Episodes

  • Playback: The Unlucky Ones

    Playback: The Unlucky Ones
    Oct 31 2025
    To celebrate our tenth anniversary, we're replaying Producer Matt's favourite interview from our extensive back catalogue. Jo and Steve Peck suffered not one, not two, but recurrent miscarriages over the course of four years, before seeking private treatment.In this searingly honest, compelling interview with Olly, they reveal the toll this took on their marriage, their work and their mental health - as they watched their friends begin families - gradually realising it may never happen for them. If you’ve been affected by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy, the Miscarriage Association offers support and a pregnancy loss helpline: miscarriageassociation.org.uk This episode first aired in July 2018. Now remastered and with an update from Steve and Jo in 2025, we're replaying this interview as part of our tenth birthday celebrations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • The Confession That Went Viral - Matthew Cordle

    The Confession That Went Viral - Matthew Cordle
    Oct 10 2025
    Drink-driving one night, Matthew Cordle caused a head-on collision that killed 61-year-old Vincent Canzani. His confession on YouTube - ‘I Killed A Man’ - became one of the most controversial viral videos of its era, amassing millions of views and sparking debate about accountability, remorse, and the nature of public confession. Twelve years later, Cordle tells Olly his story, in unflinching detail that goes far beyond the sensational three-minute video. From his descent into alcoholism from the age of eleven, to his complex relationship with the attention his actions brought him, and the journey of accountability he undertook during his six-year prison sentence, this is a tale of remorse, notoriety, and what it means to take responsibility. Matthew works with the charities Save Your Victim and Because I Said I Would. --------------------- Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart is on-hand to organise a tenth birthday party for our podcast 🥳 With a sprinkling of superb magic from The Magician’s Table, he suggests a potent mix of immersive theatre, bespoke cocktails from Holy Water, and, of course, VR. There is also a celebratory song from his musical alter-ego Captain Spronk, because why wouldn’t there be? --------------------- Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox has been rummaging for antiques at her local car boot sale, and looking into the UK government’s new controls on digital pornography. Has the implementation of age verification helped prevent minors from accessing online porn? Are the likes of Quittr effective at assisting users to ‘quit porn forever’? And, if they are, is that healthy? Alix, as always, has a view… Love the Foxhole? Then you may enjoy How To Get Wet When You’re Dry - a new show about sex and sobriety, produced by Ollie Peart. --------------------- Finally, our record of the month comes from Art School Girlfriend, and her track L.Y.A.T.T. (Love You All The Time) ❤️ --------------------- A 10TH BIRTHDAY NOTE FROM OLLY Mann-Fans, thanks so much for listening to and supporting our podcast! It is because of you that we continue making the show. If you can afford to, please please send us beer money - every penny helps fund our journalism. If you can’t spare any cash, then why not leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or just tell your friends. That’s free. Here’s to the next ten years! … and we’ll see you with something new on 10th November. x Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Matthew Cordle, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Art School Girlfriend, Captain Spronk. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Artwork: Podcast Discovery. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2025 (01:34) Your Letters (06:33) The Zeitgeist: How To Have A Very Modern Party (29:23) Interview: Matthew Cordle (75:51) The Foxhole: Porn Ban Aftermath Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 46 mins
  • Playback: The Two Billion Dollar Man

    Playback: The Two Billion Dollar Man
    Sep 26 2025
    In his 20s, yet running a $50billion book, Kweku Adoboli had worked his way up the trading floor at the very point the market crashed. His actions wiped £2.7bn from the UBS share price, prompted the resignation of their chief executive - and got him a seven-year jail sentence for fraud. In this remarkable interview with Olly, he reveals a corporate culture of ‘wilful blindness’, explains how he fell foul of the UK’s hostile environment policy for migrants - and re-lives the moment he realised that, having taken responsibility for his actions, he would forever be known as Britain’s biggest ‘rogue trader’... This episode first aired in February 2018. Now remastered and with an update from Olly, we've paired this episode with Priscilla Coleman's interview on Drawn To Justice, released this month. Listen now! Image Credit Priscilla Coleman/MB Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • Drawn To Justice

    Drawn To Justice
    Sep 10 2025
    From Gary Glitter to Rose West; Prince Harry to Harold Shipman… courtroom artist Priscilla Coleman has sketched them all, over five decades documenting Britain’s biggest criminal trials. In UK courts, artists can’t sketch inside, so she begins by writing what she sees, combining shorthand notes with a photographic memory technique. Under tight deadlines - and often without even a table - she rushes outside to turn those notes into the courtroom images we recognise from the nightly news. In this broad interview with Olly, Priscilla recalls watching the Wagatha Christie trial; considers what she’s learned from such diverse case studies as Ian Huntley and Jeffrey Archer; and explains why she thinks the legal system needs to change… Image credit: Priscilla Coleman/MB Media —----------------------- Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart joins Olly at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, surrounded by cars worth millions of pounds, to investigate the trend for younger people getting into classic car restoration. Is it a way of avoiding ULEZ charges? Do the tax breaks justify abandoning newer cars altogether? And, assuming you can’t afford a Ferrari or a Bentley, what are the upcoming marques to invest in? The answers may surprise you… —----------------------- Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from discovering a kindred spirit in a bondage-themed hair salon - tackles a listener’s anxiety about contracting HIV from a non-consensual encounter. Twenty-five tests, taken over fifteen years, are telling her she doesn’t have HIV… is there any chance they could be wrong? —----------------------- Finally, music this month comes from Ipswich-born rapper Piers James, and his new single 'F.O.E'. —----------------------- NOW… 🎧 LISTEN TO OLLY guesting on Mann-fan Darren Hill’s podcast, The Story Pilgrim - if two middle-aged men walking around Letchworth is your idea of an hour well spent: https://pod.fo/e/328330 🍻 BUY US A BEER. We are only able to make this show thanks to your donations. If you can afford to, pretty PLEASE support our independent podcast here. ✉️ SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK. If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, a letter for Olly, or you’d like to share your story on a future edition of the show - fill out our Feedback form here. —----------------------- … and we’ll see you with our tenth birthday episode on 10th October. x Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Priscilla Coleman, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Piers James. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Artwork: Podcast Discovery. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • How To Be A Dad - On Holiday

    How To Be A Dad - On Holiday
    Aug 10 2025
    Tom Price and Stuart Goldsmith return for their annual catch-up with Olly, comparing notes on the pleasures and pitfalls of parenthood. With their boys now aged 9½, the Dads’ latest life advice includes how to remove a games console from the sitting room (without triggering a row); splitting Summer holidays into ‘manageable blocks’; giving their sons feedback without it sounding like criticism; and the joy of re-discovering The Simpsons. Plus, why singing out instructions can be more effective than shouting; how NOT to make a good impression at a posh playground; and the pressures of the Obligatory Back To School Photo… This is the tenth instalment of our annual ‘How To Be A Dad’ series. Catch up with all previous episodes HERE. 🎧Tom’s podcast is My Mate Bought A Toaster; and Stuart’s is The Comedian’s Comedian. _____________ Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart considers the soaring cost of getting away, and breaks down what a ‘holiday’ really means. Can a ‘staycation’ provide an equivalent wellbeing boost to travelling abroad? Maaaaaaaybe, says Ollie, if you plan your time off, lock away your laptop, and hire a cleaner. Along the way, he uncovers the trends for “noctourism”, “fakeations”, and “set-jetting”. It’s certainly a break from the grind… _____________ Elsewhere, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from discovering a new kind of ‘Big D’ in her work at Deaf Rave - has advice for pleasuring ladies with longer labia. Not every culture is squeamish about flappiness: some Eastern and African traditions celebrate and even enhance labia length. Whether you’re solo or partnered, Alix has a treasure chest of toys and techniques, from floral-shaped vibrators that flutter like a butterfly, to massage oils that pamper your folds. The goal is worship - not just stimulation. With the help of sexual wellness educator Tami Rose, sexpert Jess Wilde, professional long-lipped pleasure seeker Crista Anne, and pro piercer Mike Hill, Alix celebrates sensory exploration, and offers clever tricks with toys, casting kits, and knickers… _______ 🍻 BUY US A BEER. We are only able to make this show thanks to your donations. If you can afford to, pretty PLEASE support our independent podcast here. ✉️ SEND US YOUR LETTERS. If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, some feedback for Olly, or you’d like to share your story on a future edition of the show - fill out our Feedback form here. 💬 THE MODERN MANN DISCORD. It’s free! Meet other Mann-fans: https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72 _____________ Finally, our record of the month is Mogwai’s re-version of ‘Endsong’, plucked from The Cure’s brand new remix album, Mixes of a Lost World. … and we’ll see you with something new on 10th September. x Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Tom Price, Stuart Goldsmith, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, The Cure, Mogwai. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Artwork: Podcast Discovery. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2025 01:04 Your Letters 05:52 The Zeitgeist: Planning A Fake-ation 26:04 Feature: Three Dads Compare Notes, 10 Years On 67:19 The Foxhole: Longer Labias? No Problem! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • Playback: The Theme Park Designer

    Playback: The Theme Park Designer
    Jul 25 2025
    Theme parks have transformed from the travelling fairs of the fifties and Disney-inspired family resorts into playgrounds for adrenalin junkies of all ages. So, how do ride designers meet the needs of their discerning public? Bradley Wynne, lead creative artist at Merlin Magic Making, is a man who knows - he's spent a lifetime obsessing about all things theme park and is now heading up the team for Thorpe Park's biggest ever launch, Derren Brown's Ghost Train. In this episode, Olly learns from him how sounds, smells and touch can enhance the experience of riding a rollercoaster; discusses the fallout from the tragedy on The Smiler, and how you can use a very boring interest in planning application data to your advantage, to secure a dream job. This episode first aired in April 2016, in our episode Let's Build A Theme Park. Now remastered and with an update from Bradley nine years on, we're replaying it to celebrate Olly's new BBC show: ROLLERCOASTER - UNIVERSAL’S BEDFORDSHIRE JOURNEY. Olly’s new four-part BBC series about the Universal Studios project in Bedford can be binged ⁠here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • I Survived A Plane Crash

    I Survived A Plane Crash
    Jul 10 2025
    Perry Burns was just 13 when his once-in-a-lifetime trip on an RAF plane ended in a devastating crash. It left him with burns over nearly half his body. In this gripping conversation with Olly, Perry relives the moment he thought he’d died; the fireball he escaped; and the chain of miracles that saved his life... He shares the pain of recovery, the power of one relentless teacher, and how love helped him rebuild. —----------------------- Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart is on a mission to Make Running Fun. While apps like VoiceMap offer self-guided audio tours you can create (and sell!), and GoodGym adds community purpose to your jog, his true champion is Zombies, Run!, a thrilling, GPS-triggered story game where undead hordes chase you into cardio greatness... and, it seems, makes Olly Mann sweat buckets around the Regent’s Park Running Track. —----------------------- Elsewhere, Alix Fox - fresh from National AIDS Trust fundraiser Drag Raise - is back to answer listener’s sex and relationships questions in The Foxhole. This month:  What actually happens at sex-themed swingers holiday resorts, like Hedonism in Jamaica, and what should prospective travellers bring with them to the hotel? With the help of Sex Advice for Seniors’ Suzanne Noble, Alix reveals all… —----------------------- Finally, our record of the month is the folktastic ‘Cow Song’ from The New Eves 🐄. Check it out on our Spotify playlist now! Oh, and here are some useful links you should totally be clicking: 🎢 ROLLERCOASTER - UNIVERSAL’S BEDFORDSHIRE JOURNEY. Olly’s new four-part BBC series about the Universal Studios project in Bedford can be binged here. 🍻 BUY US A BEER. We are only able to make this show thanks to your donations. If you can afford to, pretty PLEASE support our independent podcast here. ✉️ SEND US YOUR LETTERS. If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, some feedback for Olly, or you’d like to share your story on a future edition of the show - fill out our Feedback form here. —----------------------- … and we’ll see you (with our annual How To Be A Dad special) on 10th August. x Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Perry Burns, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, The New Eves. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Artwork: Podcast Discovery. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 35 mins
  • Playback: My Trans Journey (with update)

    Playback: My Trans Journey (with update)
    Jun 27 2025
    What’s the reality of male-to-female transitioning on the NHS? Lexi Perry-Weston says the online resources she found didn’t relate to her experiences at all. In this interview with Olly, she explains how she’s been supported in her trans journey by her family, her workplace and the medical establishment - but also harassed by the public, fetishised by partners and discriminated against by businesses. From hormones to dating apps, vocal therapy to changing room etiquette, this is one Mann-fan’s experience of gender transition in 2020. CONTENT WARNING: interview contains references to rape, suicide, abuse, recounting of transphobic language and gender dysphoria. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here. This episode first aired in September 2020, in the episode 'What To Expect When You're Transitioning'. Now remastered and with a brand-new , extended interview with Lexi in 2025, we discuss how the political climate has changed... as well as Lexi's own life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    50 mins