Television's most popular car show presenter lives his life in the shadow of his career and his persona. He has the perfect job. He doesn't have the perfect family. The presenter views his family from the outside and watches as they slowly disintegrate in front of him, unable to control anything that is not scripted.

The second in a brand-new series of annual anthologies, "The Best British Short Stories 2012" reprints the cream of short fiction, by British writers, first published in 2011. These stories first appeared in magazines from "Ambit" to "Granta," in anthologies across various genres from publishers big and small, and in authors' own short story collections. They were broadcast on radio and delivered by mobile phone app. They appeared online at "Metazen" and "Paraxis."