Mark Steel returns to Radio 4 with the ninth 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 the local residents.

In the first episode Mark visits Hastings.

Hastings is mainly known for its famous battle, but they don't like to go on about that. Apart from over seventy businesses with 1066 in the title, you hardly see it mentioned. A lot has happened there since 1066 though; they have an annual Pirates Day, for example, where everyone dresses as pirates and gets drunk. They have Jack in the Green day, where everyone paints themselves green and gets drunk. They also have a statue of a giant winkle, an alley under the prom with a spectacular light show and there are lots of lovely pubs too, where you can watch one of their thousands of bands... and get drunk. Oh, and there's a building supplier called William the Concreter.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Picture Credit, Tom Stanier

Mark Steel visits Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.

He's performing at the Winter Gardens, the venue of his first ever gig when he got up and told some jokes in a talent contest on a childhood holiday.

Ventor has a microclimate, subsidence, and the residents claim that on some days they can see France reflected upside down in the sky.

Mark concludes this series of travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness.

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 January 2018.

Mark Steel visits Hull.

He has a wonderful time exploring the 2017 City of Culture exhibits as well as all the other normal stuff like the world's smallest window and white phone boxes.

Mark talks to a man who painted himself blue and walked naked through the town as part of the Sea of Hull installation, samples the delights of Chip Spice and patties and gets to the bottom of why they call their aquarium a submarium.

Mark Steele's award-winning series 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 the local residents.

Written and performed by Mark Steel.

Additional material by Pete Sinclair.

Producer: Carl Cooper

A BBC Studio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2018.

Mark visits Portishead in Somerset.

Portishead is near Bristol, but it definitely isn't Bristol. You can get to Bristol from there if you like, but it isn't that easy.

It has a lovely Marina, a boating lake, a lido and peculiar stationers shop with too many rooms. It also has a plethora of groups and societies including a marvellous bunch of people who save toads and frogs from getting run over. Oh, and newts.

Eddie Large and Johnny Briggs (Coronation Street's Mike Baldwin) are famous residents.

Mark Steele's award-winning series 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 the local residents.

Written and performed by Mark Steel.

Additional material by Pete Sinclair.

Production co-ordinator: Hayley Sterling

Producer: Carl Cooper

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2017.

Mark visits Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.

Inverness is the 2nd happiest place in Britain, according to some polls, but Mark finds them to be a bit grumpy if the truth be known... some of them anyway... some of them are marvellous.

He meets Sheena from the local taxi firm who tells a story about a fib she told to a tourist, and he meets Steve the Nessie Hunter, a man who has lived in a van on the shores of Loch Ness for 26 years.

Mark Steele's award-winning series 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 the local residents.

Written and performed by Mark Steel.

Additional material by Pete Sinclair.

Production co-ordinator: Hayley Sterling

Producer: Carl Cooper

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2017.

Mark Steel visits the lovely Derbyshire towns of Matlock and Matlock Bath.

Matlock Bath is a seaside town that is nowhere near the sea. Here, Mark visits the National Stone Centre, where there aren't any stones. And he has fish and chips in a chip shop, of which there are hundreds.

He also takes a trip up the cable cars to The Heights of Abraham and he talks to a man who is the only human ever to enter the Bonsall World Championship Hen Races.

Mark's award-winning series 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 the local residents.

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 December 2017.

Everyone's heard of Bedford but not many seem to know where it is or what goes on there?

Mark Steel returns with the 8th 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 the local residents.

In this first episode Mark discovers Bedford is a town full of surprises.

It has the highest concentration of Italians in the country, it is the home of the biggest airship in the world and it has a museum dedicated to a cult called The Panacea Society, who believe The Garden of Eden is actually in Bedford.

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 December 2017.

"I've done loads of these, but I've never done one where I couldn't get into my dressing room because of monkeys."

In the last episode of the series, Mark visits the British overseas territory of Gibraltar where he performs in the spectacular setting of St Michael's Cave, inside The Rock. He explores Gibraltar's relationship with Spain, visits a British phone box, has some British fish and chips and encounters some not so British monkeys.

Mark Steel's seventh series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.

A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2016.

Don't mention the goats!

Mark visits the lovely seaside towns of Lynton and Lynmouth in North Devon, lovely that is until he mentions the goats, then the rest of the show doesn't go entirely to plan.

Mark Steel's seventh series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.

Written and performed by ... Mark Steel

A BBC Radio Comedy production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016. .

Mark visits The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames.

He takes a trip on a river boat, rides the longest single truss escalator in the world and spends an evening in and the suburb of New Malden, home to the largest population of South Koreans outside Korea where he samples the delights of Kimchi and sings in a Noraebang.

Mark Steel's seventh series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.

Written and performed by ... Mark Steel

A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2016..