The Modern Mann

What would you give up to follow your heart? Your faith? Your parents? Everyone you’ve ever known?

For Theo Howarth, raised a Jehovah’s Witness, the question wasn’t hypothetical. It was the choice he spent his twenties trying to dodge, and the one that almost broke him.

In this remarkable conversation with Alix Fox, Theo talks candidly about realising he was gay in a church that calls homosexuality a ‘gross sin’; staying celibate through his teens; and then landing, aged 30, in a brand new community… yet separated from his parents, for good.

Faith to Faithless supports apostates in the UK: https://www.faithtofaithless.com/

This interview includes discussion of a suicide attempt. If you’re struggling, Samaritans are there to listen, day or night, on 116 123 or at samaritans.org.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart guides us through the ever-expanding world of non-chocolate advent calendars - from Bonne Maman jam to B&Q toolsets and gourmet cheese selections.

Does this trend show any sign of slowing down? Do the much touted ‘beauty’ calendars from the likes of Liberty and Selfridges offer true value for money? And what are the best options for kids? With the help of Advent.Center’s Max Zeshut, Ollie has the answers… and a fistful of Comte.

For 10% off the Paxton and Whitfield calendar, use offer code MANN10 at paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix and Olly discuss ‘Doxy PEP’, the morning-after antibiotic that’s quietly changing sexual health.

Is popping pills after condomless sex a reckless move - or wise? Does one dose really count as a full course? And what’s any of it got to do with mosquitoes?

Download The Little Back Pocket Guide to DoxyPEP for FREE here: https://www.queerhealth.info/lbgt/doxypep

Thanks to https://www.thelovetank.info/

Get 20% off all toys at huxi.global with the code MANN - and remember, if what you purchase doesn't tickle your pickle for whatever reason, you can return it for a full refund within 60 days.

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Finally, our record of the month is Koysar, a new song - and a whole new vibe - from Kings Of Leon, ahead of their forthcoming album, O My Beloved.

If you’ve got a letter for Olly, a relationships question for Alix, or a challenge for Ollie, please head to our website (where you can also donate to the show 🙏): https://modernmann.co.uk

And/or join our Discord here.

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Thanks for listening - and we’ll see you for our NOTORIOUS Xmas special on December 10th.

Presenters: Olly Mann, Alix Fox. Contributors: Theo Howarth, Ollie Peart, Kings of Leon. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Artwork: Podcast Discovery. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2026.

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"Freediving is 99% mental. And the rest is in your head"

Diving up to 700ft with no oxygen tank may seem like an extreme sport, but instructor Emma Farrell says freediving is more like a meditative state...

Training Olly to hold his breath like an underwater explorer, she explains why she's never more relaxed than when she's 'one breath away from potential death'

This episode first aired in 2017, under the title, "Into The Deep." Now remastered and with an update from Emma in 2026, we're pairing this with our most recent episode, "The Anti-Tourist".
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Chris Moss has travelled the world. From Vancouver to El Salvador, Indonesia to Spitsbergen. But now… he wants you to visit Wolverhampton.Or Harwich. Or Gillingham. Britain’s bypassed towns that perhaps you’ve passed on the train, but never once got off at.

In this entertaining chat with Olly, he explains why - after 37 years exploring Argentina and Patagonia - he now finds joy in a canal walk that ends under the M5, and a ham roll in a Victorian pub. How, if we look beyond the ‘crap towns’ stigma and dayglo shopfronts, up at our historic buildings and down at our cobbled streets, the UK’s second-tier conurbations have just as much to offer visitors as their tourist-swamped counterparts.

