Mark Steel (born 1961) is an English socialist columnist and comedian. He has been a member of the Socialist Workers Party since his late teens. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... A columnist is a journalist who produces a specific form of writing for publication called a column. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and the Internet. ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... The Socialist Workers Party (SWP) is one of the largest political parties of the far left in England. ...

Early life

Steel was a typical disaffected teenager growing up in Swanley, Kent, in the late 1970s. His anger and frustration at society's injustices were vented by political protests, punk music and poetry. Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Punk Rock is an anti-establishment music movement that began about 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified by The Ramones,the Misfits, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ...

He was expelled from school, and went on to work in a garage and then live in a squat. From here he went on to make his first public performance as a poet. The Chien Rouge in Lausanne, a squat held in the old hospital. ...

Career

Steel found an outlet for his passion in stand up comedy. He worked the comedy circuit for several years, and then presented a satirical radio show The Mark Steel Solution on BBC Radio 5 in 1992, consisting of half hourly monologues where Steel offered solutions to social problems, which ran to 4 series. It's not a runner bean, a comic autobiography was published in 1996 and this led to a column in The Guardian, and where his writing career really took off. The Mark Steel Solution was initially broadcast on BBC Radio 5 for a series, before three series were broadcast on BBC Radio 4. ... BBC Radio Five Live is the radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

Steel wrote a column for The Guardian between 1996 and 1999. He was sacked by that newspaper (according to him because The Guardian wanted to "realign towards Tony Blair", though The Guardian deny this). In 2000 he started writing a weekly column for The Independent which appears in the Wednesday Opinion Column. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... The Independent is a British compact newspaper published by Tony OReillys Independent News & Media. ...

In 2000 Steel took part in the London Assembly elections on behalf of the London Socialist Alliance (a pre-cursor to the Socialist Alliance) in the Croydon & Sutton constituency; he received 1,823 votes (1.5 per cent of the vote). This article is about the year 2000. ... The London Assembly is an elected body that supervises the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London. ... The London Socialist Alliance (LSA) was an alliance of far-left socialist groups and individuals in London. ... The Socialist Alliance was a left-wing electoral alliance in England in existence between 1992 and 2005. ...

He has written and performed several radio and television series for the BBC, and authored several books, as detailed below. The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest public broadcasting corporation in the world. ...

Radio programmes

• The Good Human Guide BBC Radio 2(1985). Contributing writer.
• Extra Time BBC Radio 5 . Presenter. Sports programme.
• The Mark Steel Solution (1992, 1994 - 1996) BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio 4
• Late Edition BBC Radio 4 (1995). Regular panellist on this satirical talk show.
• The Mark Steel Revolution (1998) BBC Radio 4
• The Mark Steel Lectures (1999 - 2002) BBC Radio 4
• Dedicated Troublemaker (2004) BBC Radio 4
• The News Quiz BBC Radio 4 several occasions from the late 1990s onwards. Guest panellist on this satirical news based panel game.
• Loose Ends BBC Radio 4. Interviewee.
• Midweek BBC Radio 4. Interviewee.
• Excess Baggage BBC Radio 4. Interviewee.

BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and is the most popular station in the UK. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in Western House, adjacent to Broadcasting House in central London. ... BBC Radio Five Live is the radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries. ... The Mark Steel Solution was initially broadcast on BBC Radio 5 for a series, before three series were broadcast on BBC Radio 4. ... BBC Radio Five Live is the radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... A Panellist is a person who appears as part of a Panel; typically someone making up part of a committee or jury. ... The Mark Steel Revolution was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The Mark Steel Lectures were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 over three series between 1999 and 2002. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The News Quiz is a topical comedy quiz broadcast on British radio BBC Radio 4. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... Loose Ends is a British radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... MidWeek celebrated it’s 20th year of publication in 2004. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ...

