Finalists announced

Chris Cantrill, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Michael Spicer and Alfie Moore have all been named as finalists in this year’s BBC Audio Drama Awards.

The accolades are now in their 15th year, and celebrate standout work in audio drama and comedy from across the UK and beyond.

Cantrill is up for best comedy performance for his role in Radio 4 comedy Icklewick FM, were his has been nominated ahead of hs co-star Amy Gledhill. The show itself is also in the running for best stand-up or sketch comedy.

The finalists in the comedy categories are all for shows on Radio 4. They are:

Best comedy performance

• Chris Cantrill for Icklewick FM
• Jon Culshaw for Churchill’s Bust
• Michael Spicer for  Michael Spicer: No Room

Best sitcom or comedy drama

• Crybabies Presents… Yours, Fatally by Michael Clarke, James Gault and Ed Jones. Producer Benjamin Sutton for Boffola Pictures 
• Icklewick FM by Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill. Producer Benjamin Sutton for Daddy’s Superyacht Production
• Lyra by Joe Barnes and Henry Perryment. Producer James Robinson for BBC Studios Audio.

Best Stand Up or Sketch Comedy

• It’s a Fair Cop by Alfie Moore. Producer Carl Cooper for BBC Studios Audio
• Meet David Sedaris by David Sedaris. Producer Steve Doherty for Giddy Goat Productions
• Tough Crowd by Kiri Pritchard‑McLean. Producer Suzy Grant for Listen

Lyra was a one-off comedy drama in which old friends Mike and Hunter find a baby in a crater in the woods, and co-starred Rose Matafeo, Charlotte Ritchie and Ed Kear alongside the stars. And Pritchard-McLean’s Tough Crowd was a stand-up special exploring her experiences of becoming a foster carer.

Among this year’s acting finalists are Ncuti Gatwa, nominated for his rstarring role in Gatsby in Harlem; Sir Derek Jacobi for his portrayal of Laurence Olivier in When Maggie Met Larry; and Lydia Leonard for her performance as Kay Swift in Gershwin and Miss Swift.

The winners of the 2026 BBC Audio Drama Awards will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday March 1 at the BBC’s Radio Theatre.

Click here for a full list of finalists. 

Published: 21 Jan 2026