10/4 - Let's Build A Brewery

‘Embrace your inner idiot, switch off your brain, go for it - and attack’

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’s followed his business dreams, balanced the books and perfected his beer recipe - even in the face of en masse Gallic shrug…

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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.

Plus, Alix 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 suggest to Ollie, or guest you’d like Olly to interview, please reach out via our Feedback form. If you’d like to become a Mannbassador, just leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and/or buy us a beer.

See you when our next episode drops on September 1st!

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.

If you’re affected by the issues raised in this month’s Foxhole, some resources that can offer support include: Macmillan, Breast Cancer Haven, and Breast Cancer Care. Alix recommends the work of Liz O’Riordan, Sam Evans, and comedian Karen Hobbs.

10/3 - Credit The Con

Private Investigator Bob Nygaard specialises in bringing psychics to justice.

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.

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Also this episode, Olly is overwhelmed by the response to our call for an interactive map of our Mannbassadors, and declares Ben from Osaka our official Mapbassador. You can check out his winning effort here, and the enviable entries from runners-up Nikki in Auckland here, and Jason in Brooklyn here.

Elsewhere, 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 our Feedback form. If you’d like to become a Mannbassador, just leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and/or buy us a beer.

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

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

10/2 - Air Born

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, and, inspired by her idol, Olympic gold-medalist Dominique Moceanu, she went on to pursue 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…

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Now 31, Jen is a gifted aerialist and trampolinist, who has performed in stadiums around the world and toured with Britney Spears. Her book, Everything Is Possible, has been translated into ten languages.

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 the real-time crime monitoring app, Citizen.

If you’d like to come and 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. Tickets here.

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…

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:

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 our Feedback form.

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.

And, 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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9/3 - The Only Way Is Up

8/4 - I Am A Gazelle

6/5 - Into the Deep

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Olly Mann and filed under Season Ten and tagged adoption patricia.

10/1 - "Pupil A"

“I didn’t just start drinking a lot. I started using a variety of mind-altering substances”

Ben used to be a secondary school teacher.

He isn’t anymore.

In a brutally honest interview, he tells Olly his compelling story.

Trigger warnings: see end of show notes

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart takes Olly - and Milo, his faithful Jack Russell/Chihuahua - for a walk round Regent’s Park, to test out the trend for dog subscription boxes Tails and Buster, and training app Dogo. Woof!

Elsewhere, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox explores a world of adoption alternatives, including surrogacy, egg-freezing, womb transplants and even artificial wombs.

If you have a question of sex for Alix, or would like to suggest a challenge for Ollie, reach out via our Feedback form.

And if you’re able to support the show, please buy us a beer - and we promise to bring you quality monthly episodes in return.

This episode is brought to you in association with Gazelle, the self-service phone recycling kiosk. In the USA they’ve recycled 19 million devices, and they now have 18 kiosks in England. Find your nearest one here.

Our Record of the Month comes from veteran east London grime MC Ghetts and his Ivor Novello-nominated track, Black Rose, ft. Kojey Radical:

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8/6 - The Cop Who Went To Prison

7/5 - Closure and Disclosure: Surviving Abuse

3/4 - The Gentleman Bank Robber

If you’ve considered taking your own life, please remember that support is out there for you. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14.

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Posted on May 1, 2019 by Olly Mann and filed under Season Ten and tagged ali.

9/10 - How To Be A Dad, part 5

“I’m busy putting out emotional fires. I do not have time to reflect on ANYTHING”

As their sons turn three, Tom Price and Stuart Goldsmith once again join Olly to discuss the dilemmas faced by the modern Dad…

How can you control a toddler who has no concept of time? Why aren’t Dads as good as Mums at making friends? When does your role as educator impinge on their imaginations?

In this fifth instalment of our ‘How To Be A Dad’ series, our trio swap stories about potty training, faith schools, Spotify playlists, and the ‘self-deleting baby years’ that repeat on you when your second child arrives…

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Want to hear more from Tom and Stu? Catch Tom hosting ‘Weekend Breakfast’ on Magic, and comedy panel show ‘The Leak’ on BBC Sounds; and subscribe to Stuart’s excellent podcast ‘The Comedian’s Comedian’ for an insight into comedy-writing and performing from some of the country’s top stand-ups. You can also catch-up with all four previous instalments of ‘How To Be A Dad’ here.

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, new homeowner Ollie Peart updates us on his car-wrapping and song-writing adventures, and sends off his DNA for analysis. Along the way, he discovers new relatives, reviews his tolerance for data breaches, and reveals how closely his genetics are shared with Olly’s… perhaps.

Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox celebrates the arrival of ‘Januhairy’, advises a married couple about opening up the ‘back door’, and ponders why anal sex has become a habit for many heterosexuals.

… And, over in music corner, our Record of the Week is ‘High’ by Lokki, out now on Wolf Tone:

That’s it for this season - we’re taking an extended break until the late Spring.

But - if you have a suggestion for a guest we should interview, a trend Ollie should test out, or a question Alix should answer in Season Ten, just fill out our Feedback form.

And, whilst you’re here, click Beer Money to support our show with a recurring or one-off donation. It’s only thanks to listeners like you that we can run this independent podcast - so, if you love the show, please chuck us some cash!

See you in the Spring.