The brilliant Rachel Fairburn returns and I ask how she feels about having a fellow Northerner in Number ten. We react to Burnham's big speech and whether he's secretly prepping to hammer the south. We also evaluate some of the possible choices for chancellor (no boats being floated here either). Then we talk about Thomas Tuchel and the welcome return of brutal feedback. In the patron only section we look at the exponential rise of kids with anxiety and ask whether everyone needs to crack on and...
Jun 30, 2026•46 min
This episode is coming round faster than usual, but then again so is politics! A fascinating PMQs where lame duck Kier seemed to want knockabout fun but Kemi hadn't quite got the memo and delivered some withering lines about his soon to be successor. I also look at Andy Burnham suddenly finding he needs to get his duck in a row very quickly and also ask if Nigel's getting ratty because he'd rather be back on the telly. JOIN the Podcast Patreon and receive each episode early, AD-FREE & with b...
Jun 25, 2026•38 min
Keir Starmer was good enough to announce his departure just moments before this record, so catch me and Simon Evans processing the news (even though it's been obvious for months). We discuss Keir's tear-jerker moment (Keir-jerker?) and evaluate his claim that it's all gone swimmingly. Then we move onto to discussing how Andy Burnham will any different and will he give Donald Trump a bowl of Scouse. In the Patron only the chat turns to Katie Hopkins being lobbed out of an East End pub by the tole...
Jun 23, 2026•50 min
So Burnham did it and is coming for Keir's job... though not according to some of the strange people in Keir's bunker. Will Starmer sit tight or go gracefully? Also a good night for the Tories and a bad one for Reform (not something anyone has said in about five years). I also discuss why England fans are the funniest at the World Cup and why vegetarian food should cost much less. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.livenation.co.uk/...
Jun 19, 2026•36 min
The smooth voiced legend Dom Frisby returns to discuss Andy Burnham possibly winning a group stage game and getting straight into the World Cup final. We also discuss Keir's social media policy: concerned dad or PM on his way out looking for a legacy. In the Patron we have a very interesting chat about Elon becoming a millionaire plus how Kim Kong Un could end up dating Ursula Von Der Leyen. JOIN the Podcast Patreon and receive each episode early, AD-FREE & with bonus content https://www.pat...
Jun 16, 2026•44 min
After a brief interlude of non govt news, Starmer is back in the doo-doo as his defence secretary's shock resignation. I also wonder where the hell Rachel Reeves gets her confidence and why no-one's that interested in that fact we might effectively have a new PM next week. Elsewhere I thank Ben Stokes for generating interest in cricket and there's some gold old fashioned woke nonsense from Threads. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www...
Jun 12, 2026•33 min
I'm back from Ibiza and Stevenage's own Jacob Hawley joins me to look at Starmer's new policy on social media (and whether clinging on to power is the first impressive thing he's done). We then talk about the increasingly ridiculous Lewis Hamilton claiming that being a billionaire is wrong but being a half-billionaire is ok. In the Patron only section we list all the reasons the World Cup is going to be rubbish. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets her...
Jun 09, 2026•48 min
I don't often record another episode so shortly after the main show, but like many of you I'd imagine I was so moved by Henry Nowak's dad and his response to the sentencing of his son's murderer, plus all the ways Henry was let down by the police. There was also the further release of more Mandelson files, but these were more about internal Labour Party squabbles, though some which were pretty salacious... CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: htt...
Jun 03, 2026•34 min
Jon Kogan makes a welcome debut to WMPT this week. Jon works with a lot of guys on the 'dark side' of comedy and is also a lovely bloke. We got into the whiff about Nicola 'I'm not a victim' Sturgeon's tale of victimhood. We also briefly consider whether anyone will let Starmer speak in public again. Then it's onto discussing falling birth-rates, which ends up in a jaw-dropping revelation about Japanese game shows. In the Patron only section, we discuss exactly what Kemi Badenoch's 'Five C's' mi...
