Layla Moran MP is fighting to keep her seat. There are trolls, there are threats, there are hostile journalists. And throughout the journey, as she campaigns in the 2019 general election... we are at her side.

In this Modern Mann exclusive, host Olly Mann and producer Matt Hill accompany the Liberal Democrats’ rising star as she pounds the streets, battles her opponents, and goes public about her sexuality.

From campaign launch to vote count, we learn what it takes to face the electorate in a divided nation. And, quite by accident, find ourselves documenting someone who may yet become leader of one of Britain’s major political parties...

Elsewhere this episode, Ollie Peart tries out a trio of health trends in this month’s Zeitgeist - getting seriously sweaty at CrossFit, bouldering his way round a climbing course in Poole, and trying his hand at Ayurvedic massage. You’ll never dress your salad with sesame oil again.

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a listener affected by inflammatory skin condition Lichen Sclerosus. Can a body-mapping app keep the heat in his relationship - even as he applies emollient to stop the burning? Perhaps, if he can uncover the ‘tiny everyday thrills’ of daily sensuality... (For more support about sex with LS, Alix recommends Sam Evans’ blogs for Jo Divine, and the Facebook group LS UK Awareness).

Our record of the month is ‘Your Light’ by The Big Moon, from the album ‘Walking Like We Do’ - follow-up to their Mercury Music Prize nominated debut, ‘Love In The 4th Dimension’.

If you enjoy this episode, please tell your friends - we’re @themodernmann on Twitter - or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

And, if you can afford to support us financially, please buy us a beer. As an independent podcast, we can only make the show thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. Links on our website, MODERNMANN.CO.UK.

We’ll be back on March 1 with a brand new episode. Happy February!

Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Layla Moran MP, Randa Moran, James Moran, Neil Fawcett, The Big Moon. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio Ltd 2020.

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Clare Pooley gave up a booze-fuelled job in advertising - complete with a bar in the office and a massive expenses budget - when she became a full-time Mum to her three kids.

But as she left the ladette lifestyle behind, she didn’t find herself drinking any less. In fact, she was polishing off ten bottles of wine per week, as she tells Olly in this confessional, compelling conversation...

Clare’s book, ‘The Sober Diaries’ is out now. If YOU have a story you would like to share on a future edition of the show, contact us via the Feedback form on our website.

Meanwhile, for this month’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has been digitising the Prime Minister and trawling through clips of Olly on the Alan Titchmarsh Show to create a terrifying ‘deep fake’ hybrid. Is misinformation the future of news? And can AI services like Lyrebird and Resemble contribute something positive to the world of podcasting?

If YOU would like to suggest a trend for Ollie to test out, contact us via the Feedback form on our website. 

Elsewhere, Alix Fox kicks off the one hundredth edition of The Foxhole with THE perennial penile puzzler: can pumps or pills give you greater length and girth down-below? She meets the man behind one of the world’s most popular extenders, and considers whether, sometimes, size concerns aren’t just about ‘locker room syndrome’, but may be a healthy expression of kink. 

If YOU have a question of sex for Alix to answer in a future edition of the show, just fill in the Feedback form on our website.

Music this episode comes from Cavetown, with his charming song ‘Things That Make It Warm’; indisputably our first record of the month about birds building nests. Find the complete playlist of every song we’ve ever selected on our website.

Remember, The Modern Mann is an entirely independent podcast, funded in part by your generous donations. If you’ve enjoyed our first one hundred episodes for free, and can afford to give financially to the show, follow the links on our website, MODERNMANN.CO.UK. 

See you for our next edition on 1st Feb.

Happy New Year!

Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Clare Pooley, Cavetown, Hamish Grierson. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2020.

* This episode is sponsored by Thriva, the health-tracking finger prick blood test you do at home. Get 50% off your first kit by visiting Thriva.co and using the code Mann50.

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Slade. Wizzard. Wham!

When it comes to Christmas songs, we know what we like, and we like what we know. But is there a magical formula to writing a festive hit? Can a novice, armed with the right chords, instruments and lyrical motifs, unlock the secret and crack the Christmas charts? 

Last year, our very own Ollie Peart attempted to give it a go. This is his story.

