16/10 - Did I Kill The British Sitcom?

 “The stars have got to align when you make comedy. And they were aligning quite well. And then they just stopped aligning.”

 Jimmy Donny Cosgrove co-wrote one of the decade’s biggest comedy flops: BBC 1 sitcom Warren, starring Martin Clunes.

The series was lambasted on social media and derided by critics, with the Daily Telegraph claiming it was ‘the final nail in the coffin for British sitcom’.

Jimmy’s agent dumped him.

He received death threats.

And he hasn’t had a show on TV since…

In this frank and funny conversation with Olly, Jimmy recounts how he blagged his way on to a comedy course at University, how his heart sank when his show was scheduled in a double-bill with the long-anticipated return of Alan Partridge, and explains why his experiences of the TV sausage-factory, with its endless rewrites and creative compromises, left him bruised and disillusioned.

Nowadays, Jimmy hosts a live game show experience. Find out more at showtimelondon.co.uk.

Olly Mann with Jimmy Donny Cosgrove, October 2025

‘Warren Thompson Driving School’ - the YouTube sketch that started it all

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Olly with Ollie and ‘Mini-Ann’

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart, delighted to furnish the world with a Captain Spronk playlist, learns the latest trends in First Aid. 🏥

What’s the current advice for performing CPR?  How do you apply for a free defibrillator? And how many heart attacks per year happen outside a hospital environment?

Equipped with a ‘mini Anne’ and the Revivr app from the British Heart Foundation, Ollie has the answers…

Would you like to challenge Ollie to investigate a 2026 trend? Suggest it via our Feedback form.

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox assists a listener who wants to know how to help his other half as she prepares for the menopause.

Explaining how the menopause’s three stages (perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause) comprise a profound physical and emotional transition, Alix reveals the hormonal shifts that can cause brain fog, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disruption, and changes in libido.

Along the way, Alix speaks to clinical sexologist Dr Angela Wright, and recommends the books Burning Up, Frozen Out by Joe Warner and Rob Kemp; The Little Book of HRT by Dr Ellie Cannon and Menowars by Fiona Clark.

If you have a sex and relationships question for Alix to answer in 2026, get in touch via our Feedback form.

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Finally, our record of the month is Dead and Gone, the new single from Leigh-Anne’s debut album, Because My Ego Told Me To👇

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Olly, Alix, Ollie and special musical guests will return with our annual, chaotic Christmas special on 10th December.

In the meantime, you can help support the show into 2026 by donating beer money and/or leaving us a review. Thanks!

16/9 - The Confession That Went Viral

“ It was one of the first times in my life that I had really taken responsibility. And I really liked the way that felt.”

Drink-driving one night, Matthew Cordle caused a head-on collision that killed 61-year-old Vincent Canzani. 

His confession on YouTube - ‘I Killed A Man’ - became one of the most controversial viral videos of its era, amassing millions of views and sparking debate about accountability, remorse, and the nature of public confession.

Twelve years later, Cordle tells Olly his story, in unflinching detail that goes far beyond the sensational three-minute video.

From his descent into alcoholism from the age of eleven, to his complex relationship with the attention his actions brought him, and the journey of accountability he undertook during his six-year prison sentence, this is a tale of remorse, notoriety, and what it means to take responsibility.

Matthew works with the charities Save Your Victim and Because I Said I Would.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart is on-hand to organise a tenth birthday party for our podcast 🥳

With a sprinkling of superb magic from The Magician’s Table, he suggests a potent mix of immersive theatre, bespoke cocktails from Holy Water, and, of course, VR. There is also a celebratory song from his musical alter-ego Captain Spronk, because why wouldn’t there be? 

Ollie, Alix and Olly at The Magician’s Table, London; October 2025

Ollie Peart · Modern mAInn

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox has been rummaging for antiques at her local car boot sale, and looking into the UK government’s new controls on digital pornography.

Has the implementation of age verification helped prevent minors from accessing online porn? Are the likes of Quittr effective at assisting users to ‘quit porn forever’? And, if they are, is that healthy? Alix, as always, has a view…

Love the Foxhole? Then you may enjoy How To Get Wet When You’re Dry - a new show about sex and sobriety, produced by Ollie Peart.

