# Ep 184 with Alan Davies Pt 1: Comedy Became My Family

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-f-is-going-on-with-mark-steel-4026372/ep-184-with-alan-davies-pt-1-comedy-became-my-family
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-f-is-going-on-with-mark-steel-4026372/ep-184-with-alan-davies-pt-1-comedy-became-my-family.md
Podcast: [What The F Is Going On? with Mark Steel](https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-f-is-going-on-with-mark-steel-4026372)
Published: 2026-05-25T04:38:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR2894594106.mp3
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR2894594106.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-the-f-is-going-on-with-mark-steel-4026372/episodes/ep-184-with-alan-davies-pt-1-comedy-became-my-family
Duration seconds: 3032

## Resource

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 mikey@carouselstudios.co.uk 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

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## Transcript

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