WHAT IS THE MODERN MANN?

“A lively series from podcasting pioneer Olly Mann”
— John Bungey, The Times
“An astonishing, thoughtful and comical listen”
— Fiona Sturges, Financial Times

A former child soldier. A butler to the super-rich. Britain’s most prolific private sperm donor. These are just some of the amazing true stories The Modern Mann has brought you since our inception in 2015. We're a magazine show for the podcast generation. Each month we bring you extraordinary people, talking straightforwardly about fascinating experiences that shed light on the modern world. 

“A nicely produced, empathetic and jolly magazine show”
— Miranda Sawyer, The Observer

Each edition kicks off with The Zeitgeist, in which listeners challenge our intrepid man-about-town Ollie Peart to experience the trends of the day - whether that’s ‘neuro-priming’, matched betting, or trying his hand at an open mic night. Next comes an unpredictable, inspiring middle feature in which host Olly Mann hits the road to meet unusual characters who provoke or confuse: a theme park designer, a white hat hacker, a gambling addict. Through their stories (always recorded face-to-face), we gain an insight into a hidden world, and learn something, however small: how to make the perfect cup of coffee; how to get selected for a TV gameshow; how to survive a rock n roll tour

Then, at the back, the sex bit: The Foxhole with Alix Fox - the softly-spoken, foul-mouthed love expert who warmly tackles listener questions about the messy brilliance of sex and the difficult, darker side of it too. What’s the best way to get off in a tent? How do I clean my vibrator? How do I tell my wife I’m gay? Alix has a frank, funny, non-judgemental take on it all. These are the boundary-pushing conversations you simply never hear on the radio...

Each episode also brings you a record of the month. Over the years we've championed great recording artists like British Sea Power, Glass Animals, Mystery Jets and Los Campesinos!

The Modern Mann is a proudly independent show which has attracted well over a million downloads and more than 250 five-star reviews on Apple Podcasts. It's financially supported by a legion of ‘Mannbassadors’, who regularly donate beer money to the cause.

The show has twice been nominated 'Podcast of the Year' at the UK Radio Academy Awards, winning Silver in 2016.

In 2019, we won ‘Best Interview’ at the British Podcast Awards, for our acclaimed episode ‘What Nobody Tells You About Rape’. The judges said: “The questioning is both intelligent and provocative in a gentle way, moving the conversation along in an impactful and compelling manner. In a crowded field this was thought to be a clear winner, an interview podcast of the highest order.”


THE TEAM

OLLY MANN - Host

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Olly’s podcasts include The Week Unwrapped, The Media Podcast, and Tip The Scales, a six-part series for Audible UK. On BBC radio he hosts Radio 4's Four Thought and The Male Room, and has also anchored hundreds of hours of live radio for commercial networks LBC and Magic.

His cult comedy show Answer Me This!, now in its thirteenth year, remains one of Britain's most popular independent podcasts. It has won Podcast of the Year at the Sony Radio Academy Awards, British Public Radio Awards, and European Podcast Awards, and has been spun-off into a book published by Faber. With co-host Helen Zaltzman, Olly has also presented numerous specials for 5 Live and a Radio 4 series about the origins of podcasting. 

Olly is a columnist for Reader's Digest, guests regularly on BBC Breakfast and Sky News, and has also presented Tech Weekly for The Guardian.


OLLIE PEART - Presenter, 'The Zeitgeist'

Ollie is the Modern Mann's trending stream, uncovering the best of the month’s trends in our opening segment, 'The Zeitgeist'.

He is a 5'6" blonde haired, ginger bearded descendant of some vikings... probably. He's a writer and presenter but spends most of his time walking his dog in the Dorset countryside. 

He has been described as a 'digital disruptor', a 'pint-sized geek' and 'the angriest man in action sports'. He has hosted Please Accept Cookies for The Guardian, Epic Guff  for Epic TV and The Indestructibles for Dave, and currently scripts and develops TV programmes that no one will ever see.

He once auditioned to be the Milkybar Kid, but, sadly, didn't get the part.


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ALIX FOX - Presenter, 'The Foxhole'

Alix is the show’s resident sexpert, although she prefers the term “sex spurt”. She's an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and sex educator.

A proud Ambassador for Brook sexual wellbeing charity, a face of National HIV Testing Week, and co-host of BBC Radio 1's X-rated comedy show Unexpected Fluids, Foxy is a script consultant on hit Netflix show Sex Education and can be seen on screen in E4's The Sex Clinic. She works as Sex & Relationships Expert for SuperdrugWomanizer and Tenga toys. You can find her writing in The Guardian, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Stylist, and scrawled on various toilet walls.

Alix's accolades include being named Best Sex Expert 2018 at the ETO Awards; finalist in the Women of the Future Awards 2017; winner of the Sexual Freedom Award as Cause Publicist of the Year 2017; and shortlisted for the Family Planning Association Rosemary Goodchild Award for Sexual Health Journalism 2017.

Her goal in life? "To be decently indecent."


MATT HILL - Producer

Matt is the director of podcast production company Rethink Audio, and is behind such shows as Happy Place, Homo Sapiens, The Waiting Room and more.

Team Modern Mann at the UK Radio Academy Awards 2016.

Front Row: Producer Matt Hill, our former Music Associate Fuzz Choudhrey, Presenter Ollie Peart

Back Row: Presenter Alix Fox and Host Olly Mann