8/7 - Diving to Adventure!

“Everything went very well and nobody knew anything, which is the nice thing about a smuggle. People don’t know. It’s not like robbing a bank”

Smuggling marijuana from Thailand to Alaska; trading illicit fuel in Nigeria; evading the law in France - Robert Stone did it all.

From one small fishing boat in the Bahamas he built up a veritable fleet of vessels - including a 6000-tonne oil tanker - devoted to his businesses empire.

In this incredible interview with Olly, Robert reveals what it was like to be making a million dollars per month, switching between dozens of aliases and risking his life on the high seas...

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There's a lot more of Robert's story in his gripping book, Chasing Black Gold.

Elsewhere on this week’s show, Ollie Peart reports back on his attempts to become a ‘Wiki Master’ for this week’s Zeitgeist. You’ll never look at a pair of ticket-nippers the same way again.

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox assists a listener who wants to boost his libido, and considers: is having a low sex drive necessarily a problem at all?

The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.com. Use the code ‘FOXHOLE’ to get a slippery, sensual 15% OFF at Checkout!

This week’s Lifehack comes courtesy of digital marketer Kobi Omenaka, with his Top 3 tips on how to promote yourself, or your fledgling business, online: cultivate your email list, double-down on just one single social media channel, and set up tracking codes as soon as you can. For more from Kobi, check out kobestarr.io.

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 ‘Ready To Run’, by Canadian synthwave group La Force:

If you’d like to suggest a challenge for Ollie, if you have a question of sex for Alix, or you’d like to share your story on the show - get in touch via our Feedback form. And, if you’re able to support the show - please do. For the cost of just one pint of beer per month you can help us create thirty quality episodes per year. Just click ‘Beer Money’. Thanks.

This episode is sponsored by Beer52.com - the world’s most popular monthly craft beer discovery club. Get a FREE CASE of beer, worth £24, delivered direct to your door by taking out a free trial now at beer52.com/mann.

See You Next Tuesday!

8/6 - The Cop Who Went To Prison

‘You keep your eyes open, you keep your mouth shut, and you get your fists ready’

Michael Bunting always wanted to be a police officer. He qualified aged 19, with his Dad’s old Constabulary collar number. Then, one Summer Sunday evening, his life changed forever...

Whilst attempting to detain a violent suspect, he was severely beaten. He kicked out - and was charged with common assault.

As he recalls in this compelling conversation with Olly, this one moment lead to a two-year ordeal, culminating behind bars at HMP Armley, where his fellow inmates chanted ‘Slaughter The Pig’...

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Elsewhere on this week’s show, Ollie Peart heads down to the canal to investigate the trend for millenials to live on house-boats - and uncovers a world of communal living, technological sacrifices and ‘cassette toilets’.

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox talks polycystic ovaries, and advises a listener whose friend intentionally deceives sexual partners about her infertility.

The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.com. Use the code ‘FOXHOLE’ to get a moist and willing 15% OFF at Checkout.

This week’s Lifehack comes courtesy of Alex, bar manager for Beany Green South Bank - with his Top 3 tips to make the perfect margherita: buy the finest white Tequila, use agave syrup rather than brown sugar, and always freshly squeezed lime juice.

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.

And finally, our record of the week is ‘Water Run’, from Californian psych-rock outfit Fine Points, out now on Caroline Records:

If you’d like to suggest a challenge for Ollie, if you have a question of sex for Alix, or you’d like to share your story with Olly, get in touch via our Feedback form. 

And, if you’re able to support the show - please do. For the cost of just one pint of beer per month you can help us create thirty quality episodes per year. Thanks.

See You Next Tuesday!

8/5 - Inside RT's Newsroom

Russia Today is one of Britain’s most controversial TV networks.

Backed by the Kremlin, based in Moscow; its London newsroom portrays Russia more positively than the mainstream media, and broadcasts an alternative take on current events generally.

But RT has been accused of distributing propaganda and ‘fake news’, and has been found in breach of broadcasting rules.

Joana Ramiro worked for RT’s web-team, hoping she could originate meaningful journalism from a left-wing perspective.

But, as she explains to Olly, she instead found herself in a world of clickbait, ‘churnalism’ and ‘editorial mellowing’...

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Elsewhere, in this week's Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart explores the trend for flexitarian burgers; considering the US offerings from Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger. At Dirty Bones in Shoreditch, Ollie and Olly wrap their lips around a vegan Moving Mountains B12 burger - and compare it to the restaurant’s original, non-vegan Mac Daddy. Can it compete?

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from being crowned ETO’s Sexpert of the Year, no less - considers a question from a listener who wants to know whether he should be cleaning his sex toy with the powder provided by the sex shop - or whether plain old baby powder would do the trick.

The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.com. They sell a sexually liberating range of prophylactics and lube - and remember, by using our code ‘FOXHOLE’ at Checkout, you can get 10% OFF your whole order!

This week’s Lifehack comes courtesy of digital marketing supremo Leanne Hickey, offering up her top tips on how to improve your experience of dating apps: don’t ask boring questions, never message people after 10pm, and always post a real, unfiltered photo of your face!

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 Somnambulist, from indigenous Canadian outfit nêhiyawak - and it’s got lots of guitars in it:

If you’d like to suggest a challenge for Ollie, if you have a question of sex for Alix, or you’d like to share your story with Olly, get in touch via our Feedback form. And, if you’re able to support the show - please do. For the cost of just one pint of beer per month you can help us create thirty quality episodes per year. Thanks.

See You Next Tuesday!

8/4 - I Am A Gazelle

"I’d love to know why you keep winning. If I can work that out, I’ll share it with you."

Jessica Ennis-Hill

What does it take to be an Olympic champion?

Performance Scientist Dr Steve Ingham knows: he’s supported over 1000 athletes, including Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and Jessica Ennis-Hill.

Steve Ingham and Olly Mann at the Cheltenham Science Festival, 2018

In this insightful interview with Olly, he reveals how the tiniest details of an athlete’s training programme, the words and music used to motivate them, and even the occasional exposure to injury and failure can combine to create a world-class performance.

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Steve also hosts a podcast, Supporting Champions, which you can download here.

Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart considers the phenomenal growth of ‘robocalls’ in the USA - and wonders whether this trend will soon infiltrate the UK too.

In this week’s Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a listener who wants to bring sensory deprivation into the bedroom. How should one go about introducing cuffs, blindfolds, and pinwheels to a less enthusiastic partner?

The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com - use the code ‘FOXHOLE’ for 15% off at Checkout.

Elsewhere, for this week’s Lifehack, Amanda Keetley from LessPlastic.co.uk offers up her Top 3 tips on how to eliminate single-use plastic from your life.

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 ‘Wrestling’ by Self Esteem, available to stream now:

If you’d like to suggest a challenge for Ollie, if you have a question of sex for Alix, or you’d like to share your story with Olly, get in touch via our Feedback form.

And, if you’re able to support the show - please do. For the cost of just one pint of beer per month you can help us create thirty quality episodes per year. Thanks.

See You Next Tuesday!

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/