Mark Steel came to Abingdon to talk at the Amey Theatre in Abingdon School.
The comedy act was tailored to Abingdon where he had been out and about for some hours, and read the Abingdon Herald report on Abingdon United’s goal drought.
He is pictured here with Jenny who did a lot of the organising of the evening for the Abingdon Arts Festival.
Mark likes local grassroots traditions and had fun with ours: Bun Throwing, and then Aunt Sally. While the rest of the world throws balls at sticks, we play Aunt Sally which sounded to him like throwing sticks at balls. He suggested this could help explain our lack of success at football.
Mark was also confused by the Abingdon one-way system and said he couldn’t see that a town our size needed a one-way system. He had a dig at the public school theatre we were at – grand pianos everywhere, and no signposts to the theatre from town. He also joked about the recent government advice asking people to stockpile fuel to beat the unions. Perhaps it was for the best that he did not put 2 and 2 together – that the minister who allegedly gave the advice for people to keep fuel in cans, Francis Maude, came from Abingdon School.
Just the type of right-on, leftie, pseudo-intellectual comedian that I’m glad I avoided seeing. He has one big problem – he’s not funny. If your taste is lefty comedians, try Jeremy Hardy. Don’t agree with his politics but by the cringe does he make me laugh!
I enjoyed his show – and it was certainly funny – possibly because it was more about the quaint traditions of british towns than it was about politics.
It was also amusing to hear some of the idiotic comments from audience members. For the record:
Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers can trace their history back as far as 1560, much further back than Headington Quarry Morris can.
None of Abingdon is south of the Thames. Some of it is south of the Ock, but that’s a different river.
Abingdon town has always just been ‘Abingdon’, as it was in its Charter. There was a Borough Council of Abingdon-on-Thames pre-1974 but that is different to the town itself.
Drat missed it. I know Mark Steel likes to cover quirky local stuff
Is this likely to be broadcast on the radio?
Brilliant evening, I only saw one empty seat. Definitely a popular choice. Well done to the Abingdon Arts Festival team.
The empty seat was by me
Why – what had you done?!
I was stewarding, and 3 were kept for us but only 2 taken. So one wasted.