Alix, Olly and some of her car boot discoveries

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Finally, our record of the month comes from Art School Girlfriend, and her track L.Y.A.T.T. (Love You All The Time) ❤️👇

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🎂 A 10TH BIRTHDAY NOTE FROM OLLY 🎉

Mann-Fans, thanks so much for listening to and supporting our podcast!

It is because of you that we continue making the show.

If you can afford to, please please send us beer money - every penny helps fund our journalism. 

If you can’t spare any cash, then why not leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Or just tell your friends. That’s free. 

Here’s to the next ten years! 

… and we’ll see you with something new on 10th November. x

16/9 - Drawn To Justice

“They think they can get away with it. That, this time, they'll be good at hiding it, or they'll bury the body better.”

From Gary Glitter to Rose West; Prince Harry to Harold Shipman… courtroom artist Priscilla Coleman has sketched them all, over five decades documenting Britain’s biggest criminal trials.

In UK courts, artists can’t sketch inside - so she begins by writing what she sees, combining shorthand notes with a photographic memory technique.

Under tight deadlines - and often without even a table - she then rushes outside to turn those notes into the courtroom images we recognise from the nightly news.

In this broad interview with Olly, Priscilla recalls watching the Wagatha Christie trial; considers what she’s learned from such diverse case studies as Ian Huntley and Jeffrey Archer; and explains why she thinks the legal system needs to change…

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Fiat Panda fan Ollie Peart joins Olly at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace - surrounded by cars worth millions of pounds - to investigate the trend for younger people getting into classic car restoration…

… Is it a way of avoiding ULEZ charges? Do the tax breaks justify abandoning newer cars altogether?

And, assuming you can’t afford a Ferrari or a Bentley, what are the upcoming marques to invest in?

The answers may surprise you… 

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox fresh from discovering a kindred spirit in a bondage-themed hair salon - tackles a listener’s anxiety about contracting HIV from a non-consensual encounter. 

Twenty-five tests, taken over fifteen years, are telling her she doesn’t have HIV… is there any chance they could be wrong?

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In music corner, our record of the month comes from Ipswich-born rapper Piers James, and his new single 'F.O.E'.👇

Rose West, 1995

Ian Huntley, 2003

Harold Shipman, 1999.
All images © Priscilla Coleman/MB Media 

Olly Mann and Priscilla Coleman, Sep 2025

NOW…

🎧 LISTEN TO OLLY guesting on Mann-fan Darren Hill’s podcast, The Story Pilgrim - if two middle-aged men walking around Letchworth is your idea of an hour well spent: https://pod.fo/e/328330

🍻 BUY US A BEER. We are only able to make this show thanks to your donations. If you can afford to, pretty PLEASE support our independent podcast here. 

✉️ SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK. If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, a letter for Olly, or you’d like to share your story on a future edition of the show - fill out our Feedback form here. 

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… and we’ll see you with our tenth birthday episode (😱)on 10th October. x

x Olly, Ollie, Alix and Producer Matt

16/8 - How To Be A Dad - On Holiday

“ I think I was always a Dad with no kids. Having kids has made sense of me.” 

Tom Price and Stuart Goldsmith return for their annual catch-up with Olly, comparing notes on the pleasures and pitfalls of parenthood.

With their boys now aged 9½, the Dads’ latest life advice includes how to remove a games console from the sitting room (without triggering a row); splitting Summer holidays into ‘manageable blocks’; giving their sons feedback without it sounding like criticism; and the joy of re-discovering The Simpsons.

Plus, why singing out instructions can be more effective than shouting; how NOT to make a good impression at a posh playground; and the pressures of the Obligatory Back To School Photo…

This is the tenth instalment of our annual ‘How To Be A Dad’ series. Catch up with all previous episodes HERE. 

🎧Tom’s podcast is My Mate Bought A Toaster; and Stuart’s is The Comedian’s Comedian. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart considers the soaring cost of getting away, and breaks down what a ‘holiday’ really means.

Can a ‘staycation’ provide an equivalent wellbeing boost to travelling abroad? Maaaaaaaybe, says Ollie, if you plan your time off, lock away your laptop, and hire a cleaner.

