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The NoSleep Podcast

S24 Ep18: NoSleep Podcast S24E18

31 May 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What themes are explored in the tales about perilous pairs?

7.878 - 25.858 David Cummings

Water. It gives us life. We are drawn to it. Yet it holds immense power over us. It can bring unspeakable horror to the most familiar places.

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Chapter 2: How does the story 'Worms' unfold the mystery of a missing pet?

27.34 - 60.784 David Cummings

Your morning shower, a tranquil riverbank, or the endless ocean. it's time to dive deep into the abyss. From the dark waters of the Cape Fear River, immerse yourself in horror as you brace yourself for the No Sleep Podcast.

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77.977 - 109.019 David Cummings

There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarrely inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

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110.081 - 131.783 David Cummings

There is yet a third theory which states that both of the first two theories have been included here to welcome you, our listeners, to this episode of the No Sleep Podcast and provide something of an introduction for your guest host. Yes, I'm tall, bald and called David, but not the one you were expecting. Hello there, and thanks so much for joining us.

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132.404 - 145.885 David Cummings

We have five fables of fear for you this week on the subject of questions and answers. But first, before all of that, I shall bend to tradition and let you know something of my travels through space and time to be here with you today.

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146.708 - 165.614 David Cummings

Back in the mists of ancient time, or the late 80s and 90s, I was introduced to audio drama through the cassettes of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as quoted at the top of the episode. I used to listen to them at bedtime, falling asleep to the relaxing lilt of Peter Jones as the book telling me all about life, the universe, and everything.

166.435 - 174.927 David Cummings

At the same time, I enjoyed ghost stories, thanks to a cassette with Edgar Allan Poe stories on it, which was probably my initial way into audio horror.

174.907 - 192.525 David Cummings

As an older millennial, though, I was hit by the 16-year drought from the cancellation of Doctor Who in 1989, which is why I ended up finding groups online doing their own interpretations, and how I got involved with Darker Projects, which started my audio career over 20 years ago now.

193.386 - 200.914 David Cummings

The voice acting ran alongside my planetarium work and astrophysics background, another hangover from Douglas Adams and The Doctor.

Chapter 3: What twists are revealed in 'One in a Million' about love and luck?

201.535 - 223.914 David Cummings

It was around the end of series three that I discovered No Sleep and immediately went back to the beginning and binge listened through series one and two. By that point, I decided that I wanted to be a part of it. So in July 2014, I was introduced on series four, episode eight as an, quote, actor and scientist because those things often go together, right?

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224.735 - 240.52 David Cummings

And performing a story called Still Waters. It's quite fitting for this season's theme. Since then, it has been an honor and a privilege to be part of the No Sleep team, especially to be invited on tour to meet so many wonderful fans and fellow contributors.

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241.242 - 264.465 David Cummings

I have also written a couple of stories for the show, the first one of which, All Children Look the Same, was very heavily based on reality when I had taken work as a Santa one year. But one of my absolute favourites was the amazing Erica Sanderson's first story, My Wife Cooked Me Dinner by Rona Vassilar, and you can hear the circumstances leading up to that encounter in last week's show.

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265.306 - 285.428 David Cummings

In my career, I've played the Doctor, the Devil, several times, and even Arthur Dent, which was a personal highlight of mine. And so, in that spirit, I have my pocket Scrabble set, so I'll introduce a random element and pull some tiles out to find out what the ultimate question of this podcast is going to be.

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Chapter 4: What chilling events occur in 'I'm a state patrol officer'?

286.389 - 311.867 David Cummings

Right, okay, let's see, um... B-R-A. Bra. Okay. C-E-Y. A few more. Oh, yeah, I see. Brace yourself, for tonight there will be no sheep. No sheep? I always said there was something fundamentally wrong with the universe.

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Chapter 5: How does 'Silo' depict the tension of isolation?

318.125 - 344.115 David Cummings

Mr. Alt, I'm paying you to host this show, and you make a sheep pun like that? I feel like I'm being fleeced. But that dad joke inspired me to take a moment to talk about StoryWorth, the service that helps you make memories. Because as we enter June, we start to think about Father's Day. I lost my dad years ago, but I often think about how I wish I could have had him around longer in my life.

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344.163 - 365.53 David Cummings

I would love to have learned about his life and experiences. StoryWorth would have allowed him an easy way to share about his life. He'd get questions and prompts and he'd respond however he wants, writing back over email or web, voice recording, or, new this year, a guided phone call. No apps, login, or tech hassle.

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365.51 - 372.878 David Cummings

It gives your dad a year-long experience and gives your family a book full of stories he'd probably never think to tell on his own.

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Chapter 6: What horrors are unveiled in 'The Skull on the Headland'?

373.518 - 398.466 David Cummings

StoryWorth meets him where he is so he can focus on the joy of remembering and reflecting. You get each story as he tells it. And after a year, StoryWorth compiles everything, his words, his photos, his life, into a beautiful hardcover book. This year, give dad a gift that captures who he really is before the stories get harder to remember. Father's Day is Sunday, June 21st.

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398.947 - 428.344 David Cummings

Order right now and save up to $20 at storyworth.com slash nosleep. Save up to $20 at storyworth.com slash nosleep. You know it, storyworth.com slash nosleep. Now, David, how about our first tale? In our first tale, we meet Evie and James, a lovely couple who have lost their beloved cat, French Fry.

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Chapter 7: What insights about fear and relationships are presented in the stories?

429.005 - 453.687 David Cummings

The answer seems simple. The bus must be to blame. But in this story, brought to us by Nick Porrish, we find that each answer delivers more questions. Performing this tale are Sarah Thomas, Jeff Clement, Matthew Bradford and Graham Rowett. So if your pet goes missing and is found again, you may want to check it for worms.

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467.083 - 474.272 Jeff Clement

I was sobbing late at night in our narrow bed. And back in those days, when I sobbed, James sobbed too.

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474.91 - 486.658 Sarah Ruth Thomas

It was the bus, James. The bus got her and some garbage man probably swept her up without even checking for a tag.

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487.432 - 495.643 Jeff Clement

The bus that arrived three times daily at the stoop outside of our apartment had claimed the lives of four other neighborhood cats in the time since we'd moved in.

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Chapter 8: What reflections does the host share about the episode's themes?

495.703 - 507.699 Jeff Clement

Its bulldozer of a grill was so tall that the driver never even saw the cats before the vehicle's tremendous wheels flattened them against the asphalt. James collected his sniffles.

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510.502 - 519.224 Graham Rowat

The garbage people don't just throw away dead cats. They have to call animal control, and animal control checks for tags.

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520.425 - 523.649 Jeff Clement

I nodded, but the weight on my chest didn't get any lighter.

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524.771 - 528.356 Graham Rowat

And she's chipped, Evie. They'd check her chip, too.

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529.257 - 548.687 Jeff Clement

Slowly, sequestered in each other's arms, we caught our breath. James held my cheek in his palm and wiped away my tears with his thumb. It had been nine days since French Fry, our little calico, had slipped out of the front door and disappeared. I'm going to drive by the old place again.

548.707 - 550.249 Graham Rowat

Okay.

550.91 - 552.833 Jeff Clement

She always liked the old place better.

553.674 - 558.061 Graham Rowat

Yeah. There were more bugs and worms for her to play with there.

559.242 - 564.81 Jeff Clement

I slid out of the bed and onto our clothes-littered floor. James sat up and leaned against the headboard.

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