Mark Watson's Live Address To The Nation

Episodes

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Ambition20110228Brand new pilot from Mark Watson where he continues his quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden and with the additional help of the listening audience as we broadcast live and invite them to join in.

Mark will be asking the big questions that are crucial to our understanding of ourselves and society - in a dynamic and thought provoking new format he opens the floor to the live audience and invites them to jump into the conversation via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.

This week Mark looks at 'Ambition' - is it always positive thing to be ambitiously reaching for the stars, even if those stars are way out of our galaxy? Or should we sometimes be a bit more humble and accept our shortcomings.

Mark Watson is a multi award winning comedian, including the inaugural If.Comedy Panel Prize 2006. He is assisted by Tim Key, winner of Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2009 and Tom Basden who won the the If.Comedy Award for Best Newcomer 2007.

Mark Watson continues his quest to improve the world and invites you to join in...LIVE.

Mark Watson's quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden

01Strength20111102

Multi-award winning comedian, Mark Watson reignites his quest to improve the world,

As first broadcast live in November 2011 - he invites the audience join in via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.

He's nimbly assisted by:

Tim Key
Tom Basden.

Asking the big questions crucial to our understanding of ourselves and society - Mark kicks off with a look at "Strength".

Strength comes in many forms. We all need to be strong sometimes in life, whether we're dealing with an emotional fall-out or carrying a really heavy dog to the vet's. Some have inner strength, like people who survive divorce etc; some have outer strength, like guys who pull buses with their teeth in competitions.

But can strength be - ironically - a weakness? Strength can have its downsides. Our fondness for displays of strength has led to disastrous episodes like wars breaking out and 'Gladiators' being brought back. Mr Strong, in the Mr Men books, got strong by eating a barn full of eggs, but must have suffered terrible side-effects. How can we be strong, but remain human?

Producer: Lianne Coop.

First broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.

Can having strength ever make us weak? Mark Watson's quest to improve the world.

Mark Watson's quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden

02Faith20111109

Mark Watson continues his quest to improve the world.

As broadcast live in November 2011 - he invites the audience join in via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.

He's nimbly assisted by:

Tim Key
Tom Basden.

Asking the big questions crucial to our understanding of ourselves and society - this time Mark asks - What is faith?

Its one of the most used, and feared, words of modern times. Yet these days, it's often used derisively about religious beliefs and so on.

Mark looks at odd things done in the name of 'faith', versus the obvious merits of having faith (belief that England will eventually win World Cup, ability to ride out difficult marriages).

Should we be more credulous and believe people like estate agents? Or LESS credulous and destroy our TV sets altogether in case we accidentally absorb lies?

Producer: Lianne Coop.

First broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.

Could we all use more or less faith? Mark Watson's quest to improve the world.

Mark Watson's quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden

03Intelligence20111116

Mark Watson continues his quest to improve the world.

As broadcast live in November 2011 - he invites the audience join in via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.

He's nimbly assisted by:

Tim Key
Tom Basden.

This time Mark looks at "Intelligence".

A certain amount of intelligence is pretty useful - but are we sometimes too smart for our own good? Without the ability to reflect and calculate, we would all be setting fire to our shoes and buying those novels about women who shop and have relationship issues.

Yet intelligence has been something of a curse to many. Galileo was tortured for knowing more about science than the church leaders, and Paxman sighs an awful lot when he's hosting University Challenge.

Producer: Lianne Coop.

First broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.

Can intelligence ever be a curse? Mark Watson's quest to improve the world. With Tim Key.

Mark Watson's quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden

04Passion20111123

Mark Watson continues his quest to improve the world.

As broadcast live in November 2011 - he invites the audience join in via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.

He's nimbly assisted by:

Tim Key
Tom Basden.

This time Mark looks at "Passion"

Passion encompasses some of our most human qualities: emotion, energy desire. But is it a dangerous thing? In their hit Desire, U2 sang: 'Desire!/Desire!' But that isn't hugely helpful, that's just repeating the word over and over again. So we'll go into a bit more detail.

We are all passionate about something, whether it's sex, personal satisfaction, or sexy personal satisfaction. Without passion we're inert.

But with passion, we can sometimes be all too ert. Where do we draw the line between normal passions, and being one of these guys like Othello who let themselves down and kill a girl over a hanky?

Producer: Lianne Coop.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.

Is passion a dangerous thing? Mark Watson resumes his quest to improve the world.

Mark Watson's quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden

05Tolerance20111130

Mark Watson continues his quest to improve the world.

As broadcast live in November 2011 - he invites the audience join in via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.

He's nimbly assisted by:

Tim Key
Tom Basden.

This time Mark looks at "Tolerance".

Religious tolerance, moral tolerance, not striking the person next to you on the bus because they haven't worked out you can send a text without your phone beeping every time you press a key.

It's important to tolerate others' faults, their little quirks, and their massive despicable crimes. But can tolerance make us into doormats, allowing evil to thrive? Probably. Shame, that.

Producer: Lianne Coop.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.

Can tolerance turn people into doormats?

Mark Watson's quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden

06Goodwill20111207

Mark Watson concludes his quest to improve the world.

As broadcast live in December 2011 - he invites the audience join in via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.

He's nimbly assisted by:

Tim Key
Tom Basden.

This time Mark looks at "Goodwill".

Quite a few years ago Matt Damon and Robin Williams went Good Will Hunting. Now Mark and co finish the job by finding it, as the final show takes on a festive aspect.

What is goodwill?

How we can incorporate it into our lives?

Is it better than ill-will? (SPOILER: it is).

Producer: Lianne Coop.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2011.

In search of seasonal goodwill, Mark Watson continues his quest to improve the world.

Mark Watson's quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden