'What You Want' by Tim Byrne, read by Michael Sheen by Royal Society for Public Health

'What You Want', by author Tim Byrne, is the winning entry in the 'Health: From Here to Where?' dystopian short story competition run by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and the Health Foundation in 2017. It is read here by BAFTA-nominated actor Michael Sheen.

The competition challenged creative writers to imagine what the future looks like if we don’t take action now on the things that shape our health and wellbeing. Find out more at fromheretowhere.org and share your thoughts on social media using #FromHereToWhere.

Story synopsis:
In the near future a boy is kept from his homework by an interactive advert in the shape of a virtual dog intent on selling him unhealthy snacks. Adverts invade the home. Automation and distance working mean families struggle with low income, interrupted supervision of children, poor quality housing, poor physical fitness and unsafe streets. Monstrous hacked adverts threaten the boy’s financial future though his wealthy peers are safe. Before his school closes down, to be replaced by ‘cost-effective’ distance learning, his teacher finds a way to help him to think about what he really wants.