Meaningless Problems

Casting director Lydia has invited an actress along to a family meet-up so that the actress can model her next character on Lydia’s twin sister Tania. But Lydia soon realises that one Tania is quite enough. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

To what extent are we all actors playing characters? 

Dramatic Monologue - Comedy - Family  

Inside Voices 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 

Dramatic Monologues 

Comedic Monologues 

Fiction that makes you think 

Psychological fiction 

Philosophical fiction 

Parks

Prosecco 

Running 

Episode #5 of this podcast (’Silly Old Trick’) 

Episode #10 of this podcast (‘Plonker’)

Episode #30 of this podcast (‘Cheek Biter’) 

Episode #33 of this podcast (‘A Bench in West London) 

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 [email protected] 

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 by Doe Wilmann

Performed by Tamsin Dowsett

Edited by Sebsatian Brown

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 

Tania’s twin sister Lydia has bought a memorial bench for their mum in the family’s local park. There’s just one problem: their mum is still very much alive (Lydia was unaware that memorial benches are exclusively for the dead). Cue a series of tributes from people who want to pay their respects, including a man whose connection to Tania and Lydia’s mum threatens to completely undermine who they thought she was.

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

How fragile is our understanding of ourselves and those close to us? Are we only ever one discovery away from reconsidering everything?

Dramatic Monologue - Comedy - Family  

A Bench in West London 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 

Dramatic Monologues 

Comedic Monologues 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Parks

Benches

Episode #5 of this podcast (’Silly Old Trick’) 

Episode #10 of this podcast (‘Plonker’)

Episode #30 of this podcast (‘Cheek Biter’) 

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 [email protected] 

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 

A married man purchases a memory of himself having sex with another woman. His wife finds out and kicks him out. He returns to the memory shop to try and put things right.  

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Picture something you’ve always wanted to do. Would you rather do it and have no memory of having done so, or not do it but have a false memory of having done so? 

Sc-fi - Memory - Family   

As It Should Be 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

Technology

Memory  

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Episode #31 of the podcast 

Episode #29 of this podcast

Episode #21 of this podcast

Episode #16 of this podcast 

Episode #5 of this podcast 

Contemplating the future 

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 [email protected] 

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 

A father with a terminal illness has the chance to spare his young daughter from the pain of his death by erasing her memories of the times they’ve spent together. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

How far would you go to save someone you love from grief? 

Sc-fi - Memory - Family   

Tell Her I Was Kind 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

Technology

Memory  

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Episode #29 of this podcast

Episode #21 of this podcast

Episode #16 of this podcast 

Episode #5 of this podcast 

Contemplating the future 

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 [email protected] 

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 

An offhand remark from his dentist makes Mark question his entire existence. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

To what extent does our identity depend on other people's perceptions? Who are we when no one is looking? 

Dramatic Monologue - Psychological - Relationships 

Cheek Biter is an original short story by Doe Wilmann, performed by Sebastian Brown (sbvoices.co.uk) 

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 

Dramatic Monologues 

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Psychological fiction 

Philosophical fiction 

Sebastian Brown

Dentists

Cheeks

Biting 

Episode #10 of this podcast (‘Plonker’)

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 by Doe Wilmann

Performed by Sebastian Brown

Edited by Sebastian Brown 

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 

Gina has a fantastic relationship with her seven-year-old son, James. The trouble is James is actually an adult and this seven-year-old is simply a perfect VR simulation of how he used to be. And adult James isn’t willing to share his mummy with anyone - even himself. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

If someone created a perfect VR simulation of you as a child, would you be happy for it to interact with your loved ones? 

Sc-fi - Absurdism - Family   

A Backup 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

VR technology 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Contemplating the future 

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 [email protected] 

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:

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 

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 our normal experience of life?

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

How do you know your past isn’t simply a series of implanted memories? And would it make any difference if it were? 

Philosophy - Time - Memory 

Skipping Through Life 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:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters by Julian Barnes 

Time

Skipping

Fancy ties 

Fiction that makes you think 

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 [email protected] 

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:

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 

An old man is troubled by the fact that his late wife spent her final years reminiscing about memories that never actually took place. A doctor visits him with some unorthodox advice. 

Philosophy - Spirituality - Memory 

Dreams and Memories is an original short story by Doe Wilmann 

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

Dreams

Memories

Travelling

Aberdeen

New Zealand 

Typhoid

Fiction that makes you think 

Short stories with a twist

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Contemplating the meaning of life 

Any form of philosophical enquiry 

A question to consider when listening: 

If something happened that only you know about, in what sense is it more real than a dream? 

Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at [email protected] 

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:

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 

A new augmented reality app allows everyone to look beautiful. This makes Gary, who refuses to use any form of AR, the ugliest person in the world. He’s never been a particularly bad-looking bloke so how will he adapt to his new reality? 

Sc-fi - Comedy - Dating   

The World’s Ugliest Person is an original short story by Doe Wilmann 

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:

Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror

Sci-fi

Augmented Reality

Dating Apps

Men called Gary 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Contemplating the future 

Contemplating the meaning of life 

Any form of philosophical enquiry 

Things to consider when listening: 

In a world where everyone was beautiful, would we be more or less shallow than we are now? Would you sign up to the Fitter AR app? (Shut up, of course you bloody well would!) What’s the highest number of people you can share this podcast with? 

Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at [email protected] 

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:

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 

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? 

Sc-fi - Comedy - Relationships   

It Wasn’t Me is an original short story by Doe Wilmann 

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:

Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror

The Twilight Zone

Episode 21 of this podcast 

Sci-fi

Personal Assistant Software

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Contemplating the future 

Contemplating the meaning of life 

Any form of philosophical enquiry 

Things to consider when listening: 

If an AI was perfectly modelled on your brain, would you have to accept culpability for its actions? Would you use a Su-Z in your place of work? What’s the highest number of people you can share this podcast with? 

Let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast as a whole at [email protected] 

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:

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