Best Prize Winning Short Stories Podcasts (2025)

1
Review: Sondheim's final musical Here We Are, The Marching Band, Daniel Kehlmann's The Director 42:31

17h ago42:31

42:31

David Benedict and Viv Groskop review Stephen Sondheim’s final musical, Here We Are, a surreal story of brunch and existential dread; French film about about grassroots music, The Marching Band and Daniel Kehlmann’s new novel, The Director, about a real life German filmmaker navigating the Third Reich. Presenter: Tom SutcliffeProducer: Simon Richar…

1
Europe, an unfinished love story 17:52

2d ago17:52

17:52

This week, a not-so-classic 'girl meets boy' story. Başak Layic, storyteller extraordinaire, reflects on what the European Dream looks like from the outside. This story was recorded live at SPUI25 in Amsterdam as part of 'Europe Up For Grabs?', an event organised for Europe Day 2025 by DutchCulture and the European Cultural Foundation. You can watc…

1
Ocean with Attenborough, Garden Design, Turning Contemporary Politics into Opera 42:43

1d ago42:43

42:43

Colin Bulfield, Executive Producer of the new film Ocean With Attenborough, talks about working with the celebrated broadcaster and filmmaker Sir David Attenborough on his latest project, an exploration of the vital importance of healthy oceans to our planet which is in cinemas around the country now. Current exhibitions at V&A Dundee and the Briti…

1
Morcheeba perform, Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway 100th anniversary 42:22

3d ago42:22

42:22

Novelist Elif Shafak, artist and writer Edmund de Waal and Professor Rachel Bowlby join Samira to discuss the centenary of Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway. As the Semi Finals of Eurovision start tonight in Basel, Switzerland, Paddy O'Connell talks about this year's contest. Four hundred leading British Artists such as Paul McCartney and Kate Bush hav…

1
Suzanne Vega sings in the studio, P Diddy trial, Mother Courage in County Durham 42:22

4d ago42:22

42:22

Suzanne Vega has just released her first album of all-new material for nearly a decade. "Flying With Angels" continues her folk-influenced sound and introduces influences of soul as well as a song in tribute to Bob Dylan's "I Want You". She performs in the studio with guitarist Gerry Leonard. Sean Combs aka P Diddy is on trial in New York, charged …

1
Episode 2: The Poster Child 35:44

5d ago35:44

35:44

In her home state of Rhode Island, Sarah builds her reputation as a celebrated war hero. But as her public profile grows, so do the quiet doubts. Get early, ad-free access to more episodes of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and …

1
Episode 1: The Warrior 40:50

5d ago40:50

40:50

A mysterious handwritten letter arrives from Sarah Cavanaugh. In it, she asks: What do you think of my crime? Get early, ad-free access to more episodes of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Access ad-free episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows …

1
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Alex Borstein Performs "Sparrow" by George Saunders 19:26

7d ago19:26

19:26

By Step Into the Story. Be Transformed.

1
Stephanie Bast, Emerging Screenwriter Interview 35:01

8d ago35:01

35:01

Stephanie Bast was abandoned in Korea, adopted by Italians and raised in a town so small and white, someone asked: “How are you gonna understand her when she starts speaking?” Fiercely loved and protected, she was taught to fear “the other” while knowing “the other” was herself. She started to write comedy to heal a wound. Now she writes to heal ot…

1
Review, The Wedding Banquet, Isabel Allende, The Brightening Air 42:34

8d ago42:34

42:34

Authors Matt Cain and Eimear McBride join Tom Sutcliffe to review a new remake of Ang Lee's 1993 classic The Wedding Banquet. They also discuss Isabel Allende's new novel My Name is Emilia del Valle and the play The Brightening Air, on at the Old Vic theatre in London. And the National Gallery is having a re-hang, we speak to Head of the Curatorial…

1
Is a pregnant nun about to crash Poland's election? 1:12:58

9d ago1:12:58

1:12:58

In theory, the government's guy looks set to win Poland's presidential election, making life a hell of a lot easier for Donald Tusk as he attempts to undo eight years of destructive authoritarian rule under the previous rightwing populists. But might a pregnant nun swoop in and change everything at the last minute? For an explanation of this metaph…

1
Leni Riefenstahl, Queen Elizabeth Memorial, Keli 42:26

9d ago42:26

42:26

Acclaimed German journalist and film producer Sandra Maischberger talks about her new documentary about Leni Riefenstahl, which re-examines the life and career of the filmmaker and Nazi propagandist who was one of the most controversial women of the 20th century. Art historian and curator Sandy Nairne, a member of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Commi…

