Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show — and to our Summer Silly Season! While the team takes a well-earned break until September, we’re serving up mini-episodes to help you make the most of summer, starting with Jump In! This bite-sized audio macchiato features some of London’s funniest stand-up comedians — Kate Sharp, Alex Farrow, and Mark Silcox — who pop into the Comedy Café for iced coffees, heatwave hacks, and a guessing game about the true price of staying cool in the capital.

In Parish Notices, our Summer Correspondent Morgan shares her top summer tip: don’t wait for perfect timing — jump in now! And we spotlight Stephen Peel, whose mission to taste-test over 120 fish and chip shops across Britain became a national headline in the BBC. From deep-fried Mars bars to vinegar-splashed stories, his journey led him home to Green Lane Chippy in Leigh, Greater Manchester — proof that sometimes the best treasure is just around the corner.

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Links

fish and chip tasting tour article

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Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(00:50) Comedy Café

(17:08) Parish Notices

(21:48) Outro

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Credits

Hosted & Executive Produced by Kevin Bennett

Produced & Edited by Alex Graham

Assistant Produced by Adam Wright

Original music by Giles Terera

Music arranged and played by Joseph Atkins