Mark Steel's In Town

Mark Steel: The significance of a concrete hippo in Walsall

Each year, if you travel round the country, you see every town becoming more depressingly impersonal and identical. You could be in Inverness, Plymouth or Norwich and guarantee the shopping precinct consisted of a Body Shop, H&M, Clinton Cards, a shut-down Woolworths, a Wetherspoon, a fake Irish pub, a Nando's, a Pizza Hut with yawning teenager and glass screw-top jar of stuck-together parmesan cheese, River Island, Boots, Vodafone, a student in plastic bib overly keen to sign you up for Amnesty International and a bunch of Peruvians playing "I just Called To Say I Love You" on the poxy pan-pipes.

Mark Steel, The Independent, 18th March 2009

Writer and comedian Mark Steel goes on tour, visiting six different towns across the UK and tuning into their foibles.

After delving into the history of each town, and getting to know the people, he creates a bespoke stand-up show which is performed before a local audience.

His destinations are Lewes, Skipton, Boston, Walsall, Merthyr Tydfil and one more yet to be confirmed. Maybe it's your town.

Alan Cookman, Stoke Sentinel, 18th March 2009

Comedian puts Skipton in the spotlight

Radio Four listeners will be transported to Skipton next week.

For, on Wednesday, they will be able to hear the first of a new six-part series by veteran stand-up comedian, author and commentator Mark Steel.

For the series, Mark visits six UK towns and delves into their history, people and idiosyncrasies to try to work out what makes the place distinctive.

And Skipton is his first port of call.

Carven Herald and Pioneer, 13th March 2009