The Modern Mann

What's it like to be radicalised? How do young British men set out to murder their fellow citizens in the name of 'jihad'? And, once committed to that course, can there ever be a route back? Former extremist Adam Deen spent much of his youth as a member of Al-Muhajiroun, the notorious terrorist organisation lead by Omar Bakri Muhammad. For years he believed in the foundation of a UK Islamic state, and was prepared to participate in whatever course of action his leader said was necessary to achieve that goal. In this extraordinary interview with Olly Mann, he recalls his journey into Islamic extremism, considers the cost for his loved ones, and warns against future generations following his lead. Adam is nowadays the Managing Director of The Quilliam Foundation, a think tank aiming to challenge extremist narratives while advocating pluralistic, democratic alternatives. Find out more about their work at quilliamfoundation.org. Elsewhere in the episode, Ollie Peart considers 'anti-tech tech' start-ups Pause and

‘Productivity’ is a term that gets tossed around a lot: you should be more productive at work; the nation needs to be more productive in general... But what does it actually mean? There are only so many hours in the day - are there really life hacks that can help us make better use of the limited time we have to boost our output in the workplace AND lead happier lives? One man who knows is Chris Bailey - in a series of experiments upon himself, he spent a year trying out productivity techniques such as goal-setting, meditation and early rising, and measured the actual outcomes to devise a system for managing his life. In this interview with Olly, he reveals his top productivity tips, dismisses the industry of ‘productivity porn’, and speaks up for the positive role of caffeine. Elsewhere, Ollie Peart fills The Zeitgeist with news of the new metrosexual: the spornosexual; predicts the welcome demise of shared plates; and celebrates the trend for non-confrontational reality TV. Meanwhile, in The Foxhole, Alix F

Down on his luck, and under pressure to maintain his lifestyle, Radcliffe Royds decided to rob a bank. In this incredible interview, he tells Olly his story. It’s a tale of extreme highs and lows, brutal honesty and dark humour. Meanwhile, Ollie Peart has decamped to Lisbon for the 2016 Web Summit - an orgy of start-ups and self-promotion. In this week’s Zeitgeist, he ponders whether laundry services might be the next sector to fall foul of disruptive technology, why Silicon Valley buzzwords are so damn aggressive, and why on Earth anyone would name a new company ‘Two-Hats’. In our weekly trip down the Foxhole, love guru Alix Fox puts the Poundland vibrator to the test, and answers a listener’s question about sexual piercings in the only way she knows how - with, um, piercing honesty. YOU MAY WANT TO KEEP YOUR LEGS CROSSED FOR THIS ONE. This episode of The Modern Mann is brought to you by our friends at DragonFruit, the amazing dating app for geeks and nerds. Join now for free and be sure to add ‘Modern Mann’

The RNLI lifeboats don’t just save lives at sea - they also rescue people on rivers. London’s Thames is teeming with party-boats, where drunken misadventure can lead to injury. Meanwhile, troubled ‘jumpers’, suffering from poor mental health, all too often consider suicide by plunging into its depths. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, Amber Bowie may be the woman who comes to your rescue. In this interview with Olly, she explains how cold water shock can render you senseless, why washing-up liquid can be a surprisingly useful tool on-board a warship, and why, alongside her full-time job as a London architect, she volunteers to save lives at the weekend. If you’re inspired by Amber’s story, you can volunteer for the RNLI, or donate to this incredible charity via their website, RNLI.org In the Zeitgeist this week, Ollie Peart considers the merits of facial-recognition sunglasses, watches the trailer for Trainspotting 2 and wonders whether watermelon juice and 'banana freakshake' will be the liquid

Dr Guy Meadows, founder of The Sleep School, is a man on a mission. He wants you to sleep better. Not just if you're one of the 30% of Brits who will, at some point, experience insomnia - but also if you're one of the remaining 70%, who will, inevitably, spend some nights struggling to get some shut-eye, staring at the ceiling and wishing you were somewhere else. In this interview with Olly Mann, Guy reveals his tips for changing your mind-set when your brain is racing around and keeping you awake. He advises how to effectively use your smartphone and other light-emitting devices in the bedroom; how to nap effectively; and how to reprogram your master clock to adjust to levels of sleep actually available to you in your busy life. Elsewhere in this episode, Ollie Peart tells the strange story of CJ de Mooi, considers the future of the pay-per-minute cafe, and predicts that the demise of Vine may herald a new wave of social network failures. Meanwhile, in The Foxhole, resident love-guru Alix Fox considers how a

