One of the funniest comedians working today, Mark Steel also has a reputation as being unapologetically political.

He is also incredibly well-informed about the places in which he performs – a notion which has formed the basis of a popular comedy series of its own.

Both those strengths were at the fore in the comic’s return to Oxford – a place which lends itself as easily to comedy digs as a football does to being booted over a wall.

Being a socialist man of the people, Mark makes quick work of our reputation for stuffy academia suggesting the audience are all taking a break from punting or studying to be at this Oxford Playhouse show.

He references such local quirks as the Swindlestock riots, Cutteslowe ‘snob’ walls and our long-standing rivalry with Swindon – recounting with glee that the Wiltshire town had just been revealed to be the country’s most ignorant. This, though, being a Saturday night crowd at the Playhouse, not the Wig & Pen, most of the audience had higher things on their mind than getting one over on that poor benighted town – though cheered nonetheless.

While the local references were plentiful, and unceasingly funny, this was not another Mark Steel’s In Town show. The main focus this time was himself. He tells how, in the past couple of years, we have moved from what we actually thought was a poor state of affairs to a situation which is now intolerable – with a weak government, indecision over Brexit, the election of Trump and, for him, a divorce catapulting him from a life of suburban security into stressful uncertainty.

He does not wallow in misery though; he doesn’t want us to feel sorry for him – just share in his bemusement. He comes across as an uncomplicated soul and has been through a hard time for committing such heinous crimes as failing to stack the dishwasher correctly. His description of a mediation session is painful, genuinely sad but still funny.

Likewise he refuses to get angry with the bigger issues, just finding it all amusing – summoning up an image of David Davies turning up to Brexit talks having forgotten his notes and producing an MOT certificate and a ham sandwich.

“He and Boris Johnson are making the biggest decisions to affect this country for 50 years,” he snorts. “It’s like finding an unexploded bomb and sending round Paul Gascoigne and a kangaroo!”

And it’s not making comedy any easier, he insists, saying that Trump keeps beating the joke writers to it every time he opens his mouth. “Let’s arm teachers... damn it, he’s just said it!”

Steel is lightning fast and knows his crowd. We end up sharing in his sense of overwhelming incredulity but also seeing the humour – and buying into his love of this pluralist, multi-cultural and overwhelmingly tolerant country.

The name of the show was Every Little Thing’s Going To Be Alright, and I, for one, came away thinking that, for once, perhaps it will be. 5/5