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Mark Steel's in Town

Comedy: Standup

Comedian Mark Steel visits towns across the UK and creates a stand-up show for the locals.

Comedian Mark Steel visits towns across the UK, meets the locals, and creates a stand up show for them - and us - about the town.

Mark Steel's In Town

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Mark Steel's in Town: Series 1: Walsall

Walsall

Series 1

BBC Radio 4 - Mark Steel's in Town, Series 1, Walsall

Mark celebrates Walsall and why it has nothing to do with Birmingham.

Mark celebrates the town's West Midlands accent, the hippo and why it has nothing to do with Birmingham. From April 2009.

This week, Mark performs the local Town Hall in Walsall, West Midlands: a town which has nothing to do with Birmingham.

Mark discusses their statue of a concrete hippo, smaller than he expected and the fact that people keep moving it. Mark also jokes about the statue of Princess Diana that turned black. 

Mark then talks about the leather trade and the local leather museum. Then there's the Walsall man who shot himself with his own taser.

Mark explores the town's history - mining and how he visited a very hot iron foundry. We hear about the creation of St. Monday, in which people tried to get the Monday off from work. Sister Dora was the "Civilian Florence Nightingale" helping to improve health care for the poor, who also has a statue.

Mark tells us about the Walsall Anarchists who were framed by the police and probably the most famous anarchists in British history. And we can't forget Walsall's very own football club, who defeated the unstoppable Arsenal 2-0 in the 1930s - one of the biggest upsets in football history.

Produced by Julia McKenzie.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.

Mark Steel's in Town: Series 1

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Comedian Mark Steel visits towns across the UK and creates a show for a local audience

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Mark Steel's in Town

Series 1

Walsall

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