Mark Steel's in Town
Encyclopedia
Mark Steel's in Town is a stand-up comedy
show on BBC Radio 4
, co-written and performed by Mark Steel
. The series, that was first broadcast on 18 March 2009, is recorded in various small towns in Britain
instead of the country's major cities. Each episode is tailored to the town it is recorded in and the show is performed in front of a local audience. The first series of six episodes was recorded in five towns in England
(Skipton
, Boston
, Lewes
, Walsall
and the Isle of Portland
) and one in Wales
(Merthyr Tydfil
). The second series, also of six episodes and first broadcast on 7 April 2010, was performed in four towns in England (Dartford
, Wilmslow
, Penzance
and Gateshead
) and two in Scotland
(Dumfries
and Kirkwall
). A third series has been commissioned and will visit Holyhead
in Wales, Berwick-upon-Tweed
on the Anglo-Scottish border
, Douglas
on the Isle of Man
, and Basingstoke
, Wigan
and Bungay
in England.
The programme received positive reviews from critics because of Steel's observations of the locals, and the fact the series took place in multiple locations, compared to the majority of stand-up shows on radio and television, which are normally recorded in one single location. However, some have also criticised the way he has commented on some locations. In 2010 Mark Steel's in Town won a Silver Award for "Best Comedy" in the Sony Radio Academy Awards
. Later that year it won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain
Award for "Best Radio Comedy / Light Entertainment".
He then performs a tailor-made show about the town in front of a local audience. The style of the programme is similar to other shows starring Steel such as The Mark Steel Lectures
, in which Steel presented a humorous lecture about a famous person in history.
The second series did feature two episodes recorded in Scotland. One in Dumfries, on the Scottish border
, and other in Kirkwall, Orkney.
Other than Steel, Pete Sinclair was the only other writer, providing additional material. Julia McKenzie produced
produced both series. Also working on the show were studio manager Jerry Peal, and production co-ordinators Sarah Sharpe and Trudi Stephens.
Chris Campling in The Times
wrote a review of a show recorded in Skipton: "A tough gig? More like shooting fish in a barrel, to judge from the reception he received from the honest burghers of Skipton, North Yorkshire. From the moment he remarked on the fact that the hall in which he was performing was used as a cattle market during the day and was hosed out before the show – and got a roar of approving laughter – Steel must have known that he could do no wrong."
Campling, as well as other critics, have commented that one of the main features of the show is the ability of the locals to laugh at themselves and the eccentricities
of the area. Campling wrote of the Skipton show: "The ability to laugh at itself is one of this country's finest attributes, but the Skipton mob were only too happy to celebrate their insularity." Elisabeth Mahoney of The Guardian
, who reviewed the Dartford episode said: "Going to a place and insulting it takes guts and careful strategies. Steel made use of the fact that he is from nearby Swanley
both to signal that he knows the area but also that – whatever he was about to say about Dartford – it was better than his hometown." Another journalist, reviewing the Penzance
episode in the North Devon Journal commented: "Why do we like programmes that laugh at us? Because, I hope, we laugh at ourselves. We're not ignorant of our stereotypes. West Cornwall? Aaarrrrr!"
Miranda Sawyer
in The Observer
also praised the show saying it was, "A simple idea, kindly and wittily executed by another unfashionably humane Englishman. Thank Gaia
they still exist."
Hilda Swinney, the Portland correspondent for the Dorset Echo
said that at the recording on the Isle of Portland: "The audience, mostly Portlanders, were appreciative and very responsive to his humour and his views on 'their special island'. They left him in no doubt that a return of Mark Steel's in Town would be very welcome."
Stuart Morris, a historian who helped to provide research for Steel for the Portland show commented: "I was amazed that he should have absorbed so much of the island's history in the short space of time that he had. He joked about the Portland winds, saying that in comparison, islanders wouldn't even have bothered to take out their kites in the face of Hurricane Katrina
. He made a few remarks about Portland/Weymouth rivalry and our Weymouth friends present laughed as much as the rest of us."
Ian Wolf from the British Comedy Guide
commented that: "The fact that the series moved from town-to-town was very impressive – as it meant Steel had to write a unique half-hour routine for each venue (compare this to most stand-ups, who only have to come up with about an hour of strong material a year!)."
