The Mark Steel Solution
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The Mark Steel Solution was initially broadcast on BBC Radio 5 for a series, before three series were broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The show's original slogan was "Give me thirty minutes and I’ll convince you of anything!"
Delivered by Mark Steel, each scripted lecture presents persuasive, yet witty, arguments for a seemingly bizarre solution to a contempory social problem by highlighting the flaws in the present system.
Many of the arguments are illustrated by miniature sketches, featuring Mark Steel, Pete Sinclair, Maria McErlane, and Kim Wall. It was produced by Phil Clark, and was written by Mark Steel and Pete Sinclair.
Episode List (Incomplete)
Series 1, 1992 (BBC Radio 5)
- S01 E01 - The Royal Family - "The Royal Family should be chosen by weekly lottery" (9th October 1992)
- S01 E02 - The Family - "Nobody should be allowed to live in the same family for more than a year" (16th October 1992)
- S01 E03 - Judges - "Criminals should be recruited as high courts judges" (23rd October 1992)
- S01 E04 - School - "Nobody should go to school until they're 35" (30th October 1992)
- S01 E05 - England - "Anyone born in England should be deported" (6th November 1992)
- S01 E06 - The Economy - "All government economic policy should be decided by sport" (13th November 1992)
Series 2, 1994 (BBC Radio 4)
- S02 E01 - Unemployment - "Having a job should be illegal" (15th July 1994)
- S02 E02 - Transport - "Transport should only be paid for by people who don't use it" (22nd July 1994)
- S02 E03 - Housing - "Everyone in Britain should be rehoused at random" (29th July 1994)
- S02 E04 - The Royal Family - "The Royal Family should be chosen by weekly lottery" (paraphrasing S01 E01) (presumably 5th August 2004)
Series 3, 1995 (BBC Radio 4)
- S03 E01 - Sexuality - "Everyone should have to be gay for two years"
- S03 E02 - Charity - "Anybody who gives to charity should be jailed"
- S03 E03 - Crime - "Criminals should decide their own punishment"
- S03 E04 - Immigration - "Anyone born in England should be deported" (paraphrasing S01 E05)
Series 4, August and September 1996 (BBC Radio 4)
- S04 E01 - Religion - "People should have to change their religion every Monday"
- S04 E02 - Media - "Anyone in charge of the media should be sacked after thirty minutes"
- S04 E03 - Education - "Nobody should go to school until they are 36" (paraphrasing S01 E04)
- S04 E04 - Life - "Pessimists should be persecuted by law"
BBC7 Repeats (2004)
Some additional notes which may help to sort out the incomplete episode list: recently BBC 7 has been repeating these programmes; here is the order in which they were broadcast:
- Series 1 in order:
- 2004-02-27 - Each Week The Royal Family Should Be Chosen By A National Lottery
- 2004-03-05 - Nobody Should Be Allowed To Live In The Same Family For More Than A Year
- 2004-03-12 - All Judges Must Be Ex-Convicts
- 2004-03-19 - People Should Start School at the Age of 35
- 2004-03-26 - Anyone Born and Bred in England Should Be Deported
- 2004-04-02 - Government Economic Policy Should be Decided Through Sport
- Series 2 in order:
- 2004-04-09 - Having a Job Should Be Illegal
- 2004-04-16 - Transport
- 2004-04-23 - Housing
- 2004-04-30 - Mark Steel proposes that the royal family are replaced by a lottery family
- Bits of series 3? First episode of series 4?
- 2004-05-07 - Sexual Politics - "Everyone should have to be gay for two years" ("Show 1 from series 3, August 1995")
- 2004-05-14 - Charity - "Anybody Who Gives To Charity Should Be Jailed"
- 2004-05-21 - Crime - criminals should decide their own punishment
- This seems to be the end of series 4:
- 2004-05-28 - Immigration
- 2004-06-04 - Religion
- 2004-06-11 - The Media: It's 1996, Chris Evans is on Radio 1, and Mark believes the media has hit an all time low
- 2004-06-18 - Education: Mark proposes that no-one should go to school until they're thirty six
- 2004-06-25 - Pessimism
Then as of 2004-07-02 the repeats became The Mark Steel Revolution (even though in the programme listings it's still shown as "The Mark Steel Solution").