The Mark Steel Lectures are a series of radio and television programmes. Written and delivered by Mark Steel, each scripted lecture presents arguments for the importance of a historical figure. The lectures were originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 over three series between 1999 and 2002. Many of the arguments were illustrated by miniature sketches. These sketches featured Mark Steel, Martin Hyder, Mel Hudson, Carla Mendonça, Femi Elufowoju Junior and Debbie Isitt. The first series was subtitled "A series of lectures about Englishmen who changed the course of history", with the remaining two changing this to "A series of lectures about people with a passion". The first series was produced by Phil Clark; the others by Lucy Armitage. The lecture on Ludwig van Beethoven was nominated for a Sony Radio Comedy Award. The programme transferred to television in 2003, with an Open University series on BBC Four, which was later repeated on BBC Two. This variously featured: ⁕Gerard Logan as Lord Byron ⁕Martin Hyder as Isaac Newton, Sigmund Freud, Aristotle, Che Guevara, Oliver Cromwell, Ludwig van Beethoven and Charles Darwin ⁕Ainsley Harriott as Robert Boyle ⁕Linda Smith as Martha Freud
Seasons and episodes
3 seasons · 18 episodes
- 1S3 E1
Oliver Cromwell
Feb 23, 200630 min
Join Mark Steel as he charts Cromwell’s course through British history; his election and resignation from parliament, the formation of his New Model Army, the overthrow and subsequent execution of the King, Charles I, the monumental shift o
- 2S3 E2
Charlie Chaplin
Mar 2, 200630 min
Join Mark as he charts Chaplin’s course through 20th century history, how through the initial success of the Little Tramp character he managed to negotiate the right to direct his own films and how this character came to be seen as a symbol
- 3S3 E3
Rene Descartes
Mar 9, 200630 min
Join the award winning comedian Mark Steel as he charts Descartes course through scientific history; his stint as a card shark in the Dutch army, his invention of the little 2, the symbol used to signify a squared number, his invention of t
- 4S3 E4
Geoffrey Chaucer
Mar 16, 200630 min
Join Mark Steel as he charts Chaucer’s course through history, his appointments to the royal household, his kidnapping in France, his marrying into the aristocracy, and how through the Canterbury Tales he bequeathed to us the first written
- 5S3 E5
Harriet Tubman
Mar 23, 200630 min
Harriet Tubman, described widely as the ‘Moses of her people’ was instrumental in the efforts to abolish slavery in mid 19th century America. Born into a life of bondage, she was forced into work at five years of age and at 12 was horrifica
- 6S3 E6
Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
Mar 30, 200630 min
Walk down any high street in this country and chances are at some point you’ll see somebody wearing a Che Guevara t shirt. Most of whom have absolutely no idea who he was and what he stood for. Still, it’s a nice image, and he was handsome…
Starring
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I watch The Mark Steel Lectures?
- The Mark Steel Lectures is not currently listed on a streaming service in the US. Use the country picker on the page to check other markets.
- How many seasons of The Mark Steel Lectures are there?
- The Mark Steel Lectures has 3 seasons and 18 episodes. Status: Ended.
- Will there be a new season of The Mark Steel Lectures?
- The Mark Steel Lectures has ended; no new episodes are scheduled. The final episode aired on March 30, 2006.
- Who stars in The Mark Steel Lectures?
- The Mark Steel Lectures stars Gerard Logan, Mark Steel, Tony Benn.