However, at times local journalists have responded negatively to the programme. Lisa Reeves, who reviewed the episode recorded in Wilmslow, commented on how Steel's socialist
political views did not mix with the affluence of Wilmslow and nearby Alderley Edge
, which he also visited for the purposes of the recording. Reeves wrote that: "It was an enjoyable evening, with some very funny gags but a large part of the material focused on the champagne lifestyle so often portrayed in the media." She also said that Steel should have focused more on how good the area was as a place to live in, "but I suppose that wouldn't make for good comedy."
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
show on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, co-written and performed by Mark Steel
Mark Steel
Mark Steel is a British socialist columnist, author and comedian. He was a member of the Socialist Workers Party from his late teens until 2007.-Early life:...
. The series, that was first broadcast on 18 March 2009, is recorded in various small towns in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
instead of the country's major cities. Each episode is tailored to the town it is recorded in and the show is performed in front of a local audience. The first series of six episodes was recorded in five towns in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
, Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
, Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
and the Isle of Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
) and one in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
). The second series, also of six episodes and first broadcast on 7 April 2010, was performed in four towns in England (Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, Wilmslow
Wilmslow
-Economy:Wilmslow is well known, like Alderley Edge, for having many famous residents, notably footballers, stars of Coronation Street and rich North West businessmen. The town is part of the so-called Golden Triangle in the north west together with Alderley Edge and Prestbury...
, Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
and Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
) and two in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
(Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
and Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
). A third series has been commissioned and will visit Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
in Wales, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
on the Anglo-Scottish border
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
, Douglas
Douglas, Isle of Man
right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, and Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
, Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
and Bungay
Bungay
Bungay is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England.Bungay may also refer to:* Bungay railway station* Frank Bungay , former professional footballer* Stephen Bungay , British management consultant, historian and author...
in England.
The programme received positive reviews from critics because of Steel's observations of the locals, and the fact the series took place in multiple locations, compared to the majority of stand-up shows on radio and television, which are normally recorded in one single location. However, some have also criticised the way he has commented on some locations. In 2010 Mark Steel's in Town won a Silver Award for "Best Comedy" in the Sony Radio Academy Awards
Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...
. Later that year it won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain
Writers' Guild of Great Britain
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds .-Activities:...
Award for "Best Radio Comedy / Light Entertainment".
Format
Before each episode, Steel researches the history of the town he is going to perform in. Steel's research interests include local notable people, landmarks, customs and humorous anecdotes. The majority of the research sometimes took place close to the actual recording date. For example, Steel carried out almost no research for his episode in Walsall until ten days before the recording. In Merthyr Tydfil he spent three days in the town where he did research and met locals.He then performs a tailor-made show about the town in front of a local audience. The style of the programme is similar to other shows starring Steel such as The Mark Steel Lectures
The Mark Steel Lectures
The Mark Steel Lectures are a series of radio and television programmes. Written and delivered by Mark Steel, each scripted lecture presents persuasive, yet witty, arguments for the importance of a historical figure....
, in which Steel presented a humorous lecture about a famous person in history.
Production
Due to the small budget there were certain places the show could not be recorded during the first series. For example, no episodes in the first series were recorded in Scotland. Steel said in an interview:"One of the restrictions we've got is that the budget for radio we've got going is so unbelievably, comically tiny, that we couldn't go to Scotland because the fare is too much. It is like some student fanzine. 'Mum, can I borrow some money because I want to go to Scotland.'
"So, I'm hoping, if we do another series, because I'd love to go to the ShetlandsShetland IslandsShetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
. I'd be really excited at going to the Shetlands. Because it is just like a fascinating place to be at the moment. Or even one of these sort of weird places in CornwallCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. But that was too far as well."
The second series did feature two episodes recorded in Scotland. One in Dumfries, on the Scottish border
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
, and other in Kirkwall, Orkney.
Other than Steel, Pete Sinclair was the only other writer, providing additional material. Julia McKenzie produced
Radio producer
A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. There are two main types of producer. An audio or creative producer and a content producer. Audio producers create sounds and audio specifically, content producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature...
produced both series. Also working on the show were studio manager Jerry Peal, and production co-ordinators Sarah Sharpe and Trudi Stephens.
Reception
The majority of the reaction towards Mark Steel's in Town has been positive. In May 2010, the programme was given the Silver Award for "Best Comedy" in the Sony Radio Academy Awards. In November 2010 it won the Writers' Guild fo Great Britain Award for "Best Radio Comedy / Light Entertainment".Chris Campling in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote a review of a show recorded in Skipton: "A tough gig? More like shooting fish in a barrel, to judge from the reception he received from the honest burghers of Skipton, North Yorkshire. From the moment he remarked on the fact that the hall in which he was performing was used as a cattle market during the day and was hosed out before the show – and got a roar of approving laughter – Steel must have known that he could do no wrong."
Campling, as well as other critics, have commented that one of the main features of the show is the ability of the locals to laugh at themselves and the eccentricities
Eccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
of the area. Campling wrote of the Skipton show: "The ability to laugh at itself is one of this country's finest attributes, but the Skipton mob were only too happy to celebrate their insularity." Elisabeth Mahoney of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, who reviewed the Dartford episode said: "Going to a place and insulting it takes guts and careful strategies. Steel made use of the fact that he is from nearby Swanley
Swanley
Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of London, north of Sevenoaks town. The town boundaries encompass the settlements of Swanley itself, Hextable and Swanley Village...
both to signal that he knows the area but also that – whatever he was about to say about Dartford – it was better than his hometown." Another journalist, reviewing the Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
episode in the North Devon Journal commented: "Why do we like programmes that laugh at us? Because, I hope, we laugh at ourselves. We're not ignorant of our stereotypes. West Cornwall? Aaarrrrr!"
Miranda Sawyer
Miranda Sawyer
Miranda Sawyer is an English journalist and broadcaster.She grew up in Wilmslow, Cheshire with her brother Toby, who is an actor. She has a degree in Jurisprudence from Pembroke College, Oxford...
in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
also praised the show saying it was, "A simple idea, kindly and wittily executed by another unfashionably humane Englishman. Thank Gaia
Gaia hypothesis
The Gaia hypothesis, also known as Gaia theory or Gaia principle, proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings on Earth are closely integrated to form a single and self-regulating complex system, maintaining the conditions for life on the planet.The scientific investigation of the...
they still exist."
Hilda Swinney, the Portland correspondent for the Dorset Echo
Dorset Echo
The Dorset Echo is a daily newspaper published in the county of Dorset, England.The title publishes Monday to Saturday from editorial offices in Weymouth, and covers issues concerning south, central and west Dorset...
said that at the recording on the Isle of Portland: "The audience, mostly Portlanders, were appreciative and very responsive to his humour and his views on 'their special island'. They left him in no doubt that a return of Mark Steel's in Town would be very welcome."
Stuart Morris, a historian who helped to provide research for Steel for the Portland show commented: "I was amazed that he should have absorbed so much of the island's history in the short space of time that he had. He joked about the Portland winds, saying that in comparison, islanders wouldn't even have bothered to take out their kites in the face of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. He made a few remarks about Portland/Weymouth rivalry and our Weymouth friends present laughed as much as the rest of us."
Ian Wolf from the British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide
The British Comedy Guide or BCG is a British website covering all forms of British comedy, across all media. At the time of writing, the BCG has published guides to more than 1,200 individual British comedies - primarily TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, variety...
commented that: "The fact that the series moved from town-to-town was very impressive – as it meant Steel had to write a unique half-hour routine for each venue (compare this to most stand-ups, who only have to come up with about an hour of strong material a year!)."
However, at times local journalists have responded negatively to the programme. Lisa Reeves, who reviewed the episode recorded in Wilmslow, commented on how Steel's socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
political views did not mix with the affluence of Wilmslow and nearby Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,409....
, which he also visited for the purposes of the recording. Reeves wrote that: "It was an enjoyable evening, with some very funny gags but a large part of the material focused on the champagne lifestyle so often portrayed in the media." She also said that Steel should have focused more on how good the area was as a place to live in, "but I suppose that wouldn't make for good comedy."
Series 1
| # | Title | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | download Uploading and downloading In computer networks, to download means to receive data to a local system from a remote system, or to initiate such a data transfer. Examples of a remote system from which a download might be performed include a webserver, FTP server, email server, or other similar systems... on 1 March 2010. The series has yet to be released on CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... . A book accompanying the series, entitled Mark Steel's in Town and published by Fourth Estate, is released on 27th October, 2011. See also
External links
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