Posts tagged #bernie

17/4 - My Deepfake Nightmare

“I just felt numb. It's false, but how can one person scream ‘it’s not true’ to 200,000 people that don't know me?”

Cheryl Bennett doesn’t follow politics.

But when her colleague said he was standing in local elections, she agreed to help deliver leaflets.

Within days, doorbell video footage was circulating online, in which Cheryl could be seen calling prospective voters “f***ing P*kis”.

Cheryl had never said such words, but wasn’t sure anyone believed her.

After being posted by an independent candidate for West Midlands mayor - ‘TikTok lawyer’ Akhmed Yakoob - the deepfake went viral, receiving over two million views across TikTok, Facebook and X.

Cheryl was sent death threats. Police were sent to her house to arrest her. She was forced into hiding. Her career as a PE teacher was put on hold. And, even after the video was proven to be an AI distortion, she is still feeling the consequences years later.

In her first podcast interview, Cheryl tells Olly how her world turned upside down - all because she did a favour for a friend…

Content warning: racist language, suicidal ideation.

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*Cheryl Bennett and Olly Mann, March 2026*

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart investigates the trend for prediction betting - in which users buy and sell "Yes/No" shares on a variety of weird and wonderful real-world outcomes.

How much money can a Mannfan make with a $100 trade? How do services like Kalshi and Polymarket differ from conventional trading markets? And why aren’t they legal in the UK?

Got a trend you’d like to challenge Ollie to test out on a future edition of the show? Fill out our Feedback form, or join our Discord.

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox assists a Mannfan whose libido has RISEN following the death of his wife.

It may seem counter-intuitive that an intense and devastating bereavement would leave you feeling horny - but it’s a well-established phenomenon, known to counsellors as ‘Widow’s Fire’!

With the help of Nicky Wake, founder of Chapter 2 (a dating and community app designed specifically for widows and widowers), Alix discovers the world of post-grief sex…

•⁠ WAY Widowed and Young support network for bereaved partners under 51: https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk

•⁠ ⁠⁠Widow’s Fire app - no-strings erotic intimacy for widowers: https://www.WidowsFire.dating

If you have a question of sex and relationships for Alix to answer in a future edition, head to our Feedback form - you can remain anonymous if you wish.

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Finally, our record of the month is James Blake’s new one: aptly enough, called Trying Times…

Thanks for listening - and we’ll see you on May 10th.

In the meantime, thanks for your help supporting the show with your beer money and/or reviews!

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

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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

14/10 - Return To Sender: The Post Office Scandal Revisited

“I am still trying to hold down a job, a day job, while I'm doing all of this. "

LISTEN: Apple // Spotify // Google // MP3 // RSS // TuneIn

After twenty years, Kamran Ashraf is still seeking justice.

Wrongfully sent to prison by the Post Office, he and his family are one of 700 subpostmasters and sub postmistresses convicted on false evidence - provided by a broken computer system known as Horizon.

Three years after our original interview, we discover what happened next - was his appeal successful? And what will it take to see justice for the hundreds of people affected?

The ‘Horizon scandal’ has since been described as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in recent British legal history. You can discover more at postofficetrial.com.

Our thanks to journalist Nick Wallis for connecting us with Siema and Kam. In the original story, we changed their names to protect their appeal for justice.

Want to support their cause? Consider writing to your MP.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has spent the month avoiding Ultra Processed Foods, using The Nova Scale.

*Some of Ollie’s experiments with a ‘Mediterranean diet’ in Portugal. Yep.*

From sausages to cornichons, Ollie takes us through the things some experts think we should remove from our diet - and reveals a few surprising omissions along the way.

But is the science all it’s cracked up to be, when compared to a liberal dash of salt on a home-cooked meal? And how much of a trend is it really? The Zeitgeist investigates.

The Zeitgeist is supported by DIRTEA, super blends derived from potent functional mushrooms. Get 10% off your first order with promo code MANN at dirteaworld.com/mann

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox conquers her very specific fear of diving near an airport - and then in our listener question of the month, advises a Mann-fan who has vestibulodynia, a condition that leads to chronic pain around the vagina. So how can she and her partner conceive a baby in the old-fashioned way?

With the help of The Vulva Pain Society, Alix discusses the fun of playing with insemination kits, and conception-friendly lubes like Conceive Plus and Pre Seed.

If you have a sex or relationship question you’d like Alix to answer, fill in the Feedback form. You can remain anonymous if you wish.

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For our record of the month, we welcome British indie pop artist flowerovlove and her energetic new single, ‘Next Best Exit’ 👇

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