Chris’s books, Where Tourists Seldom Tread: Postcards from Bypassed Britain, and Lancashire: Exploring the Historic County that Made the Modern World, are out now. _____________Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, the world is ending, and Ollie Peart is READY.Following this Summer's droughts and wildfires, the government wants us all to have a plan.But what kit does a sensible, mid-level prepper actually need? Which foodstuffs can actually survive an apocalypse? And how much loo roll is too much?Our team try out a £30 emergency shelter from Highlander, a wind-up solar radio from Roberts, and a bag of 25-year-shelf-life survival food from Readywise. Yum!Check out Ollie’s ultimate prep list HERE. _____________Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox is exploring ‘Locktober’, the annual challenge in which the nation’s kinksters lock up their knobs in chastity cages and hand over the keys to willing partners.Why is this fetish booming? Is there a safe way to imprison your genitals? And, if the thrill depends on a physical feeling of restriction, is it really ‘chastity’ at all?The Foxhole is sponsored by Huxi, who offer a 60 day, no questions asked money back guarantee on their delightful range of toys. Take a look at huxi.global and use our code MANN for 20% Off_____________Finally, our record of the month is a welcome return from Johnny Marr (yes! THE Johnny Marr!), and his defiant single, It’s Time, from his new album The Age of Everything._____________If you’ve got a letter for Olly, a relationships question for Alix, or a challenge for Ollie, please head to our website (where you can also SUPPORT THE SHOW with donations): https://modernmann.co.ukAnd/or join our Discord here._____________Thanks for listening - and we’ll see you on November 10th.Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Chris Moss, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Johnny Marr. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Artwork: Podcast Discovery. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2026.
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Martha Adam was raped. For a week afterwards, she couldn’t even say the word. Couldn’t tell her parents what had happened to her.

But she did report the assault - and faced hours of courtroom questioning that both embellished and undermined her trauma.

In this compelling conversation with Olly, Martha explains how these events restricted her lifestyle, affected her relationships, and made her question her own sanity…

Content warning: discussion of rape and trauma.

If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in today’s interview, Martha recommends the following organisations:

Rape Crisis offers online resources and has a network of centres where survivors can access support

My Body Back Project run clinics giving access to sexual health services for survivors.

This interview first aired in 2018, and was awarded Best Interview at the British Podcast Awards 2019. Now remastered and with an update from Martha, we're playing it this month because we're up for the same award in 2026.
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When nurse Bernadette Rochford asked awkward questions about an NHS database at work, she says she found herself belittled, bullied and ignored.

Identifed as a whistleblower, she went on to face years of meetings, investigations, and two employment tribunal claims.

In this compelling conversation with Olly, Bernadette recounts how she lost her job, and her savings - but eventually found validation in a new role protecting other whistleblowers.

She reflects on what happens when organisations close ranks instead of listening, and why she believes the answer isn't punishing individuals, but fixing the systems that let problems grow.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist: Chinese cars are suddenly everywhere, but are they any good? Ollie Peart investigates how brands such as BYD, Chery and Geely offer tech-packed motors for dramatically less than their European rivals.

Then, after heading to the Formula E championships at London’s Excel to witness electric supercars in action, he takes Olly for a spin in the tiny Microlino EV, a Swiss quadricycle that you enter through the front and which feels considerably more exciting than its top speed may suggest.

Is this the future of urban transport - or just a glorified second car that happens to be brilliant fun?

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a listener who wants a clitoral orgasm via oral sex, but doesn’t know how to get her new partner to give it to her…

What practical ways can cunnilingus become more comfortable and enjoyable? How long should women expect their partners to go down on them? Is it too clinical to set timers? And can saliva enhancers and toys like the Svakom Klitty and LELO Ora 3 assist? Alix has the answers.

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Finally, our record of the month is ‘In Motion’, the latest banger from The Snuts, from their forthcoming album 'Joy In Short Moments', out in October. 🎸

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If you’ve got a letter for Olly, a relationships question for Alix, or a challenge for Ollie, please head to our website (where you can also donate to the show 🙏): https://modernmann.co.uk

And/or join our Discord here.

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

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Bernadette Rochford, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart. Producer: Matt Hill. Thanks: Sound Delivery, Krazy Horse Motorcycles. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Artwork: Podcast Discovery. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2026.

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