The Modern Mann

From the desert to the jungle, Belinda Kirk has lead expeditions through some of the world’s most inhospitable places. She’s been kidnapped, suffered extremes of heat and cold, and nearly drowned - yet believes such adventures help keep her sane in a modern world that can seem increasingly sedentary and predictable. In this inspiring interview with Olly, Belinda explains the difference between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ stress; defines ‘type 1’ versus ‘type 2’ fun; and recommends some micro-adventures all around Britain, from wild swimming in the Serpentine to sleeping in a Scottish snow-hole. To find out more about Belinda, visit belindakirk.com - and check out her non-profit organisation connecting people to adventures, explorersconnect.com. Elsewhere, vegan-at-home Ollie Peart uncovers the publishing trend for ‘Up Lit’ books, reports on a bright future for male make-up counters, and finally completes (most) of the tasks in his quest to become a true trends insider. (This includes smearing snail slime over Olly Ma

Would you be an MP, at a time when public trust in politicians has fallen to the lowest level in living memory? Could you dedicate yourself to your constituents, yet also make time for your family, fighting fires on social media and keeping the media on-side? Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North since 2015, entered the fray in time to experience the Brexit vote, the murder of his colleague Jo Cox, and the Palace of Westminster coming under terrorist attack. In this candid interview with Olly, he lifts the lid on day-to-day life as a young MP in the House of Commons, from his experiences adapting to the weird traditions of voting and speaking in the House, to the perils of navigating Westminster’s gossipy backstairs bars and their modern-day digital equivalents on WhatsApp. Also this week, Ollie Peart completes even more of his challenges - experiencing a home-cooked Indian meal from Hersha Patel, securing VIP access to a festival, trying out the latest frankincense face-cream, and, er, pissing off the P

Using the same techniques as criminal hackers, ethical ‘white hat’ hackers help governments and companies test their own security. FC (hacker name: ‘Freakyclown’) has been a white-hat hacker ever since being approached by some ‘men in suits’, having found himself in a spot of legal bother. He’s since been employed to rob dozens of high street banks - all with the consent of the owners. In this honest and fast-moving interview with Olly, he recalls how he stepped away from a childhood defined by poverty and bullying to find sanctuary in the world of coding, ‘war dialling’, and accessing other people’s data... (You can find out more about FC by searching ‘Freakyclown’ on Twitter. The security consultancy he co-founded is redactedfirm.com) Meanwhile, in this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart considers whether the current re-shoots on ‘Justice League’ - and digitally-created puppy poo in ‘John Wick’ - mean the film industry has finally reached Peak CGI. He also endeavours to explain why sandals are back back back in

Being a TV warm-up is one of the hardest jobs in showbiz. How can you capture the interest and affection of an audience who don’t know who you are, have spent hours sitting around, and may simply want to go home? Andy Collins is a man who knows. Often cited as the best in the business, he’s honed his skills over decades, warming-up audiences for shows as diverse as Strictly Come Dancing, Big Brother, Celebrity Juice and The Alan Titchmarsh Show. In this candid and riotously funny interview with Olly, he explains how to whip a crowd of old women into a frenzy, why he never wants to disappoint Ant and Dec, and reveals why Russell Brand, Bruce Forsyth and Michael McIntyre are all off his Christmas card list... (If you’d like to hear more from Andy, do check out his Breakfast show on BBC Three Counties Radio, weekdays 6-9am.) Elsewhere this week, Ollie Peart, fresh from a speed awareness course in Yeovil, assesses the trends for body mists, Love Island and luxury watch subscription services. Plus, in his quest t

Life as a landlord means trusting strangers to live in your house. Try as you might, you can't know everything about them. Sometimes, you just have to rely on an instinct that your tenants are good people. Until, that is, you get a knock on the door from the Police... That's what happened to listener Ian from Dublin. In this interview with Olly, he re-lives the moment he became involved in an armed Police sting - and began to regret renting out his property. Also this week, Ollie and Olly head off to Wimbledon and investigate 'tennis-heckling', the rise of Aperol Spritz and the IBM data bunker. Plus, Ollie continues in his quest to become a true trends insider, forsaking Raya for Inner Circle, and preparing to venture to High Wycombe in the name of journalism. Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox ponders the possibilities of cervical orgasms, and answers a listener question of sexual reciprocity - how should a high-functioning autistic woman get off in the sack, when she can't bear physical contact? If you h

Does the mind of a murderer look any different to yours? Can brain-scanning technology help explain criminal activity? And if could - should that evidence be admitted into court? Dr Lisa Claydon, Senior Lecturer in Law at the Open University, has spent decades considering these questions. In this fascinating interview with Olly, recorded at Cheltenham Science Festival, she explains the issues around neuroscience in the courtroom, from the problems of malingering and false memory syndrome to the sometimes dubious defence of ‘automatism’ used by murdering sleep-walkers. Elsewhere this week, Ollie Peart explains why he’s getting emotional about a giant pig, how to get your favourite film back on the big screen, and the latest way to bring your Pornhub experience to life. And, in his quest to become a true trends insider, he attempts to enrol on to an elite dating app, and hitch a ride on a ‘parliamentary ghost-train’ with some real experts. Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox reveals why an exfoliating sponge

From Glastonbury to The End Of The Road, Summer festivals continue to colonise the countryside. But how do people pull together such enormous events year after year? In our 2017 Summer Festivals Special, Olly meets Pete Lawrence, co-founder of The Big Chill, which went from being a low-key ‘festival in a club’ for 150 people in Islington to an massive outdoor happening, taking over huge venues across Britain, with acts including Lily Allen, The Proclaimers, Basement Jaxx, and Leonard Cohen. How do you choose the perfect location for your booming event? How can you maintain counter-culture ethics whilst wooing corporate sponsors? And how can you keep the Police on-side when so many attendees are doing drugs? Pete - now founder of campfireconvention.uk - reveals all... Meanwhile, in this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart - fresh from sitting near Kate Adie at a train station - previews the Summer festivals you’ve never heard of, but should get tickets for NOW. In his top three are G!, in the Faroe Islands; the Arc

Pathology technician Carla Valentine always knew she wanted to work with corpses. In childhood, she conducted funerals for roadkill. These days, she is curator of the St Bart’s Museum of Pathology, and a passionate advocate for more discussion about what happens when the mortuary doors swing shut. In this interview with Olly, she reveals how to prepare for an autopsy, how to get a sense of how a person lived from examining their remains, and how to create that ‘look of gentle repose’ so important to grieving families. You’ll discover when rigor mortis starts, how identify the difference between primary and secondary flaccidity, and you'll learn about alkaline hydrolysis (‘the new cremation’) and the American trend for being embalmed sitting up. For this week’s Lifehack, Sasha Morgan from Peckham-based arts educational charity Bold Everywhere reveals her top tips to run a successful meeting: know your objectives, invite the right people, and assemble your allies before the meeting even commences. The Lifehack

Paul Watson realised he would never play football for England - so attempted, instead, to be recruited by the worst international team in the world. His quest lead him to Pohnpei, Micronesia; and, although he never realised his dream of becoming an international soccer star, he ended up coaching them instead... What's it like training a team 9000 miles away from home, in a country with no football culture? What is the beautiful game's secret at bringing communities together? And how can one recover after a defeat against the Guam Crushers? Paul's book, Up Pohnpei, is out now. Big thanks hanks to Mannfan Tom Cotton for suggesting Paul as a guest - if you have an idea for a future edition of the show, just get in touch using the Feedback form on our website, MODERNMANN.CO.UK Meanwhile, in this week's Lifehack, Rosie Slosek of themoneyhaven.com offers up her three top tips to women about 'how to liberate your man from his job'. (Heads up, chaps: it involves actually talking to your girlfriend once in a while). T

There are more billionaires than ever. Rockstars. Oil tycoons. Internet entrepreneurs. And all of them - all of them - employ private staff. The age of Jeeves and Wooster may be over, but the demand for a dependable butler remains. Lawrence McKenna has been serving the super-rich for three decades, including stints in private suites in London's poshest hotels and the Royal Enclosure at Ascot. In this interview with Olly, he reveals how to remain invisible yet available; poised to deliver whatever a ‘principal’ desires, from obscure coffee beans to a mid-coital cuppa. He explains how to carry a plate, when to say ‘yes’ and when to simply say ‘it can be done’, and how to prepare *just chilled* mineral water to the taste of a Saudi trillionaire. Meanwhile, in this week’s Lifehack, meet Rudy Budhdeo: a man who knows how to wear jeans. As CEO of world-leading store Son Of A Stag, he tells us his top three life-hacks for buying, washing and manipulating raw denim. The Lifehack is sponsored by our friends at Square

