{"id":185234,"date":"2023-09-30T23:55:18","date_gmt":"2023-09-30T23:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/?p=185234"},"modified":"2023-09-30T23:55:18","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T23:55:18","slug":"how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/","title":{"rendered":"How Geoff Norcott a working class Tory made it to the top of lefty comedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Geoff Norcott was eight when he got his first laugh on stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at a holiday camp on the Isle Of Wight,\u201d the affable comedian recalls. \u201cIt was a best cowboy competition. The other kids were introducing themselves as \u2018Clint from Texas\u2019 or \u2018Hank from Arizona\u2019, but when they asked me, I said, \u2018I’m Geoff from Essex\u2019 and all the mums and dads laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the noise of that laughter, and remember thinking it was great.\u201d Norcott, 46, is generally referred to as \u201cthe Conservative-supporting funnyman\u201d although his stand-up isn\u2019t particularly political.<\/p>\n

Being Tory was seen as such an aberration when he emerged on the comedy circuit that he had to be categorised. When he first appeared on Question Time in 2017, being a working-class Conservative-voting comedian was as rare as a Vestal Virgin on Love Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get much stick off other comics \u2013 I\u2019ve been on the circuit for years,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m not confrontational, I\u2019m trying to keep everybody in the room, left or right.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an exciting challenge to tell jokes that work for most people in the audience.\u201d Like many Conservative voters Geoff says he\u2019s \u201ca little disillusioned\u201d with how recent years have played out.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut do I want to rejoin that huge, opaque organisation that is the EU? The answer is no,\u201d he adds. The former teacher is likeably blokeish.<\/p>\n

Indeed, his new book, The British Bloke Decoded<\/em>, sets out to explain and defend this unprotected sub-species, exploring the joys of beer, male friendship and, unexpectedly, Mary Poppins.<\/p>\n

So what is a bloke? \u201cHe\u2019s a dependable rank and file of the human male, the standard husband, father, uncle or brother who tries his best\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Blokes are generally content. \u201cGive a bloke a dressing gown, some Twiglets and an obscure Bundesliga football match and he can sit happily for hours,\u201d says Geoff who\u2019s celebrating these overlooked everyday heroes on his Basic Bloke tour.<\/p>\n

He claims to be \u201cat the median point of blokery\u201d, being medium height (5ft 8in) and weight (13st 7lb) with \u201cdecidedly average\u201d size 9 feet.<\/p>\n

His favourite sport is football, his favourite comedy is Only Fools & Horses. Geoff is average in every way, except for his success as a stand-up.<\/p>\n

READ MORE <\/strong> Romesh Ranganathan admits he can only watch himself back \u2018on mute\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Norcott\u2019s father was a BT draughtsman and an active trade unionist. His parents divorced when he was nine and his mother brought up the siblings on a council estate in Mitcham south London.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was talkative at school,\u201d he says. \u201cI thought I was funny but it wasn\u2019t until university that I met another lad and we started taking the mick with alternative biographies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their character-based double act was as Russian dissidents called The Boobka Brothers. \u201cNothing like I do now.\u201d His pal Neil pulled out ahead of their headlining gig at Wimbledon Studio Theatre, however. \u201cWe\u2019d done a few gigs but he didn\u2019t want to perform.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d booked the theatre and decided to do it myself. I filled the place out, about 100 people, and just blagged it. It wasn\u2019t a complete disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graduating from Goldsmiths college with a degree in English, Geoff worked in advertising sales before training to be an English teacher.<\/p>\n

For a while in the early Noughties, he juggled teaching and stand-up. \u201cI was like the world\u2019s crappiest superhero,\u201d he laughs. \u201cI had to stop in service stations and gents\u2019 toilet and change from a tweed jacket to a t-shirt, like a rubbish Clark Kent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d drive to Plymouth for a gig and get home at 3am. I was doing two or three gigs a week and driving 50,000 miles a year. I did once fall asleep in front of a class.<\/p>\n

When I asked them what they\u2019d done while I was asleep they said \u2018Nothing!\u2019. \u201cI found that disappointing because in my school days someone would have drawn genitals on a sleeping teacher\u2019s face.\u201d<\/p>\n

His worst-ever gig was \u201cthe final of Comedian of the Year,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI got slow handclapped. On the way home my wife Emma was as white as a sheet because I\u2019d just handed in my notice as a teacher. “<\/p>\n

“She was very quiet on the drive back.\u201d Norcott never had a breakout comedy moment. \u201cFor me, everything was a long graft. It was small things, an extra show here, bigger venues.\u201d<\/p>\n

His first paid gig was in Manchester \u2013 \u00a340 for a ten-minute spot. 21 years on, he\u2019s just played his third sold-out run at Edinburgh Fringe, packing out the Underbelly for a fortnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would\u2019ve been inconceivable four years ago”.Geoff\u2019s first break-through was getting booked for three months on the Jongleurs comedy club chain in 2007, but perhaps his smartest move came six years later when he decided to take a riskier approach to his comedy, and, at his wife\u2019s suggestion, outed himself as a pro-Brexit Conservative voter at the Leicester Comedy festival.<\/p>\n

He was booked on Question Time \u201cfor the novelty factor\u201d, leading to lucrative appearances on Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo, four years as the voice of sanity on The Mash Report, and his 2019 authored documentary, How The Middle-Class Ruined Britain, which skewered fashionable hypocrisy.<\/p>\n

