Mark Steel's in Town

by Mark Steel

On the way to a show in Skipton, in North Yorkshire, I noticed a road sign to a town called Keighley. So later, during the show, I mentioned this, asking the audience 'Is that your rival town?' And the room went chillingly quiet, until one woman called out with understated menace, 'Keighley is a sink of evil.' Based on his award-winning BBC Radio 4 series, Mark Steel's ‘In Town’, is a celebration of the quirks of small town life in a country of increasingly homogenized high streets. Steel's bespoke observations on the small, sometimes forgotten, towns of Britain goes right to the heart of British culture today, championing the very people who shape the places we live in now. ‘As everywhere hurtles along a route towards being identical to everywhere else, it seems any expression of local interest or eccentricity is becoming a yell of defiance. Scrape away the veneer of Wetherspoons and Pizza Hut-inspired uniformity, and the march of Tesco's towards being reclassified as a continent, and Britain is as magnificently diverse as ever, and ready to celebrate each distinct community. The elements of a town that make it unique are what make it worth visiting; they change a journey from being functional to being an experience. For example, one drizzly dark February afternoon as I came out of the station at Scunthorpe, I got in a minicab, and the driver didn't even look at me, but kept staring straight ahead as he said, 'I don't know what you've come here for, it's a fucking shit-hole.'’ Unearthing some of Britain's most unusual tourist attractions, and noting local quirks and habits, Steel's journey takes him through the backwaters of England, up to Scotland and across to Ireland, where he encounters a country united by a peculiar ingrained sense of pride, no matter which village, town or city, to give a refreshing take on Britain, its people and its places.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Travel, Ebooks, Cities

Paperback

First published October 27, 2011

About the author

Mark Steel (born 4 July 1960) is a British socialist columnist, author and comedian. He was a member of the Socialist Workers Party from his late teens until 2007.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5]

On the one hand, like the 30 towns, counties and cities he describes in the book, it can start to get samey after a while. Just as the towns have the same Tescos, Nandos, Clinton's Cards and so on and so forth, so his descriptions of these places does begin to feel a bit repetitive over a whole book. I mean, I enjoyed the radio series, but I'm not sure I'd want to listen to 30 episodes of it, one after the other. A book to dip in and out of, perhaps.

On the other hand, how can I not love a book with lines like "One problem presented by rail privatisation is the difficulty of going somewhere but coming back by a different route, which entails travelling with two different rail companies and causes mayhem. Ask to go to Sheffield but to come back from Manchester, and the poor member of staff looks at you with such bemusement you wonder, if by mistake, you said 'And on the way back, I'll need a carriage to myself as I like to have a wank as I'm going through Stafford."

Or a bibliography that simply notes "I've now read so many books about one town or another, with titles such as The Pavements of Burnley or The Week the Lamp Posts Didn't Work in Southampton that I recommend you read a novel, a biography of a film star, or anything other than a book about a specific town"

[Derek Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pitched somewhere between Notes From A Small Island and The Idler Book of Crap Towns, this is not a match for either. The Idler is much funnier, vicious, partisan, whereas Mark Steel tries very hard to be fair all the time, or most of it, and pulls his punches. His tendency to drag in some left/anarchist politics at every opportunity is endearing but irritating. I agree with his principles but don't think he needs to express them All The Bloody Time. The writing's quite patchy and many of the jokes are feeble, some are repeated (the whole thing has not been very well edited). Despite this, this is enjoyable in small doses, the chapter on Kent is very good, and Mark makes some good points. Fundamentally, his heart is in the right place.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tie in to the radio 4 series where Steel trawls round to different towns in the UK and discovers lots of amusing facts and anecdotes about the place. very funny in parts.

[John Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very witty and informative book involving a idiosyncratic view of Britain’s towns and it’s people but also highlighting the worrying trend of homogenisation that is making everywhere appear identical sacrificing its character and former appeal in the process. Mark Steel is a brilliant comedian and his humour is so wonderfully evident in this fascinating book.
I don’t half ‘RABBIT’ on!

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unless you’re a massive fan of Mark Steel - I am - give this a skip and just buy the radio show to listen to. This isn’t a bad book but it is a poorer alternative to the show. All comedy routines that are performed live suffer for being committed to the page, no matter how good the comic or the material is to begin with. The four stars are rounded up from three and a half.

[Marco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Great book for anyone with an interest in the UK and its often overlooked regions. Only disappointment is it ended too quickly and I'd have loved an extra 50-70 pages. I read it from cover to cover and chuckled to myself all the way through. Will definitely buy any follow up he does.

[Alecsander Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the radio show immensely and bought the book. You have to persist with it though as some chapters may drag but stay with it, the last three chapters (Gateshead, Kent and Bristol) are worth the wait!

[Helene Hambrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny...

It made me laugh out loud funny. Have given 2 copies to my sister and to a friend as an unbirthday present. They both have a great sense of humour! Thank you Mark for all your research, it must've taken ages..

