17/1 - The Banker, The Billionaire, and the Big Lie

 “They had photographs of my wife, and my daughter, and my dog, stepping out of my home.”

 Alok Sama was a high-flying CFO who fraternized with the world’s richest men. 

But he wasn’t immune from intimidation.

Anonymous letters sent to his boss, Softbank’s Masayoshi Son, accused him of corruption.

Suddenly, shadowy “shareholders” emerged from nowhere, and a smear campaign quietly derailed his career.

Then - as he recounts to Olly in this compelling conversation - Alok discovered his family was under surveillance.

Desperate, he met men claiming ties to Mossad. And ultimately walked away, with first-hand experience of the corporate espionage that lurks in the shadows of Britain’s biggest companies.

Alok’s book, The Money Trap, is out now.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart - fresh from veritably leaping into his forties - tests out the viral wellness trend for ‘sleepmaxxing’. 

Can grounding sheets, a bone-conducting pillow-speaker, or light therapy help him get his forty winks?

With the aid of the National Sleep Helpline, he delivers hacks and tips for anyone looking to improve their sleep in 2026.

… Got a trend you’d like to challenge Ollie to test out on a future edition of the show? Fill out the Feedback form on our website, or join our Discord.   

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox is contemplating the surprising side-effects of ketamine, and discovering the demand for ‘creature cock’ sex toys such as Lovehoney’s ‘Swamp Monster’. 

How did this kink for fantasy dildos - kickstarted by niche brands like Bad Dragon and Gang Bankster - evolve into a mainstream, sold-out product category? 

Is it linked to zoophilia, ‘romatasy’ books on TikTok, liberation from masturbatory stigma… or all of the above? As always, Alix has some (eye-opening) answers...

… Got a sex and relationships question for Alix to answer in 2026?

Head to our Feedback form - you can remain anonymous if you wish.

Alok Sama and Olly Mann

August 2025

Alix and Olly model a ‘Swamp Monster’ toy

Finally, our record of the month is Sailboat (feat. chloe moriondo), the new single from Cavetown

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We’ll be back with something new on 10th February. 

In the meantime, thanks for your help supporting the show into 2026 with your beer money and/or reviews. Mwah!

16/12 - ❄️ CHRISTMAS 🎁 Spectacular 🔔 2025!!! 🍽️

What are the perfect ingredients for a stress-free Christmas?

How do you render the Arctic in song?

And what does it sound like when we drink from each other’s teats? 

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… Just three of the hot topics being debated in our annual festive knees-up!

Joining Olly Mann, Alix Fox and Ollie Peart this year, we welcome back family mediator Nick Coffer - who confronts the strains of a post-divorce Christmas with compassionate advice - and enjoy extraordinary live music from cellist and poet Sarah Smout. 

Plus, fresh updates from some of our favourite guests of 2026: Rebecca Dowdeswell, the woman who took on L’Oreal; Armin Samii, who created distance-monitoring app UberCheats; and wildland firefighter Nathan Bell.   

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Until our next episode on January 10th, have a fantastic Christmas, a very Happy New Year, and - if you can afford to - remember to support our independent podcast to fund another great year of the show.

x

Olly, Alix, Ollie and Producer Matt

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P.S. Alix is running the London Marathon for Positive East.

Support her here!

16/10 - Did I Kill The British Sitcom?

 “The stars have got to align when you make comedy. And they were aligning quite well. And then they just stopped aligning.”

 Jimmy Donny Cosgrove co-wrote one of the decade’s biggest comedy flops: BBC 1 sitcom Warren, starring Martin Clunes.

The series was lambasted on social media and derided by critics, with the Daily Telegraph claiming it was ‘the final nail in the coffin for British sitcom’.

Jimmy’s agent dumped him.

He received death threats.

And he hasn’t had a show on TV since…

In this frank and funny conversation with Olly, Jimmy recounts how he blagged his way on to a comedy course at University, how his heart sank when his show was scheduled in a double-bill with the long-anticipated return of Alan Partridge, and explains why his experiences of the TV sausage-factory, with its endless rewrites and creative compromises, left him bruised and disillusioned.

Nowadays, Jimmy hosts a live game show experience. Find out more at showtimelondon.co.uk.

Olly Mann with Jimmy Donny Cosgrove, October 2025

‘Warren Thompson Driving School’ - the YouTube sketch that started it all

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Olly with Ollie and ‘Mini-Ann’

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart, delighted to furnish the world with a Captain Spronk playlist, learns the latest trends in First Aid. 🏥

What’s the current advice for performing CPR?  How do you apply for a free defibrillator? And how many heart attacks per year happen outside a hospital environment?

Equipped with a ‘mini Anne’ and the Revivr app from the British Heart Foundation, Ollie has the answers…

Would you like to challenge Ollie to investigate a 2026 trend? Suggest it via our Feedback form.

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox assists a listener who wants to know how to help his other half as she prepares for the menopause.

Explaining how the menopause’s three stages (perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause) comprise a profound physical and emotional transition, Alix reveals the hormonal shifts that can cause brain fog, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disruption, and changes in libido.

Along the way, Alix speaks to clinical sexologist Dr Angela Wright, and recommends the books Burning Up, Frozen Out by Joe Warner and Rob Kemp; The Little Book of HRT by Dr Ellie Cannon and Menowars by Fiona Clark.

If you have a sex and relationships question for Alix to answer in 2026, get in touch via our Feedback form.

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Finally, our record of the month is Dead and Gone, the new single from Leigh-Anne’s debut album, Because My Ego Told Me To👇

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Olly, Alix, Ollie and special musical guests will return with our annual, chaotic Christmas special on 10th December.

In the meantime, you can help support the show into 2026 by donating beer money and/or leaving us a review. Thanks!

16/9 - The Confession That Went Viral

“ It was one of the first times in my life that I had really taken responsibility. And I really liked the way that felt.”

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.

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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? 

Ollie, Alix and Olly at The Magician’s Table, London; October 2025

Ollie Peart · Modern mAInn

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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.

Alix, Olly and some of her car boot discoveries

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Finally, our record of the month comes from Art School Girlfriend, and her track L.Y.A.T.T. (Love You All The Time) ❤️👇

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🎂 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

16/9 - Drawn To Justice

“They think they can get away with it. That, this time, they'll be good at hiding it, or they'll bury the body better.”

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 then 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…

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Fiat Panda fan 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… 

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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?

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In music corner, our record of the month comes from Ipswich-born rapper Piers James, and his new single 'F.O.E'.👇

Rose West, 1995

Ian Huntley, 2003

Harold Shipman, 1999.
All images © Priscilla Coleman/MB Media 

Olly Mann and Priscilla Coleman, Sep 2025

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. 

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… and we’ll see you with our tenth birthday episode (😱)on 10th October. x

x Olly, Ollie, Alix and Producer Matt