Along the way, he uncovers the trends for “noctourism”, “fakeations”, and “set-jetting”. It’s certainly a break from the grind…

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Stuart Goldsmith, Olly Mann and Tom Price; July 2025

The Zeitgeist, but outside. Holiday vibes?

Elsewhere, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from discovering a new kind of ‘Big D’ in her work at Deaf Rave - has advice for pleasuring ladies with longer labia.

Not every culture is squeamish about flappiness: some Eastern and African traditions celebrate and even enhance labia length.

Whether you’re solo or partnered, Alix has a treasure chest of toys and techniques, from floral-shaped vibrators that flutter like a butterfly, to massage oils that pamper your folds. The goal is worship - not just stimulation.

With the help of sexual wellness educator Tami Rose, sexpert Jess Wilde, professional long-lipped pleasure seeker Crista Anne, and pro piercer Mike Hill, Alix celebrates sensory exploration, and offers clever tricks with toys, casting kits, and knickers.

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🍻 BUY US A BEER.

We are only able to make this show thanks to your donations. If you can afford to, pretty PLEASE support our independent podcast here. 

✉️ SEND US YOUR LETTERS.

If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, some feedback for Olly, or you’d like to share your story on a future edition of the show - fill out our Feedback form here. 

💬 THE MODERN MANN DISCORD.

It’s free! Meet other Mann-fans here: https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72

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Finally, our record of the month is Mogwai’s re-version of ‘Endsong’, plucked from The Cure’s brand new remix album, Mixes of a Lost World 👇

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We’ll see you with something new on 10th September!

x Olly, Ollie, Alix and Producer Matt

16/7 - I Survived A Plane Crash

 “It doesn't matter how badly injured you are, or what's happened to you. You have to pick yourself up, and you have to carry on. There is no hiding behind what was yesterday.”

Perry Burns was just 13 when his once-in-a-lifetime trip on an RAF plane ended in a devastating crash.

It left him with burns over nearly half his body.

In this gripping conversation with Olly, Perry relives the moment he thought he’d died; the fireball he escaped; and the chain of miracles that saved his life...

He shares the pain of recovery, the power of one relentless teacher, and how love helped him rebuild.

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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, dog-fan Ollie Peart is on a mission to Make Running Fun. 

While apps like VoiceMap offer self-guided audio tours you can create (and sell!), and GoodGym adds community purpose to your jog…

…his true champion is Zombies, Run!, a thrilling, GPS-triggered story game where undead hordes chase you into cardio greatness.

(And, it seems, makes Olly Mann sweat buckets around the Regent’s Park Running Track.)

Two VoiceMap routes Ollie recommends 👇

London half-mararthon | Bristol

… and Ollie’s musical contribution to gamifying running 👇

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SOME LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK:

🎢 ROLLERCOASTER - UNIVERSAL’S BEDFORDSHIRE JOURNEY.

Olly’s new four-part BBC series about the Universal Studios project in Bedford can be binged  here. 

🍻 BUY US A BEER.

We are only able to make this show thanks to your donations. If you can afford to, pretty PLEASE support our independent podcast here. 

✉️ SEND US YOUR LETTERS.

If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, some feedback for Olly, or you’d like to share your story on a future edition of the show - fill out our Feedback form here. 

💬 THE MODERN MANN DISCORD.

It’s free! Meet other Mann-fans here: https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72

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In music corner, our record of the month is the folktastic ‘Cow Song’ 🐄

from The New Eves👇

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The Miles Messenger plane they set off in

Perry, aged 13

Perry finally learns to fly

Olly Mann and his cousin Perry Burns, July 2025

Ollie, Olly and Buzz ‘gamify’ their run… 🏃

And finally… Alix Fox - fresh from National AIDS Trust fundraiser Drag Raise - is back to answer listener’s sex and relationships questions in The Foxhole.

First up, a new gadget in development by Polari Labs to clean up back-door sex…

… and then:  What actually happens at sex-themed swingers holiday resorts, like Hedonism in Jamaica, and what should prospective travellers bring with them to the hotel? 

With the help of Sex Advice for Seniors’ Suzanne Noble, Alix reveals all… 

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We’ll see you on 10th August - with our annual How To Be A Dad special!

x Olly, Ollie, Alix and Producer Matt