10/1 - "Pupil A"

“I didn’t just start drinking a lot. I started using a variety of mind-altering substances”

Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images News / Getty Images

Ben used to be a secondary school teacher.

He isn’t anymore.

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:

LIKE THIS? TRY THESE...

8/6 - The Cop Who Went To Prison

7/5 - Closure and Disclosure: Surviving Abuse

3/4 - The Gentleman Bank Robber

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.

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Posted on May 1, 2019 by Olly Mann and filed under Season Ten.

9/10 - How To Be A Dad, part 5

“I’m busy putting out emotional fires. I do not have time to reflect on ANYTHING”

As their sons turn three, Tom Price and Stuart Goldsmith once again join Olly to discuss the dilemmas faced by the modern Dad…

How can you control a toddler who has no concept of time? Why aren’t Dads as good as Mums at making friends? When does your role as educator impinge on their imaginations?

In this fifth instalment of our ‘How To Be A Dad’ series, our trio swap stories about potty training, faith schools, Spotify playlists, and the ‘self-deleting baby years’ that repeat on you when your second child arrives…

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Want to hear more from Tom and Stu? Catch Tom hosting ‘Weekend Breakfast’ on Magic, and comedy panel show ‘The Leak’ on BBC Sounds; and subscribe to Stuart’s excellent podcast ‘The Comedian’s Comedian’ for an insight into comedy-writing and performing from some of the country’s top stand-ups. You can also catch-up with all four previous instalments of ‘How To Be A Dad’ here.

What Ollie’s actual car looks like now.

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, new homeowner Ollie Peart updates us on his car-wrapping and song-writing adventures, and sends off his DNA for analysis. Along the way, he discovers new relatives, reviews his tolerance for data breaches, and reveals how closely his genetics are shared with Olly’s… perhaps.

Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox celebrates the arrival of ‘Januhairy’, advises a married couple about opening up the ‘back door’, and ponders why anal sex has become a habit for many heterosexuals.

… And, over in music corner, our Record of the Week is ‘High’ by Lokki, out now on Wolf Tone:

That’s it for this season - we’re taking an extended break until the late Spring.

But - if you have a suggestion for a guest we should interview, a trend Ollie should test out, or a question Alix should answer in Season Ten, just fill out our Feedback form.

And, whilst you’re here, click Beer Money to support our show with a recurring or one-off donation. It’s only thanks to listeners like you that we can run this independent podcast - so, if you love the show, please chuck us some cash!

See you in the Spring.

9/9 - Christmas in the Vicarage

Olly heads to St Andrew’s Church, Islington, to meet Reverend Jessica Swift, an inner-city vicar managing a diverse congregation; some reliant on food banks, others living in million-pound homes.

As she explains, for the modern-day parish clergy, the Christmas season is as much about meetings and bookkeeping as it is mistletoe and wine.

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Meanwhile, it’s Christmasssss!... well, nearly: so time is running out for our charity single, ‘The Sounds of Christmas’, to crack the UK festive Top 40. In this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart reveals the surprise celebrity friends who’ve added their weight to the campaign, whilst a generous Mann-fan blows our fundraising target out of the water.

Elsewhere, in our very festive Foxhole, Alix Fox welcomes Ollie and Olly to sample some Lovehoney crackers, play a round of ‘Bango’, and a memorable game of ‘What’s That Smell?’ You’ll never look at a bag of popcorn in the same way again.

Finally, our Record of the Week is a certain song by Podcast All-Stars called ‘The Sounds of Christmas’. You can and should support Samuel’s Charity by buying it now.

And HERE’s the video - lip-synched by Mannfans from around the world:

We’ll be back in the first week of January (with our annual How To Be A Dad episode) - but, until then, Happy Holidays to all Mann-fans, everywhere!

9/8 - The Case Against Snow White

Actors with dwarfism rarely get cast in title roles, but in panto season there’s an obvious exception: the many major productions of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

What does the prevalence of this pantomime do to affect the lives of ordinary people with dwarfism, who aren’t performers?

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Activist and writer Eugene Grant, who has achondroplasia, believes if the first time most people see someone with dwarfism is on stage as a fairy-tale stereotype, it has a directly detrimental effect - as he explains to Olly in this insightful interview.

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, the moment has finally come: Ollie Peart presents the world premiere of ‘his’ Christmas single, ‘The Sounds of Christmas’, in support of Samuel’s Charity, reveals the full list of podcasters taking part, details the extraordinary publishing rights, and explains his strategy to crack the UK Top 40.

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox pays tribute to the doyen of homemade bondage furniture, and answers a question from a listener curious about exploring the world of ‘dub-con' - specifically, the simulation of non-consensual sex under the influence of drugs. Even if both parties want to go ahead, is there any safe and legal way to proceed?

Finally, our record of the week is ‘Kitty Kitty’ by De Staat, out now:

Enjoy the show? Support us! We’re an independent production and need your help to keep cranking out new content. Please consider donating via PayPal, writing us a review, or buying us a beer. And, speaking of beer - remember to get your free case of eight delicious beers from our sponsors Beer52 - just visit beer52.com/mann.

If you’d like to share YOUR story on the show, if you have a challenge for Ollie, a question of sex for Alix, or anything else - just fill out our Feedback form.

See You Next Tuesday!

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SAMUEL'S CHARITY

EPISODES

9/7 - The Empty Seat

Samuel was nine years old when he first asked his Dad, Martin, to raise some money for the other children on his ward to have some nicer meals…

Samuel’s Charity is now registered, and has raised over £200,000 for under-funded children’s wards.

In this moving interview with Olly, Martin explains why small charities are so very necessary, how even teaspoons and toasters can make a dramatic difference to the lives of unwell children, and how Samuel’s mission helps him cope with his grief.

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To donate to Samuel’s Charity, and find out more, visit samuelscharity.co.uk.

Elsewhere, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has ventured on down to Shoreditch to test out the latest health fad… vitamin drips.

And, as the competition for Christmas No.1 gets ever more intense, it’s time for him to lay down his vocals for ‘The Sounds of Christmas’. Shudder.

Meanwhile, in this week’s Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a listener with a predilection for promiscuity. How should he manage his fantasies of ‘pozzing’ and ‘bug-chasing’ - engaging in deliberately unsafe sex to contract HIV - when in the cold light of day he’s disturbed by his risk-taking and concerned for his health?

Finally, our record of the week is ‘Marlow’ by Leytonstone alt-pop band Banfi:

Remember, our show is free to download, but it isn’t free to produce. If you can afford to support us by buying us a virtual pint of beer - or a monthly donation via PayPal - just visit our Beer Money page.

Or, if you have a story you’d like to share on a future edition of the show, head on over to our Feedback form - ditto if you have a question of sex for Alix, a challenge for Ollie, or would like to nominate yourself as a Mannbassador.

See You Next Tuesday!