‘There are stories that Fiction can tell with more truth than other genres, despite being essentially all lies. The best drama and fiction distil the emotional heart of any story, reaching the essence of the wider, universal truth through a particular, individual experience, perhaps one that we have not encountered before in our ‘real lives’. As programme-makers in public service broadcasting, we serve our audience first and foremost and we must reflect to them the lives of other as well as their own stories  -  beyond or in contradiction to the headlines or the majority view and regardless of our own personal views. Here in Berlin, we will listen to the most powerful, funniest, saddest, most relevant, most inventive, most iconoclastic examples. We will learn from the discussions (and steal the best ideas), meet inspiring colleagues, and democratically select the best production of all as a winner. Of course, we all dream of being that winner but I hope we will all feel like we have won something from having been at this marvellous, annual celebration of audio and spent a week listening to all of our stories.’

Alison Hindell coordinates the Audio Fiction Category together with Gunhild Nymoen.