Best Performance
The winner and shortlist for the Best Performance category at The British Audio Awards 2025
For a single performance, performed solo or as part of an ensemble, either within an audio drama or multi-cast audiobook. The Speakies is looking for compelling stories, well told and excellently performed. Performers, including actors, narrators and authors, may submit themselves; publishers, agents and producers may also submit performers with their permission.
Winner
Ncuti Gatwa
Gatsby in Harlem
F.Scott Fitzgerald/Roy Williams
Nathan Freeman & Tom Billington/Granny Eats Wolf
Ncuti Gatwa has already proved himself a compelling performer on stage and screen. In Roy Williams’ richly reimagined Gatsby in Harlem, he proves himself a captivating performer of audio drama, too, capturing the intriguing cocktail of charisma, munificence, yearning, self-doubt and desperation that makes Gatsby such an enigmatic and enduring character. It is a blazing and tragic performance.
Shortlist
Default Step
Brian Cox
McLevy in the New World
David Ashton
Bruce Young
Conway van Gelder Grant
A quarter of a century after first airing on BBC Radio, McLevy continues to captivate audiences. In the third series set amid the Californian Gold Rush - McLevy in the New World, acclaimed actor Brian Cox delivers a rich, commanding performance that draws listeners, both longtime fans and newcomers, deep into the drama.
Ncuti Gatwa
Gatsby in Harlem
F Scott Fitzgerald/Roy Williams
Granny Eats Wolf
N/a
In BBC Radio 3’s Gatsby in Harlem, Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who, Sex Education) delivers a magnetic, haunting Jay Gatsby. Balancing controlled flamboyance with quiet sadness, his performance anchors this bold Harlem-set reimagining of Fitzgerald’s classic, drawing listeners into a richly immersive world and offering a fresh, resonant take on one of literature’s most enigmatic dreamers.
Henry Goodman
Restless Dreams
Dan Rebellato
Polly Thomas
Markham, Froggatt & Irwin
Part thriller, part surreal, darkly comic dream, Restless Dreams explores who owns culture, unfolding entirely on a train. Henry Goodman brings remarkable range and subtlety to seven roles. From a hauntingly tender young Kafka to menacing villains and riotous ringmasters, his performance blends tension, humour, and humanity, anchoring the drama and creating an unforgettable listening experience.
Bettrys Jones
Our Mutual Friend
Charles Dickens/Dan Rebellato
Polly Thomas
Lorna Fallowfield, United Agents
In BBC Radio 4’s Our Mutual Friend, Bettrys Jones shines in the dual roles of Bella Wilfer and Sophronia Lammle. She brings warmth, wit, and emotional depth to Bella’s journey from avarice to love, while imbuing Sophronia with sharp, mischievous charm. Her performance balances period authenticity with a fresh, modern energy that makes Dickens’ world feel alive.
Alyth Ross
Four Gammons and a Unicorn
Katie Sayer
David Tyler
Independent Talent
In Four Gammons and a Unicorn, Alyth Ross delivers a dazzling debut as Imogen, charting her transformation from earnest activist to notorious far-right commentator with precision, humour, and heartbreaking pathos. Balancing biting satire with deep empathy, Ross keeps listeners invested even at Imogen’s most monstrous, marking her as one of audio drama’s most exciting new talents.
Sheridan Smith
The Margate Murders
Tom Hofland, Pascal van Hulst, James Dobbyn
N/a
N/a
In The Margate Murders, Sheridan Smith delivers a brilliantly naturalistic performance, blurring the line between fiction and true crime. Through close collaboration and bold improvisation, she brings psychological depth and simmering tension to every scene, creating an immersive, podcast-style drama that reaffirms her reputation as one of Britain’s most versatile and compelling actors.
