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Audiobook guide · Prizes

BOOKER PRIZE 2026 SHORTLIST ON AUDIO: WHO NARRATES EACH BOOK.

By London Audiobooks ·

In brief

  • All six novels on the Booker Prize 2026 shortlist are available as audiobooks on Audible UK.
  • Two are read by a single actor (Russ Bain, Robert Petkoff), one by its author (Luke Kennard), one by a Scottish actor matched to the setting (Lorne MacFadyen), one by two voices and one by an ensemble of six.
  • The winner will be announced on Monday 9 November 2026 at Old Billingsgate, London. The winner receives £50,000; each shortlisted author receives £2,500.
  • The judges are chaired by Mary Beard, with Raymond Antrobus, Jarvis Cocker, Rebecca Liu and Patricia Lockwood.
  • Separately, the Booker Prize Foundation’s shortlist films feature extracts read by Kathryn Hunter, Paterson Joseph, Himesh Patel, Savannah Steyn, Maxine Peake and Lewis Gribben.

The Booker Prize 2026 shortlist

The shortlist of six books was announced on Tuesday 22 September 2026 at a public event at the Southbank Centre, London, by the chair of judges, Mary Beard. The six were chosen from a longlist of 13 titles, selected from 163 submissions. The prize is open to novels by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026. (The Booker Prizes)

Beard described the shortlist as “writing at its best”, adding: “There’s plenty to enjoy, some blissful escapism and prose to die for.” (The Booker Prizes on Substack)

The six shortlisted novels are The End of Everything by M. John Harrison, The Disappearers by Marlon James, Black Bag by Luke Kennard, May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry, The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout and John of John by Douglas Stuart. Marlon James (2015) and Douglas Stuart (2020) are previous winners; Strout was shortlisted in 2022; Rebecca Perry is the only debut novelist on the list. (Publishers Weekly)

Who narrates each shortlisted audiobook

These are the narrators listed on each title’s Audible UK page.

  • The End of Everything by M. John Harrison — narrated by Russ Bain. The shortest listen on the shortlist at 3 hours 50 minutes, published in the UK by Serpent’s Tail. (Audible UK; Hachette UK)
  • The Disappearers by Marlon James — narrated by an ensemble of six: Brandon Miles, Michael Sean Harris, Solomon Peck, Andrew Clarke, Karl O’Brian Williams and Ano Okera. The novel follows eight gay men in 1988 Kingston, Jamaica, so a multi-voice cast suits it. (Audible UK)
  • Black Bag by Luke Kennard — read by the author. The unabridged John Murray edition runs 9 hours 12 minutes. (Audible UK; Amazon UK)
  • May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry — narrated by two voices, Ian Dunnett Jr. and Sarah Barron, matching the novel’s two strands: a modern curator and a reluctant medieval king. (Audible UK)
  • The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout — narrated by Robert Petkoff. (Audible UK)
  • John of John by Douglas Stuart — narrated by the Scottish actor Lorne MacFadyen in the Picador edition. The novel is set on the island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. (Amazon UK; Audiobooks.com; The Booker Prizes)

MacFadyen’s reading of John of John is also shortlisted at this year’s British Audio Awards — see our Speakies 2026 shortlist guide.

Four casting approaches on one shortlist

For anyone producing literary fiction on audio, the shortlist is a useful snapshot of how publishers cast prize-level novels:

  1. A single professional narrator. Russ Bain on Harrison and Robert Petkoff on Strout carry one consistent point of view.
  2. The author’s own voice. Luke Kennard reads his comic campus novel Black Bag himself.
  3. Casting to the setting. Lorne MacFadyen brings a Scottish voice to a novel rooted in the Outer Hebrides.
  4. Multiple voices for multiple strands. Two narrators for Perry’s dual timeline, and six for James’s group of men.

The Booker shortlist films

The Booker Prize Foundation released six two-minute films on 8 October 2026, each with an actor performing an extract from a shortlisted book. They were directed by Holly Blakey and produced by Park Pictures. The readers are: Kathryn Hunter (The End of Everything), Paterson Joseph (The Disappearers), Himesh Patel (Black Bag), Savannah Steyn (May We Feed the King), Maxine Peake (The Things We Never Say) and Lewis Gribben (John of John). These are promotional films, not the audiobook narrators. (The Booker Prizes)

When is the Booker Prize 2026 winner announced?

The winner will be announced at the Booker Prize ceremony on Monday 9 November 2026 at Old Billingsgate, London, where the films will also be shown. The winner receives £50,000 and a trophy named Iris, after the 1978 winner Iris Murdoch. (The Booker Prizes)

London Audiobooks records and produces audiobooks for publishers, rights owners and authors from our London studios. Planning a single-voice, author-read or multi-voice production? See our service for publishers or tell us about your book.

FAQ

Are all the Booker Prize 2026 shortlisted books available as audiobooks?
Yes. All six shortlisted novels are listed as audiobooks on Audible UK.

Who narrates John of John by Douglas Stuart?
The audiobook of John of John is narrated by the Scottish actor Lorne MacFadyen.

Which Booker 2026 shortlisted audiobook is read by its author?
Black Bag by Luke Kennard is read by the author.

Which shortlisted audiobook has the most narrators?
The Disappearers by Marlon James has six narrators: Brandon Miles, Michael Sean Harris, Solomon Peck, Andrew Clarke, Karl O’Brian Williams and Ano Okera.

When is the Booker Prize 2026 winner announced?
On Monday 9 November 2026, at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate, London. The winner receives £50,000.

Who are the Booker Prize 2026 judges?
Mary Beard (chair), Raymond Antrobus, Jarvis Cocker, Rebecca Liu and Patricia Lockwood.

Sources