Celebrating the best in radio and podcasting

The shortlists have been announced for the 2026 Arias – the most prestigious awards in radio and podcasting.

Up for best comedy are

• French & Saunders: Titting About (Listen and Audible)
• From The Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast (Baby Cow and Audible) 
• It’s A Fair Cop with Alfie Moore (BBC Studios Audio for BBC Radio 4)
• IM1 (Manx Radio)
• Scott Bennett: Blood Sugar Baby (DLT Entertainment for BBC Radio 4) 
• Shagged, Married, Annoyed with Chris and Rosie Ramsey (Avalon) 
• The Jon Richardson Show(Absolute Radio)
• The Matt Forde Focus Group (Avalon for BBC Radio 4)
• The Skewer (Unusual for BBC Radio 4)
• Where There’s A Will There’s A Wake (Sony Music Entertainment )

Elsewhere, Romesh Ranganathan’s Radio 2 show is shortlisted for best music entertainment and Comedians Chatting Cancer – a tie-up between Cancer Research UK and Acast – is up for best commercial partnership.

And Lyra, the comedy-drama about a possible alien baby created by double act Goodbear (Joe Barnes and Henry Perryment) and co-starring Rose Matafeo, Charlotte Ritchie and Ed Kear is nominated in the best drama or fiction category, as is the satirical comedy Four Gammons And A Unicorn.

Angelos Epithemiou comedian Dan Skinner swimming with the Blue Tits Chill Swimmers off the Pembrokeshire coast in a podcast made for Great Western Railway is up for Radio Times Moment of the Year.

Winners will be announced by the Audio Academy on May 21, at a ceremony at the Roundhouse in London hosted by Rylan. 

Published: 23 Apr 2026