Including footage never previously broadcast, Olly Mann tracks Ollie’s journey in this feature-length documentary, as he consults music journalist Chris Lochery and songwriter Philippe-Marc Anquetil to discover the role of ‘freewriting’, the significance of writing in a major key, and the importance of ‘finding the line’.

'The Sounds Of Christmas' was released in December 2018 - but we’ve never announced its final chart position - or revealed how much money it made for charity - until now.

There’s also a BRAND NEW 2019 MIX OF THE SONG for you to buy. Get it HERE: https://awal.lnk.to/vZwo1lF3

As before, Ollie’s share of the publishing rights, and every penny of artist royalties, go to Samuel’s Charity. 

Samuel's Charity work with underfunded children's wards in the UK to provide support and comfort to families. From supplying decent meals and internet access, to medical kit that makes children's live that much more comfortable, Samuel's Charity makes a positive difference to hundreds of family's lives at a very stressful time. 

If, after hearing Olly's interview with Samuel’s dad, Martin, you’d like to make the charity a festive donation, please do so HERE: https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/donate/samuels-charity

Big thanks to all the podcasters who gave their time and participated in the song, including The Guilty Feminist, Do The Right Thing, Answer Me This!, Wannabe, The Tip Off, The Comedian’s Comedian, The Beef and Dairy Network, Fun Kids Radio, and For F1’s Sake. 

Remember, this whole mad enterprise began when Jim Taylor, occasional member of Reverend And The Makers, sent Ollie a challenge by filling in our Feedback form. If YOU have an idea of a trend for Ollie to investigate in our next season of The Modern Mann, contact us now at MODERNMANN.CO.UK - where you can also see the video Ollie made for the song, featuring Mann-fans from around the world.

This episode is supported by Beer52.com - the UK’s No.1 beer club. Mannfans can claim a FREE case of beer, worth £24 at beer52.com/mann. 

Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Philippe-Marc Anquetil, Podcast All-Stars. Thanks: Louise Adams, Dani Linder, Mark Goodier. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphics: Jenny Mann Design, Terry Saunders. Copyright Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2019.

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The legendary Foxhole XXXMas Quiz is the high-voltage highlight of our 2019 festive special, as Olly, Alix and Ollie gather round the Yuletide fire with special guest JC Stewart, some VR headsets and a crate of beer. 

Alix has outdone herself this year, with cheeky games involving gin and tonic lubricant, a haunted Fleshlight, and a harrowing round of ‘Squirtual Reality’.

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie reveals exactly how much money he can make pimping out his services on Fiverr, and investigates the trend for video-game coaching. 

Our record of the month, performed live under the mistletoe by JC Stewart, is ‘The Wrong Ones’, out now.

We’ll be back to normal service on Jan 1 (with a special bonus Xmas episode on Dec 16).

Until then, a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all the Mann-fans, everywhere. This one’s for you.

Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, JC Stewart. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2019.

This episode is brought to you in association with Beer52, the UK’s No.1 craft beer club. Claim your free case of beer NOW at beer52.com/mann.

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Can martial arts save your life? Self defence instructor Kriss Pyke says they can - not just because the moves themselves offer protection in a skirmish, but because the physical confidence you gain deters opponents in the first place.Kriss’ views and teaching style are shaped by his own experiences at the sharp end of a vicious street attack, as he recounts to Olly in this month’s middle feature.

In the Zeitgeist this episode, Ollie Peart investigates the trend for insect-based pet food, and prepares Olly a three course, insect based meal. How will the pair fare tasting their way through cricket onion bhajis, grasshopper green curry and mealworm Krispie cakes?

Meanwhile, in this month’s Foxhole, Alix Fox announces her new role judging an adult toy competition - and tackles a question from a bisexual student teacher about to begin work at a conservative Catholic school. Are his liberal views on LGBTQ+ lifestyles compatible with Christian scripture?

Music this month comes from pop-soul band The Foreign Arm. Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, their debut EP, The Reach, is out Nov 22nd.Remember, this show is supported by listeners like you. Please ‘buy us a beer’ - links on our website, MODERNMANN.CO.UK.

Whilst you’re there, reach out via the Feedback form if you have a question of sex for Alix, a challenge to suggest to Ollie, a guest you’d like Olly to interview, or you’d like to become a Mannbassador.