In 2021, Geoff published his first book Where Did I Go Right, subtitled How the Left Lost Me. It was Baroness Thatcher\u2019s message of self-reliance and aspiration that connected with him.<\/p>\n

Don’t miss… <\/strong>
Queen Camilla writes poem to famous celebrity as she launches new competition[ROYAL] <\/strong>
11 hours of chaos as train passengers dumped 185 miles from destination[LATEST] <\/strong>
Dawn French admits she’s ignored warnings not to go on tour by her surgeon[INSIGHT] <\/strong><\/p>\n

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n

\u201cShe gave working-class people the idea that you\u2019ve got agency, you can make your life better.\u201d Geoff, who was awarded an Operational Service Medal for five frontline tours supporting British troops in Afghanistan, believes our comedy scene is improving.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the healthiest it\u2019s been for a long time,\u201d he says. \u201cI can do the News Quiz with Simon Evans\u201d \u2013 a GB News regular \u2013 \u201cand Andy Zaltzman, who is a brilliant host. There\u2019s a vibrancy about both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up, he admired the late Dave Allen \u2013 \u201cone of the most under-rated comedians, he did sketches, jokes, characters, stories, topical material\u2026that\u2019s what I\u2019m aiming for, that ambition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he rates hard-hitting Canadian stand-up Tom Stade \u2013 \u201cyou see the audience gasp\u201d. Home for the Norcotts and their young son Sebastian is in a bucolic Cambridgeshire village.<\/p>\n

Geoff may be a workaholic comedy obsessive, but, as Emma testifies, he\u2019s quite good at getting up and making breakfast.<\/p>\n

They met in 2002 at a hard house night at London\u2019s Camden Palace \u2013 \u201cA classic case of 150 beats-per-minute, boy meets girl\u2026\u201d \u2013 and celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to renew our vows and have a big party,\u201d he beams. \u201cI might even get to DJ. I\u2019ve got a set of decks and I play hard, banging music. My two dogs slope off downstairs when I start.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as house, techno and trance, he enjoys \u201cfootball and cricket, curry, lager and KFC\u2026I love a good box set, I can watch forty hours of the same show if it\u2019s as good as Better Call Saul. But I find with a lot of TV now the \u2018message\u2019 is front and centre\u2019 ahead of character and story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Current irritations include news that Snow White is being \u201cre-imagined\u201d by Disney. \u201cIf you think Snow White is so terrible, don\u2019t make a Snow White film!\u201d he says, exasperated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese re-writes show contempt for the source material. Just make something different, something new!\u201d<\/p>\n

Geoff also finds time for his popular comedy podcast called What Most People Think, with guests ranging from Mark Steel to Dominic Frisby via David Baddiel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never had a bad experience with podcast fans,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re so enthusiastic. They quote parts of it back to me. I\u2019ve even had a couple who were actually listening to the podcast when they saw me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The constant need for content is exhausting, he says, but he carries on regardless, like the reliable, regular bloke he is.<\/p>\n

*Geoff Norcott\u2019s latest national live tour, Basic Bloke, runs until April 27, 2024; The British Bloke Decoded is out now. geoffnorcott.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Geoff Norcott was eight when he got his first laugh on stage. \u201cI was at a holiday camp on the Isle Of Wight,\u201d the affable comedian recalls. \u201cIt was a best cowboy competition. The other kids were introducing themselves as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":185233,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Geoff Norcott a working class Tory made it to the top of lefty comedy - Indiansapidnews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Geoff Norcott a working class Tory made it to the top of lefty comedy - Indiansapidnews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Geoff Norcott was eight when he got his first laugh on stage. \u201cI was at a holiday camp on the Isle Of Wight,\u201d the affable comedian recalls. \u201cIt was a best cowboy competition. The other kids were introducing themselves as...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Indiansapidnews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-30T23:55:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Geoff-Norcott-a-working-class-Tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy-.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/\",\"name\":\"How Geoff Norcott a working class Tory made it to the top of lefty comedy - Indiansapidnews.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-30T23:55:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-30T23:55:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Celebrity\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/category\/celebrity\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"How Geoff Norcott a working class Tory made it to the top of lefty comedy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/\",\"name\":\"Indiansapidnews.com\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\",\"name\":\"mediabest\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"mediabest\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Geoff Norcott a working class Tory made it to the top of lefty comedy - Indiansapidnews.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Geoff Norcott a working class Tory made it to the top of lefty comedy - Indiansapidnews.com","og_description":"Geoff Norcott was eight when he got his first laugh on stage. \u201cI was at a holiday camp on the Isle Of Wight,\u201d the affable comedian recalls. \u201cIt was a best cowboy competition. The other kids were introducing themselves as...","og_url":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/","og_site_name":"Indiansapidnews.com","article_published_time":"2023-09-30T23:55:18+00:00","author":"mediabest","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Geoff-Norcott-a-working-class-Tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy-.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"mediabest","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/","url":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/","name":"How Geoff Norcott a working class Tory made it to the top of lefty comedy - Indiansapidnews.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-09-30T23:55:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-30T23:55:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/celebrity\/how-geoff-norcott-a-working-class-tory-made-it-to-the-top-of-lefty-comedy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Celebrity","item":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/category\/celebrity\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How Geoff Norcott a working class Tory made it to the top of lefty comedy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/","name":"Indiansapidnews.com","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609","name":"mediabest","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"mediabest"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185234"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185234\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}