
Show Notes
This week Mark is joined by comedian, actor, cricket obsessive and national treasure Alan Davies for a conversation that covers childhood trauma, football VAR, council bureaucracy, working-class warehouses, stand-up comedy in the 80s, Peter Snow in a BBC toilet, and why comedians instinctively know when someone is “not really a comic”.
Alan talks candidly about the deeply personal experiences behind his memoirs Just Ignore Him and White Male Stand-Up, including grief, abuse, anger and the strange way comedy became both an escape and a substitute family. Along the way there are stories about Barry Manilow on the motorway, being buried under coat hangers in a van, fights in comedy clubs, the glory days of the circuit, and why every workplace secretly survives because everyone is covering for each other.
We're currently sponsored by BT - behind brilliant things!
Search 'Why BT' to find out more or click on the following link: https://www.bt.com/broadband/why-bt
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 Patreon? For £4 a month you can listen or watch the whole interview straight away.
www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod
For media, press & guest enquiries please email [email protected]
Follow What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel on Instagram @wtfisgoingonpod
Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
Follow Alan @alandaviescomic 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.