12/2 - My Dad, The Stranger

“Why would I want to have a relationship with a man who didn’t want to have a relationship with me?”

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Olivia hardly knew her father. Her parents divorced when she was two, and she was brought up by her Mum.

Sent to boarding school at the age of eight, she was estranged from her Dad for a decade.

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Struggling financially, and weakened by bulimia, she got a call from out of the blue: it was her father, wanting to rekindle their relationship.

But - as her health deteriorated, and the UK went into lockdown - her Mum dropped a bombshell that changed everything Olivia thought she knew about her family…

Names have been changed.  

If you’ve been affected by an eating disorder, BEAT or Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous may be able to help. If you’re dealing with emotional abuse, CRISIS Text Line offer free 24/7 support.

If YOU have a story you’d like to share with Olly, send us an email via our feedback form.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has a 21st century spring clean - testing out Karcher’s new ‘electric cloth’, Samsung’s VS90 Jet and CleanStation, Lupe’s Pure Cordless Vacuum, and Cleen, a subscription box of environmentally-friendly cleaning products.

[Cleen have kindly created a 10% discount link just for Mann-fans: click here for 10% off your first box.]

If YOU would like to challenge Ollie to test out a trend on a future edition of the show, submit it via our feedback form.

The Zeitgeist is sponsored by below-the-waist grooming experts Manscaped, and their new cologne, Refined. 

For 20% off and free shipping use the code MANN at Manscaped.com.

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox checks out the new bedroom toy that ‘turns your balls into a torpedo’, and advises listener James, who lusts after casual sex with his close friends.

Is James demisexual? Is hypersexualised gay culture, online and offline, spurring him on? And is it really a ‘kink’ to have a crush on your mates? Alix investigates, with the help of Skyler Wang, Topher Talyor, and Justin Myers.

If YOU have a question of sex you’d like Alix to answer in a future show, head on over to our feedback form.

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Finally, our record of the month is ‘Personal Shopper’, a dystopian synth pop classic-in-the-making from Steven Wilson.

You can stream the full glorious TEN MINUTES now on his album, The Future Bites:

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Stay safe, and we’ll see you with a brand new episode on March 10.

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12/1 - Trouble In Paradise

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Sun, sea and €1 drinks lure thousands of backpackers to Andrew’s hostel in a typical year.

But 2020 was not a typical year.

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Confronting a doomed Summer season and 45 empty bedrooms, Andrew’s family converted their hostel, in the Cote d’Azur, in to a homeless shelter during Lockdown.

In place of tourists, they welcomed a diverse group of refugees, drug addicts, career criminals and victims of domestic abuse.

As Andrew recounts to Olly, the experience opened his eyes to the realities of life on the streets - the mental health problems, alcoholism, and traumatic violence so often lurking in the background - but also gave him hope that it’s possible to re-make your life, even in the most dire of circumstances.  

(Names have been changed.)

If YOU have a story about overcoming the challenges of modern life which you’d like to share with Olly, send us an email via our feedback form.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart heads out into the bracing January fog for… a barbecue, of course!

Can he ‘upskill’ his outdoor cooking abilities to create a Winter feast?

Armed with little more than a plank of plywood and a side of salmon, he attempts to justify his hipster beard by mastering an authentic asado wood-flamed pit - and puts the trend for ‘sweet pizza’ to the test. 

If YOU would like to challenge Ollie to test out a trend on a future edition of the show, fill out our feedback form.

The Zeitgeist is sponsored by below-the-waist grooming experts Manscaped. 

For 20% off and free shipping use the code MANN at Manscaped.com.

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox gets deep in the weeds of aphrodisiac seeds, and assists a lady listener who coughs each time she has sex.

Could this after-sex reflex be a reaction to her partner’s semen, an allergy to linens, or even a vasovagal attack? Alix investigates, with the assistance of breathing expert Jane Tarrant.

If YOU have a question of sex you’d like Alix to answer in a future show, head on over to our feedback form.

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Finally, music this month comes from Dutch-born, London-based singer-songwriter Eyelar - and her current single, ‘Doin’ It Again’.

Listen back to all our ‘record of the month’ choices on our Spotify playlist here.

Love the show? Here are THREE GREAT WAYS TO SUPPORT US IN 2021:

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Happy New Year!

Stay safe, and we’ll see you with a brand new episode on Feb 10.

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