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.

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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:

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.

8/3 - The Unlucky Ones

Jo and Steve Peck with twins Harriet and Barney, May 2018

Miscarriages are the most common form of pregnancy loss - yet rarely get talked about in public.

Jo and Steve Peck suffered not one, not two, but recurrent miscarriages over the course of four years, before seeking private treatment.

In this searingly honest, compelling interview with Olly, they reveal the toll this took on their marriage, their work and their mental health - as they watched their friends begin families - gradually realising it may never happen for them.

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Elsewhere, in this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart heads off for a ‘sound bath’ at the behest of Mann-fan Nicola Kelly, and learns about Tibetan bowls, crystal trance and his Chakra alignment.

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a gay teenager with I.B.S about his options for anal sex, and uncovers some unexpected titbits about Viagra.
 

The Foxhole is proudly sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com.
Use the code ‘FOXHOLE’ at Checkout to get 15% off your cart!

This week’s Lifehack comes courtesy of Matthew Brown, ‘Productivity Ninja’ at ThinkProductive.co.uk. His Top 3 tips on making the most of your time at work? Unchain yourself from email, keep your head down 9-6, and start the day with a book…
 

The Lifehack is sponsored by Podcast Lounge - the new podcatcher app for Windows 10 devices. Get your free trial at the Windows App Store now.
 

Finally, our Record of the Week is ‘Cacophony’ by Halona King. Enjoy:

Got a story for the show? A trends challenge for Ollie Peart? A sex question for Alix? An idea of a future guest? Get in touch using our Feedback form.

Love the show? Support us! Buy us a beer to say thank you. We use the money to make thirty quality episodes of the show every year and deliver them direct to your phone.

See You Next Tuesday!

* If you’ve been affected by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy, the Miscarriage Association offers support and a pregnancy loss helpline: miscarriageassociation.org.uk/

4/10 - Yours Sincerely

Is there still a place for the pen-and-paper, posted letter?

Alison Hitchcock thinks so: when she discovered her friend Brian Greenley had cancer, she decided to write him regular letters throughout his treatment - initially as an attempt to cheer him up, and then as companionship through some of his darkest hours.

In this interview with Olly, she recalls how writing over a hundred letters to Brian helped get them both through a difficult chapter, and deepened their friendship immeasurably...

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You can find out more about them, and get tips on how to write to a friend with cancer, at frommetoyouletters.co.uk

In this week’s Lifehack, Ariele Rovati from Brewdog shares his top three tips on how to start your own microbrewery, courtesy of Squarespace. If you want to build yourself a beautiful website, simply visit Squarespace.com and use the code to 'MANN' to get 10% OFF a year's subscription.

Meanwhile, over in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart highlights lab-grown meat lobbying, wonders whether ‘Snaplications’ are the future of job applications, and previews Brian Thompson’s meta-podcast ‘Whatever Happened To Pizza At McDonald’s?’. If you want more Ollie in your life, do check out his video series, Modern Mann Extra.

And, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox reveals why DEMO might be the new FOMO, and has wise words for listener Andrew as to the best way to find a willing woman for a forthcoming threesome: “the way people are in the streets is not always how they are between the sheets!”. (If you want to check out the apps Alix suggests Andrew might use to his advantage, take a look at Feeld, Trippple, and Whiplr).

The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com, who supply an incredible range of condoms, lube and sex toys. Visit their site and get 15% OFF at Checkout if you use our discount code, 'Foxhole'. If you have a question of sex for Alix, just use the Feedback form - you can remain anonymous if you wish.

Finally, our record of the week is Talk 2 Her by Toronto outfit Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs. You can listen to all the music we’ve played this series in our Spotify playlist.

That's it for this series of the show - but we’ll be back for Season Five on the first Tuesday in June. In the meantime, do check out Olly and Producer Matt's 'other' show, The Week Unwrapped.

And, please - if you value this podcast, and independent podcasting generally, do buy us a beer - every penny we get goes back into supporting the show, and we really appreciate it.