authors and was founded in memory of BBC script editor and producer Richard Imison. Previous winners including Isley Lynn, Andrew McCaldon, Connor Allen, Faebian Averies, Fraser Ayres, Vicky Foster, Lulu Raczka, Adam Usden, Mike Bartlett, Gabriel Gbadamosi, and Nell Leyshon. We would like to thank all producers, writers and agents who have entered the awards, and the Peggy Ramsay Foundation and Hawthornden Foundation for supporting.
The 2026 Tinniswood Award shortlist
Life And Time: Fourteen Years by James Fritz | Listen here
Directed by Tracey Neale | BBC Radio 4, 44 minutes
A heartbreaking exploration of the IPP prison scandal.
Two prisoners are on Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences. The first is a young man who has committed his first offence. The second a returning prisoner who is now in his late 70s and struggling to cope with life in prison. Both lives are caught up in a Kafkaesque nightmare from which there seems to be no escape.
For Martin time is spinning out of control. Time is just falling through his fingers and being lost day after day, year after year. Will life always be behind a prison wall?
James Fritz is a writer from South London.
Plays for stage include The Flea (The Yard), Lava (Fifth Word/Soho Theatre), The Fall (National Youth Theatre/Southwark Playhouse), Parliament Square (Royal Exchange/Bush Theatre), Start Swimming (Young Vic), Ross & Rachel (Assembly/BAC/59E59), Four Minutes Twelve Seconds (Hampstead Theatre/Trafalgar Studios) and LINES (Rosemary Branch Theatre).
Plays for audio include: Life and Time, The Test Batter Can’t Breathe, Dear Harry Kane, Eight Point Nine Nine, Death Of A Cosmonaut, Comment Is Free (all BBC Radio 4) and Skyscraper Lullaby (Audible Originals)
Mrs Bibi by Waleed Akhtar | Listen here (subscription required)
Directed by Tessa Walker | Audible, 67 minutes
Yasmin’s career is finally taking off. After years of fighting for visibility in the theatre, the British-Pakistani actress lands the eponymous role of Mrs. Bibi – the ultimate aunty-ji – in a hit primetime sitcom. Her newfound success means a steady paycheck, the possibility of owning her own home, and a carefree fling with a charming young assistant director.
But when her estranged sister arrives with news of their mother, Yasmin’s hard-won stability is shaken to its core. Forced to reckon with her ambitions, her family’s needs, and her place in an industry that both elevates and exploits her identity, Yasmin’s world tilts in unexpected ways.
Waleed Akhtar is an award-winning writer and actor. He won an Olivier for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theater for his play The P Word, and Most Promising Playwright at The Off West End Awards for Kabul Goes Pop: Music Television Afghanistan. He is also a recipient of a MGC Futures bursary, the Peggy Ramsey Foundation / Film 4 Playwrights Scheme, and was selected for the BBC Spotlight initiative. He wrote episode 5 of The Road Trip for Paramount + and his short Lost Paradise was produced by the UK Film Council and played in festivals across Europe. He is currently in development on a number of TV projects and has commissions with the Unicorn, Almeida, and is on attachment at the Royal Court.
One Hundred and Fifty Days by Oliver Emanuel | Listen here.
Directed by Kirsty Williams | BBC Audio Scotland, BBC Radio 4, 44 minutes
Oliver Emanuel was part way through writing an audio drama when he found he could no longer read. He had brain cancer.
He paused writing his play about a man and a woman caught in a rip tide, imagining the life they might have had together. And began a creative response to his illness. He wanted it broadcast. He also wanted his unfinished play broadcast.
In order to fulfil his wishes, Kirsty Williams (his collaborator and producer) and Victoria Beesley (his life partner) abridged his writing on brain cancer and wove it through the unfinished play. The two pieces started to talk to one another as if Olly’s characters were sitting in his imagination – at times supporting him, sometimes distracting him.
The result is a unique view into the experience of cancer and of the slow disintegration of language that brain cancer can have. A meditation on life and love.
Oliver Emanuel was a playwright for radio and stage based in Scotland. He wrote over 25 dramas for radio, winning a host of prestigious awards, including a Tinniswood for When the Pips Stop. He died in December 2024.
Star by Sarah Wooley
Directed by Abigail le Fleming | BBC Radio 3, 89 minutes
Judy Garland is determined to make a comeback. She and husband Sid Luft get the rights to remake classic 30s film ‘A Star Is Born’ as a musical. This time, they will be in control. Who better to write the music than Judy’s lifelong friend Harold Arlen, the composer of her biggest hit ‘Over the Rainbow’? Arlen was responsible for some of the most famous songs in the world: ‘It’s Only a Paper Moon’, ‘Stormy Weather’, ‘That Old Black Magic’ – he sound-tracked the first half of the twentieth century. He recruits Ira Gershwin to write the lyrics, and everyone gets to work. But Judy’s demons are never far away, and everyone has underestimated the power of the Hollywood machine… This is a story about love, friendship and struggle, set against the backdrop of McCarthy’s America, where loyalty has become a complicated thing and compassion is in short supply.
Sarah Wooley is an award-winning writer and director working across Radio, TV and Theatre.
She has written many plays and series for Radio including the critically acclaimed The National (Radio 4) Victim (Radio 3) 1977 (Radio 4) and Moving Music (Radio 4). In 2020 she won best adaptation at the BBC Audio Drama Awards for her adaptation of Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates.
Her theatre work includes the sell-out hit Old Money which opened at the Hampstead Theatre main stage in 2012, starring Maureen Lipman and Tracy Anne Obermann.
Her work for TV includes Under the Concrete, Waiting which was written as part of the Coming Up Scheme with Channel 4 and the series Making It which is currently in development. She is a graduate on the Channel 4 writers’ scheme and is currently developing a number of TV projects with independent production companies.
ABOUT THE TINNISWOOD AWARD
The Tinniswood Award was established by the Society of Authors and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain to perpetuate the memory of Peter Tinniswood as well as to celebrate and encourage high standards in radio drama. Previous winners include Edson Burton, Shôn Dale-Jones, Anita Sullivan, Sonya Hale, Christopher Douglas, Ian Martin, Sarah Woods, Oliver Emanuel, Morwenna Banks, Mike Bartlett, and Colin Teevan. We are very grateful to the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society for its generous sponsorship, including the £3,000 prize. The 2026 award is for a drama broadcast or made available online in the UK between 1 October 2024 and 31 October 2025.
