Spirit Talk Show - Bedtime Stories for Grown Ups

He was in the pub with Rowan Atkinson when John Cleese called. He watched Rick Mayal and Adrian Edmondson do their very first television appearance. He stood at the back of an empty auditorium the night Stefan Grappelli made a seasoned guitarist stop mid-conversation just to watch. He was there for so much of it — the golden age of British comedy, the writers' rooms, the charity stages, the moments that became television history.

And then, decades later, he sat down alone one night to play a role-playing game with twenty-four strangers across the world. And thought: what would it really be like to actually be this guy?

That question became a novel. Then a series. Then four books.

Richard Sparks has had two full creative lives, and he is not finished with either of them. In this conversation, he talks about what it meant to write for some of the most iconic voices in British comedy, what the room was really like when Rowan Atkinson switched on, the night he watched Robin Williams hold thirty people in physical pain from laughing, and why the most important thing he ever did for his career was quit the safe job he hated two weeks after signing on for another year.

He also reads live from his New Rock series — a chapter so quietly constructed that it gives you the answer to everything in chapter nine, and you don't realize what you've been handed until much later.

His advice to every young writer listening: learn the melody before you give anyone the riff. And never try to write like somebody else. It took him decades to prove that with his own work. He's still proving it.

Find Richard at richardsparks.com and the New Rock series wherever books are sold.

Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups
Hosted by Doyle

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Every season begins with a spark.

For the Season 7 premiere of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle welcomes a guest who feels perfectly at home in the world of imagination, storytelling, and the power of the human voice.

Scott Miller, host of the acclaimed Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, joins the show for a lively and unforgettable conversation about vintage science fiction, the golden age of radio storytelling, and the magic of bringing written stories to life through voice and performance.

Scott has spent years narrating classic science fiction stories from the public domain, preserving imaginative works that might otherwise be forgotten. His passion for storytelling shines through in every performance — and in this episode, that passion becomes something truly electric.

Instead of simply talking about storytelling, Doyle and Scott dive into it together.

Throughout the episode, they perform live sci-fi radio plays—switching voices, narrating dramatic scenes, and recreating the spirit of old-time radio theater. It’s playful, immersive, and a reminder of how powerful storytelling can be when people simply sit down and let their imagination run.

Along the way, Scott shares the remarkable journey that led him to podcasting, the lessons he’s learned about persistence and creativity, and why he believes the most important thing in life is simply this: keep doing the things you love.

It’s the perfect way to begin Season 7—with laughter, stories, imagination, and a celebration of the voices that keep great stories alive.

Explore Scott’s work at:
https://lostscifi.com

Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups
Hosted by Doyle

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After we aired our Season 6 tribute to Evelyn Dorothy Parker, something stayed with me. Not just her story, but the voices of the people she made.

This bonus companion episode is something I have never done before on this show. What you are about to hear is the memorial gathering held for Evelyn by the people who loved her — her sons, her colleagues from the Krasnow Lab at Stanford, the young researchers she took into her home, the daughter-in-law she welcomed in a moment of grief with nothing but warmth, and a son she gave up at birth who found his way back to her front door thirty years later with a bunch of flowers and no idea what to do with his hands.

They called her the lab mom. They said her house was a warm hug. They talked about the frogs she did not actually want anymore but kept collecting because people needed her to be the kind of woman who loved frogs. One man flew in from Ireland as a clueless graduate student and left twelve years later knowing how to live.

If the first episode told you who Evelyn was, this one shows you what she built. And what she built was people.

You will hear them here, in their own words, stumbling gently through the kinds of sentences that only come out right when they are true.

To hear the original tribute episode first, search Spirit Talk Show for S6-EP26: A Life of Kindness and Quiet Brilliance.

Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups
Hosted by Doyle

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As Season 6 of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups comes to a close, we pause—not with noise, but with reflection.

In this special tribute episode, Doyle sits down with his friend Russ to honor the life of Russ’s mother, Evelyn Dorothy Parker—a remarkable woman whose story quietly spans immigration, science, motherhood, and a lifetime of perseverance.

Born in 1937 to a family who fled Nazi Germany, Evelyn’s life began in upheaval but unfolded with extraordinary purpose. She grew up on a dairy ranch in Northern California and quickly revealed a rare brilliance—graduating high school at just 14 and earning her bachelor’s degree by 17. She went on to complete her doctorate in biochemistry at UC Berkeley and contributed to important molecular biology research at Stanford, helping shape early understanding in genetics and developmental science.

But this story isn’t only about achievement.

It’s about who she was in the spaces between.

Evelyn is remembered for her kindness—welcoming young researchers into her home, hosting holiday gatherings for students far from their families, and offering support without ever seeking recognition. Her impact wasn’t loud, but it was lasting.

In this deeply personal conversation, Russ shares stories preserved in a remarkable family binder—stories of wartime displacement, academic brilliance, rediscovered connections, and the quiet humanity that defined his mother’s life.

The episode closes with a gentle bedtime story from a book written by Evelyn’s own mother decades ago—a reminder that every life, no matter how extraordinary or ordinary it may seem, carries its own rhythm… and its own meaning.

As we close Season 6, this episode stands as a tribute—not only to Evelyn, but to all those whose lives shape the world quietly through kindness, curiosity, and a life well lived.

Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups
Hosted by Doyle

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What if the greatest threat to humanity isn’t scarcity — but excess?

In this powerful episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle welcomes speculative fiction author Diana Colleen for a fascinating conversation about wealth, power, climate change, and the human psychology behind extreme accumulation.

Diana shares the deeply personal journey that led her to write her bold new novel — including how psychedelic-assisted therapy helped her through a suicidal period and ultimately inspired the story she felt called to tell. The result is a provocative work of speculative fiction that asks a daring question: what would happen if the world’s billionaires were forced to confront their humanity?

During this wide-ranging conversation, Russ, Doyle and Diana explore:

• Why extreme wealth may be a psychological and social crisis
• The idea of “billionaireism” as a modern form of hoarding
• The power of storytelling to challenge cultural assumptions
• Psychedelic therapy, empathy, and human connection
• Why fiction can sometimes change minds more deeply than facts

It’s a bold, philosophical, and deeply human discussion about power, responsibility, and the possibility of redemption in a world facing climate crisis and widening inequality.

Learn more about Diana and her work at:
https://www.dianacolleenauthor.com/

If you enjoy conversations that blend storytelling, philosophy, and big questions about the future of humanity, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups
Hosted by Doyle

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