The Orchard cover art

The Orchard

By: Mike Jones, Mike Cowap
Narrated by: Eric Bana, Gary Sweet, Magda Szubanski
  • Summary

  • Winner in the Best Podcast Fiction category at the 2022 Banff Rockie Awards. 

    Please note: contains strong language and adult content.

    At the edge of an old orchard, on the grounds of an exclusive private girls’ school, a teenage boy is found dead. Was it murder, suicide, or something else? 

    Disaffected police detective and struggling single parent, Adam Durwood, is assigned to investigate, but the closer he looks the more the facts don’t add up. At the centre of the mystery are three beguiling and manipulative teenagers who seem to know much more than they should, and are slowly drawing Adam into a web he can’t see.... 

    Blending crime drama and supernatural mystery, The Orchard is a ground-breaking Audible Original series immersing audiences in a haunting tale of memory, myth and unnatural forces.   

    Written by Mike Jones and Mike Cowap and produced by Princess Pictures.

    Performed by Eric Bana, Gary Sweet, Magda Szubanski, Olivia Deeble, Lisa-Marie Shaw and Ashleigh-Rose Nicholson.

    ©2021 Princess Pictures Digital Pty Ltd (P)2021 Audible Australia Pty Ltd.
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Episodes
  • Ep 1: Memories of Others
    Sep 7 2021

    Teenager Thomas Royale meets three girls in an orchard on the grounds of a remote private girls’ school. The next morning his cold, naked body is discovered with head wounds and a broken neck. Detective Adam Durwood is reluctant to take the case having promised to quit the force to repair his fractured relationship with his 12-year-old daughter, Lily.

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    16 mins
  • Ep 2: Chasing Figments
    Sep 7 2021

    Adam must interview the teenage girls who were rehearsing for the school play, Macbeth, with Thomas before he died but meets resistance from the school principal. The delivery driver who found the corpse is equally reluctant to meet Adam as he struggles to cope with what he saw. Adam’s daughter Lily’s strange behaviour attracts the attention of the school bullies.

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    18 mins
  • Ep 3: Knots and Feathers and Thorns
    Sep 7 2021

    The school’s superiors continue to frustrate Adam’s attempts to interview the three girls, but he tracks down Eva Tatiana, the girls’ enigmatic and protective teacher, and grills her for some insight into the impregnable dynamics of the private girls’ school. Lily, meanwhile, ventures into the apple orchard where she has a haunting encounter.

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    20 mins

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What listeners say about The Orchard

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Unexpected

An intriguing story that slowly builds and twists. I listened to it all in a day because I needed to know where it was going next.

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30 people found this helpful

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Absolutely captivating

Listened to it in an entire night because I just had to know what happened

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20 people found this helpful

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Immersive heart thumper

Loved this, really cool immersive sound design, great story, brilliant cast (hello Eric Bana!). High recommend.

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16 people found this helpful

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Unable to stop listening

This was a really good story. The characters were complex and interesting and the pace was fast. I listened from start to finish in one go. I hope we have more stories like these. I really appreciate that this could be made while the players were in lockdown. Amazingly good.

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14 people found this helpful

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Unmissable

The script, the voice acting, the sound design, the direction… all first class! You won’t be disappointed.

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10 people found this helpful

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Excellent podcast

What an incredible story - Eric Bana’s narration and the whole cast was so wonderful.
This story was so unusual.
I literally couldn’t stop listening from the first episode to the last - best podcast I’ve heard.

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9 people found this helpful

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Totally compelling

Eric Bana was enough reason to listen but the story really wraps you up in a great story. It's mysterious and creepy with lots of twists and surprises. But it's also surprisingly emotional centred around a relationship between father and daughter. A very satisfying end but could also easily have another season with more story to tell!

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9 people found this helpful

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  • Kat
  • 11-09-2021

Excellent

What a treat to have such great Australian talent on the cast of this podcast. Loved it. 😊

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8 people found this helpful

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  • Tex
  • 12-09-2021

binge worthy!!

everything about the podcast was excellent. casting, script, direction, sound effects. that's the production quality I enjoy listening too. thank You Audible!!

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Compelling

Absolutely compelling. A intriguing story, narrated magnificently. Played like a movie in my mind. Truely superb.

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7 people found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.