16/6 - A Good Divorce

 “The good divorce comes when both parents remain the adults, and, really importantly, allow the children to remain children.” 

When Nick Coffer’s marriage fell apart, the breakup was a battlefield.

Embroiled in high conflict, overwhelming stress, and crushing legal fees, he had to redefine his role as a father while struggling to maintain his cheeriness as a BBC broadcaster.

But from the chaos, Nick forged a new path: re-training as a family mediator.

Determined to deter others from his mistakes, he now shatters stalemates between hostile exes, keeping conversations constructive and focussed on the only people who matter: the divorcing couple’s children.

In this chat with Olly, Nick shares the game-changing apps that transform toxic communication; reveals how he fell into the trap of becoming a ‘McDonald’s Dad’; and explains why mediation can be useful even before you tell your kids you intend to split up… 

Inspired to become a mediator? The Family Mediators Association is at TheFMA.co.uk

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart investigates the trend for sleeper trains - by taking Olly and Alix for a ride on GWR’s ‘Night Riviera’ from London Paddington to Penzance, Cornwall.

What are his top tips to ensure you get a good night’s kip? Is the rise in overnight train travel because locomotives are so good - or aeroplanes are so insufferable?

And how DOES one store excess luggage when arriving in a place with no car? [Answer: Stasher!]

Ollie has the answers - though they become increasingly less intelligible after a night in the on-board bar…

The team travelled as guests of GWR. Book direct at gwr.com

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from experiencing her first-ever dip in a geothermal pool - tackles a listener’s concerns about getting jiggy under canvas.

Can sex in tents ever be comfortable? Is it best to use fairy lights, or fumble in the dark? And what are the camping essentials you need to bring along if you intend to get off?

Armed with a packet of Fresh Wipes, and aided by author ⁠⁠Zachary Zane, Alix reveals all…

Olly Mann and Nick Coffer, June 2025.

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Finally, our record of the month belongs to Will Varley - it’s his latest track, ‘Home Before The World Ends’, featuring Bastille 👇

If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, or some feedback for Olly; if you’d like to nominate yourself as a Mannbassador, or have a suggestion of a future interview for the show, just fill out our Feedback form:

✍️ https://www.modernmann.co.uk/feedback

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Meet Other Mann-Fans on the Modern Mann Discord: 

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Olly with Dr Stu, October 2018

This episode is dedicated to former guest, and friend of the show, Dr Stuart Farrimond - who has died at the age of 43.

His final book, ‘The Science of Flavor: Unlock the Secrets of Flavorful Cooking’, is available to pre-order now.

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Next episode? Out July 10th. x

16/5 - No More Magnolia

“Because it's an art project, people are still very scared of what people will think about it. Is this a waste of money?”

After witnessing bleak conditions inside a mental health unit, artists Tim A. Shaw and Niamh White decided to take action. 

Drawing on their background in contemporary art, they set out to transform sterile clinical spaces with bold, thought-provoking artworks, via their charity, Hospital Rooms.

Today, they commission over 40 leading artists a year to create immersive, site-specific pieces in psychiatric hospitals across the UK — from sweeping murals to hands-on workshops that put patients at the heart of the creative process. 

But despite critical acclaim, the battle for funding continues — and every brushstroke must be justified to NHS accountants.

In this episode, Tim tells Olly why he won’t let hospitals sell off the valuable artwork he installs; explains why patients should look beyond the ‘recovery tree’; and reveals how his recent experience on pediatric wards has hardened his belief in the healing power of art…  

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart tries his hand at ‘smart gardening’: growing vegetables without soil. 

Is hydroponics a workable alternative to getting an allotment? How much faster is it to grow a tomato indoors? And is the whole trend really just a fig-leaf for at-home cannabis growers? 

Ollie has the answers… from a ‘smart bench’.

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from attending a provocative menopause seminar - investigates how a Mann-fan can hire sex workers who are into… belching. 

With the help of VTuber giantess Ana Valens, Alix uncovers a full-blown subculture in which burps are considered not just bodily functions but sensual, often spontaneous, expressions of intimacy. The appeal, it turns out, is both nostalgic and transgressive… Burp!

