Show Notes
Mark is joined by comedian Marcus Brigstocke as they discuss growing up in privilege, being expelled from boarding school, addiction and recovery, how comedy shaped his politics, class and inequality in Britain – and what it means to stay hopeful while everything feels absurd.
You can hear the second part of the interview in next week's episode – but if you can't wait, why not join us on the higher tier of Patreon? For £4 a month you can listen or watch the whole interview straight away.
For media, press & guest enquiries please email [email protected]
Follow What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel on Twitter @wtfisgoingonpod
Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
Follow Marcus @Marcusbrigstocke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from What The F Is Going On? with Mark Steel
Comedian and actor Isy Suttie joins Mark Steel to figure out what the f*** is going on, promising to solve the world's problems in a single sentence. The duo explore the pride of local South London history, the nuances of the Matlock accent, and how a Spanish tapas menu mistranslated a pigeon as "dumbfounded sky bacon".
Last week we had some technical difficulties in the studio so we apologise for the lack of episodes over these couple of weeks.
In the second half of our conversation with Paul Holden, we dive into Keir Starmer's downfall, his unprecedented acceptance of freebies, and the dark money that funded his rise to Prime Minister. Paul brings his 20 years of experience investigating grand corruption—which famously included exposing South Africa's Jacob Zuma and facing death threats—to unpack the Labour Party's secret slush funds.
This week, investigative journalist Paul Holden joins the show to discuss his explosive book, The Fraud, detailing the ruthless internal campaign to capture the Labour Party. Paul has spent 20 years investigating grand corruption worldwide, including exposing former South African President Jacob Zuma, which forced him to leave the country due to death threats.
In the second half of our conversation with Russell Warfield, we look at the future of the Green Party as a mass political movement and what it actually takes to challenge entrenched wealth. Russell draws on his extensive background—having worked for the Greens for five years, run the comms for the London 2021 elections where Zack became an AM, and played a central role in Zack's 2025 leadership campaign—to answer listener questions.