Miffy Story Time Collection Winner of Best Audiobook: Children's at 'The Speakies' - The British Audio Awards 2025!

https://www.thebookseller.com/british-audio-awards/best-audiobook-childrens-books-shortlist https://uk.yotoplay.com/products/miffy-story-time-collection - Purchase Miffy Storytime Collection or Find out more here.

I’m thrilled to share that Miffy Story Time Collection has won Best Children’s Audiobook at the 2025 British Audio Awards, also known as The Speakies. It’s an incredible achievement for everyone involved, and I’m so proud to have contributed original music and full audio editing for the project.

Writing the score for Miffy and Yoto was genuinely a joy. I took a light, modern–classical approach that worked beautifully with the chamber orchestra from the Northern Film Orchestra, comprised of strings, winds and harp. Their performances & recordings were exceptional; full of clarity, expression and warmth. Huge credit also goes to conductor Melvin Tay, whose attention to articulation and musical detail ensured every note was interpreted exactly as written.

The production was expertly overseen by Yoto’s Senior Audio Producer, Harriet Blackamore, who is a pleasure to work with and ensures every project runs smoothly from start to finish.

And of course, the audiobook is brought to life by Hannah Melbourn’s wonderfully warm and calming narration; a perfect match for the tone of the stories and the music.

Below are some kind words from the press:

“How do you turn picture books for young children into audio? In the case of Miffy and Yoto, it was by commissioning original music from Louie Taylor and the Northern Film Orchestra, which perfectly complemented Hannah Melbourn’s warm narration of the 19 Miffy stories.” — The Bookseller, 2025

“So much care, time, energy and investment went into this project… It’s lovely to see how seriously everyone took it. It’s a beautiful production that feels right in keeping with the books.” — Judges of The Speakies, 2025

I had the time of my life working on this project, and I’m incredibly grateful for the recognition it has received. If you’d like to learn more about the audiobook, the links are included above — and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Angelina Ballerina: 5 Minute Stories released on Yoto!

uk.yotoplay.com

Angelina Ballerina 5-Minute Stories

Yoto Says: From ballet class and crafts to fun family days and dress-up, these twelve short stories follow Angelina Ballerina through the little moments th...

Back in January 2025, Yoto got in touch with me to work on a new and exciting audiobook series for exclusive release on the Yoto platform and player devices. That project was the renowned Angelina Ballerina. It was a really exciting opportunity where I was able to write 30 minutes of original music in a classical Romantic-era style for a chamber orchestra. We ended up deciding on winds (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet in B-flat, and Bassoon) and string orchestra (4,3,3,3,1).

The orchestral performance and recording were expertly done by the Northern Film Orchestra in Manchester, recorded in Stoller Hall over a 4-hour session. It was yet another great experience recording with the NFO, and amazing as always to hear my work—after months of composing in Dorico 5—brought to life by such fantastic musicians.

The stories were narrated by Amy Finnegan and was (as always) expertly produced by Harriet Blackamore. There are 12 stories in total which adds up to about an hour of content.

I'm really pleased to see that this has been finally released after months of hard work. You can find the stories available for purchase on the Yoto website here.

If you'd like to see the full conductor's score for educational purposes, please feel free to get in touch with me via the contact page and I'd be happy to send you a watermarked copy.

You can find more information and preview some of the project's music on my website here by selecting the Angelina Ballerina project card.

"Miffy Storytime Collection" by Yoto, gets shortlisted at the British Audio Awards for Best Audiobook: Children's

https://www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards/the-british-audio-awards

https://www.thebookseller.com/british-audio-awards/best-audiobook-childrens-books-shortlist

https://uk.yotoplay.com/products/miffy-story-time-collection - Purchase Miffy Storytime Collection or Find out more here.

Miffy Storytime Collection was a joy to work on, and Yoto were a joy to work with. I began the project back in May 2024, and it was released in November 2024.

The collection features 19 short stories and marks Yoto’s first-ever commissioned original score—an honour I was entrusted with. I composed around 20 minutes of orchestral music in a light classical style, performed and recorded by the Northern Film Orchestra under the baton of Melvin Tay.

The stories were beautifully narrated by Hannah Melbourn and expertly produced by Harriet Blackamore, who is always a delight to collaborate with.

It is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved—Yoto, Harriet, Hannah, the NFO, and myself—that Miffy Storytime Collection has been nominated for an award, standing proudly alongside other incredible projects and deserving nominees at the inaugural Speakies Awards.

For a long time, many in the audio industry have felt that audiobook and audio performance work was underappreciated in the awards sector. Thanks to the British Audio Awards, we now have a platform that truly celebrates and recognises the artistry of this field.