See you next when our CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR drops on Dec 1st!

This episode is brought to you in association with Thriva, the at-home fingerprint blood test. For £30 off your first Thriva kit visit thriva.co and use the code Mann30.

Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Kriss Pyke, The Foreign Arm, Hamish Grierson. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2019.

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Adrenalin, stress and composure is in the job description for a trauma surgeon. But how do doctors cope with routinely operating on patients with devastating injuries? Does it ever get easy to deliver difficult news?In this intimate conversation, Olly meets Dr. Allan Philp, chief trauma surgeon of Allegheny Health Network, Pennsylvania, and Mr Shehan Hettiaratchy, trauma lead surgeon for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, to discuss alleviating anxiety, performing amputations - and how both men’s military background in Afghanistan has informed their work with civilian casualties.

Elsewhere, in this month’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart investigates the trend for escape rooms - by designing and building his own, complete with terrifying deployment of ancient technology. Luckily, he’s roped in the services of escape room champion Sarah Dodd.  Just watch out for those party poppers...

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a couple with wildly different libidos on how to get their sex schedule back on track. Along the way, she considers couple’s counselling, dirty diaries, and ‘bossy massage’.Finally, our record of the month is ‘In Time’ by Self Esteem, solo project of former Slow Club singer Rebecca Taylor. It’s ace.Remember, this show is supported by donations from listeners like you. If you can afford to, please ‘buy us a beer’ - information on our website, MODERNMANN.CO.UK.

Whilst you’re there, just reach out via the Feedback form if you have a question of sex for Alix, a challenge to suggest to Ollie, a guest you’d like Olly to interview, or you’d like to become a Mannbassador.See you when our next episode drops on November 1st.This episode is brought to you in association with Thriva, the at-home fingerprint blood test. For £30 off your first Thriva kit visit thriva.co and use the code Mann30.

Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Allan Philp, Shehan Hettiaratchy, Self Esteem, Hamish Grierson. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2019.

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Sebastian Schub was 19 when he first experienced erectile dysfunction. But he wasn’t a big drinker. There was no clear medical cause, such as heart disease.

However - like most men his age - he was an avid user of porn tube sites.Googling his symptoms, he discovered the Reddit ‘no-fap’ community, and diagnosed himself with PIED (‘porn-induced erectile dysfunction’).

Spurning masturbation, he attempted to ‘reboot’ his brain… as he recounts to Olly in this frank, fascinating interview.Elsewhere this edition: Ollie Peart has been fishing, kayaking, foraging, wild-swimming, cliff-jumping, fire-building, and sleeping outside… all because Mann-fan Stefan in Coventry asked him to. Will his attempts at micro-adventuring inspire him to have a new outlook on life? Or did those poor fish die in vain?Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox meets the 'Queen of Farts', and considers how best to make a written approach to a professional dominatrix. (Offering a deposit, apparently, is a strong start.)Finally, our record of the month is ‘Love Song Too Late’, from 70s-inspired folk trio Moorby Jones. It’s from their album 'Past Continuous', out now.

If you have a question of sex for Alix, a challenge to suggest to Ollie, or guest you’d like Olly to interview, please reach out via the Feedback page on our website, MODERNMANN.CO.UK

Wanna be a Mannbassador? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and/or buy us a beer - details on our website.See you when our next episode drops on October 1st!

Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Sebastian Schub, Moorby Jones. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2019.

This episode is brought to you in association with Beer52, the UK’s No.1 craft beer club. Claim your free case of beer NOW at beer52.com/mann.

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With zero experience of beer-making, Tommy Barnes quit his safe, corporate London job to start his own beer business. As if that weren’t precarious enough, he located it in the Loire Valley - the heart of French ‘wine country’. 

In this entertaining conversation with Olly, Tommy recounts how he followed his business dreams, balanced the books and perfected his beer recipe - even in the face of en masse Gallic shrug.

Tommy’s hilarious memoir, A Beer In The Loire, is out now (Muswell Press, £8.99). 

Elsewhere, in this month’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart prizes open his motherboard with a cheap screwdriver. Can he reboot his broken iPhone 4S, single-handed? Can the online fix-it community come to his aid? Or will this challenge go the way of his short-lived kefir concoctions?

