The Speculation Station Podcast The Speculation Station

How dangerous is the theatre? Could creative differences lead to blood? What happens when a member of a tight-knit theatre troupe is murdered? How quickly are thespians at each other's throats?

This week, Tom throws a literal spanner in the works —albeit an oversized wooden prop spanner— which we use to craft a classic whodunit murder mystery. Join us as we enter The Thumbnail: a tiny struggling theatre, lost in the crowded back streets of London's West End.

When the theatre's patron and matriarch, Dame Kataly Wedgewood is murdered, DCI Henry Chackles arrives on the scene to investigate as the troupe begins to turn on each other. Will the struggling theatre implode before the culprit is found?

Is our future among the stars? Will we ever live on the alien surface of an asteroid, moon or planet? What are the implications of privatised space exploitation?

This week, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Tom hurls a 4 billion-year-old Odessa meteorite fragment at Will. We use it to tell the story of down-on-her-luck Australian mining tycoon, Shirl Basset. She's hired by a disruptive space exploration company, Beyond Terra, and put in charge of a bold asteroid-capture mission.

In her way stands Deacon Cutter, the ruthless leader of a rival company's team with his finger on a nuclear trigger.

What would you do to secure your family's future? What if your inheritance was dirty money? Would you take the money or keep it at arm's length? This week, Will puts a Stetson cowboy hat on Tom's head and we tell the story of the Southern Ruckston oil dynasty, a feuding family with a dying patriarch. Siblings squabble over the family estate and the future of the Ruckston Oil Empire. When his family members start dying, the black sheep of the family, Buck Ruckston has to step up to prevent a bloodbath.

Would you risk your life in a deadly game of chance if winning meant riches beyond your wildest dreams? What if your future depended on lying your way into a high-stakes gambling tournament deep in the desert?

This Week, Tom rolls Will a 12-sided Dice and we tell the story of Jacqueline Du Mort, a professional gambler on the run, who gets roped into a dangerous heist in a secret casino beneath the Arabian desert. She gets tangled up in an international conspiracy, faces enemies on both sides and is forced to confront her own loyalties.

What could stop internet trolling? What if anyone could challenge you to a fight to the death? Would you censor yourself online if your words could lead to blood?

Join us for the futuristic story of Mickey Danver, an Aussie internet troll, challenged by a snarky Scottish comedian to deadly combat in the Jerusalem Brawl. Will indulges Tom in bloodsport, modern gladiators and social engineering, seeded by a pair of Muay Thai sparring gloves.

What if there was a world where everyone lived underground? What kind of people would they be? What culture, religion and politics would exist on the shores of their vast subterranean seas?

Join us as Tom takes Will on a fantastical journey which bursts from the blank pages of a leather-bound book. We test our imagination, creating an epic fantasy in an entirely new world.