Geoff Norcott: Basic Bloke
The right-wing funnyman with a sharp take on politics
On this his sixth UK tour, Geoff Norcott will be trying to make sense of the current cultural and political scene with his playfully provocative brand of humour. Whether it’s the dire blandness of the two main parties or the shamelessly shoe-horned right-on messages in adverts and films, Geoff will continue to tread in areas much of comedy leaves well alone. But this time around he also has a mission. As well as casting his everyman eye over what’s happening in wider society, Geoff is trying to unpick what’s happening with your average bloke. Remember them?
It’s been a rough couple of years for blokes. Toxic masculinity has grabbed all the headlines and ruined it for your standard model, who have been put under the microscope like never before. At first glance, there’s not much to examine–there’s no Bloke 2.0. Taking up his own bloke’s-eye-view, Geoff can see that despite the social media vortex, your man in the street, average Joe, man on the Clapham Omnibus and your John Smiths just keep plodding on, fuelled by a diet of football, sheds, super-hero films, sporting autobiographies, wearing socks at all times and strategically burying feelings when necessary. However, under the paraphernalia of manhood and the sometimes basic, even primal, behaviour of dads and lads, Geoff can see that there is something mysterious and definitely non-toxic going on.
A kindly and funny stock-take of both himself and his fellow man, BASIC BLOKE unlocks some of the more complicated behaviour of your husbands, dads and brothers.
After getting an English degree from the University of London, Geoff Norcott became a teacher. He first stepped on stage as a stand-up in 2001 to earn extra money and was quickly hooked. A self-proclaimed conservative comic, he often incorporates elements from his time as an educator into his material.
Over the years, Norcott brought many successful shows to the Edinburgh Fringe, including 2013’s Geoff Norcott Occasionally Sells Out, 2015’s The Look Of Moron and 2016’s Conservative, which he later took on his first national tour. He turned his 2017 show, Right Leaning But Well Meaning, into a Radio 4 special and scored a BBC Radio & Music Award for Best Comedy Production. Two more sell-out national tours followed – Traditionalism in 2018 and Taking Liberties in 2020.
The Times have said Norcott “sets himself apart from the liberal commentariat with a sharp self-knowing wit”.
Along with stand-up, Norcott also has an impressive list of TV credits to his name. While he’s best known for his role as a correspondent on The Mash Report, he’s also appeared on Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo, The Last Leg, Would I Lie To You? and 8 Out Of 10 Cats. Plus, Norcott can regularly be seen as a pundit on Question Time, Politics Live and All Out Politics and he’s written numerous pieces for The Daily Telegraph and The New Statesman.