[Phil Altimas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have heard a few of mark steels readio shows so when I saw that there was a book of the same I ordered it straight away
It’s a great read full of facts and the comedy genius that is mark steel

[Jon Whittlestone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to dislike it but it's charming and optimistic
Highly enjoyable

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smashing book

I am a great fan of Mark Steel and loved this book, which cheered me up at a time of some personal difficulty. Thoroughly recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating shapshot of excursions. I have been to less than a third of the places written about but still found this highly enjoyable. It's always the people not the place that brings the comedy.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Mark Steel: a lot. It probably helps that we're not that far apart in our political outlook and closer in a genuine caring for the country in more than social and economic terms. The book, perhaps by its very nature, suffers from a certain repetition and it doesn't work properly if you read chapter after chapter at a dash. Each chapter has at least one stomach creasing, gasping- for-breath laugh that is actually painful as well as being the best laugh I've had for quite a while. He catches you unawares. The punchlines are not magnificent in themselves but the timing is immaculate. I'd suggest one chapter a week, round about 6.30 on a Monday after you've finished the washing up. In fact, I'd suggest listening to the man himself on his radio show. There is a wonderful tempo and rhythm to Mark Steel's work that is at its best when he is delivering it. If you can't manage that then read it out loud in a voice that owes a little to the part of Kent just inside the M25, a little bit of punk, a touch of the left-wing orator and a great deal of close observation, understanding and wit.

Also be prepared to be put off ever wanting to go to Bristol, Gateshead, Yorkshire, any motorway or Walsall. In fact anywhere that has a Tesco, a Nandos and a great soul-less retail park where you can't find your car after visiting Toys-r-Us or Bensons Beds. It's not Mark Steel's fault if the whole country is turning into Basingstoke. He at least makes the process funnier.

[Tim Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like Mark Steel and his politics, and I really enjoyed his Radio 4 show in 2010, which this book is an accompaniment to. I also heard him speak about the book recently, too. He tries to find what lies at the heart of modern Britain by visiting a place, researching it, then inviting local people to come along to a comedy night, the theme of which is the town and its environs. He endeavours to look beyond the chain stores and shopping centres, and is eager to uncover the idiosyncrasies of local history and the banalities of life in that particular town. However, the project feels flat on the page without the interaction of the audience in the radio shows, during which there was an irreverent tone to the proceedings. Inevitably, Steel has to fill out the book more, but this means it lapses into a 'worthy' tone as the genteel comedy falls away. It rails against the blandness of the British high-street and the coporatisation of town culture, and while never heavy-handed, the satire and humour is not particularly biting.

However, I think he is doing another radio show, which is definitely worth listening to.

In a similar vein, I would recommend 'Lyttleton's Britain'. This contains expanded versions of the introductions written by Iain Pattinson for Humphrey Lyttleton for the radio show 'I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'. This is much more witty and sharp.

[Steve Gillway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of his radio programme and of his politics. He was on Question Time quite recently and went on a fantastic rant. This book explores many of the places he has visited. The surrealist humour is the best part for me, his quirky selection of erroneous facts, the description of local laddish pursuits (football. pubs etc.), local luminaries of note are also engaging. Unfortunately, for me the chapter on Bristol is a bit disappointing. It's like the stand up comedian's jokes are funny about other people, they aren't so funny when they are about you.

[John Humber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Radio 4 broadcasts, and the repeats on 4xtra. But I didn't finish this book. Perhaps it's just material that is better listened to than read, but I found my attention drifting quite frequently. Hard to say why that is; it's not that he's a bad writer, but reading the chapters that I could remember hearing on the radio, there was something missing. I came to the conclusion that the missing factor was the audience; he does engage with the audience in the broadcasts and without that it's just a fairly ordinary, not particularly stimulating or amusing travel-type book.

[Amanda Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I read on my Kindle which means people on trains were looking at me oddly as I sniggered whilst staring at a grey piece of plastic.

Mark Steel visits towns around Britain, investigates their history, their character (good and bad), their rebellions and makes a case that behind every cloned high street of chain stores there are people and stories that make it unique.

A really enjoyable and informative read... So read it!

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Steel gently mocks and lovingly hightlights the eccentricities and uniqueness of each 'town'/area/region he visits. He finds the best and the worst of a place and embraces them in a big long comic hug. I really enjoyed my short visit to each of these destinations and miss the radio show. I also confess to having heard some of the material in the book already in his stand up spot at Latitude Festival. It was a warm easy read and just what I needed Apres Ski.

[Bookhuw · Rating 3 out of 5]

The radio show from which this book stems was rightly lauded, but something is lost when transferred to the page, and it can feel like a bit of a repetitive slog to read from cover to cover. Steel will always have a principled chip on his shoulder, but it is hard to stomach some of his declarations – for example, a claimed preference for Didcot over Oxford seemed to be going a little too far. Didcot?!

[Steven Pilling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Companion to the Radio 4 series.

If you havent listened to that then this will pass a few hours perfectly , but it is not more impressive than similar titles, find it on Radio 4 player or probably radio 4 extra

[Shakesmyteeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb...with a chapter on my adopted hometown. Reccommended.

[Liane Coia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved his live show about his travels and think he's a very funny and clever man. The book was an enjoyable read but not as funny as I thought it would have been when compared to his live show.

[Elizabeth Beverley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, as I had listen to the radio show. I could hear Mark Steel's voice as I read it. Interesting incited into different towns and places.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chucklesome but not nearly ranty enough for my tastes...

[Debbie Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

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