Jun 02, 2026•46 min
Seann Walsh returns for this episode and had a right laugh discussing what the equivalent of Starmer's defenstration would be in comedy. We also chat about toxic/irritating fandoms and whether it's ever ok for football fans to do the 'electric slide'. In the Patron only Seann delivers an EPIC 'Death story' for the ages. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.livenation.co.uk/geoff-norcott-tickets-adp1252793 JOIN the Podcast Patreon and ...
May 26, 2026•43 min
This week was an interesting one for Keir Starmer as he had to get used to his place on the political cuck-chair, whilst also fielding good news on inflation at the same time as dodgy news around Russian oil. Wes Streeting is campaigning hard and seems to be one of those rejoiners who thinks the EU still has that magic wand. There's also discussion of Rachel Reeve's run-in with a white van man and Robert Jenrick getting a drive-by off a Lib Dem. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Blo...
May 21, 2026•40 min
Our man in France Ian Moore makes a welcome return to get me out of my echo-chamber. We discuss whether Starmer was betrayed by his colleagues or just a bit crap. We also chat about Andy Burnham's belief that poverty only exists in the North of England. We then ask if high speed 4G heralded a decline in birth-rates. In the Patron only section we discuss the Nineties and whether nostalgia for that era is out of hand. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets...
May 19, 2026•46 min
I dunno about you, but I'm struggling to keep up with all the melodrama in the Labour Party. In this episode I recap everything that's happened in the last few days, from the weird coffee with Starmer & Wes, to Kemi flaming the Labour front-bench, Rayner getting cleared and Andy Burnham finally finding a seat on the train of democracy! CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.livenation.co.uk/geoff-norcott-tickets-adp1252793 JOIN the ...
May 15, 2026•35 min
The very funny Scott Bennett joins me to discuss the growing black hole that is Keir Starmer's career and whether the alternatives are any better. Even as we were chatting Keir's big speech seemed to be landing like a stone with Labour MPs. We also talk about the striking keffiyeh wearing teachers who were seen getting a telling off from their own students. In the Patron only, Scott gives a death story for the ages. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets...
May 12, 2026•51 min
A rare Saturday upload as I've taken a while to digest all of the 'seismic' election results. Will Starmer stumble on? Are Reform on course to run Britain? Are the Tories 'green shoots' just cress? Will the Greens ever realise they too are divisive? All this and more in a local election special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 09, 2026•33 min
Given it's a big political week I got the big dog himself, Iain Dale, in to help summarise the stakes for the main parties (of which there are a lot). Will this be the tipping point for Keir? The graduation moment for Reform or the day the nutty Greens arrive as a national force? (even though it's supposed to be local). We also discuss my brush with the Karens and in the Patron only whether we lost friends during the Brexit years. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire...
May 06, 2026•46 min
Plenty to catch up on after Morgan Mcsweeney turned out to be a terrible super-villain, Keir needed to sit down in a darkened room and dodgy Nigel was caught out on donations. I also chat about people thinking Reform are extreme and whether the King might have a new career in front of him. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.livenation.co.uk/geoff-norcott-tickets-adp1252793 JOIN the Podcast Patreon and receive each episode early, AD-...
May 01, 2026•33 min
With the King visiting the US amid febrile times and another assassination attempt, Erich McElroy returns to give his view on politics stateside. Closer to home Keir Starmer is getting more Boris comparisons than he's comfortable with and might yet have to face the same privileges panel! In the Patron only we talk about being pathetic modern dads who cry at everything. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.livenation.co.uk/geoff-norcot...
Apr 28, 2026•47 min
Plenty to mop up from the week. From devastating articles to even Pat Mcfadden not rowing in behind him, it's fair to say Starmer is close to being read his last rites. If that wasn't bad enough, Diane Abbott has been appearing on more TV shows than Bradley Walsh as she prepares to dance on his grave. In other news Reform have said we're not positive enough about Britain, but also that every school needs a portrait of the king. Hmmm. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without F...
