Mark Steel's In Town. Mark Steel. Copyright: BBC
Mark Steel's In Town

Mark Steel's In Town

  • Radio stand-up
  • BBC Radio 4
  • 2009 - 2022
  • 67 episodes (12 series)

Mark Steel visits a town in Britain and investigates its society & history before performing a bespoke stand-up show for locals.

  • Due to return for Series 13

Episode menu

Series 2, Episode 2 - Wilmslow

Mark performs from the Green Room Theatre in Wilmslow, Cheshire where he gets to grips with footballers mansions, 3D eyelashes and the rhyming Wizard of Alderley Edge.

Further details

This week, Mark is in the Green Room Theatre in Wilmslow, Cheshire, which is by far the most affluent town he has been to since the series began.

Not only does Mark talk about Wilmslow, but also Alderley Edge, a town home to many famous names including the Beckhams and the Rooneys. The houses are so luxurious in the town that one is advertised as a bungalow with the unique feature of a second floor.

He then talks about the shops of Alderley Edge, including a charity shop which is selling items most people cannot afford to buy. There is also a business selling 3D eyelashes. Even the chip shop has a quote on the menu asking people not to disturb the celebrities who visit it.

Mark comments on Wilmslow's somewhat lame motto: "A pleasant place to live." He also talks about the facilities on offer, most of which are an hour away, and about a woman who stopped a burglary using a cricket bat used in the Ashes series.

Mark looks at the history of the town, including the views of one Victoria vicar who claimed that the people on one street we so sinful they did not deserve a chapel. He then talks about the local railway, including stations in Wilmslow and one for what became Alderley Edge. Mark mentions that during Victorian times one lesson for school for girls was lying on their backs to keep them straight while the teacher read the Daily Telegraph.

Mark then discusses "The Edge", an inland cliff which has great views, but he was also was scared by the sheer fall. There is also the well which is said to be the home of a wizard. He then talks about Alan Garner, the fantasy novelist and Lindow Pete, a man preserved in a bog since 50 B.C. which lead to a bizarre murder conviction. There is also Alan Turing, the man who helped break the Enigma code but was persecuted for his homosexuality.

Mark concludes by trying to find the working class of Wilmslow. There are local rappers, and a working man's club in Alderley Edge, which had three people in it when he visited it: himself, the man who guided him around Alderley, and the club's barman.

Broadcast details

Date
Wednesday 14th April 2010
Time
6:30pm
Channel
BBC Radio 4
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Saturday 7th February 2015 11:00pm Radio 4 Extra

Cast & crew

Cast
Mark Steel Host / Presenter
Writing team
Mark Steel Writer
Pete Sinclair Writer (Additional Material)
Production team
Julia McKenzie Producer

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