Alix has dug out some belching videos [NSFW] here and here

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If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, or some feedback for Olly; if you’d like to nominate yourself as a Mannbassador, or have a suggestion of a future interview for the show, just fill out our Feedback form:

✍️ https://www.modernmann.co.uk/feedback

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Finally, our record of the month is ‘Inland Ocean’ from The National’s Matt Berninger - from his second solo album, Get Sunk, out on May 30 👇

Olly Mann and Tim A. Shaw, May 2025.

Ollie’s magnificent hydroponic produce.

BUY US A BEER

Your support keep this show going! So, if you can afford to, please buy us a beer

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Meet Other Mann-Fans on the Modern Mann Discord: 

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… and we’ll see you on June 10th!

This episode is supported by Shopify. Dream big, build fast, and grow far with 3 months for just £3 at https://shopify.co.uk/modernmann 

16/4 - Revenge of the Gig Worker

 “I love being devious. I love being petty. I was just so excited.”

When Armin Samii signed up to deliver food for Uber Eats, his intentions were to explore his city, and help pay off his new bike.

He soon realised the app was poorly configured for cyclists, and uncovered glitches such as a non-existent branch of McDonald’s. But getting support from Uber was frustrating.

When he believed they were also underestimating his mileage - and therefore underpaying him - he used his background as a computer coder to create Uber Cheats, a Chrome extension that got the attention of gig workers around the world.

In conversation with Olly, he sheds light on life as a gig worker, considers the future of worker’s rights.

The company has not acknowledged any systemic error in how distances are calculated. An Uber spokesperson told us: "More drivers and couriers are choosing to earn on Uber than ever before and we know that the vast majority are satisfied with their experience.

"The Uber app reviews real-time information to provide the best price to appeal to the drivers or couriers in the area, helping to minimise waiting times for customers and maximise earnings. Our matching tools follow a process that balances a number of different factors such as time and distance to provide the best possible experience for everyone using the app."

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart investigates the trend for gourmet sandwiches. Do they really taste better, or are they just for showing off on Instagram?

Olly and Ollie head to award-winning London sandwich shop Sandwich Sandwich to taste for themselves…

After studying sandwich influencers Max Halley and Sensational Sandwiches, can Ollie go viral with his own take on a Steak Frites Entrecote sandwich?

Ollie and Olly’s trip to Sandwich Sandwich

Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox investigates the legal status of consensual non-monogamy.

For example, can a thruple inherit each other’s possessions when they die, as married couples can? What paperwork exists to evidence each part of a polycule? With the help of lawyers Rachel Frost-Smith and Lucy Bluck, and phychotherapist DK Green, Alix has the answers…

… and, in light of research from BackMarket about the increasing issue of sex toy e-waste, Alix discovers that ‘Vibrators’ are now an official category for ‘Small Electricals’ recycling in the UK!

To dispose of dead rabbits and spent bullets in eco-conscious ways, head to https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/electrical-recycling-near-me and enter your postcode.

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Music this month comes from Mann-favourite Self Esteem. After a few years moonlighting in the West End, she’s back with new track, If Not Now, It’s Soon' 👇

BUY US A BEER

Your support keep this show going! So, if you can afford to, please buy us a beer

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Meet Other Mann-Fans on the Modern Mann Discord: 

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CONTACT US…

If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, or some feedback for Olly; if you’d like to nominate yourself as a Mannbassador, or have a suggestion of a future interview for the show, just fill out our Feedback form:

✍️ https://www.modernmann.co.uk/feedback

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… and we’ll see you on May 10th!

This episode is sponsored by Readly, the UK’s largest digital newsstand. Discover thousands of top magazines, alongside Olly's favourites, with an exclusive THREE MONTH free trial, at readly.com/mann

16/3 - Holding The Line: Fighting Wildfires

 “Day after day. Sucking in smoke. And dust. And dirt.”

California wildfires ripped through L.A. this year, killing 29 people, destroying more than 18,000 buildings, and putting wildland fires back into the headlines.

But what’s it like being one of the poorly-paid workers sent in to risk your life to fight the flames? 

Wildland firefighter Nathan Bell has ‘held the line’ across the United States: in Elk City, Idaho; on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Utah; and in the desert conditions of Sedona, Arizona.

For 16 hour workdays, for weeks away from home, he will hike up a mountainside towards a raging fire with a 40 pound backpack on his shoulders, and a chainsaw.

