What The F Is Going On? with Mark Steel

In Part 1, Mark Steel sits down with the legendary man behind River Cottage, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, to figure out what the f*** is going on with our food systems.

Hugh explains how his "cliché" rural life—complete with a private water well and canceling holidays just to plant garlic—connects to a much deeper truth about our hunter-gatherer brains. They explore the catastrophic rise of ultra-processed foods, the supermarkets' refusal to cut sugar, and why teaching cooking in schools is the ultimate form of national healthcare.

Plus, Mark recounts the brutal, warring factions of a small Devon town violently divided over a herd of feral goats.

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

If you enjoyed this episode make sure to order a copy of Hugh’s book “High Fibre Heroes’ which can be purchased here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/high-fibre-heroes-9781526639004/

For media, press & guest enquiries please email mikey@carouselstudios.co.uk

Follow What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel on Instagram @wtfisgoingonpod

Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel

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The conversation continues with Isy Suttie sharing the brutal story of her worst Edinburgh Fringe gig—a 2005 set where an audience member successfully paid her a £20 note passed through the crowd to stop performing. Mark recounts a disastrously misunderstood joke about the Epstein files at a village library, while Isy reflects on her time playing Dobby on Peep Show, from getting her iconic fringe cut to the thrill of throwing a real photocopier down the stairs.

Finally, Isy explains how she wrote a song rhyming "human" with "cumin" in 20 minutes for Taskmaster and delivers her final verdict on why social media is ruining society.

For Ad-free episodes, Extended cuts, Early access & bonus content go to:

⁠www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod⁠

For media, press & guest enquiries please email mikey@carouselstudios.co.uk

Follow What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel on Instagram @wtfisgoingonpod

Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel

Follow Isy @isysuttie
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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".

Isy also dives into stories from her book The Actual One, unpacking the bizarre reality of having to submit a CV to stay in a New York Airbnb, her attempt to kiss men alphabetically, and the societal pressures placed on unmarried women.

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 mikey@carouselstudios.co.uk

Follow What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel on Instagram @wtfisgoingonpod

Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel

Follow Isy @isysuttie
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Last week we had some technical difficulties in the studio so we apologise for the lack of episodes over these couple of weeks.

To help bridge the gap between episodes please enjoy this conversation between Mark and Zack Polanski that was recorded just a few weeks before he was elected leader of the Green Party.

It's an excellent interview and we are giving you the full episode all in one so no need to wait for part 2. It is one of our favourites so please enjoy and we will be back with a brand new episode next Monday!

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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.

We discuss Starmer's fragile political project, his approach to politics as a barrister defending a daily brief, and the absurd smear campaign that attempted to frame Paul as a Russian spy to kill his reporting. Grab your copy of Paul’s book here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-fraud/.

For Ad-free episodes, Extended cuts, Early access & bonus content go to:

⁠www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod⁠

For media, press & guest enquiries please email mikey@carouselstudios.co.uk

Follow What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel on Instagram @wtfisgoingonpod

Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel
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