6/9 - How To Be A Dad, Part 4

"Sometimes, you've GOT to shout at your children"

Tom Price and Stuart Goldsmith once again join Olly to compare notes on the perils of parenthood. Their sons are now coming up to two years old - but does that mean toddler tantrums ('the terrible twos') are about to become a way of life?

In a typically frank and funny conversation, our trio of Dads tackle 'benign neglect', 'career lag', 'over-parenting', and the cult of Supernanny...

LISTEN:

• MP3

• iTunes

• Spotify

• TuneIn

• PocketCasts

View fullsize

(This is the fourth instalment of our ongoing How To Be A Dad series. Catch up here: Part One // Part Two // Part Three )

Meanwhile, in this week's Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart considers social media's grimmest question of 2017, suggests Ripple's XRP could be the next big thing in cryptocurrency, and gets a sneak preview of the new series of Black Mirror.

Elsewhere, Alix Fox is emptying Santa's sack in our annual Christmas Foxhole Spectacular. On the menu this year: singalong dongs, mocha-flavoured lube and vibrators that look like bike lights. As ever, the fun is sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com, where you should use our exclusive discount code, FOXHOLE, to secure a superb 15% OFF.

This week's Lifehack is a Xmas how-to from Beef & Dairy Network - the number one podcast for those involved, or just interested in, the production of beef animals and dairy herds. (The Lifehack is sponsored by our friends at Squarespace, who can help you design a beefy website in just a moo. Take a free trial at Squarespace.com, and get 10% OFF your first website or domain when you use our code MANN.)

Finishing off our bumper festive edition is suitable style is our record of the week, Walking In The Air from the brilliant Tom Chaplin. It's from his new album Twelve Tales Of Christmas, out now on Island Records:

We'll be back with our season finale in January. Until then - we wish all Mannfans a very happy Christmas, and ask that if perchance you have any money left over from your festive indulgences, you consider supporting the show financially.

Happy New Year!

3/10 - How To Be A Dad, part 3

"You're trying to control everything. I'm just trying to get to bath-time".

View fullsize

Six months after last comparing notes on the joys of fatherhood, Tom Price, Stuart Goldsmith and Olly Mann are all facing up to daddy decisions: how to rescue their respective relationships from a world of 'guilt-tennis', how much TV to allow their sons to watch, and exactly how best to celebrate a one year-old's birthday...

In this funny and frank discussion, they offer up advice on Baby Sign Language, front-facing papooses, and how to make a fiddle-board:

LISTEN NOW:

• MP3

• iTunes

• PocketCasts

• TuneIn

Thanks to The Bill Murray in Islington for providing space to record the conversation. If you'd like to hear more from Stuart Goldsmith, check out his brilliant podcast The Comedian's Comedian - and you can catch Tom Price every weekend on Magic FM, or his very funny BBC Radio Wales podcast The Leak.

Elsewhere in this season finale, Ollie Peart offers up some trends for 2017 in The Zeitgeist, including disappearing ink tattoos, the re-birth of flares, and the foldable phones of the future. Plus, why velvet curtains could soon be adorning your walls, why robotic chef arms will find their way into your kitchen, and how Amazon is wangling its way into your every conversation.

Meanwhile, down in The Foxhole, Alix Fox helps a lady who wants to get her rocks off whilst considering the environment. Along the way, she uncovers ethical sex toys, eco-friendly condoms, solar-powered vibrators - and poo-inspired dildos. If you have a question of sex for the next series, don't hesitate to send it our way - you can remain anonymous if you wish. The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.com - just use the code 'FOXHOLE' to get 15% OFF at Checkout!

Finally, our record of the week is the lovely 'Astral Plane' by Valerie June, out now on Sunday Best Records: 

We love showcasing amazing music on The Modern Mann, so we've made a Spotify playlist of all the records we've played in our first thirty episodes here. You're welcome! 

That's it for this series of the show -but we will back on Valentine's Day. In the meantime, why not review the show on iTunes, send us some feedback, or check out Olly's BBC Radio 4 series, The Male Room, on iPlayer.

Remember - we can only keep going with support from listeners like you. If you value what we do, please do donate to the show - every amount counts! You can buy us a beer here.

See you on February 14th.

2/5 - How To Be A Dad, part 2

"Having a child obliterates the person that you were."

Six months ago, Olly met with comedians Stuart Goldsmith and Tom Price to discuss their fears and anxieties around their impending fatherhood. Now, three months since they each spawned a son, the trio reunite to compare notes...

View fullsize

Price, Mann, Goldsmith: this is what three tired men look like

What has having a baby done to their time management, sleep routines and sense of self-worth? Which gadgets would they recommend to future dads? And is there such a thing as male post-natal depression? 

LISTEN NOW:

• iTunes

• MP3

• PocketCasts

• TuneIn

Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart learns French via his smartphone, discusses Radiohead's temporary disappearance from the internet, and the trend for 'dentist beards'.

And, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox flogs a truck-load of her old sex toys for charidee, and considers whether a listener should be loyal to the mirena coil if his wife's contraceptive prevents her from achieving orgasm. If you have a question for Alix for next week's show please go ahead and submit it on our Feedback page. 
 
Our song of the week is, appropriately, from the lullaby archives at rockabyebabymusic.com!

Thanks to Soho Theatre London for hosting our discussion. You can hear more from Stuart Goldsmith in The Comedian's Comedian, in which he interviews a headline comic about their career and creative process; and more from Tom Price in The Leak, a topical comedy show returning soon. in which Tom and guests look back over the week's news. We'd strongly recommend both!

See You Next Tuesday.

1/5 - How To Be A Dad, part 1

Scratch mittens, strained relationships and GP-sanctioned fingering

This week, comedians Stuart Goldsmith and Tom Price join Olly to discuss their impending fatherhood. 

What impact will it have on their respective relationships? Why does society appear to offer such a lack of support to men embarking upon their first baby? Do men need to know about the mucus plug?

They discuss all this, plus some bad taste jokes.

DOWNLOAD IT NOW: 

View fullsize

Stuart Goldsmith, Olly Mann and Tom Price. NO IDEA WHAT'S ABOUT TO HIT 'EM.

• iTunes

• MP3

• PocketCasts

• TuneIn

If you'd like to hear more from Tom and Stu, that's good news because they both do excellent podcasts: in The Comedian's Comedian, Stu interviews a headline comic about their career and creative process; and, in The Leak, Tom and guests look back over a week of topical comedy. Both shows are well worth checking out. Stuart is also on tour next year: dates here.

Elsewhere in this week's show Ollie Peart suggests some inventive new names for David Cameron's plane, reflects upon the death of FHM, and challenges Olly to spend big bucks (well, fifty quid) on Bux. If you've got a future trend for The Zeitgeist, be sure to tweet it to Ollie.

And, down The Foxhole, our resident love guru Alix Fox showcases the work of bi-curious adventurers Skirt Club, and advises a listener who'd like his wife to stick it to him, ever so gently, but a bit more deeply. You'll never think of your bumhole in the same way again. If you'd like to send in a question for Alix, just fill in the Feedback form - you can remain completely anonymous if you wish. 

Our song of the week is 'Agape' by Bear's Den, out 10th December on Communion Records:

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: 'Skies Over Cairo' by Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Robertshaw. Copyright: Olly Mann 2015.

Thanks for downloading the show. Please consider reviewing us on iTunes and/or buying us a beer. See You Next Tuesday!