Meaningless Problems
Episodes
#67 Total Reincarnation
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a well known comedian accidentally discovers the secret of the universe? Something to consider when reading/listening: How...
#66 The World’s Happiest Company
29 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Alan lands a job at the world’s happiest company. What could possibly go wrong? Something to consider when reading/listening: How does mon...
#65 Conquest
22 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Governments are always promising to make things better. What would happen if they actively tried to make things worse? Something to consider when...
#64 High Church
25 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kenny finds church to be a mystical experience - but not for the reasons you might expect. Something to consider when reading/listening: Is ...
#63 The Sense of Happiness
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A new technology makes it possible for a mother and father to forgive their son’s killer. Should they use it? Something to consider when readin...
#62 In His Shoes
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For ten years, Eric has cared for his vegetative state brother with no hope he’ll ever recover. A scientific breakthrough changes everything. S...
#61 Combination
25 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sylvia’s understanding of reality is shaken by an encounter with her dressing gown cord, a padlock and a snake. Something to consider when read...
#60 Liverpool Brain (performed by Ryan Hurst)
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A new technology turns every human being into a super genius, ushering in heaven on earth. There’s just one problem: it doesn’t work in Liverpool....
#59 The Forced (performed by Kirsten Callaghan)
23 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when every married woman on earth wakes up with the desire to divorce her husband? Something to consider when reading/listening: ...
#58 Nothing’s Constant
02 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
He’s given his daughter an imaginary friend and she’s become quite attached. Does this make him a bad dad? Something to consider when reading/l...
#57 Mad Cow
05 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jerry’s new boyfriend appears to be perfect in every way. But he has a dark secret at the bottom of his garden. Something to consider when read...
#56 The Two Brians
07 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a story about two people called Brian. One is spiritually enlightened. The other is depressed. But do they have more in common than they reali...
#55 Omnisilly
10 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some theories about the existence of god are silly. This one is literally… silly. Something to consider when reading/listening: What other...
#54 Unspeakable Parenting
12 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the near future, it is widely agreed that children would be better off if they never learnt how to speak. Something to consider when reading/l...
#53 Rain Always Win
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If life is a game, Harvey Rain is determined to win. But what does winning actually look like? And what does this mean for the other players? Somet...
#52 Hope for the Worst
25 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Poppy announces she wants to kill herself, her playwright husband employs a peculiar coping technique. Something to consider when reading/li...
#51 What Was the Point?
18 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Having spent a year writing short stories for a podcast, the writer wonders what was the point. Something to consider when reading/listening: ...
#50 What Do You Do?
11 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lost in thought at a funeral, our narrator sets out a compelling case for why we should never ask anyone what they do for a living. Something to ...
#49 It Might as Well Be
04 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Businessman Nathan Norrie calls upon a spiritual guide to help improve the atmosphere among his work colleagues. The guide offers three peals of wisdo...
#48 The Meaning of Work
28 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The prime minister is facing the biggest strike in British history. But the strikers are the last people she’d expect to strike. And their reason fo...
#47 Tony’s Vibe
21 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tony’s tried everything to make himself more employable, more dateable, more popular. He’s tried life coaches, elocution coaches, therapists, pers...
#46 Culling Cobras
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Member of Parliament Lawrence Sitwell is frustrated by the failure of his political career. A conversation with an old friend causes him to rethink ev...
#45 The Weight of Achievement
07 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Bernard’s local pub, everyone carries their life’s achievements with them in a big black bag. Philosophy - Spirituality - Absurdism T...
#44 Futility
31 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A writer is slightly concerned about his short story podcast. He shares these concerns with a plumber and is surprised by his response. Something...
BONUS EPISODE: Best of 2023
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#43 A Wise Man (Christmas story)
24 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A silly story, especially for Christmas. Working the early-turn Christmas Eve shift, Sergeant Rod just wants to finish at five, collect his daughter’...
#42 Prime Minister’s Questions
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#41 No Words
10 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 comp...
#40 The Meaning of Love
03 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#39 Losing the Plot
26 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a mental breakdown, Michael reconsiders his entire perception of the world. Something to consider when reading/listening: Are there an...
#38 Your Final Ambition
19 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#37 Don’t Blame the Children
12 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the near future, virtual reality allows couples to meet their potential children before they’ve been conceived. Something to consider when r...
#36 Iguana
05 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A therapist is tasked with convincing a very clever eleven year old that there is a difference between fact and fiction. Something to consider w...
#35 Just Like Her
28 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A widower uses an AR filter to make his new girlfriend look exactly like his ex wife. Something to consider when reading/listening: Is it po...
#34 Inside Voices (performed by Tamsin Dowsett)
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Tani...
