Inside Strangeways

Neil 'Sam' Samworth spent 11 years as a prison officer at HMP Manchester - better known as Strangeways, one of Britain’s most notorious jails. Building rapport with the men incarcerated there, he prided himself on de-escalating violent and threatening situations; an approach becoming increasingly impossible as the prison service churns through staff. In this interview with Olly, he confronts corruption; considers the toll his job took on his mental and physical health; and explains why, in his view, officer training is inadequate for purpose… Neil’s books, ‘Strangeways: A Prison Officer’s Story’ and ‘Strangeways Unlocked’ are out now. His video series, ‘Real Porridge with Sam Samworth’ is on YouTube. — Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart tries his hand at white labelling and drop-shipping. Using Chinese wholesalers Taobao and AliExpress, can he stumble upon the next big consumer sensation? How do Western brands ‘add value’, ensure decent customer service and client satisfaction when they’re flogging goods they’ve never even SEEN? If you run a small business making stuff… we’d love to hear from you for our Christmas Collab! Drop us a line using the Feedback form. — Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox runs through Plenty of Fish's dating trends for 2023, from ‘bae realing’ to ‘eco-dumping’ - is it time for online courtship to enter a ‘sincerer era’? Plus, it’s No-Nut November; when members of the NoFap movement encourage one another to abstain from masturbation for an entire month… Are there any health benefits to taking part? Does the original study that kicked off the NoFap movement bare scrutiny? Alix dives deep into the manosphere to discover more. — Finally, our record of the month is the Jungle-produced single from Poppy Ajudha - the turbo-charged and rebellious ‘NO!’ (It isn’t about No-Nut November, apparently). — This episode is sponsored by: • Wine52, the wine discovery club that sends delicious wine to your door from a different country each month. Claim your FREE case now - just pay the postage at wine52.com/MANN • Manscaped, now offering their Ultra Smooth Package for sale in Europe. Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code ‘Mann’ at Manscaped.com • LISTENERS LIKE YOU. If you can afford to buy us a beer each month to say thank you for making you a free 1hr+ magazine show each month - please do. We rely on your support. — And we’ll see you for our Christmas special on December 10th! CONTENT WARNING: interview includes account of extreme self-harm and suicide attempt, drug and alcohol abuse. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here. Presenter: Olly Mann. Producer: Matt Hill. Contributors: Neil Samworth, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Poppy Ajudha. Interview Producer: Sophie King. Theme Music: Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices