Episodes
Sunday Jan 14, 2024
#46 Culling Cobras
Sunday Jan 14, 2024
Sunday Jan 14, 2024
Member of Parliament Lawrence Sitwell is frustrated by the failure of his political career. A conversation with an old friend causes him to rethink everything.
Something to consider when reading/listening:
When politicians try to make something better, are they more likely to make it worse?
Comedy - Philosophy - Politics
If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/
You might enjoy this episode if you like:
Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads
Dramatic monologues
Comedic monologues
Politics
Intentions v outcomes
Contemplating the meaning of life
Any form of philosophical enquiry
Plays
Pubs
Snakes
Politicians
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2023
Sunday Jan 07, 2024
#45 The Weight of Achievement
Sunday Jan 07, 2024
Sunday Jan 07, 2024
In Bernard’s local pub, everyone carries their life’s achievements with them in a big black bag.
Philosophy - Spirituality - Absurdism
The Weight of Achievement is an original short story by Doe Wilmann
Something to consider when reading/listening:
If you were never allowed to tell anyone about your successes, which of your current goals would you continue to pursue?
If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to meaninglessproblems.com and sign up to my monthly newsletter. You can also email me via the contact form. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the podcast.
You might enjoy this episode if you like:
Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman
A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters by Julian Barnes
Spirituality
Fiction that makes you think
Short stories with a twist
Philosophical fiction
Speculative fiction
Pubs
Pints of Bitter
Achievements
Contemplating the meaning of life
Any form of philosophical enquiry
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2024
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
#44 Futility
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
A writer is slightly concerned about his short story podcast. He shares these concerns with a plumber and is surprised by his response.
Something to consider when reading/listening:
How do you know for certain that you are not a fictional creation dreamt up by somebody else?
Comedy - Philosophy - Plumbing
If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/
You might enjoy this episode if you like:
Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman
The ‘Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal’ podcast
Sam Harris’ ‘Making Sense’ podcast
‘The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast’
Alan Watts
Fiction that makes you think
Philosophical fiction
Speculative fiction
Alternate universes
The Titanic
Morgan Robertson
Contemplating the meaning of life
Any form of philosophical enquiry
Episode #3 of this podcast
Episode #13 of this podcast
Speaking/listening to plumbers
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2023
Friday Dec 29, 2023
BONUS EPISODE: Best of 2023
Friday Dec 29, 2023
Friday Dec 29, 2023
The top five short stories from 2023. If you’re new to Meaningless Problems, this might be a good place to start.
These are the stories with the timestamps for each:
It Wasn’t Me - 1.30 - Kimi is delighted with Su-Z, a new personal assistant software that can send and respond to emails on her behalf. But her delight is punctured when her boyfriend receives a message from one of her email contacts claiming that he and Kimi have fallen in love. Will Kimi’s boyfriend believe her when she pins the blame on Su-Z? And what exactly has her personal assistant been saying in those messages?
The Guru - 17.10 - After many years searching for a guru, the narrator finally finds one in an unexpected place.
Skipping Through Life - 23.51 - Faced with the prospect of making half his workforce redundant, Mr Pomeroy is offered the chance to skip the experience by travelling twelve hours into his own future. He accepts the offer and, twelve hours later, finds he still has all the memories of having experienced the day. So how is ‘time skipping’ any different from living?
Plonker - 37.37 - On the verge of becoming a grandparent for the first time, Irene reflects on her relationship with her husband aka ‘Plonker’.
They’ll Have to Kill Me - 48.33 - The prime minister wakes up in his country residence to find that everyone thinks he’s gone completely mad. So did he really speak to those men in black raincoats who told him he needs to follow their orders? Who can you trust when you can no longer trust the voice in your own head?
If you’d like to read the script of these episodes go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/
For information about upcoming stories and live performances of my stage plays, go to meaninglessproblems.com and sign up to my monthly newsletter. You can also email me via the contact form. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the podcast.
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2023
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
#43 A Wise Man (Christmas story)
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
A silly story, especially for Christmas. Working the early-turn Christmas Eve shift, Sergeant Rod just wants to finish at five, collect his daughter’s bizarre choice of present and go home. But his boss, the local drug lord and south London’s canine population have other ideas.
Something to consider when reading/listening:
Are you feeling Christmassy?
Comedy - Family - Christmas
A Wise Man is an original short story by Doe Wilmann
If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/
For information about upcoming stories and live performances of my stage plays, go to meaninglessproblems.com and sign up to my monthly newsletter. You can also email me via the contact form. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the podcast.
You might enjoy this episode if you like:
Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads
Comedic Monologues
Silly stories
Tom Sharpe
PG Wodehouse
Police
Dogs
Police dogs
Criminals
Gluten-free, fat-free, sugar-free brownies
Christmas
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2023
Sunday Dec 17, 2023
#42 Prime Minister’s Questions
Sunday Dec 17, 2023
Sunday Dec 17, 2023
Thanks to developments in AI and VR, every voter now has the right to meet their political candidates one-on-one. These hyper-realistic chat bots look and sound exactly like their real-life equivalents and they answer questions with 99.9% accuracy. So what happens when the British primer minister’s chat bot starts making some very provocative statements?
