View source for The Mark Steel Solution

{{short description|British radio show}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox radio show
| name               = ''The Mark Steel Solution''
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| television         = 
| country            = United Kingdom
| language           = English
| home_station       = [[BBC Radio 4]]
| syndicates         = 
| presenter          = [[Mark Steel]]
| starring           = [[Pete Sinclair (writer)|Pete Sinclair]]<br/>[[Maria McErlane]]<br/>[[Kim Wall (British actor)|Kim Wall]]
| announcer          = 
| creator            = 
| writer             = [[Mark Steel]]<br/>[[Pete Sinclair (writer)|Pete Sinclair]]
| director           = 
| producer           = Phil Clark
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| first_aired        = {{start date|1992|10|09|df=yes}}
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'''''The Mark Steel Solution''''' is a series of scripted radio lectures by [[Mark Steel]] made for broadcast on [[BBC Radio]]. The show began in 1992.<ref name="s1 R4e"/> Each episode presents persuasive, yet witty, arguments for a seemingly bizarre solution to a contemporary social problem by highlighting the flaws in the present system. The show's original slogan was "Give me thirty minutes and I’ll convince you of anything!"<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Comedy: Mark Steel at ARC, Stockton |url=https://nevolume.co.uk/culture/comedy/comedy-mark-steel-at-arc-stockton/ |access-date=2 November 2024 |work=NE Volume |date=16 March 2018}}</ref>

The first series was broadcast on [[BBC Radio 5 (former)|BBC Radio 5]], before three series were broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]]. As of 2024, old episodes are broadcast on [[Radio 4 Extra]].<ref name="s1 R4e">{{cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Mark Steel Solution, Series 1 - Episode guide |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cnw4v/episodes/guide |website=BBC |access-date=2 November 2024}}</ref> Many of the arguments are illustrated by miniature sketches, featuring Mark Steel, [[Pete Sinclair (writer)|Pete Sinclair]], [[Maria McErlane]], and [[Kim Wall (British actor)|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 [[British Royal Family|Royal Family]]<ref name="s1 R4e"/> - "The Royal Family should be chosen by weekly lottery" (9 October 1992)
*S01 E02 - The [[Family]]<ref name="s1 R4e"/> - "Nobody should be allowed to live in the same family for more than a year" (16 October 1992)
*S01 E03 - [[Judge]]s<ref name="s1 R4e"/> - "Criminals should be recruited as high courts judges" (23 October 1992)
*S01 E04 - [[School]]<ref name="s1 R4e"/> - "Nobody should go to school until they're 35" (30 October 1992)
*S01 E05 - [[England]]<ref name="s1 R4e"/> - "Anyone born in England should be deported" (6 November 1992)
*S01 E06 - The [[Political economy|Economy]]<ref name="s1 R4e"/> - "All government economic policy should be decided by sport" (13 November 1992)

'''Series 2, 1994 (BBC Radio 4)'''

*S02 E01 - [[Unemployment]] - "Having a job should be illegal" (15 July 1994)
*S02 E02 - [[Transport]] - "Transport should only be paid for by people who don't use it" (22 July 1994)
*S02 E03 - [[Housing]] - "Everyone in Britain should be rehoused at random" (29 July 1994) 
*S02 E04 - The [[British Royal Family|Royal Family]] - "The Royal Family should be chosen by weekly lottery" (paraphrasing S01 E01) (presumably 5 August 1994)

'''Series 3, 1995 (BBC Radio 4)'''

*S03 E01 - [[Human sexuality|Sexuality]] - "Everyone should have to be gay for two years"
*S03 E02 - [[Charitable organization|Charity]] - "Anybody who gives to charity should be jailed"
*S03 E03 - [[Crime]] - "Criminals should decide their own punishment" (Uses some sketches from S01 E03)
*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 - [[Mass media|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"

==See also==
*''[[The Mark Steel Lectures]]''
*''[[The Mark Steel Revolution]]''
*''[[Mark Steel's in Town]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mark Steel Solution}}
[[Category:BBC Radio comedy programmes]]
[[Category:1992 radio programme debuts]]