The Mark Steel Lectures
- TV factual / stand-up
- BBC Four
- 2002 - 2006
- 18 episodes (3 series)
Series telling the story of some of the world's greatest names, from Byron to Pankhurst, in an accessible, comic manner. Features Mark Steel and Martin Hyder.
Episode menu
Series 1, Episode 4 - Aristotle
Further details
Mark Steel traces the history of Greek Philosophy from Pythagoras ("never ate beans"), to Plato ("old and bald"), to Aristotle ("made lists of Olympic champions for fun, and possibly a bugger for the bottle, or possibly not").
The lecture takes in all the important areas of classical philosophy, including ethics, Sue Barker, whether the Four Tops are really the Four Tops at all, incontinence and Jim Davidson, ballooning, and why Aristotle would have disapproved of Orange marches.
Filmed at the Parthenon and across Athens, Mark Steel brings you the Aristotle that history has forgotten; the one that liked a pretty girl, a shop full of beds and a KFC, and just maybe a drink as well.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Tuesday 28th October 2003
- Time
- 10pm
- Channel
- BBC Four
- Length
- 30 minutes
Cast & crew
Mark Steel | Host / Presenter |
Martin Hyder | Ensemble Actor |
Beth Chalmers | Ensemble Actor |
Mark Steel | Writer |
Pete Sinclair | Writer (Additional Material) |
James Serafinowicz (as James Sezchuan) | Writer (Additional Material) |
Phil Clarke | Script Editor |
Michael Cumming | Director |
Jon Rolph | Producer |
Graham Smith | Executive Producer |
Jon Blow | Editor |
Claire Buckett (as Clare Buckett) | Make-up Designer |