Until last week, I’d never been to BBC Broadcasting House, but it was somewhere I’d always wanted to go. So I was excited when the invite to the BBC National Short Story Award prizegiving dropped through my letterbox and I saw that the event had moved from its traditional home at the Freeword Centre to the BBC Radio Theatre. And the Beeb didn’t disappoint.
They have Daleks!
And Dr Who parks his Tardis there when he’s not using it. I kept grabbing people to photograph in front of it (see below). I neglected to get a photo of me in front of the Tardis though, which I regret now. I have a pic of me in front of an old Police Box on a motorway siding that my folks took when I was about 3. I’m wearing red cords in it, which were in at the time. It was the late 70s.
Anyway, here are a few photos from the night – which marked the beginning of a big week for the short story, with Alice Munro winning the Nobel Prize and getting all us story folk waving our flags (next year Haruki, next year).
Congrats to BBC National Short Story Award 2013 winner Sarah Hall, and runner-up Lucy Wood.
While waiting for their cue to begin, Radio 4’s John Wilson and Mariella Frostrup joke about Mariella’s new show, “Sex Box”, suggesting they could send someone into a box on stage to read a book before getting them to discuss the experience.
Katie Slade from Comma Press, KJ Orr, BBC NSSA runner-up Lucy Wood and partner find the Tardis at the BBC National Short Story Awards 2013.
David Vann, Nadifa Mohamed and her friend Mary are very proud of their shiny new Dalek.
KJ Orr and I look so cheeky because we just stole our name badges even though we were told to hand them in. Rock and roll.
The Newsroom at BBC Broadcasting House – no flash photography!
BBC Broadcasting House is so pretty at night, don’t you think? Looks peaceful, but just imagine all the telly that’s going on in there.
Claire Shanahan and Hannah Davies from Booktrust arrive at the pub on a cloud of petals for post-event drinks.
The Booktrust folk are always the last to leave. Don’t ever try to stay up later than them. It’s impossible. Katherine Woodfine, Claire Shanahan, Hannah Davies and Rosi Crawley.
PS. If you’re a story fan, you might enjoy Sarah Hall’s Guardian piece from yesterday about the state of the short story in the UK. Tis good.
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