#33 A Bench in West London (performed by Thea Collings)
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ver...
#32 As It Should Be
07 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#31 Tell Her I Was Kind
30 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#30 Cheek Biter (performed by Sebastian Brown)
23 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An offhand remark from his dentist makes Mark question his entire existence. Something to consider when reading/listening: To what extent do...
#29 A Backup
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 pe...
#28 Skipping Through Life
09 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Faced with the prospect of making half his workforce redundant, Mr Pomeroy is offered the chance to skip the experience by travelling twelve hours int...
#27 Dreams and Memories
02 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#26 The World’s Ugliest Person
26 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#25 It Wasn’t Me
19 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 he...
#24 The Light Without The Filter
12 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lee has a strong memory of his dad’s last moments on this earth. Only it’s not his memory, it’s his dad’s. Somehow he can picture, with perfec...
#23 Starmix and The Runaway Table
05 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Harry Bow (aka Starmix), a part-time waiter and full-time life coach, has discovered the secret of the universe. Namely, that every living being share...
#22 Making You Feel Better
29 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a secret that may well blow your entire world apart. ‘You wouldn’t recognise me but you have seen me,’ says the narrator of this story...
#21 Instant Connect (performed by Taj Atwal)
22 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a new dating app that cuts out the dating. It connects two compatible people and implants a love story into their memories, while removing a...
#20 Failing Our Son
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When her teenage son experiences failure, Gina is annoyed by her husband’s indifference. But did Martin secretly hope their son would fail all along...
#19 The Loop
08 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When we die, we come back as the person to whom we’ve caused the most harm. At least that’s what the plumber says… Philosophy - Spiritualit...
#18 The World’s Happiest Person
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A woman knocks on Bernard’s door and tells him he’s won an award. Philosophy - Comedy - Absurdism The World’s Happiest Person is an origin...
#17 The Guru
24 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After many years searching for a guru, the narrator finally finds one in an unexpected place. Philosophy - Spirituality - Non-Duality The Gu...
#16 Why You’ll Never Be Dead (performed by Dot Major)
17 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As a plane experiences turbulence, one passenger lays out five reasons why we’ll never be dead. This episode is performed by London Grammar’s Dot ...
#15 They’ll Have to Kill Me
10 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
#14 I Am
03 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An atheist wakes up in heaven. Philosophy - Comedy - Technology I Am is an original short story by Doe Wilmann If you’d like to read t...
#13 What if I’m Not?
27 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A writer is slightly concerned about the most recent episode of his short story podcast. He shares these concerns with a plumber and is surprised by h...
#12 Fake World, Equal World
20 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When an egotistical writer dies, he wakes up to discover his entire life was a simulation. Fake World, Equal World is an original short story by ...
#11 Protest at the Theatre
13 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When a play is disrupted by protests, it does wonders for ticket sales. Protest at the Theatre is an original short story by Doe Wilmann Comedy ...
#10 Plonker (performed by Mary Tillett)
06 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the verge of becoming a grandparent for the first time, Irene reflects on her relationship with her husband aka ‘Plonker’. Plonker is an ...
#9 Consuming Content
29 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A writer from 2043 laments being replaced by the AI chat bot ChatGPT. But are there some upsides? Consuming Content is an original short story by...
#8 A Fantastic Government Initiative
22 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the day the UK government tests out its new emergency alerts system, there are some unexpected consequences for writer Alvin Rikard (first seen in ...
#7 My True Self
15 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The person who wakes up in Mike’s body isn’t Mike. He or she has swapped bodies with Mike overnight and now they need to swap back. The trouble is...
#6 Your Opinion Matters
08 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After sixteen years working in a bank, Emma still loves her job and still loves serving her customers. You might think this is great. But I’m the vo...
#5 Silly Old Trick (performed by Maison Sawyer)
02 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scared that his whole life might pass him by, Edward devises a trick to help him appreciate his youth. Silly Old Trick - an original short story ...
#4 About Hairdressing
26 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Alvin Rikard says he’s writing a play about hairdressing, his best friend’s wife Natalia invites him to visit her salon. Alvin is delighted t...
#3 The End Product
19 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When a writer tells a plumber about his theory of the world, he is surprised by the plumber’s response. The End Product is an original short st...
#2 Groundhog Day
12 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake has just seen his dad for the last time. Or has he? Their relationship has strained over the last ten years but the one thing the father and son...
#1 My Home is a Prison
05 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After thirty four years of marriage, Kevin feels like a prisoner in his own home. His religious faith means he is unable to divorce his wife. So is th...
TRAILER: Meaningless Problems with Doe Wilmann
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Launching on 5th March 2023. Subscribe now to get a Meaningless Problem in your life every single week. I wanted a platform where I could communicat...