Television programmes

• Red Dwarf BBC Two (1989). Playing Ski-man in episode 'Timeslides (non speaking part).
• Loose Talk (1994). Guest.
• The Late Jonathan Ross (1996). Guest.
• Does China Exist. (1997).
• If I Ruled the World BBC Two (1998). Guest panellist.
• Lamarr's Attacks (2000) BBC Two. Guest.
• Never Mind the Buzzcocks BBC Two (2000, 2001). Guest panellist on this satirical music based panel game.
• Have I Got News for You BBC One (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006). Guest panellist on this satirical news based panel game.
• Question Time BBC One (2003, 2005) . Guest panellist on discussion show.
• The Mark Steel Lectures BBC Four (2003, 2004, 2006). Writer and Presenter. Television version of his radio programme of the same title. Produced in association with The Open University.
• QI BBC Two, BBC Four (2004). Guest panellist.
• Mock the Week, BBC Two (2005, 2006). Guest panellist.

This article describes the British science fiction comedy television series. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC and Europes first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour (from 1967), envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming. ... If I Ruled the World is a song, originally from the West End musical, Pickwick, based on Charles Dickens The Pickwick Papers. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC and Europes first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour (from 1967), envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC and Europes first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour (from 1967), envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming. ... Publicity shot for Never Mind The Buzzcocks, episode aired on 13th March 2005. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC and Europes first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour (from 1967), envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the primary channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... Question Time is a topical debate television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. It is currently shown on BBC One at 22:35 on Thursdays, and typically features politicians from the three major political parties and other public figures who answer questions put to them by the... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the primary channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... The Mark Steel Lectures were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 over three series between 1999 and 2002. ... BBC Four Ident BBC Four is a BBC television channel available to digital television (Freeview, satellite and cable) viewers in the UK. The successor to an earlier digital channel called BBC Knowledge, BBC Four began on March 2, 2002 – its first evenings programmes being simulcast on BBC Two. ... Open University Logo © Open University The Open University (OU) is a distance learning university which has students all over the UK and accepted its first students in 1971. ... QI, standing for Quite Interesting, is a comedy panel game television show hosted by Stephen Fry and shown on BBC Two and BBC Four. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC and Europes first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour (from 1967), envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming. ... BBC Four Ident BBC Four is a BBC television channel available to digital television (Freeview, satellite and cable) viewers in the UK. The successor to an earlier digital channel called BBC Knowledge, BBC Four began on March 2, 2002 – its first evenings programmes being simulcast on BBC Two. ... Mock the Week is a British topical panel game, hosted by Dara Ó Briain. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC and Europes first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour (from 1967), envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming. ...

Books

• Printed
  • Vive La Revolution (2003) ISBN 0-7432-0805-6, (2004) ISBN 0-7432-0806-4 History of the French Revolution.
  • Reasons To Be Cheerful (2001) ISBN 0-7432-0803-X, (2002) ISBN 0-7432-0804-8 Autobiography concentrating on political activism.
  • It's Not A Runner Bean (1996) ISBN 1-899344-12-8, (2004) ISBN 1-904316-43-3 Autobiography concentrating on his comedy career.
• Audiobooks
  • Reasons to Be Cheerful: From Punk to New Labour Through the Eyes of a Dedicated Troublemaker (2001) cassette ISBN 0-7435-0062-8

The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ...

External links

• Off the Kerb Comedy Agency
• Mark Steel's article archive at The Independent
• Open University site dedicated to the television version of The Mark Steel Lectures.
• Chortle profile.
• Information about It’s Not A Runner Bean (including extract).
• Interview with Socialist Review.
• BBC Comedy Guide - Mark Steel Lectures Includes a clip of one of the shows
• Open Directory Project - Mark Steel directory category
• Mark Steel's IMDB entry

• Audio Files
  • The Russian Revolution: Was It A Coup? - Lecture at Marxism 1999 (MP3)
  • Karl Marx - Part 2 - Lecture at Marxism 2002 (MP3)
  • The French Revolution - Part 2 - Lecture at Marxism 2002 (MP3)
  • Viva La Revolution A Stand Up History Of The French Revolution - Part 2 - Lecture at Marxism 2003 (MP3)
  • Albert Einstein - Part 2 - Lecture at Marxism 2005 (MP3)