1
Hamlet Radiohead mashup, Stoke-on-Trent pottery in crisis 42:23

10d ago42:23

42:23

In the wake of President Trump's proposed film tariffs, Jake Kanter, International Investigations Editor at Deadline, discusses what the impact could be for the British film industry. Last week Moorcroft became the latest heritage ceramic company to close its doors in Stoke-On-Trent. Emma Bridgewater, founder of the eponymous ceramics company, and …

1
A snapshot of culture on VE Day 1945 42:08

11d ago42:08

42:08

To mark the 80th anniversary this week, we explore British culture around VE Day in 1945, reflecting on the music, books, films and theatre that defined the moment and the complex emotional landscape that followed the war’s end. Songwriter and pianist Kate Garner joins us at the piano. Guests: Michael Billington, theatre critic; Ian Christie, film …

1
Introducing Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah 3:01

12d ago3:01

3:01

Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah is available wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/p…

1
Homeland's Zuleikha Robinson Performs "Replacement Theory" by Danzy Senna 45:41

14d ago45:41

45:41

By Step Into the Story. Be Transformed.

1
Ryan Coogler on Sinners, The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, Book Bans in the US 42:23

13d ago42:23

42:23

US director Ryan Coogler on his supernatural horror film, Sinners. Anne Sebba discusses her new book, The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, about the orchestra formed in 1943 among the female prisoners at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. And as a new report looking at so-called book banning in the United States is published, we talked to au…

1
Review: John Lennon docs, Tina Fey's The Four Seasons and The Great Gatsby musical 41:51

15d ago41:51

41:51

Critic Kate Maltby and Beatles author Ian Leslie join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss two documentaries about John Lennon remaking his life in New York - Borrowed Time: Lennon's Last Decade and One to One: John & Yoko. They also discuss Tina Fey’s new series The Four Seasons, based on the 1981 film of the same name, which explores the relationships of thr…

1
King James VI & I, Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, The Extraordinary Miss Flower 41:59

15d ago41:59

41:59

Jeff Pope on his new series Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, the innocent man who was killed by police on a London tube in 2005, which launches tonight on Disney+. James VI of Scotland & I of England is the subject of a major exhibition at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. We’re joined by the historical writers Lucy Hu…

1
How to make sense of Europe's place in the world right now 46:52

16d ago46:52

46:52

The world is in flux. What's Europe's place in it, exactly? This week, we're bringing you something different: a big, sprawling conversation with leading European historian Timothy Garton Ash. Can anything good come from Trumpism for this continent? What can be done to stop autocrats like Viktor Orbán from undermining the EU from the inside? And do…

1
Noddy Holder of Slade, Stephen Rea and Simone de Beauvoir 41:53

17d ago41:53

41:53

In 1975, at the height of their fame, British band Slade made a feature film, Slade in Flame. The film was a critical and commercial failure at the time, but has built up a cult following over the years. Now it's being re-released in cinemas and on DVD. Frontman Noddy Holder and film director Richard Loncraine spoke to Samira Ahmed in studio. With …

1
Universal Theme Park, Olivier award-winning play Giant, Two to One 42:18

18d ago42:18

42:18

Mark Rosenblatt on Giant, his Olivier award-winning play starring John Lithgow as Roald Dahl. As Universal Studios announce plans for a major new theme park in Bedfordshire, what does this mean for the UK entertainment industry? Samira is joined by entertainment journalist Ella Baskerville and Gareth Smy from Framestore to discuss its signficance a…

1
Introducing Underbelly: Killing Kurt 2:32

19d ago2:32

2:32

We’re sharing a trailer from season three of the Underbelly podcast: Killing Kurt. Kurt Calabrese grew up in the shadow of his father, Frank “The Breeze” Calabrese Sr., a feared hitman for the Chicago Outfit. In a home ruled by violence and paranoia, loyalty wasn’t a choice... it was survival. Then came the Family Secrets Trial, exposing 18 unsolve…

1
Short Film Table Read, "Suicide at Noon" by Merrit Chelsey Schmidt 27:31

23d ago27:31

27:31

Suicide at Noon Logline: A newly organized but suicidal woman must withstand the various objections of her friends and family and convince them to support her or be forced to cancel her perfectly scheduled upcoming suicide.By Merrit Chelsey Schmidt

