Imagine building a brand from scratch, and running your business for fifteen years - only to be told by a global corporation that your name isn’t yours to keep. 

That’s what happened to Rebecca Dowdeswell, founder of waxing business NKD, when she received a legal letter from cosmetics giant L’Oréal, opposing her application to renew her trademark.

In this compelling conversation with Olly, Rebecca takes us inside her David vs. Goliath battle against one of the world’s biggest corporations; a tale of perseverance, justice, and the high price of standing your ground.

Support Rebecca’s small business, and find out more about her story, here:

https://nkdproducts.shop/pages/because-were-worth-it-too-loreal-vs-nkd

Thanks to Private Eye for their help sourcing this story.

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart dives deep into his DNA, to discover whether companies like Color can detect predispositions to serious diseases. 

After talking to journalist Molly Guinness, who was diagnosed with colon cancer at 38, Ollie investigates the growing trend for people proactively checking their health beyond the tests offered by the NHS, and - thanks to UK-based company Selph - discovers he has a hitherto undetected genetic condition, Lp(a).

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox uncovers the truth about a kinky MRI incident that’s taken the internet by storm, and advises a listener whose partner is not in-sync with his peccadillos.

How can he balance a fulfilling monogamous relationship, while staying true to his most extreme desires? Might understanding the emotions behind his kinks lead to creative compromises? Or could attending a workshop, or even opening up his relationship, provide the right solution?

With the help of Psychosexual and Relationship therapist Shae Harmon and Lola Phoenix’s new book The Non-Monogamy Journal, Alix reveals all…

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Down in music corner, our record of the month is the brilliantly arresting ‘Angie’s Wedding’ from Manchester-based poet, writer and producer Antony Szmierek. His album, ‘Service Station At The End Of The Universe’, comes out February 28th.

_______

SUPPORT US:

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your generous donations - independent shows like ours only exist with your support: 

🍺💰👉https://www.modernmann.co.uk/beer

_______

JOIN OUR DISCORD! 

➡️https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72

_______

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

_______

… and we’ll see you on March 10th!

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Rebecca Dowdeswell, Antony Szmierek. 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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With zero experience running a professional kitchen, home cook Robert Maxwell poured his life savings into his passion project: a gastropub-inspired Toronto restaurant. It became a crash-course in coping with stress, managing his cashflow, and curbing his ego.

In this funny, forthright interview with Olly, Robert reveals how chasing a dream led to him selling his house, hitting the bottle and falling out of love with the thing he loved the most... cooking.

This interview first aired in June 2018 - now remastered and with an update from Robert in 2025.

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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._______

SUPPORT US:

We’re a completely independent podcast. We’re professionals. We only exist thanks to your financial contributions. THANK YOU.

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

_______

JOIN OUR DISCORD!

https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72

_______

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

_______

… 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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Join Olly Mann and the gang for our bumper festive extravaganza… Featuring:

🎶 Live music from Sons of Town Hall – the Victorian-inspired duo from the Madmen Cross The Water podcast join us to serenade the season with their folksy harmonies - and test their Anglophiliac credentials with a Mannfan-made ‘citizenship test’… 

💸 To Tip or Not to Tip? – Wondering how much to tip your postie, milkman, or the plumber who saved your pipes? Ollie Peart dives into the age-old debate on festive gratuities - and launches his new JUST THE TIP service!

🤪 The XXX-Mas Foxhole Quiz – Things take a turn for the risqué with Alix Fox’s annual laugh-out-loud Q&A… this time involving scented underwear, rubber chickens, and some out-of-context audio erotica… 

So, pour yourself a wine (courtesy of our sponsors, Wine52, of course), sit back, and enjoy our modern, mad, magical Christmas celebration! 🎄

We’ll be back with a brand new series on 10th January, 2025. 

In the meantime… why not buy us a beer, and help us keep our independent show running into its TENTH anniversary year? https://modernmann.co.uk/beer

Join us on the Modern Mann Discord ➡️https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Sons of Town Hall, Charlie Hedges, Lucy Fennell, Sue Beere, Sarah McCammon, Sam Shepherd. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2024

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Being a landlord means trusting strangers to live in your house. 

Try as you might, you can't know everything about them. Sometimes, you just have to rely on an instinct that your tenants are good people. Until, that is, you get a knock on the door from the police...

That's what happened to listener Ian from Dublin. In this interview with Olly, he re-lives the moment he became involved in an armed Police sting - and began to regret renting out his property.

This interview first aired in July 2017, in the episode, 'The Accidental Pimp'

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Trashed rooms. Plastic sheeting. Dodgy ductwork. When Mike Senior returned to his rental property in Cambridge, he uncovered a scene straight out of a crime drama.

In this interview with Olly, he reveals how some tenants from Gumtree turned his Dream Home into a landlord’s nightmare… 

_______

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart investigates the trend for A.I.-assisted recruitment. 

Employers, he discovers, are using machine learning to whittle down candidates, read CVs and reduce biases. Applicants are hacking their jobsearch with “prompt engineering”, hidden fonts, and generative interview prep.

… Is it still possible to get a job with inter-personal skills and chutzpah? 

And can he uncover a recipe to beat the bots? 

_______

Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from the ‘You Me Bum Bum Train’ building site - has advice for a fifty-something Mannfan whose libido has reduced dramatically.

Though physically capable, his emotional and mental energy are drained by health issues, caregiving, and stress. Could counselling, lifestyle changes, and a change of scene help him get his mojo back? And why do so many people seem to believe that if a man can get hard, there’s nothing to worry about?

_______

Finally, our record of the month is ‘She’s Got A Problem’ from Hastings rock-trio HotWax 🤘

_______

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

We’re an independent podcast and only exist thanks to your donations. 

🍺💰👉https://www.modernmann.co.uk/beer

JOIN OUR DISCORD! 

And help our Mannbassadors make a Mannfan meet-up!

➡️https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72

_______

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

_______

… and we’ll see you for our annual Christmas spectacular on December 10th 🎅

_______

This episode is supported by Readly. Get your exclusive, three month trial of unlimited newspapers and magazines at readly.com/mann

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Mike Senior, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, HotWax. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2024

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Medically assisted dying is legal in Canada, where over 10,000 people end their lives through euthanasia each year, and over 80% of applications are approved.

Robin Farr, from Calgary, watched as her Dad, Mike, developed a rare lung disease that limited his breathing, massively impacting his quality of life. Then he decided to make use of the MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) laws.

In this honest, unsparing conversation with Olly, Robin explains how it felt to manage the last couple of days of her father’s life - and reveals the flaws in the system that left her and her family unsupported in a time of anticipatory grief...

Robin volunteers with Canadian support groups Bridge4You and Bridgec14, and recommends the resources at dyingwithdignity.ca and the Swiss organisations Pegasos and Dignitas.

This interview first aired in September 2022, in the episode, 'The Countdown.'

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Sarah McCammon’s upbringing was steeped in evangelical culture—raised as a Charismatic Christian in Kansas City, Missouri, she asked God for salvation at just two years old. 

Soon she was ‘street witnessing’, trying to convert strangers to her mega-church; praying at family dinners for the salvation of her atheist grandfather; and crediting Jesus for healing her stubbed toe. 

As a teen, she followed the expected path: wearing a purity ring, committing to abstinence before marriage, attending a Christian university, getting married, and starting a family.

But then, she left it all behind.

In this candid conversation with Olly, Sarah—now a national political correspondent for NPR—unpacks the emotional, social, and political forces that shaped her beliefs, and ultimately led her to walk away from the evangelical world. 

Offering a compelling insider’s view of life within the movement, she delves into the personal cost of leaving her faith, and explains the deep connection between white evangelicals and their unwavering support for Donald Trump.

Sarah’s book, The Exvangelicals, is out now.

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart takes on the challenge of preparing for the Government’s infamous ‘Life in the UK’ test.

Although already a British citizen, Ollie has been swotting up to answer a dozen real-life questions from the extensive pool of questions that aspiring citizens must study. Can he correctly respond to the required 75%?

With topics ranging from British history to culture and law—and a £50 fee per attempt—he and Olly soon realise just how tricky and unpredictable these questions can be…

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from a surprisingly intimate moment with the Teletubbies - considers the ethics of hiring a sex worker.

Is it ever truly possible to ensure prostitutes have not been trafficked by criminal gangs? What distinctions exist between the proposed decriminalization and legalisation of sex work? And even if women choose to enter the field due to poverty and desperation - does that necessarily mean they are victims?

With the help of sex worker-turned-author and comedian Kaytlin Bailey and the English Collective of Prostitutes, Alix gives this sticky quandary her very best shot…

_______

Finally, the music Making Us Happy this month… is Jason Derulo’s Make Me Happy 😊

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

We’re an independent podcast and only exist thanks to your donations. 

🍺💰👉https://www.modernmann.co.uk/beer

JOIN OUR DISCORD! 

100+ Mannfans are there already. At least two of them are jugglers.

➡️https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72

_______

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

_______

… and we’ll see you on November 10th 📅

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Sarah McCammon, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Jason Derulo. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2024

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Fortune-tellers, offering palm-reading for as little as ten dollars, are a common sight in New York City. But when they swindle their clients out of six-figure sums, it’s ex-NYPD officer Bob on their case…

In this sensational interview with Olly, Bob reveals how the criminals he pursues prey on vulnerable victims, the techniques they use to convince clever professionals to hand-over huge amounts of money, and his fight to convince complacent cops that it’s worth prosecuting and imprisoning these ingenious offenders.

CONTENT WARNING: references to suicide.

This episode first aired in 2019 under the title, "Credit The Con". Now remastered and with an update from Bob from this month, we paired this episode with our most recent: "When People Disappear".

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In a missing persons investigation, the initial hours and days are crucial. 

Establishing a relationship with the missing person’s family, absorbing their behavioural characteristics, and managing media interest in the story are all essential parts of the toolkit for officers charged with finding them alive.

But, 27 years ago, when Charlie Hedges MBE was assigned his first missing persons case, such protocols did not exist. He found institutional inertia and complacency where there should have been dedication and service - and set out to right that wrong.

In this compelling conversation with Olly, Charlie looks back over his career finding missing people - including Dr David Kelly, April Jones and Ashya King - and reveals the techniques and temperament necessary for the job, especially in these days of internet sleuths and social media speculation. 

Charlie’s book, Missing, is out now, published by Hachette.

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart channels his inner James Martin to kick up a storm in Olly’s kitchen: specifically, a five-course meal made entirely using air fryers.

With the help of AirFryerGirl and ProCook, Ollie impresses with a delicious molten Camembert and honey-mustard pork - but is frankly rather let down by his raw carrot crisps.

Along the way, the boys consider whether the popularity of air fryers will last beyond the cost of living crisis, uncover which tabletop gadgets will become the next kitchen must-haves, and ask why Tiktokers don’t provide recipe PDFs…

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox uncovers the trend for ‘CEI’ humiliation videos, and assists a Mann-fan whose daughter wants to reject the HPV vaccine - because she’s a lesbian.

In collaboration with gynaecological cancer charity The Eve Appeal, Alix discovers why the HPV vaccine is important for all young people, regardless of orientation; explains how the virus can be transmitted; and reveals the efficacy of the vaccine and the common myths surrounding it.

_______

Finally, we’re going hip-hop for our Record of the Month, ‘Passion’, from LL COOL J’s first album in 11 years, THE FORCE 🔥

_______

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

We’re an independent podcast and only exist thanks to your donations. 

🍺💰👉https://www.modernmann.co.uk/beer

JOIN OUR DISCORD! 

100+ Mannfans are there already. At least two of them are jugglers.

➡️https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72

_______

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

_______

… and we’ll see you on October 10th 📅

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Charlie Hedges, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, LL COOL J. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2024

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CONTENT WARNING: Suicide, child abduction.

This episode is supported by:

● Readly. Get your exclusive, three month trial of unlimited newspapers and magazines at readly.com/mann

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