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a couple of lady listeners with cancer diagnoses how to recover their mojo post-chemotherapy. Alix also investigates the world of ‘squirting’ records, in particular the work of ‘super soaker’ Lola Jean. It’s nothing if not varied.

Music this month comes from singer-songwriter LION and her haunting track, ‘Wolf’, out now.

If you have a question of sex for Alix, a challenge to put to Ollie, or a guest suggestion for Olly, just reach out via the Feedback form on our website, MODERNMANN.CO.UK. 

If you’d like to become a Mannbassador, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and/or buy us a beer - full details on our website.

This episode is brought to you in association with Beer52, the UK’s No.1 craft beer club. Get a free case of beer now at beer52.com/mann.

See you when our next episode drops, on September 1st.

Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Tommy Barnes, Lion. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2019. 

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Private Investigator Bob Nygaard specialises in bringing psychics to justice. Fortune-tellers, who offer 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 who’s 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.

Elsewhere this episode, Ollie Peart - fresh from stunning crowds with a hanky at London’s Underbelly - investigates the trend for contemporary magic in The Zeitgeist. Can he convince passing punters that he’s the next Dynamo? (When those punters are elderly boardwalkers in Weymouth, and the power of selective editing is harnessed effectively, it turns out that yes, he can).

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a couple trying for a baby. Is it possible to combine romance, kink and conception? Alix reveals all. And then goes considerably further, with a NSFW story about a lady’s bottom.

Music this month comes from atmospheric alt-rockers Palace, whose new album, Life After, is released July 12. The single is called ‘Running Wild’, and it’s out now.

If you have a question of sex for Alix, a challenge to suggest to Ollie, or guest you’d like Olly to interview, please reach out via the Feedback form on our website, MODERNMANN.CO.UK.

Head to our website now to see all the astonishing Mannbassador maps created by our listeners. If you’d like to become a Mannbassador, just leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and/or buy us a beer.

This episode is brought to you in association with Thriva, the at-home fingerprint blood test. Get £25 off your first test at Thriva.co by using our code MANN.

See you when our next episode drops on August 1st.

Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill at rethinkaudio.com. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Bob Nygaard, Palace. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2019.

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Jen Bricker was abandoned at birth by her biological parents. Due to a genetic defect, she had been born without legs.

Her adoptive family showered her with love and self-belief. Inspired by her idol, Olympic gold-medalist Dominique Moceanu, she pursued gymnastics. She competed against able-bodied entrants at the Junior Olympics. She won a state championship.

But an astonishing family secret was about to rock her world…

Now 31, Jen is a gifted aerialist and trampolinist, who's performed in stadiums around the world and toured with Britney Spears. 

Her book, Everything Is Possible, has been translated into ten languages.

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Meanwhile, for this month’s Zeitgeist, Olly heads off to NYC with Ollie Peart to sample the trend for ube ice cream and experiment with real-time crime monitoring app, Citizen.

If you’d like to see Ollie mess up a magic trick for his next challenge, come to the Best of British Podcast Awards show at The Underbelly in London on 16th June. 

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Plus, what’s the best way to get kinky when you live in a small community? 

In this month’s Foxhole, Alix Fox assists a listener who wants to put together a voyeuristic MMF threesome - in the Isle Of Man...

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Finally, our Record of the Month is ‘The Cracks’, the second track taken from Another Sky’s upcoming EP Life Was Coming In Through The Blinds, out 14th June via Fiction Records.

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If you have a question of sex for Alix, would like to suggest a challenge for Ollie, or propose a guest for Olly to interview, please reach out via the Feedback form on our website, MODERNMANN.CO,UK. 

If you’re enjoying the show, please tell your friends on social media, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. 

And, if you’re able to support us financially, please buy us a beer - every penny goes back into making the show. Links on our website.

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• Speaking of beers - remember to get your free case of eight delicious beers from our sponsors Beer52 - just visit beer52.com/mann.

• This episode is brought to you in association with Thriva, the at-home fingerprint blood test. Get £25 off your first test at Thriva.co by using our code MANN.

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Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Jen Bricker, Another Sky. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2019.

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