And his starting salary? Less than a worker at Burger King...

In this conversation with Olly, he exposes the back-breaking, exhilarating life of a wildland firefighter - and the unspoken trauma so many of his peers experience ‘between seasons’...

CONTENT WARNING: suicide

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart investigates the trend for A.I. makeovers. 

From LolaAI, the ‘stylist and shopping copilot’ baked in to Open Wardrobe, to the at-home body scans offered by Bodymapp, can Ollie get himself a fresh Spring look - using only A.I?

As ever, frankly, the results are mixed…

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox pops into Kiiroo to see how teledildonics have adapted to the world of OnlyFans.

Next up, a listener question from a new Mum struggling with sex after breastfeeding. 

Ollie changes magically into Jeremy Corbyn, thanks to A.I.

Once a source of pleasure, her boobs now feel sore, sensitive, and more like functional tools than instruments of intimacy. Will they ever feel sexy again?

With help from breastfeeding peer support worker Emilie Wardle, Frome Birth Talk’s Lucy Plummer and sex and relationship therapist Rhian Kivits, Alix explores considers the under-discussed issues of milk mishaps in the bedroom and babies getting a little too handsy; and proposes new erogenous zones for when ‘boobs are off the table’...

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Music this month comes from Manchester indie band The Lottery Winners, and their infectious single, ‘Turn Around’. It’s our record of the month, and it’s out now👇

MAKE MANN HAPPEN

Support for this podcast is slowing down: but we need your donations to keep going! So, if you can afford to, please buy us a beer

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Meet Other Mann-Fans on the Modern Mann Discord: 

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CONTACT US…

If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, or some feedback for Olly; if you’d like to nominate yourself as a Mannbassador, or have a suggestion of a future interview for the show, just fill out our Feedback form:

✍️ https://www.modernmann.co.uk/feedback

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… and we’ll see you on April 10th!

SUPPORT: 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.

16/2 - Naked and Exhausted

“ I was put into an impossible situation. What were my choices?”

Imagine building a brand from scratch, and running your business for fifteen years - only to be told by a global corporation that your name isn’t yours to keep. 

That’s what happened to Rebecca Dowdeswell, founder of waxing business NKD, when she received a legal letter from cosmetics giant L’Oréal, opposing her application to renew her trademark.

In this compelling conversation with Olly, Rebecca takes us inside her David vs. Goliath battle against one of the world’s biggest corporations; a tale of perseverance, justice, and the high price of standing your ground.

Support Rebecca’s small business, and find out more about her story, here.

Thanks to Private Eye for their help sourcing this story.

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart dives deep into his DNA, to discover whether companies like Color can detect predispositions to serious diseases. 

After talking to journalist Molly Guinness, who was diagnosed with colon cancer at 38, Ollie investigates the growing trend for people proactively checking their health beyond the tests offered by the NHS.

And - thanks to UK-based company Selph - he discovers he has a hitherto undetected genetic condition, Lp(a)…

Rebecca Dowdeswell and Olly Mann, February 2025

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox uncovers the truth about a kinky MRI incident that’s taken the internet by storm, and advises a listener whose partner is not in-sync with his peccadillos.

How can he balance a fulfilling monogamous relationship, while staying true to his most extreme desires? Might understanding the emotions behind his kinks lead to creative compromises? Or could attending a workshop, or even opening up his relationship, provide the right solution?

With the help of Psychosexual and Relationship therapist Shae Harmon and Lola Phoenix’s new book The Non-Monogamy Journal, Alix reveals all…

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Over in music corner, our record of the month is the brilliantly arresting ‘Angie’s Wedding’ from Manchester-based poet, writer and producer Antony Szmierek 👇

His album, ‘Service Station At The End Of The Universe’, comes out February 28th

NOW, SUPPORT US:

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your generous donations - independent shows like ours only exist with your support: 

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CONTACT US…

If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, or some feedback for Olly; if you’d like to nominate yourself as a Mannbassador, or have a suggestion of a future interview for the show, just fill out our Feedback form:

✍️ https://www.modernmann.co.uk/feedback

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… and we’ll see you on March 10th!

This episode is sponsored by Readly, the UK’s largest digital newsstand. Discover thousands of top magazines, alongside Olly's favourites, with an exclusive THREE MONTH free trial, at readly.com/mann