Hello! Here is this month's edition of Answer Us Back, full of your feedback on AMTs old and new - mostly pretty new. On today's menu:

Olly Mann himself has a change of heart about Elf On The Shelf since AMT392.

Laura found a variety pack of stock, as yearned for by Olly in AMT407 - although is two flavours enough to count as 'variety'?

Several people wrote in to chip in on AMT412's discussion of people with your same name using your email address; here we hear from Margaret and Daniel.

After hearing AMT411's question from Charlie from Canberra - whose mother had lately found out she was the biological child of a prolific sperm donor and thus has 600+ siblings - we heard from many of you reflecting upon your similar experiences of finding you were the child of a sperm donor, or your parent learning that they were. David, Breanne and Jo share some remarkable responses. 

If you’ve been storing thoughts about AMTs 1-412, send them to us for future episodes of Answer Us Back. 

And as always, send in your questions, in voicenote or written form to [email protected], for all new AMT413 which will be in your podfeed 24 December 2025. 

And keep AMT going by signing up at patreon.com/answermethis, where highest tier gets access to our ENTIRE back catalogue, including the paywalled episodes, the special albums, the Bonus Bits of Crapp on the AMT App (RIP) and all the Retro AMT episodes.

Thanks to Naked Wines for sponsoring AMT, and for providing bottles straight from world-class winemakers, cutting out the middleman, delivered to your door. Head to nakedwines.co.uk/answer to get a £30 voucher on your first 6 pack, including free delivery. 

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AMT412’s questioneers want to know why Innocent smoothies wear little woolly hats, how to increase someone’s spice tolerance, whether someone making you a mixtape is definitely a sign of romantic interest, and what to do about similarly-named strangers using your email address.

For more information about this episode, visit answermethispodcast.com/episode412

Got questions for us to answer, or feedback about an episode? Send them in writing or as a voice note to [email protected], or you can call 0208 123 5877 like the old days. AMT413 will be in your podfeed 24 December 2025, and halfway through the month you’ll get an episode of our new feature Answer Us Back in your podfeed, full of your own contributions to AMT questions recent and ancient.

Become a patron at patreon.com/answermethis to help with the continuing existence of AMT. All tiers get an ad-free version of the episode, plus bonus material each month, and our live video question-answering session Petty Problems which is next happening 18 January 2026; but spend a bit more and you get access to an RSS feed with ALL the AMT stuff EVER, including our entire back catalogue, our six themed albums, the retro AMTs, and every Bit of Crapp from the AMT App. 

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/answer, have a play around during the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER.

Thanks to Naked Wines for sponsoring AMT, and for providing bottles straight from world-class winemakers, cutting out the middleman, delivered to your door. Head to nakedwines.co.uk/answer to get a £30 voucher on your first 6 pack, including free delivery. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wake up, babe - a new AMT feature just dropped! Midway through the interminable month between new episodes, we’ll be doing an Answer Us Back episode that’s all bits of feedback you send in about episodes old and new. Today we hear from:

Scott, on the lyrics of ‘Sweet Caroline’, first discussed in AMT365 in 2018;

Steve in San Diego, with some cool tiara trivia following our discussion of that headgear in AMT408;

Elodia and Jess, both former medical students, illuminating us on what really goes on when they dissect human bodies during their training, which came up in AMT404. And Elodia previously wrote to us all the way back in 2011!

If you’ve been storing thoughts about AMTs 1-411, send them to us for future episodes of Answer Us Back. 

And as always, send in your questions, in voicenote or written form to [email protected], for all new AMT412 which will be in your podfeed 27 November 2025.

Also, join us for our fun Petty Problems live video on 16 November 2025 by signing up at patreon.com/answermethis; by doing so, you’re also helping keep the whole podcast going, so congrats and thanks for that.

Thanks to Naked Wines for sponsoring AMT, and for providing bottles straight from world-class winemakers, cutting out the middleman, delivered to your door. Head to nakedwines.co.uk/answer to get a £30 voucher on your first 6 pack, including free delivery. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AMT411’s questioneers want to know whether snakes really are charmed, if people of Yore really slept sitting up, and what you should do when your mum finds out she’s the child of one of the most prolific sperm donors in history and wants to meet her hundreds of half-siblings.

For more information about this episode, visit answermethispodcast.com/episode411.

Got questions for us to answer? Send them in writing or as a voice note to [email protected], or you can call 0208 123 5877 like the old days. Next episode will be in your podfeed 27 November 2025, so get your festive questions in, or hang onto them for a full year. 

Become a patron at patreon.com/answermethis to help with the continuing existence of AMT, and to get an ad-free version of the episode, plus bonus material each month, and our live video question-answering session Petty Problems which is next happening 16 November 2025.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/answer, have a play around during the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER.

Thanks to Naked Wines for sponsoring AMT, and for providing bottles straight from world-class winemakers, cutting out the middleman, delivered to your door. Head to nakedwines.co.uk/answer to get a £30 voucher on your first 6 pack, including free delivery. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a piggyback ride, who is the piggy? WHO IS THE PIGGY??? A questioneer simply must know! We also learn about cleaning swimming pools pre-chlorine, fruit wine in song lyrics, TV character crossovers, and telling fibs in a wedding speech.

For more information about this episode visit answermethispodcast.com/episode410.

Got questions for us to answer? Send them in writing or as a voice note to [email protected], OR - thanks to Adam of SocialComms.uk who has revived our phone number - you can call 0208 123 5877. Next episode will be in your podfeed 30 October 2025 so get your Halloween questions in, or hang onto them for a full year.

Become a patron at patreon.com/answermethis to help with the continuing existence of AMT, and to get an ad-free version of the episode, plus bonus material each month, and our live video question-answering session Petty Problems.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/answer, have a play around during the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s questioneers want to know whether to hide bawdy home decor when kids visit, how one comes to own a cemetery, why cities are full of artist-decorated animals, whether you can eat slugs, what to do with three unwanted sets of boules, and what the most ordered item is from the enormous menu at Cheesecake Factory.

For more information about this episode, and pics of the very special furniture we mention, visit answermethispodcast.com/episode409.

Got questions for us to answer? Send them in writing or as a voice note to [email protected], OR - thanks to Adam of SocialComms.uk who has revived our phone number - you can call 0208 123 5877. Next episode will be in your podfeed 25 September 2025.

Become a patron at patreon.com/answermethis to help with the continuing existence of AMT, and to get an ad-free version of the episode, plus bonus material culled from the show, and our live video question-answering session Petty Problems - you can catch up on previous editions too.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/answer, have a play around during the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s questioneers want to know, among other things, what private investigators actually do, what happened to Deely Boppers (Deely Bobbers?), how to greet your spouse when you’re attending the same business meeting, how to steer someone to not want to work for you, and how to persuade someone to GTFO of the massage chair at the airport that they’re not getting massaged in.

For more information about this episode, visit answermethispodcast.com/episode408.

Got question for us to answer? Send them in writing or as a voice note to [email protected]. Next episode will be in your podfeed 28 August 2025.

Become a patron at patreon.com/answermethis to help with the continuing existence of AMT, and to get an ad-free version of the episode, plus bonus material culled from the show, and our live video question-answering session Petty Problems, the next edition of which is happening 23 August 2025.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/answer, have a play around during the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s questioneers want to know why a coffee shop will have either good coffee or good chairs but not both, WTF Judi Dench’s voice is doing at Disney World, how to stop their coworkers pushing MLMs onto them, how to get their wife to like their malepolish, and why Phoebe from Friends would say lobsters mate for life when actually lobsters just want a quick hot fling and no commitment. 

For more information about this episode, visit answermethispodcast.com/episode407.

Got question for us to answer? Send them in writing or as a voice note to [email protected]. Next episode will be in your podfeed 31 July 2025.

Become a patron at patreon.com/answermethis to help with the continuing existence of AMT, and to get an ad-free version of the episode, plus bonus material culled from the show, and our live video question-answering session Petty Problems.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/answer, have a play around during the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER.

🎧 Olly's new BBC Sounds series about the building of a new Universal Studios theme park in Bedfordshire is here.

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Why do Danes slice up the bride’s veil and the groom’s socks at a wedding? Is it OK to take pats of butter from a cafe? How/when do Popes learn Italian? And what happens if you drop your phone into the toilet at a festival? (Spoiler: nothing good.) Questioneers want to know all these things and more in AMT406. 

For more information about this episode, visit answermethispodcast.com/episode406

Got question for us to answer? Send them in writing or as a voice note to [email protected].

Next episode will be in your podfeed 26 June 2025.

Before that, AMT patrons will be getting a new feature: Petty Problems, a live YouTube version of the show where we only deal with questions that are trivial, unserious, minor. And because it’s live, you can interact with us in real time! The first edition will be 10pm UK time on Sunday 15th June. Patrons also get bonus cuts from the show, an ad-free version of the episode, and the glow of satisfaction of bringing this podcast back to life; so for all that, go to patreon.com/answermethis.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/answer, have a play around during the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's one of those fantasy questions that gets batted around when "Who would you want at your fantasy dinner party?" has been wrung dry: what would you spend the money on if you won the lottery?

Except one questioneer has actually done it, and now they need to figure out what to spend the money on in a way that doesn't tip anyone off that they won the lottery. 

Plus, questioneers want to know: what do pretzels mean, when did sports winners start kissing trophies, who had the incredible idea to make biscuits into spread, what do you do with your late spouse's underpants, and how to do you stop being given gifts of toe socks.

For more information about this episode, visit answermethispodcast.com/episode405.

Got questions for us to answer? Send them in writing or as a voice note to [email protected]. Next episode will be in your podfeed 29 May 2025.

AMT patrons will be getting bonus material before that, as well as an ad-free version of the episode, and the glow of satisfaction of bringing this podcast back to life; so to become a patron, go to patreon.com/answermethis.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, the all in one platform for creating and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/answer, have a play around during the two-week free trial, and when you're ready to launch, get a 10% discount on your first purchase of a website or domain with the code ANSWER.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices