Mark Steel’s In Town
#1 - Mark Steel's In Town: Series 1 & 2
#2 - Mark Steel's In Town: Series 3 & 4 plus Edinburgh Special
#3 - Mark Steel's In Town: Series 5 & 6
#4 - Mark Steel's In Town: Series 7 & 8
Mark’s destinations in series 7 and 8 are: Stockport, Colchester, Hebden Bridge, Kingston upon Thames, Lynton and Lynmouth, Gibraltar, Bedford, Matlock and Matlock Bath, Inverness, Portishead, Hull and Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. This collection includes bonus special extended episodes from Gibraltar and Ventnor.
In 2010 Mark Steel's in Town won a Silver Award for "Best Comedy" in the Sony Radio Academy Awards, and in 2012 it won the Gold Award in the same category. Also in 2010 it won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for "Best Radio Comedy / Light Entertainment". The series was voted "Best Radio Entertainment Show" in the Comedy.co.uk Awards held by the British Comedy Guide in the 2012 and 2015 awards.
#5 - Mark Steel’s in Town: Series 9 & 10
In these two series of the award-winning BBC Radio 4 show, comedian Mark Steel is on the road again, visiting places that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. Along the way, he delves into the history, heritage and culture of each town, before going on to write and perform a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.
His first stop is Hastings, where he finds that a lot's happened since 1066 - including an annual Pirates' Day. Other destinations on his road trip include King's Lynn (where he's thrilled to find a traffic island full of rabbits), Carlisle (notable for its cursing stone and pervasive smell of biscuits) and Aberystwyth (the 'Athens of Wales' and home to the Holy Grail).
Plus, he ventures into the Forest of Dean - but manages to make it out alive, and heads across the Med to Malta, where he samples some pastizzi and gets caught up in a parade. He also performs two COVID-friendly outdoor shows, on Brighton Beach and from a tree stump in The Dell Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon, and finishes with a special online episode, in which he talks to a virtual audience about the many places he's visited over the course of 10 series of Mark Steel's In Town.
Winner of numerous accolades including the 2010 Silver and 2012 Gold Awards for Best Comedy at the Sony Radio Academy Awards and the 2018 BBC Radio Awards Best Comedy Show, this quirky, engaging series is - in the words of the Sony judges - 'stand-up comedy at its very best'.
Cast and credits
Written and performed by Mark Steel
Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Produced by Carl Cooper
Production co-ordinators: Hayley Sterling and Beverly Tagg
Sound Manager: Jerry Peal
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 17 January-21 February 2019 (Series 9), 12-26 November 2020 (Series 10)
#6 - Mark Steel’s In Town: Series 11 & 12
'Consistently the funniest programme on the radio' The Independent
Mark Steel is back with two more series of his award-winning show, in which he explores nine weird and wonderful places around the UK and beyond. After thoroughly researching each town's history, people and idiosyncrasies, he goes on to write and perform a tailor-made evening of stand-up for the residents.
Series 11 takes him to the former mining town of Blyth, Northumberland, where he finds a fascinating industrial legacy, a posh pub, and a very nice beach; Walthamstow, where he's joined by local MP Stella Creasey for a discussion about the controversial 'mini-Holland' cycling scheme; and Whitby; where he dodges the seagulls to present his findings on the Dracula origin story, chip shops and the resort's whaling history.
In Series 12, Mark tours the contrarian city of Nottingham to learn about local legends Robin Hood and Frank the xylophone player; and travels to Tring's Natural History Museum to take in the exhibit of fleas dressed as Mexicans. He also sets out to the Isles of Scilly, Salisbury and Newport, and pops over to Paris, where he performs two versions of his show: one in English and one in French...
With just the right blend of affection and rudeness, he celebrates the curious stories, quirky characters and regional eccentricities that make these areas unique. Whether you're a local or an out-of-towner, his hilarious observations will have you roaring with laughter.
Written by and starring Mark Steel
Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Produced by Julia McKenzie and Carl Cooper
Production co-ordinators: Beverly Tagg, Sarah Sharpe and Katie Baum
Sound Manager: Jerry Peal
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 1-15 December 2021 (Series 11), 22 August-26 September 2022 (Series 12)
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
#7 - Mark Steel’s in Town: Series 13 & 14
Mark Steel’s award-winning comedy travel show is back, with extended episodes!
Listen to two more series of Mark Steel’s award-winning show, in which he explores weird and wonderful towns around the UK and beyond. Mark writes and performs a tailor-made evening of stand-up for local residents, after thoroughly researching their history, people and idiosyncrasies. These towns have nothing in common other than their uniqueness. Listen to this joyful exploration of the UK and discover there’s a lot more to places than meets the eye!
Mark’s destinations for Series 13 include Margate, Stoke-on-Trent, Malvern, East Grinstead, Nether Edge and Coleraine in Northern Ireland. He samples the local honey, visits the shops, cafes, a rum keg and the bowls club that once threw out Ronnie Wood for inappropriate behaviour. He listens for the ghost of Elgar, and discovers the magical places where T.S Eliot wrote a verse of The Wasteland, J.M.W Turner painted views of the Harbour, Tracy Emin spent her formative years and Pete Doherty has his name on a wall of fame for eating a "mega breakfast" in under 20 minutes…
In Series 14 Mark pops into Oakham, Wrexham, Cambridge, Lewisham, Lerwick and Unst in Shetland. Joining Mark in Series 14 is Clare Balding, who’s also in town to take him on a ramble around Rutland. He finds himself in a village that's proudly twinned with Paris (even if the Parisians don’t know), finds Europe’s largest man-made lake (which required flooding a local village) and hangs horseshoes the other way round (so the devil falls out, obviously). He travels up the country to the farthest north where Viking heritage meets oil rigs and knitting patterns, where the winter fire festival Up Helly Aa lights up the darkness, and where the locals are masters of making their own fun.
Written and performed by Mark Steel
Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Produced by Carl Cooper
Production co-ordinators: Caroline Barlow and Katie Baum
Sound Manager: Jerry Peal
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24th Jun - 29th Jul 2024 (series 13) & 7th Oct - 10th Nov 2025 (series 14).
©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd