8/2 - So, You Have A Fear Of Flying

‘I have to get back on a plane after all of this. Why am I giggling by the pool?’

Claustrophobia, panic attacks, and hyperventilation can feel even more acute at 35,000 feet. Perhaps that’s why some aviophobics never get as far as buying plane tickets, and spend a lifetime making awkward train journeys instead.

Anna P - Team Leader on Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear course - says she can help passengers with even the most debilitating nerves overcome their fears. And she should know. As she reveals to Olly and journalist Rebecca Gillie in this candid chat, she once herself suffered from extreme anxiety. After one traumatic experience, she didn’t board a flight for eighteen years...

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Olly Mann, Anna P and Rebecca Gillie

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Find out more about Anna’s course at flyingwithoutfear.co.uk, and hear more of Rebecca talking to Olly on The Week Unwrapped, or wherever you find your podcasts.

Elsewhere, in this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has returned from Europe’s largest VR experience with a spanking new Oculus Go. But the future, he maintains, is not in gaming and synthesised rollercoasters, but instead in Melody VR’s live music experiences and burgeoning social media simulacra.

Down The Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from discovering "open arse-fruit" at Ottolenghi’s new Rovi restaurant - advises a listener who is attempting to conceive about the best lubricants for the purpose. ‘You want those swimmers’, she surmises, ‘to vroom-vroom as if they’re in their Bimmers’. Who could disagree?

If, by contrast, you are keen to avoid a pregnancy, look no further than the exciting emporium operated by our friends at MyCondom.com, proud sponsors of The Foxhole. Just use the code ‘FOXHOLE’ to get an astonishing 15% OFF at Checkout!

This week’s Lifehack comes courtesy of Dr Jessica Barker from Redacted Firm, who offers up her Top 3 tips for staying safe online - protect your passwords, switch on two-factor authentication and be very very wary of public wi-fi!

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 ‘Arc en Ciel’ by Polo et Pan, out now on Universal:

Nice.

Enjoying the show? Support us! Consider taking out a beer money subscription, sponsoring an episode, or leaving us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

And, if YOU have a suggestion for a future guest, a question of sex for Alix or a challenge for Ollie, please fill out our Feedback form. 

See You Next Tuesday!

6/2 - Cabin Crew Confessions

Tricky customers, fixed smiles and terrible turbulence: it's all in a day's work for a flight attendant.

But how to keep your cool at 30,000 feet? How to cope with unpredictable emergencies? And how to let off steam afterwards?

Daisy White is a woman who knows. Now a YA author, she spent 12 years working for airlines including Monarch and Caledonian. In this interview with Olly, she lifts the lid on drunken passengers, mile high club wannabes - and 'overweight' trolley dollies... 

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In this week's Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart plays the 'Micro-Generation Game', tries his hand at Shoutcasting, considers the future of Amazon Key, and doesn't gloat about the fact he was sort-of-right about the decline of the musical fade out, even though he'd have every right to.

And a previous Zeitgeist topic, male make-up, rears its head again in this week's Lifehack - as make-up artist Declan Scammell proffers his Top 3 tips for men who want to wear make-up in their daily lives. The Lifehack is sponsored by our friends at Squarespace - if you fancy a free trial of their excellent website design and hosting service, head to Squarespace.com, and, when you're ready to launch, use our offer code 'MANN' to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Meanwhile, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox offers up some pleasurable positions for couples seeking to have sex during pregnancy, which can't harm your baby but will provide closeness and climax. The Foxhole is brought to you by the beautiful peeps at MyCondom.com, who offer Mann-fans 15% off their superb range of lubes, toys and condoms by using the code 'FOXHOLE' at Checkout.

Finally, our song of the week is the new one - it's called 'Fresh', appropriately - from awesome Aussie band Tired Lion:

If you have a suggestion for a future guest, a trend for Ollie Peart to investigate, a question of sex for Alix, or you'd like to become a Mannbassador, please get in touch using our Feedback page.

This episode was made possible thanks to the generous patronage of online eyewear store Arlowolf, who offer shockingly good value frames and sunglasses on a Try Before You Buy basis, with a 30 day no-quibble returns policy. Try 'em out at Arlowolf.com, and use our offer code 'MANN' to get 10% off your final purchase.

See You Next Tuesday!

2/4 - Let's Build A Theme Park

Thrills, spills, and forming an orderly queue.

Theme parks have transformed from the travelling fairs of the fifties and Disney-inspired family resorts into playgrounds for adrenalin junkies of all ages.  So, how do ride designers meet the needs of their discerning public?

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Bradley Wynne, lead creative artist at Merlin Magic Making, is a man who knows - he's spent a lifetime obsessing about all things theme park and is now heading up the team for Thorpe Park's biggest ever launch, Derren Brown's Ghost Train. 

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In this episode, Olly learns from him how sounds, smells and touch can enhance the experience of riding a rollercoaster; discusses the fallout from the tragedy on The Smiler, and how you can use a very boring interest in planning application data to your advantage, to secure a dream job.

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Also this episode: Ollie Peart debates the pleas for 'no spoilers' following the return of Game Of Thrones, the declining sales of pasta, and the enduring power of dial-up; and in The Foxhole, Alix Fox considers whether having sexual fantasies about your schooldays makes you a paedophile. (It doesn't). If you have a question of sex for a future episode of the show - just click Feedback. Go on! You can remain completely anonymous if you wish. 

Our record of the week? Why, that's Damien Jurado's new single, Qachina, out May 6th:

Good, innit? 

This episode has been sponsored by Fallen London, the brand new text adventure game for iOS. Download it for free now in the App Store, or sign up to get a gift from us at failbettergames.com/modern. Thanks to them, and everyone who has bought us a beer or left us an iTunes review  - you're the bestest! See you next Tuesday.