Ep 188 with Andy Parsons Pt 1: Sport Is Never Just Sport

Ep 188 with Andy Parsons Pt 1: Sport Is Never Just Sport

From What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel by WTF Productions

July 20, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

Mark Steel and Andy Parsons discuss sports, national identity, and Britain's self-perception.

Mark is joined by comedian Andy Parsons for a conversation that starts with Ben Stokes, cricket curfews and Gareth Southgate, before expanding into a much bigger question: why Britain seems permanently disappointed with itself. They discuss entitlement, national identity, satire, Mock The Week, the changing media landscape, Andy Burnham, football, and whether politicians are now too managed to ever become cultural figures in the way they once did. 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 tickets to see Andy on tour go to : https://www.andyparsons.co.uk/ 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 Andy @mrandyparsons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Mark Steel

Guest: Andy Parsons

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mock The Week, WTF Productions, Patreon, Carousel Studios

Places: Britain

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