Mark Steel's In Town - Malvern

“...if ever after I'm dead you hear someone whistling this tune on the Malvern Hills, don't be alarmed, it's only me" -

This week Mark visits the Malvern hills in Worcestershire.

This is the 13th series of Mark's award-winning show where he travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

As well as Malvern, in this series Mark be will also be popping to Margate, Stoke-on-Trent, East Grinstead, Coleraine in Northern Ireland and Nether Edge in Sheffield.

There will also be extended versions of each episode available on BBC sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair

A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4

Mark Steel's In Town - Margate

“...a nice spot not vulgarised by crowds of literary people...” Oscar Wilde

In this first episode Mark visits the lovely seaside town of Margate in the Thanet district of Kent.

A magical place 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 in a cafe for eating a "mega breakfast" in under 20 minutes.

Mark visits Dreamland and its 100 year old rollercoaster, the famous Crab Museum and the historic Walpole Hotel before perfoming his show in the Cliff Bar and snooker hall under the iconic Lido Tower.

This is the 13th series of Mark's award winning show where he travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

As well as Margate, in this series, Mark be will also be popping to Stoke on Trent, Malvern, East Grinstead and Coleraine in Northern Ireland.

There will also be extended versions of each episode available on BBC sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair

A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4

Mark Steel's In Town - Paris

Mark Steel is back with the 12th series of his award-winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

In this final episode Mark visits Paris. Yeah, that Paris. The one in France. Where he performs on a boat on the river Seine. In this special extended edition of the programme Mark performs the show in English and then in French, for a French-speaking audience.

The English version is first and the French version starts at 35 minutes.

In this series, Mark also popped to Nottingham, Tring, The Isles of Scilly, Salisbury, and Newport. And for the first time, there will be extended versions of each episode available on BBC sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair

With special thanks to Mark's French teacher Fatima Belaouzi

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Mark Steel's In Town - Paris

Mark Steel is back with the 12th series of his award winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

In this final episode Mark visits Paris. Yeah, that Paris. The one in France. Where he performs on a boat on the river Seine.

In this series, Mark also popped to the Nottingham, Tring, The Isles of Scilly, Salisbury, and Newport. And for the first time, there will be extended versions of each episode available on BBC sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair

With special thanks to Mark's French teacher Fatima Belaouzi

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Mark Steel visits the city of Newport in South Wales.

Mark Steel continues his travels with his award-winning show, visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

In this fifth episode Mark visits Newport in South Wales and uncovers some of the history and local stories and people.

Written and performed by Mark Steel.

Additional material by Pete Sinclair.

Producer: Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2022.

Mark Steel returns with his award-winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

In this episode Mark visits the cathedral city of Salisbury in the southeast of Wiltshire, and situated near the edge of Salisbury Plain.

Written and performed by Mark Steel.

Additional material by Pete Sinclair.

Producer: Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2022.

Mark Steel visits the small archipelago off the southwestern tip of mainland Cornwall, The Isles of Scilly.

Mark Steel is back with the 12th series of his award winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

In this third episode Mark visits The Isles of Scilly, dipping into local history and tales of shipwrecks.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair

Producer: Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2022.

Mark Steel continues his award-winning show travelling around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness.

After thoroughly researching each town, he writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

Mark moves on to Tring in Hertfordshire and discovers the home of the Natural History Museum, and the former private museum of Walter Rothschild, where he goes to see the exhibit of fleas dressed as Mexicans.

Written and performed by Mark Steel.

Additional material by Pete Sinclair.

Producer: Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2022.

"Ay up me duck!"

Mark Steel returns with the 12th series of his award winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness.

After thoroughly researching each town, he writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

Mark is kicking off with a visit to Nottingham in the East Midlands.

It's a contrarian city, full of heroes, rebels, caves and lovers of mushy peas.

He learns about local legends, Robin Hood, Lord Byron, DH Lawrence, Brian Clough, and the most famous of all, Frank the xylophone player.

Plus the history of the Luddites, the cheese riots and visits three pubs that are all the oldest in the country.

Later in this series, Mark is off to the Isles of Scilly, Tring, Salisbury, Newport and Paris.

Written and performed by Mark Steel.

Additional material by Pete Sinclair.

Producer: Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2022.

There’s one thing you definitely can’t miss in Whitby and that’s the ruined abbey up on a cliff looking down on the town. It’s also hard to miss the jawbone of a blue whale set atop the opposite hill and the fact that Dracula was a researched and written here by Bram Stoker. You’ll not go wanting if you are in search of a chip either. Mark Steel manages to dodge the seagulls and presents his findings to a local audience at The Brunswick Centre.

The full box set of all episodes (with well over 50 towns visited) is available now wherever you get your podcasts.

Written by and starring...Mark Steel