Why are so many restaurants closing down? Across Britain, the hospitality industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Twelve months ago, it was the turn of chef Tony Rodd.

His passion for food saw him progress from hosting dinner parties for friends, to being a Masterchef runner-up, to eventually opening his dream London restaurant - Copper & Ink, in affluent Blackheath.

But the dream unravelled. Crippled by Covid, increasing energy costs, VAT bills and ‘no-shows’, he shut up shop in 2024.

One year later, he’s back, with an intimate new restaurant in Broadstairs. In this engaging interview with Olly, he explains how he’s making it work… this time, on his own terms.

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart steps out into the cold night air to investigate the trend for smart telescopes, which combine automated star alignment and wireless connectivity to capture incredible images of the night sky.

How easy is it to find stars and take photos of them? What is driving the interest in astrophotography? And are they a worthy upgrade to an old-fashioned eye-piece? With a Vaonis Hestia by his side, Ollie reveals all...

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox discovers how sound effects are created for erotic audiobooks, and tackles a question from a listener who wants to know about anal botox.

Can bum injections reduce pain during anal play, heal fissures, and relax muscles for easier intercourse? Dr. Evan Goldstein, aka “The Bottom Whisperer,” certainly thinks so…

… Alix considers the potential downsides, and investigates other aesthetic trends for 2025, from anal bleaching to skin tag removal, ‘scrotox’ and ‘showtox’.

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Music-wise, our record of the month comes from The Lumineers, whose new single Same Old Song spearheads their fantastic new album, Automatic._______

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CONTACT US

If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, or some feedback for Olly; if you’d like to nominate yourself as a Mannbassador, or have a suggestion of a future interview for the show, just fill out our Feedback form:

https://www.modernmann.co.uk/feedback

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… and we’ll see you on February 10th!

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Tony Rodd, The Lumineers. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2025.

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