The Modern Mann

What does it mean to give a pet a “good death”? Dr Caroline Flicker was Britain’s first vet to specialise in at-home palliative and end-of-life care. After three decades of home visits – caring for thousands of dying animals and the families who love them – she tells Olly why wagging tails and healthy appetites can mask profound suffering, why families so often disagree about “the right time”, and why pets experience death very differently from humans.

From helping kids say goodbye to beloved pets to navigating the ethics of assisted dying, this is a thought-provoking conversation about grief, responsibility, and the emotional bond between humans and animals. 

Caroline practices across London. Find out more at pallivet.com

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart investigates the trend toward self-appointed ‘street patrols’. 

With groups like Safeguard Force and Essex Spartans promising to “take back” local communities, are these high-vis heroes filling the gaps left by shrinking police numbers… or creating new problems of their own?

And when patrol groups start looking and sounding increasingly official, where exactly is the line between community support and vigilante justice?

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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox ponders the etiquette of unexpectedly bumping into a colleague at a BDSM club!

If your workmate spots you in latex while they’re getting their balls zapped by a dominatrix, should you acknowledge it… ignore it… or pretend the whole thing never happened?

Alix consults London fetish educator and professional dominant Master Peter, and considers why what happens in the dungeon really should stay in the dungeon…

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Finally, our record of the month is ‘Lucky Again’ – from Lykke Li’s new album The Afterparty, available now.

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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 June 10th.

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Dr Caroline Flicker, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Lykke Li. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Artwork: Podcast Discovery. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2026.

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