Andrew Dipper

Is Mark Steel coming to your town?

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Details for the sixth series of Mark Steel’s In Town have been revealed.

Every year on BBC Radio 4, the comedian, columnist and author Steel visits 6 towns across the UK. He delves into its history, people and idiosyncrasies to try and work out what ingredients combine to make the place distinctive.

Before each episode, Mark visits the places he will be performing in; he meets with the locals and researches the town’s history. He then performs a tailor-made stand up comedy show about the town in front of a local audience.

As well as shedding light on the less travelled to areas of Britain what Mark uncovers will undoubtedly resonate with us all as we recognise the quirkiness of our shared voice and identity as part of a community and the rich tapestry of remarkable events and people who shape the places we now live in.

This year Mark will be visiting Melton Mowbray (5 March), Fleetwood (18 March), Shrewsbury (8 April), Barnard Castle (28 April) and Paisley (12 May).

The Barnard Castle performance was co-ordinated by Funny Way To Be Comedy Club promoter Peter Dixon, who told Giggle Beats: “The producer of the show attended one of our comedy shows at The Witham and we got chatting afterwards.

“We soon realised that Barnard Castle was full of history and character and would be a great place for the Mark Steel’s In Town series. The BBC then quickly acted on this and we are thrilled that they are coming to our market town.”

Mark Steel’s In Town is now in its 6th series. Previously, Steel has recorded shows in over 30 interesting and unusual places from the Isle of Portland in Dorset to Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney.

In 2010, the show won a Silver Award for Best Comedy in the Sony Radio Academy Awards, and in 2012 it won the Gold Award in the same category.

The show has also won the Writer’ Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Radio Comedy/Light Entertainment.

Click to apply for tickets.