1
Review: Self Esteem's album A Complicated Woman; RSC's Much Ado About Nothing; Julie Keeps Quiet tennis film 42:30

22d ago42:30

42:30

Journalist Siân Pattenden & critic Stephanie Merritt join Tom to discuss Self Esteem's third album A Complicated Woman, which features collaborations with Nadine Shah and Moonchild Sanelly. Ahead of the release, Self Esteem AKA Rebecca Lucy Taylor showcased the album by staging a five-night theatrical presentation at London's Duke of York theatre. …

1
Hungary's Pride crackdown, Ukrainian sleuths, and 158 barrels of poop 1:06:27

23d ago1:06:27

1:06:27

We've got a veritable smörgåsbord for you this week on The Europeans, from human rights in Hungary to the sorry tale of two Danish sustainability influencers whose eco-resort business went spectacularly wrong. We discuss why Viktor Orbán is concentrating so much effort on bullying the LGBTQI community at a time when Hungary has major problems to fi…

1
The ethics of publishing posthumous diaries, Pianist Igor Levit, and Memorials to great women. 42:06

23d ago42:06

42:06

As the journals of the American writer Joan Didion (based on conversations with her psychiatrist) are published, writer and journalist Rachel Cooke and Alan Taylor, editor of actor Alan Rickman's diaries, discuss the challenges, responsibilities and ethics of posthumously publishing the diaries of great writers, artists and actors. Acclaimed German…

1
Dante's Inferno in Jamaica, Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time re-examined, Shakespeare's first theatre 42:32

24d ago42:32

42:32

Jamaica's former poet laureate, Lorna Goodison, on setting Dante's Inferno on the island of her birth; Journalist Joanna Moorhead on Pope Francis' relationship with the arts; Poet and librettist Michael Symmons Roberts on writing a form-breaking book to re-examine French composer Olivier Messiaen's form-breaking masterwork - Quartet for the End of …

1
JMW Turner: 250th anniversary of Britain's greatest painter 42:24

25d ago42:24

42:24

Mr. Turner director Mike Leigh, art historian Charlotte Mullins and senior curator at Tate Amy Concannon join Tom Sutcliffe to celebrate the life and work of JMW Turner, as we approach the 250th anniversary of his birth. Also in this edition, David Hockney on Turner's skill as an artist, Alvaro Barrington talks about his continuing influence on art…

1
Script Consultant Pioneer Linda Seger discusses her latest book, "Unpacking" 59:24

28d ago59:24

59:24

There's a lot to unpack here as Linda Seger is full of interesting stories and lessons learned along the way. As a pioneering female entrepreneur, she was on the cutting edge of a new type of business - being a screenplay consultant. Her passion, drive, and wiliness to dive into every opportunity took her from small town Wisconsin to lecturing arou…

1
Crazy Rich Asians' Gemma Chan Performs "21st Century Juliet" by Rose Tremain 32:21

28d ago32:21

32:21

By Step Into the Story. Be Transformed.

1
Review: Alex Garland's film Warfare, Audition by Katie Kitamura, Shanghai Dolls by Amy Ng on stage 42:20

29d ago42:20

42:20

Alex Garland's latest film Warfare, which is co-directed by US military veteran Ray Mendoza turns back the clock back nearly twenty years to reconstruct a real-life surveillance mission in Iraq. Film critic Tim Robey and journalist Zing Tsjeng give their verdict on the analysis of the theatre of war, which unfolds in real time. They've also been to…

1
Inside Europe: Exploring Grief 54:31

1M ago54:31

54:31

We're away this week, but you're in good company: our friends at Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany's international broadcaster, are here to fill in for us. On this special edition of DW's weekly podcast Inside Europe, the team takes a break from the news to explore grief as a lens for understanding global events. Author Sarah Jaffe joins host Kate Layco…

1
Emerging Screenwriter Interview: Adam Karpel 51:12

1M ago51:12

51:12

A native New Yorker, Adam received a BFA from Ithaca College and completed one year of his MFA at UCLA before deciding to quit because those hard wooden classroom chairs were really chafing his ass. Writing began for him when his first play was produced at the West Coast Ensemble Theater in Hollywood. A creative executive who happened to be in the …

1
Photographer Susan Meiselas, The Impact of Trump's Tariffs on Musical Instrument Manufacturers, Author Ewan Morrison. 42:18

1M ago42:18

42:18

American documentary photographer and President of the Magnum Foundation Susan Meiselas speaks about her fifty-year career, as she receives the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025, and as her work goes on display at Somerset House in London. We hear how President Trump's economic tariffs are affec…

1
Muriel's Wedding the Musical, Dr Who, Anthony Horowitz on Marble Hall Murders 42:17

1M ago42:17

42:17

Director and Screenwriter PJ Hogan, creator of the 1994 comedy Muriel's wedding, speaks to Samira Ahmed about the new musical adaptation of his film. With lead actors leaving, and ratings down, there are questions about the future of Doctor Who. Author John Higgs, and entertainment writer Caroline Frost, talk about the past, present and future of t…

1
La Bamba's Lou Diamond Phillips Performs "Salud La Luz" by Dashiel Carrera 28:44

1M ago28:44

28:44

By Step Into the Story. Be Transformed.

1
Review: Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes in The Return, On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle, Holy Cow film 42:06

1M ago42:06

42:06

Classics professor Edith Hall and writer Lawrence Norfolk join Tom to review The Return, a retelling of the end of Homer’s Odyssey, where the hero Odysseus returns to his kingdom decades after the battle of Troy to find his wife Queen Penelope fending off suitors out to take his throne. The film stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche talk to Tom …

1
Tesla, Turkey, and unnecessary trash 56:46

1M ago56:46

56:46

We're taking the Schadenfreude approach to the chaos that Trump's tariffs have unleashed upon Europe (and the rest of the world). This week, our favourite Luxembourger Nina Lamparski joins Dominic to explain why sales of Elon Musk's Tesla cars have already plunged in Europe and could now fare even worse thanks to his best bud's trade policies. We'r…

1
Tracy Chapman, the Arthur Miller moment in UK theatres, Rock Royalty 42:03

1M ago42:03

42:03

Singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman talks about the re-release of her eponymous debut album after 35 years, about how those songs of oppression and aspiration, written so long ago, speak to us today, and about going from almost unknown to world famous in one performance. We ask two directors of productions of The Crucible (by Scottish Ballet, and at Sh…

1
Kym Marsh on Abigail's Party, Severance creator Dan Erickson, film franchises in flux 42:38

1M ago42:38

42:38

Kym Marsh on stepping into the iconic role of Beverly in theatre classic Abigail's Party as the play opens at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Film critic Hannah Strong and George Pundek, co-host of the Pulp Kitchen film podcast, on why so many of the big film franchises are facing difficulties. Severance creator Dan Erickson on making a t…

1
Manhunt play by Robert Icke, new Edwardians exhibition, film director Waris Hussein 42:44

1M ago42:44

42:44

Theatre director Robert Icke's production of Oedipus won best revival and a best actress award for Lesley Manville at last night's Olivier Awards - but his new play Manhunt is now demanding his attention at the Royal Court Theatre in London. The drama focuses on the story of Raoul Moat who attacked his ex-girlfriend and killed her new boyfriend bef…

1
The White Lotus's Jason Isaacs & More Perform Bite-Sized Love Stories 27:00

1M ago27:00

27:00

Christopher Gorham performs "A Happy Dream" by Steve Almond. Gethin Anthony performs "Crazy Glue" by Etgar Keret. Jason Isaacs and Gina Bellman perform "Happy Endings" by Margaret Atwood. ★ Support this podcast ★By Step Into the Story. Be Transformed.

1
Reviews of Mobland, The Most Precious of Cargoes and Giuseppe Penone exhibition 42:27

1M ago42:27

42:27

Nancy Durrant and Jason Solomons join Tom to review:The new offering from Guy Ritchie, Mobland, with familiar themes of drug gangs and violence and starring Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Tom Hardy, amongst others.Giuseppe Penone's Thoughts in the Roots exhibition which is in and outside the Serpentine gallery, expanding on the significance of trees…

1
Rockets, recipes and Le Pen(itentiary) 53:30

1M ago53:30

53:30

Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for the French presidency after this week's bombshell court ruling finding her guilty in a huge embezzlement case. But does she have any chance of a comeback? And could the far-right win the presidency without her? This week we're discussing the earthquake in French politics, as well as Europe's space ambi…

1
Tilda Swinton, Michael Sheen on the new Welsh National Theatre, Richard Burton's influential teacher 42:13

1M ago42:13

42:13

Tilda Swinton talks about her role in Joshua Oppenheimer's post-apocalyptic musical film The End, and about her intention to take a break from acting, Actor and artistic director of the new Welsh National Theatre Michael Sheen, and screenwriter Russell T Davies reveal plans for the company's first season. Plus we discuss the influence of schoolmast…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Prize Winning Short Stories Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen