Mark Steel Returns to Edinburgh Fringe with Brand-New Show
One of Britain's most celebrated comedians is heading back to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer, with Mark Steel bringing his brand-new live show What The F** Is Going On?* to the Assembly Rooms for a limited run from 6–16 August.
Performing daily at 4:45pm in the Ballroom, the award-winning writer and comedian promises 90 minutes of razor-sharp observations, gloriously exasperated storytelling and his trademark ability to find clarity amid complete chaos as he attempts to answer one increasingly urgent question: what on earth is going on?
Inspired by the much-loved format of his acclaimed BBC Radio 4 series Mark Steel's In Town, the new show sees Steel swap individual towns for something rather more ambitious – the entire state of the world.
In Mark Steel's In Town, the multi-award-winning comedian travels the country explaining the quirks, contradictions and character of Britain's towns with warmth and wit. This time, he turns his attention to global events, attempting to make sense of what he describes as the "crazy fruitbat bonkers eruptions of infuriating insanity" that seem to arrive daily.
His mission? To calmly and gently yell in exasperation until everything finally makes sense, allowing audiences to leave the theatre in a blissful state of wellbeing, never to be troubled by the world's absurdities ever again.
Whether or not that's possible, Steel's audiences can certainly expect his trademark combination of political satire, intelligent observation and infectious enthusiasm that has made him one of the UK's most respected comic voices.
Over a career spanning decades, Steel has established himself as one of Britain's finest writers and broadcasters. A Sony Award and Writers' Guild Award winner, he is best known for Mark Steel's In Town, widely regarded as one of Radio 4's greatest comedy programmes and voted the sixth-best radio comedy series of all time.
His television work includes presenting the BAFTA-nominated Mark Steel Lectures for BBC Two, while he remains a familiar face to audiences through regular appearances on BBC One's Have I Got News for You and BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz.
Alongside his broadcasting career, Steel is also an acclaimed author, with books including Reasons to Be Cheerful and What's Going On?, as well as the award-winning audiobook Who Do I Think I Am?, which was later adapted into a successful Audible production.
His return to Edinburgh comes during an extraordinary period in his career. Steel has recently been touring The Leopard in My House, the stage adaptation of his best-selling memoir chronicling his battle with throat cancer. The production has resonated deeply with audiences across the UK, earning widespread praise and extending into June 2026 following phenomenal demand.
Now, with What The F** Is Going On?*, Steel returns to what he does best: taking the bewildering complexities of modern life and transforming them into brilliantly crafted comedy.
At a time when the news cycle seems increasingly impossible to keep up with, few comedians are better equipped to untangle the madness than Mark Steel. Audiences can expect an afternoon of intelligent, insightful and laugh-out-loud funny stand-up from a comic whose ability to make sense of the seemingly senseless remains as sharp as ever.
What The F** Is Going On?* runs at Assembly Rooms, Ballroom, from 6–16 August at 4:45pm. Tickets are on sale now.