Is there still a place for the pen-and-paper posted letter? Alison Hitchcock thinks so: when she discovered her friend Brian Greenley had cancer, she decided to write him regular letters throughout his treatment - initially as an attempt to cheer him up, then as companionship through some of his darkest hours. In this interview with Olly, she recalls how writing over a hundred letters to Brian helped get them both through a difficult chapter, and deepened their friendship immeasurably. You can find out more about them, and get tips on how to write to a friend with cancer, at frommetoyouletters.co.uk In this week’s Lifehack, Ariele Rovati from Brewdog shares his top three tips on how to start your own microbrewery, courtesy of Squarespace. If you want to build yourself a beautiful website, simply visit Squarespace.com and use the code to 'MANN' to get 10% OFF a year's subscription. Meanwhile, over in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart highlights lab-grown meat lobbying, wonders whether ‘Snaplications’ are the future o

Dr Sarah Goode spent six years talking to, and writing about, self-defined paedophiles - grown men sexually attracted to children. She believes, if our society were more accepting of this ‘involuntary’ sexual predilection, then more children might be protected from abuse - if the men concerned were prevented from acting out their fantasies. In this compelling interview with Olly, Dr Goode outlines her contentious view and why she believes hysteria around predatory paedophilia ironically fails to protect Britain’s children. She also explains why she believes the internet can be a force for good in combatting child abuse - despite the presence of online grooming, and the wide availability of child sexual abuse imagery. Sarah has written two academic books based on her research, 'Understanding and Addressing Adult Sexual Attraction to Children: A Study of Paedophiles in Contemporary Society' and 'Paedophiles in Society: Reflecting on Sexuality, Abuse and Hope'. Both are available to buy via Amazon. If you think

From David Bowie to George Michael, celebrity deaths are becoming increasingly common, as the rock generation reaches retirement age. How does a paper of record go about documenting their lives? Simon Pearson is Obituaries Editor of The Times, and in this interview with Olly he explains how profiles of the great and the good are created - ready to be published the moment a notable name pops their clogs - and how lesser-known figures also find their way on to the paper’s illustrious pages. Elsewhere this episode, Ollie Peart brings us news of meme warfare, holographic phones and animated April Fools pranks in this week’s Zeitgeist. And, in new feature The Lifehack, British Bake Off winner Edd Kimber (theboywhobakes.co.uk) reveals his baking tips, courtesy of Squarespace. Meanwhile, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox is angry about ‘the world’s first smart condom’, and tackles one of the most popular questions to grace our mailbag: what do you do when your sex drive vastly exceeds that of your partner? Got a question f

When he was just 14, Wayne Sharrocks realised he wanted to join the Army - within a year, he’d begun the process of signing up to serve his country. At 18, he had his regimental cap badge tattooed on to his chest. In this searingly honest interview with Olly, he describes how the Army broke him down and built him back up again; training him to follow orders without question and desensitising him to violence. In postings to Afghanistan he saw courage, commitment - and life-changing injuries. Britain is the only European country to recruit child soldiers. Wayne now campaigns for the enlistment age to be raised: you can find out more about that at veteransforpeace.org. And you can discover more about him, and the documentary film he’s crowdfunding, on his website waynesharrocks.com. Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart explains the purpose of a ‘high performance chicken’, undergoes a significant life-change, and reveals the Pervert Capital of Britain. Down the Foxhole this week, Alix Fox rejoices at the expa

What’s it like when the person you’re closest to in the world is not the person that you think they are? ‘Elizabeth’ spent a year dating a man who provided only sketchy details about his life, but ingratiated himself into her friendship circle, her family and her home. In this interview with Olly, she reveals how it felt to discover he was living a double-life, and how it’s affected her trust ever since. Also this week, Ollie Peart considers whether the return of The Matrix heralds a new type of film franchise, whether Drake’s new ‘playlist’ heralds the end of the album, and whether his new favourite game heralds a return to text adventures. And, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox enjoys a trip to the theatre and advises a listener who's unhappy that her vibrator might be 'spying' on her… The Foxhole is supported by our friends at mycondom.com. Want to stock up on condoms, lube or toys? Just use the code ‘Foxhole’ at Checkout to get 15% off. Finally, our Song Of The Week is ‘Cease Fire’, by former Sonic Youth frontma