Frank Evans, 74, is a working bull-fighter who lives in Marbella. In this extraordinary interview, he tells Olly how he discovered the controversial sport on holiday in Spain; how a copy of To Be A Matador by Henry Higgins inspired him to 'give it a bash' - and how, with virtually no training at all, he found himself facing death in the ring in Montpellier. Now known as 'El Ingles', Frank sticks out in the sport not only due to his age and English roots, but also because he believes bullfighting needs to adapt to survive. Elsewhere in this episode, we're celebrating our triumphant win* as Podcast of the Year at the Radio Academy Awards**. (* we came second.) (** They're now called 'the ARIAs', apparently.) Recorded the morning-after-the-night before, in an auspicious hotel room in Leeds, Ollie Peart fills this week's Zeitgeist with a celebration of bow-ties, a review of Adam Curtis' latest film, and a prediction that Kanye West has killed auto-tune. If you have a trend suggestion for next week's show, do be i

Modern-day hermit Daniel Pike is, technically, homeless - but he does have a home, which he built himself, in woodland near Watford. He made it from clay and reclaimed wood, and it's amazing. Now, the landowners want to evict him. In this extraordinary interview, Olly Mann travels to Daniel's hut to learn how he came to be living outdoors - and why he doesn't want to forage for mushrooms any more... Elsewhere this week, Ollie Peart investigates giant spider robots, new emoji symbols and SodaStream Beer in The Zeitgeist, and, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox previews the contenders for the Erotic Trade Only Awards, and offers advice to a listener who wants to cheat on his wife - in a tent at Glastonbury. Our song of the week is the Summeriest track we could find: Shine, by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, out now on Stax Records. And... that's it for this season of The Modern Mann - we will be back with more in the Autumn. In the meantime, please visit modernmann.co.uk to to leave us a comment, submit a question

What makes you buy a product? The look? The smell? The layout of the store? In today's cut-throat business world, none of that is left to coincidence: behavioural science is influencing the design of high street shops, supermarkets and online emporiums alike. In this episode, Olly meets consumer psychologists Reece Akhtar and Dr Dimitrios Tsivrikos from University College, London and learns how we consumers are manipulated into buying stuff we don't want or need because retailers are cleverly appealing to our fear of scarcity, desire to belong or our basest instincts. So, next time you go shopping, you'll know what to look out for - you'll never walk the floor tiles in Tesco the same way again! Elsewhere, Ollie Peart considers ice cream van wars and KFC-flavoured nail polish in The Zeitgeist, and Alix Fox discusses animal role-play and sex toy cleaning regimes in The Foxhole. Music is provided by The Anchoress and their track 'Doesn't Kill You', out now on Kscope Records. If you have a question for Alix for a

How did Rory Reid get his dream job, presenting one of the biggest TV shows on Earth? Despite many years as a motoring and tech journalist, he had only a few months to adjust to flying around the world driving supercars. In this world exclusive interview, he tells Olly Mann how he prepared for his BBC screentest, and why a rap video may just have secured him the gig; reacts to his treatment by the British tabloids, and explains why he has some sympathy with Jeremy Clarkson... Also this week, Ollie Peart considers the new live-action Tetris movie in The Zeitgeist. Plus: the Weetabix drink; a new product for night-time snackers; and some lesser-known competitive sports. Meanwhile, in the Foxhole, Alix sweats the small stuff as she answers a question of pheremones: is it normal to be attracted to your partner's sweat? Our song of the week is 'Life Itself' by Glass Animals. Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, baldheadliberationfront.com If you have a question for Alix for a future edition of the show, if

How should you behave in a 'gentleman's club'? Stripper Edie Licious should know - from grinding the stage at super-sized American strip bars to working the pole in humble East End pubs, she's played 'em all. In this frank and funny interview, she tells Olly how nightclubs milk money from hapless drunk punters who pay 'VIP', explains why erotic dancing can still sometimes be erotic, and considers her future in the industry now that she's fallen in love. You'll never not tip a stripper again. Also this episode: Ollie Peart previews the music, fashion and grub on offer at this year's biggest music festivals in The Zeitgeist. Is festival food overpriced? Is monochrome the acceptable face of tie-dye? And will he ever get tickets for Glastonbury? Meanwhile, over in The Foxhole, Alix Fox promotes her campaign to introduce a condom emoji, and considers a question of BDSM: should a reluctant dom hit and choke his submissive girlfriend when she's specifically requested him to, but he feels uncomfortable so doing? If y

Is your smartphone spying on you? Just how secure is the dark web? And is your 'Private Browsing' time actually, you know... private? Buzzfeed's James Ball was just 23 when Julian Assange thrust a USB stick with nearly 400,000 confidential Iraqi war logs into his hands. In this episode he shares with Olly his top tips for conducting conversations, managing documents and meeting associates whilst avoiding unwanted surveillance. If you'd like to try James' 'Location Services' trick on your iPhone, here's are the menus you need to navigate: Settings → Privacy → Location Services → System Services → Frequent Locations Also this week: in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart ponders the year's hottest BBQ trends, the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest, and the return of Peaky Blinders. And we've a special edition of The Foxhole, for which Alix Fox takes Olly on a tour of her favourite sex boutique, Sh! in Hoxton. She'll be tackling sex questions again next week, though - so if you have one, just submit it using our Feedback

Comedians Stuart Goldsmith and Tom Price reunite with Olly Mann to compare notes, three months after all spawning sons. What has having a baby done to their time management, sleep routines and sense of self-worth? Which gadgets would they recommend to future dads? And is there such a thing as male post-natal depression? Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart learns French via his smartphone, discusses Radiohead's temporary disappearance from the internet, and the trend for 'dentist beards'. And, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox flogs a truck-load of her old sex toys for charidee, and considers whether a listener should be loyal to the coil - if his wife's contraceptive prevents her from achieving orgasm. Our song of the week is, appropriately, from the lullaby archives at rockabyebabymusic.com. If you'd like to leave us some feedback, send us a sex question or buy us a beer, head over to modernmann.co.uk. See You Next Tuesday! Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Mus

Imagine designing rollercoasters for a living. That's what Bradley Wynne, lead creative artist at Merlin Magic Making, gets to do. A life-long adrenalin junkie, he's now heading up the team for Thorpe Park's biggest ever launch, Derren Brown's Ghost Train. Find out how sounds, smells and touch can enhance the experience of riding a rollercoaster; how the fallout from the tragedy on The Smiler has affected the theming process, and how Bradley used a very boring interest in planning application data to his advantage to secure his dream job. Also this episode: Ollie Peart debates our 'no spoilers' culture following the return of Game Of Thrones, the declining sales of pasta, and the enduring power of dial-up. Meanwhile, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox considers whether having sexual fantasies about your schooldays makes you a paedophile. (It doesn't). Our record of the week is Damien Jurado's new single, Qachina, out May 6th; and this episode has been sponsored by Fallen London, the brand new text adventure game for iO

How DO you make the perfect cup of coffee? Do you grind? Do you press? Do you froth? One man who knows is 'Coffee Masters' champion Ben Morrow, of Melbourne-based coffee roasters St. Ali. In this episode, Olly meets him at Hackney Coffee Company to discuss how to buy coffee, how to prepare it, and how to capture the essence of a Columbian farm in a cup... Meanwhile, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox suggests what to do when your partner has a latex fetish - but you're highly allergic to it. If you have a question of sex for Alix, just fill out the Feedback form on our website, modernmann.co.uk - you can remain completely anonymous if you wish. And, over in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart considers name-changing, the surge in vinyl record sales, and his trip to watch Drone Racing at Wembley Stadium. Last but not least, we are ROCKING OUT this week with our Song of the Week. It's by The Amazons, and it's called Stay With Me, out now on Fiction Records. This episode is brought to you by Fallen London, the brand new text adven

Photojournalist Alison Baskerville was serving in Iraq when she began documenting the lives of her fellow soldiers. She now independently produces astonishing images from the front line across the world, including Afghanistan, Mali, Israel/Gaza and the Philippines. In this episode, she tells Olly about the moments on basecamp that embedded journalists never get to see, the best way to pack to prepare yourself for a warzone, and why she needed to leave the armed forces to gain objectivity. Elsewhere in the episode, Ollie Peart talks Disney pet trends, 'Shakespeak', and the Chris Packham wasp controversy in this week's Zeitgeist; and Alix Fox considers the twenty-first century role of the Femidom and a question of cross-dressing in this week's Foxhole. And finally, our Single of the Week is the wonderful 'Walk To The One You Love' by Twin Peaks, out now on Communion Records. If you enjoy the show, please don't hesitate to leave us some feedback or buy us a beer - you can do all that, and submit your question of

Charlie Gilmour dangled from the Cenotaph during the student protests of 2010, and became tabloid enemy #1. Now he's a writer and, since being scouted at a Xmas party, a male model. In this episode, he reveals to Olly what it takes to make Paris Fashion Week in 2016, how to work on your 'walk', and where models hide their drugs... Elsewhere in what would, if only we were American, be our 'season premiere', Ollie Peart returns with The Zeitgeist - and considers the politics of fear, The West Cornwall Pasty position on #Brexit, and the glorious failure of Microsoft's chat-bot experiment, Tay. Meanwhile, Alix Fox returns from Rabbit Island for another series of The Foxhole. This week: the prickly issue of foreskin regeneration, the disputed medical benefits of circumcision, and how the American predilection for penis-cutting originates in the wacky beliefs of Dr Lewis Sayre. And our single of the week is 'Bermuda' by GIVERS, out now on Glassnote. Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox. Produce

Shaun Attwood survived a 9½ year sentence in America's deadliest prison. He tells Olly Mann his sensational story, from Liverpool to Phoenix, from his initial career playing the stock market to the millions he earned trading ecstasy for the fledgling 90's rave scene in Arizona, in competition with the Mafia mass murderer Sammy the Bull Gravano. In The Zeitgeist this week, Ollie Peart looks forward to the trends of 2016 - from the release of Oculus Rift to the return of silent film - and, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox helps a gay gent who seeks a more reliable hard-on. Music comes courtesy of Mystery Jets - it's their new single Telomere, from their album Curve of the Earth - out Jan 15th on Caroline International. And... that's it for the current series of The Modern Mann. If you've enjoyed it, please do buy us a beer at modernmann.co.uk, leave us a review on iTunes - and we'll return in the Spring. Thanks to everyone who has supported the show so far. Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox. Pro

What's it like being Santa Claus? In our Christmas Spectacular episode, Olly meets actor Nigel Harvey, who makes a living playing Father Christmas all year round, and hears about the highs and lows of life in that iconic red-and-white outfit. Meanwhile, at the invitation of listener Paul from ice cream cafe Cloud 9, the rest of the team have decamped to Brighton, where Ollie Peart considers Tim Peake's Christmas in space, and Alix Fox presents us with her Christmas-wrapped selection of the year's best sex toys. Ding dong! Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: 'Skies Over Cairo' by Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Robertshaw. Thanks to: Cloud 9, Brighton. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2015 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if your first bet kickstarted a cycle of addiction that saw you flutter away over £10,000 in the bookies before your 20th birthday? Olly Mann meets Matt Zarb-Cousins to find out. Matt frankly confronts the nature of addiction, the changing face of the British high street and how a life can fall apart when the stakes are raised. Meanwhile, Ollie Peart is, like everyone else, contemplating the return of 'Serial'. Can the new season possibly compete with the first; the most successful podcast of all time? Also in The Zeitgeist this week, the Disneyfication of The BFG, the 'science' of full stops, and the ever-decreasing age of the computer hacker. And, in our weekly trip down The Foxhole, Alix Fox investigates the world of 'forniture' (that's furniture you can sleep with, folks), and assists a listener who wants to climax at the same time as his partner, with the aid of a new masturbator for men who suffer from premature ejaculation. If you've got a question of sex for Alix, you’d like to send us some feedb

Dating guru Hayley Quinn reveals her 5 principles of approaching a partner, and her thoughts on the industry of 'pick-up artists'. Olly Mann asks: in this age of Tinder, Grindr, no-strings sex and fourth-wave feminism... How do you find someone you want to be with, what do you say to them once you meet them, and where do you take them for a drink? Also this week, Ollie Peart delves into The Zeitgeist to consider Mark Zuckerberg's financial planning, Bill Murray's Netflix special, and whether you'd buy your granddad a PornHub giftcard for Christmas. And, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox brings us news of a testicular beauty pageant (really), and has advice for a listener who gets a kick out of looking at ladies' feet - especially in nylon stockings. If you've got a question of sex for Alix, you’d like to send us some feedback or buy us a beer, just head to modernmann.co.uk. Our musical pick this week is 'Sneakers' by Franky Flowers, out now on Turnstile Records. Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix