- 42 minutes 36 secondsEp 185 with Nick Hancock Pt 2 : Football Now Feels Manufactured
This week Mark continues his conversation with Nick Hancock.
In part two, Mark Steel and Nick Hancock continue their brilliant conversation about football, corruption and the strange way sport reflects society itself. From FIFA’s greed to Simon Cowell manufacturing pop stars, the pair explore what happens when money takes over the things people genuinely love. There’s also chat about podcasts, nostalgia, modern sport becoming spectacle over substance and Nick’s gloriously furious thoughts on Gianni Infantino. Funny, furious and full of football philosophy.
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
Want to get access to the full video interview before anyone else? why not join us on Patreon? For £4 a month you can listen to the whole interview straight away – and you'll also be able to watch it! https://www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod
For media, press & guest enquiries please email [email protected]
Follow What The F*** Is Going On? @wtfisgoingonpod
Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
15 June 2026, 4:30 am - 52 minutes 42 secondsEp 185 with Nick Hancock Pt 1: The World Cup Is Going To Be A F***ing Circus!
Mark is joined by legendary broadcaster and comedy icon Nick Hancock for a furious, funny and gloriously nostalgic deep dive into the World Cup. From crying over England’s defeat in 1970 to the magic of crackly late-night commentary, Nick and Mark relive the tournaments that shaped their lives before turning their attention to what modern football has become. FIFA, Trump, halftime shows, dynamic pricing, water breaks for adverts and football losing its soul – nothing escapes Hancock’s wrath in an episode packed with football nostalgia, anger and brilliant one-liners.
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
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
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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
8 June 2026, 4:33 am - 49 minutes 34 secondsEp 184 with Alan Davies Pt 2: I Spent Years Pretending I Was Fine
This week Mark continues his conversation with Alan Davies. If you haven't heard the first part then do go back and listen now but for the rest of you here is the second half of the interview.
Want to get access to the full video interview before anyone else? why not join us on Patreon? For £4 a month you can listen to the whole interview straight away – and you'll also be able to watch it! https://www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod
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
For media, press & guest enquiries please email [email protected]
Follow What The F*** Is Going On? @wtfisgoingonpod
Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
Follow Alan @alandaviescomic
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 June 2026, 4:04 am - 50 minutes 32 secondsEp 184 with Alan Davies Pt 1: Comedy Became My Family
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
25 May 2026, 4:38 am - 49 minutes 45 secondsEp 183 with Rachel Millward Pt 2: We Are Sleepwalking Into Disaster!
This week Mark continues his conversation with Rachel Millward. If you haven't heard the first part then do go back and listen now but for the rest of you here is the second half of the interview.
Want to get access to the full video interview before anyone else? why not join us on Patreon? For £4 a month you can listen to the whole interview straight away – and you'll also be able to watch it! https://www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod
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
For media, press & guest enquiries please email [email protected]
Follow What The F*** Is Going On? @wtfisgoingonpod
Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
Follow Rachel @millward_rachel
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
18 May 2026, 4:30 am - 54 minutes 29 secondsEp 183 with Rachel Millward Pt 1: Labour Came FOURTH!
The morning after the local elections, Mark is joined by Green Party deputy leader Rachel Millward to ask the only question anyone in British politics can answer right now: what the f**k is going on?
As Labour and the Conservatives collapse into third and fourth place, Rachel explains why the Greens believe they’re becoming the real opposition — and why the political establishment seems terrified of it. From housing developers and billionaire wealth to Reform, immigration, rent controls and whether Keir Starmer has completely lost the plot, this is a conversation about a country that feels like it’s breaking apart in real time.
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 Rachel @millward_rachel
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
13 May 2026, 4:23 am - 1 hour 12 minutesEp 182: What The F Is Going On With Peter Mandelson?
Mark is joined by journalist and columnist Matthew Norman as they discuss the rise and influence of Peter Mandelson, New Labour’s ruthless relationship with the media, how political standards have collapsed over the past 30 years, Mandelson’s reputation for power, spin and survival, the blurred lines between journalism and politics, and why modern British politics now feels closer to oligarchy than democracy. They also get into the psychology of political operators, media manipulation, Reform’s growing influence, and why things may still get worse before they get better.
Also we are pleased to announce the return of George Galloway, Nigel Boulevard and the phone in woman.
For Ad-free episodes, Extended cuts, Early access & bonus content go to:
www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod
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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
4 May 2026, 4:19 am - 59 minutes 34 secondsEp 181 with Mothin Ali (Part 2): We’re Here to Replace Labour
This week Mark continues his conversation with Mothin Ali. If you haven't heard the first part then do go back and listen now but for the rest of you here is the second half of the interview.
Want to get access to the full video interview before anyone else? why not join us on Patreon? For £4 a month you can listen to the whole interview straight away – and you'll also be able to watch it! https://www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod
For media, press & guest enquiries please email [email protected]
Follow What The F*** Is Going On? @wtfisgoingonpod
Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
Follow Mothin @mothin.ali
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
27 April 2026, 4:25 am - 49 minutes 11 secondsEp 181 with Mothin Ali (Part 1): They Tried To Brand Me A Terrorist
Mark is joined by Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali as they discuss the Greens’ breakthrough in Gorton and Denton, Labour’s increasingly desperate attacks, anti-war politics, media smears, why Reform voters aren’t the enemy, the case for rent caps and public ownership, and whether the Green Party can genuinely replace Labour as Britain’s main opposition. They also get into Mothin’s political roots, community organising, and why politics only works when people feel hope again.
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 Twitter @wtfisgoingonpod
Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
Follow Mothin @mothin.ali
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
20 April 2026, 4:38 am - 48 minutes 24 secondsEp 180 with Emma Warren (Part 2): We've Abandoned A Whole Generation!
This week Mark continues his conversation with Emma Warren. If you haven't heard the first part then do go back and listen now but for the rest of you here is the second half of the interview.
Want to get access to the full video interview before anyone else? why not join us on Patreon? For £4 a month you can listen to the whole interview straight away – and you'll also be able to watch it! https://www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod
For media, press & guest enquiries please email [email protected]
Follow What The F*** Is Going On? @wtfisgoingonpod
Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
Follow Emma @_emmalwarren_
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
13 April 2026, 4:26 am - 46 minutes 27 secondsEp 180 with Emma Warren Pt 1: This is what happens when you take away youth services!
Mark is joined by writer and youth worker Emma Warren as they discuss the importance of youth clubs in shaping communities, growing up around grassroots music and culture, how youth services have been systematically dismantled, what happens to young people when those spaces disappear, and why rebuilding youth infrastructure is essential to fixing deeper social problems – and you can buy Emma’s book Up The Youth Club online here: https://amzn.eu/d/0i1SmgQ9
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 Twitter @wtfisgoingonpod
Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
Follow Emma @_emmalwarren_
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
6 April 2026, 4:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App