From Morrissey to Laurence Olivier, public figures through history have channelled shyness and stage-fright into their work. But is shyness a useful tool, or is uninhibited confidence a better way to navigate the modern world? Backstage at the Southbank Centre’s ‘Being A Man’ festival, social and cultural historian Joe Moran talks to Olly about the implicit difficulty of silence, the internal monologues that plague him in social situations, and how shy people can weaponise irony, distance and aloofness to their advantage. His book, ‘Shrinking Violets: A Field Guide to Shyness’, is out now. Meanwhile, over in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart explains how your car can interact with your ‘environmental happenings’, previews a forthcoming political bout, and reveals where you can buy a ‘Breaking Bad’ lego set. And, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox ponders why she is having some difficulty finding the perfect partner, and offers some advice for a listener whose partner suffers from vaginismus. If you have a question of sex fo

Amy Winehouse’s voice may have seemed unique - but you can sing just like her if you understand her influences. So says Emma Wright, whose musical journey began with an X Factor audition that sounded like Christina Aguilera, morphed into a Stars In Their Eyes contest in which she played Lady Gaga - and culminated in a fully-fledged career impersonating one of the most troubled and celebrated musical icons of recent times. Elsewhere this episode, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart - whose Mum once called him a scrotum - considers biometric face masks, Pinterest parties and the Nintendo Switch; and, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox 'spices up' Superdrug’s social media presence and advises a listener who wonders if they should bring up their chequered sexual history with a new partner. The Foxhole is proudly sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.Com - use the code FOXHOLE at Checkout to receive an incredible 15% Off. Music this week comes courtesy of British Sea Power and their new one, Keep On Trying, out at the end of Mar

The story behind Baileys, the blockbuster booze brand, is unexpectedly lo-fi. It was invented not in Ireland but in London’s Soho, with ingredients purchased on impulse from a corner shop. David Gluckman was one of the creative team who, by mixing whiskey and cream, unwittingly spawned a new sub-category of drinks - Irish chocolate cream liqueurs - which went on to sell billions of bottles. In this interview, he tells Olly Mann how a disparaging focus group, some drinking policemen and a Jewish restaurant all played their surprising part in alcohol history. David’s book, 'That Shit Will Never Sell', is available now at thatshitwillneversell.com, and includes the stories behind countless other drinks brands he's had a hand in, including Smirnoff Black Label, Tanqueray 10, Sheridans, and Purdeys. The booze theme continues in this week’s Zeitgeist, recorded at the Craft Beer Rising festival in London’s East End. Therein, Ollie Peart predicts the hipster trends about to go global: barrel-aged beer such as Adnams’

Artist, muse, socialite: when Daniel Lismore visits a nightclub, he charges THEM to host him. How did this quiet man from the Midlands become a fashion insider with countless celebrity contacts and an outrageous style that has strongly influenced London clubland? In this interview with Olly, he discusses how his battle with bulimia, his love of Star Trek and savvy use of social media has propelled him from his mum's dressing-up box to become a 21st Century 'It-Boy'. Daniel's book of extraordinary self-portraits, 'Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken', is out now, and you can follow him on Instagram @DanielLismore. Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist this week, Ollie Peart considers the Scandinavian approach to social media, the sound production of BBC costume dramas, and the luxury fast food for people with more money than sense. And, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox has advice for 'Dry Delila' - a listener whose medication might be drying up her ladybits. The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com. Jus

Raising $1m in venture capital whilst still at Uni; starting a business seemed like child's play for James Routledge. His start-up attracted 50m page views per month, and his investors believed he could be the next Mark Zuckerberg. Except, beneath the surface, he felt stressed, isolated and alone - and his business was burning £30,000 per month. In this honest and compelling interview with Olly, he explains what happened next. James is now co-founder of mental health start-up Sanctus. You can find out more about them at Sanctus.io In The Zeitgeist this week, Ollie Peart attempts to explain why teenagers appear to be ever more stylish, reveals how to prevent pregnancy using an app, and highlights the sad retirement of America's top fortune cookie writer, Donald Lau. Meanwhile, Alix Fox clarifies exactly how one goes about moving house when you've got a home full of sex-toys, and advises a 43 year-old virgin who is desperate to lose his virginity, but worries he has missed the boat. Massive thanks to MyCondom.C