Something to consider when reading/listening:
Would this type of hyper realistic chatbot enhance our elections?
Prime Minister’s Questions is an original short story by Doe Wilmann
If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/
For information about upcoming stories and live performances of my stage plays, go to meaninglessproblems.com and sign up to my monthly newsletter. You can also email me via the contact form. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the podcast.
You might enjoy this episode if you like:
Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror
Sci-fi
The Twilight Zone
Philosophical fiction
Episode #25 of this podcast
Prime ministers
Politics
War
France
War with France
Technology
Contemplating the nature of existence
Contemplating the meaning of life
Any form of philosophical enquiry
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2023
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
#41 No Words
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
A new medical procedure will remove anxiety and allow you to live perfectly in the moment. The only downside? You have to give up your ability to comprehend language.
Something to consider when reading/listening:
What would you be prepared to give up in exchange for perfect peace of mind?
No Words is an original short story by Doe Wilmann
If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/
For information about upcoming stories and live performances of my stage plays, go to meaninglessproblems.com and sign up to my monthly newsletter. You can also email me via the contact form. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the podcast.
You might enjoy this episode if you like:
Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror
Sci-fi
The Twilight Zone
Philosophical fiction
Episode #2 of this podcast
Episode #7 of this podcast
Episode #28 of this podcast
Episode #37 of this podcast
Episode #40 of this podcast
Words
Silence
Family
Technology
Contemplating the nature of existence
Contemplating the meaning of life
Any form of philosophical enquiry
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2023
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
#40 The Meaning of Love
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Like most of his friends, Burt hates his job and lives for the weekend. And when his friends start installing modules into their brains that make them enjoy their work, Burt is furious with them. What’s the point of escapism if there’s nothing to escape?
Something to consider when reading/listening:
Could you live a good life if you enjoyed every part of it?
The Meaning of Love is an original short story by Doe Wilmann
If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/
For information about upcoming stories and live performances of my stage plays, go to meaninglessproblems.com and sign up to my monthly newsletter. You can also email me via the contact form. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the podcast.
You might enjoy this episode if you like:
Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror
Sci-fi
The Twilight Zone
Philosophical fiction
Episode #2 of this podcast
Episode #7 of this podcast
Episode #28 of this podcast
Episode #37 of this podcast
Work
Weekends
Relationships
Contemplating the nature of existence
Contemplating the meaning of life
Any form of philosophical enquiry
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2023
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
#39 Losing the Plot
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
After a mental breakdown, Michael reconsiders his entire perception of the world.
Something to consider when reading/listening:
Are there any narratives in your own life that you’d be better off without?
Losing the Plot is an original short story by Doe Wilmann
If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/
You might enjoy this episode if you like:
Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads
Non Duality
Spirituality
Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman
Alan Watts
Fiction that makes you think
Narratives
Plots
Brexit
Philosophical fiction
Speculative fiction
Contemplating the meaning of life
Any form of philosophical enquiry
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2023
Sunday Nov 19, 2023
#38 Your Final Ambition
Sunday Nov 19, 2023
Sunday Nov 19, 2023
On your deathbed, in agonising pain, you are given the chance to reduce your suffering. But in order to do so, you must reduce your worldly success by the same amount.
Something to consider when reading/listening:
Would you sacrifice the present for the sake of the past?
Your Final Ambition is an original short story by Doe Wilmann
If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/
For information about upcoming stories and live performances of my stage plays, go to meaninglessproblems.com and sign up to my monthly newsletter. You can also email me via the contact form. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the podcast.
You might enjoy this episode if you like:
Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads
The Twilight Zone
Philosophical fiction
Episode #2 of this podcast
Episode #7 of this podcast
Episode #28 of this podcast
Episode #36 of this podcast
Deathbeds
Nurses
Contemplating the nature of existence
Contemplating the meaning of life
Any form of philosophical enquiry
Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at doewilmann@outlook.com
This episode is part of my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises. But if you do like one of these stories please share it with your friends.
If I complete this challenge and the podcast gets 1,000 subscribers in the process, a group of my friends have agreed to donate a combined £1000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
For writing tips and advice, follow me on TikTok (@meaninglessproblems)
I also have an Instagram (@meaninglessproblems) account dedicated to the podcast.
Website:
Meaninglessproblems.com
Thanks for listening
Credits:
Written and performed by Doe Wilmann
Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes.
Artwork by Katie Empett
Music by Claude Debussy with permission from Pond5.
A license to use the media (Debussy Suite Bergamasque, Clair De Lune (Piano Cover) 229744340 Music ahawke99110 2023-03-02 Individual) was purchased under Pond5's Content License Agreement, a copy of which is available for review at https://www.pond5.com/legal/license. The Pond5 license authorizes the licensee to use the media in the licensee's own commercial or non-commercial production and to copy, broadcast, distribute, display, perform and monetize the production or work in any medium - including posting and monetization on YouTube - on the terms and conditions outlined therein.
Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
(C) 2023