What do tiny toy cars have to do with an existential crisis?

Midnight Special Podcast finds out by interviewing performer and writer Liz Walker whose one-woman show Playworn premieres at Fringe World at the State Theatre Centre Wednesday February 4 to Sunday February 8.

Playworn covers a strange period in Liz’s life where she was employed selling a tiny toy car collection from a deceased estate. But the show is also about more than that, looking at societal pressures on women in their 30s as well as the lightness and darkness of life.

Your hosts Tristan Fidler, Drew Kraplijanov and Howie Ng learn more about the inspiration behind Playworn while also falling into several digressions about collectables – from the Rosebud sled to Citizen Cane and a Sex and the City DVD boxset – and working to define what a ‘collectable’ is thanks to Howie’s trademark rubric!

Photograph by tom Crammond.

Tickets are available through Fringe World.

In the waiting room between 2025 and 2026, Tristan, Drew and Howie assemble to riff and discuss the concept of ‘newness’.

Many questions are posited, some are answered, like; How is writing a novel a lot like building a house? How does Michael Scott’s changing hairstyle change the trajectory of The Office? What is the golden age of The Simpsons?

Listen to find out the consensus and much more on the latest episode of the Midnight Special podcast.

If you’ve ever laid wide awake at night and wondered about the humble perfection of the Margherita pizza, this episode is for you.

Join Drew, Howie and guest presenter Connor Kiss for an in-depth discuss about what it takes for something to be an ALL TIMER.

Our barely qualified panel go head-to-head and debate daytime talk shows, the mysteries of the Mona Lisa and bubble tea flavours (?!).

No subject is off the table, no topic is left without a digression and no sweeping pontification is without a heated argument.

In this Halloween special we sink our teeth into a chat with Boorloo vampire expert Kahlee Lengkeek about all things Dracula.

But things take a terrifying turn when the legend himself decides to drop by the RTRFM studio.

So, the truth finally comes out on the latest episode of the Midnight Special podcast!

Join our trio of illustrious co-hosts alongside very special guest Pamela Boland (presenter of Breakfast with Pam on RTRFM) where they compete head-to-head-to-head-to-head in a diabolical game specifically engineered to reveal the most forbidden never-before-confessed foibles and the most undying secret obsessions! Not to mention, a special reenactment of one of the most iconic confessions in cinematic history!

On this latest episode of unpredictable talkshow hijinks, find out who can only eat celery garnished with garlic dip and flaming hot corn chip crumbs, OR who frequently feels the unrelenting terror of being unable to change a flat tire, OR who realised their closest friends may or may not be part of a sting to uncover movie piracy.

The stakes have never been higher on the Midnight Special.

memento (noun) an object kept as a reminder of a person or event. 

Smol Fish’s Olive Coakley loves keeping and collecting.

On this month’s episode of Midnight Special they sit down with Tristan, Drew and Howie to discuss mementos, memory keeping in a digital age and what is in their memory box.

Do you believe in life after love? You will after listening to this very special episode! Lyndon Blue and Ruby Buġeja are both artists and performers who share their supreme love for another artist and performer, Cher!

We explore the presence and power of Cher as a pop culture icon, discussing her screen performances including films like Moonstruck and The Witches Of Eastwick, her twitter presence with a game called ‘Cher or Not’, her underappreciated songs (remember her duet with Beavis and Butthead?), and her expansive career including a bonus impression by Ruby from seeing Cher live in concert!

When Rhian Todhunter is not on stage or sharing new music during Monday’s Out To Lunch programme, she’s hitting the road.

From dramatic coastal routes, to bakery detours and the best playlist, we strap in and journey with Rhian on the ultimate road trip.

By day, Luke Del Fante is best known as the drummer from Ghost Care. By night, he is a fantasy fiend. From Lord of the Rings, to The Storm Light Archives, we tap into Luke’s secret love of the fantasy genre as we explore the Chosen One Archetype.

We hear about Luke’s appreciation for The Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb, the world-building of Hobb’s novels, and dive deep into the narrative convention of “the Chose One”, including Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars – Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, The Princess Diaries, and more!

Local punk icon Angelique Tuffnell (Sooks, Bribes, Anjo) takes us back in time again, again and again to explore her fascination with time loops in film and TV.

We hear about Angelique’s appreciation for Edge of Tomorrow and dive deep into the genre of time loop movies including Groundhog Day, Palm Springs, Happy Death Day and more!