Best Audiobook: Non-Fiction
The winner and shortlist for the Best Audiobook: Non-Fiction category at The British Audio Awards. Sponsored by Spotify - media partner The Countryfile Plodcast
For general non-fiction audio, including narrative and lifestyle non-fiction books not otherwise covered by the other categories. The audiobook categories celebrate the process from text to listener, including the work of the narrator and audio production team.
Winner
Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton?
Jo Hamilton
Blink
Monica Dolan
Charlotte Brown
Monica Dolan’s narration captured all the emotion and trauma of Jo Hamilton’s memoir of the Post Office Horizon scandal.
“Brilliant casting and brilliant acting of an extraordinary story,” said the judges. “It shows how audio can provide great new ways to connect with audiences that a book wouldn’t otherwise reach.”
They also admired the extra content of a conversation between author and narrator, and Bonnier’s sensitively handled campaigns that brought the pair together for media appearances and promotional content.
Shortlist
Default Step
A Voyage Around the Queen
Craig Brown
Fourth Estate
Craig Brown, Harriet Walter
Alex Rayment
Fresh and funny, satirist Craig Brown paints a vivid portrait of the late queen with an anarchic collection of anecdotes, broadcasts and revealing details from those who knew or encountered this inimitable woman. Pitch-perfect narration from Harriet Walter, were combined with interjections from Brown.
Henry V
Dan Jones
Apollo
Dan Jones
N/a
The UK's bestselling medieval historian Dan Jones puts in a rousing performance narrating his biography of Henry V. Scholarly but accessible, it's a high-energy and immersive ride through the turbulent life and times of this iconic warrior king.
Persian Pictures
Gertrude Bell
Naxos
Juliet Stevenson
John Foley
Juliet Stevenson is an accomplished and elegant narrator for Gertrude Bell's travels through Iran in 1892. Full of beautifully observed snapshots of an ancient culture's living customs and remarkable landscapes, Persian Pictures is a example of how audio can bring new life to timely backlist.
Raising Hare
Chloe Dalton
Canongate
Louise Brealey
2020 Recordings/Liam Procter
Delicate, lyrical and moving, Raising Hare is the tale of a political advisor who finds herself raising an orphaned leveret in the remote English countryside. Proof that nature memoir can be magical without relying on tired tropes, and sensitively narrated by Lousie Brealey, it makes a compelling argument for better custodianship of our wild places and co-inhabitants.
The History Gossip
Katie Kennedy
WF Howes
Katie Kennedy
N/a
History gets the TikTok treatment from @TheHistoryGossip Kate Kennedy, whose quickfire titbits from across the centuries transfer brilliantly to audio. Witty, salacious and peppered with pop culture references, this is a great way to get a new generation hooked on the big personalities and juicy stories of the past.
Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton?
Jo Hamilton
Blink
Monica Dolan
Charlotte Brown
Followers of the Post Office scandal will welcome this deep dive into the story of Jo Hamilton, the wrongfully convicted Sub-Master who has been instrumental in the fight for justice. An extraordinary performance from Monica Dolan, who played Jo in the ITV drama, brings out all the emotional shades of Jo's astonishing journey in this important and moving memoir.
