Oakham in The UK's Smallest County Rutland Gets a Big Comedy Show: Mark Steel’s In Town Returns to BBC Radio 4! Tuesday 07 October 2025

Oakham in The UK's Smallest County Rutland Gets a Big Comedy Show: Mark Steel’s In Town Returns to BBC Radio 4!

Mark Steel (Right)

Get ready to tune in for the 14th series of Mark Steel's In Town, the award-winning BBC Radio 4 comedy show that celebrates the unique and wonderful character of towns across the UK.

The new series kicks off with a bang, as Mark heads to the UK's smallest county for an episode all about Oakham and Rutland.

Rutand's Quirks Under the Spotlight

Rutland is a county brimming with delightfully unusual facts, and Mark Steel is sure to give them the full comedic treatment. The county proudly boasts a village twinned with Paris (though the Parisians remain delightfully unaware), is home to Europe’s largest man-made lake (a feat which required flooding a local village), and adheres to the local custom of hanging its horseshoes the other way round—to ensure the devil falls out, naturally.

Clare Balding.

Mark is joined on his visit by broadcaster Clare Balding, who takes him on a ramble around the picturesque county. Listeners can hear more about their joint adventure in an upcoming episode of Clare's own BBC Radio 4 series, Ramblings.

Tune In This October

The episode featuring the county of Rutland airs on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 07 October 2025 at 18:30.

Mark Steel's In Town has won numerous accolades, including the Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Best Comedy, for its unique format. Mark travels the country, thoroughly researching each town before writing and performing a bespoke stand-up show for the local residents. It is a genuine, witty, and warm-hearted celebration of local life.

On the Road Again

Rutland is just the first stop of Series 14. Mark will also be popping to a host of other distinctive locations in this series, including Wrexham, Cambridge, Lewisham, and the remote Shetland island destinations of Lerwick and Unst.

For those who just can't get enough of the local humour, extended versions of each episode will also be available on BBC Sounds.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rtbk8

The series is Written and performed by Mark Steel, with Additional material by Pete Sinclair.

The production team includes Production co-ordinator Caroline Barlow and Katie Baum, Sound Manager Jerry Peal, and Producer Carl Cooper.

Mark Steel's In Town is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4.