Apr 24, 2026•35 min
Francis Foster joins me to pick the bones out of several days of chaos for our glorious PM. From the revelations in the Guardian, to his painful address in the commons down and then Olly Robbins testimony, we ask whether it's damaged him or confirmed what people already thought. Also - as Francis has a book on teaching coming out - we look at the govt's u-turn on banning mobile phones in schools. In the Patron only we react to Nigel Farage's surprising broadside against online racists. CATCH ME ...
Apr 21, 2026•49 min
In this breaking news episode I discuss some eye-catching research which suggests young women are more hostile to young men than the other way around! I also chat about a BBC sting where people have so keen to pretend they're gay they've been doing selfies with Peter Tatchell. And Keir Starmer - prior to the news about Mandelson's appointment breaking after I recored - was in surprisingly chipper mood. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https:/...
Apr 16, 2026•39 min
Delighted to have Mark Nelson back on this week as we ponder everything from Sadiq looking for more ways to tax people to why Scottish politics is in its 'Post Pete Sampras' era. We also chat about a good old fashioned bit of woke nonsense as Sabrina Carpenter gets in trouble for not knowing Arabic chants from yodelling. In the Patron only Mark gives us a death story with a real twist. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.livenation.c...
Apr 14, 2026•48 min
The genial Alun Cochrane makes a welcome return as we discuss the starter gun being fired on local elections. We wonder whether the triple-lock is sustainable (whilst also knowing we're risking the wrath of boomers). Then we ask how Keir Starmer thinks not getting into a war will translate into votes for local govt. Also, what's a good/bad night for the Tories? No-one knows. In the Patron only we discuss the little sh*ts ram-raiding shops and what to do about it. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke...
Apr 07, 2026•50 min
Please excuse the Carry On style title, but who doesn't love suggestive submarine based humour? I discuss the Labour MP with a thing for torpedos. In more serious matters, I reflect on Starmer trying to seem like a war-time leader, Robert Jenrick trying to seem like Jet 2 and the Tories coming off like a kid's cartoon. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.livenation.co.uk/geoff-norcott-tickets-adp1252793 JOIN the Podcast Patreon and r...
Apr 03, 2026•38 min
Tom Walker returns to discuss another BBC presenter scandal as mystery surrounds the sacking of Scott Mills. We ask what the hell is going on with these presenter types? We also celebrate the long overdue changes in non-crime hate incidents and why Trump's Iran policy is like waiting for something to download. In the Patron only section we consider why bad comedy makes people more angry than bad consumer affairs programmes. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book...
Apr 01, 2026•47 min
I discuss the 'far-fetched' belief that two of the dodgiest people in politics might have done something dodgy with their mobile phones. I also ponder whether Keir Starmer actually is the least sh*t option Labour has. I then talk about Reform doing two bad things and one good. There's also chat about the mental decision to drop an episode of Repair Shop due to some 'sexist' jokes. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.livenation.co.uk/...
Mar 27, 2026•38 min
Simon Evans is back this week as we ponder why no-one seems especially rattled by the possibility of missiles hitting London and financial armageddon. We also look at yet more research showing white working-class boys are falling behind academically and yet more apathy from those who should care about such things. In the Patron only we discuss the launch of SNL UK and how comedy became a culture war issue. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: htt...
Mar 25, 2026•48 min
A lot to unpack from the week: Starmer avoiding questions like I avoid service stations without a Greggs, Rayner on maneouvres, Davey's dodgy dance moves and the comedy radar of Donald J Trump. I also have another rant about men getting their shirts off in TV shows. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.livenation.co.uk/geoff-norcott-tickets-adp1252793 JOIN the Podcast Patreon and receive each episode early, AD-FREE & with bonus co...
Mar 20, 2026•38 min
This week Marcus Brigstocke makes a welcome return as we delve into revelations which suggest Keir Starmer is above all else a bit weird. We also wonder if - in the current hyper-active media landscape - a Margaret Thatcher could emerge. We move onto discuss Louis Theroux's new documentary about the manosphere, laughing at the some of the muppets in it but also remembering that it exists for a reason. In the Patron only we talk about plans to have signs warning people of AI content. CATCH ME ON ...
Mar 17, 2026•52 min
The brilliant Andrew Doyle returns to talk about coping with bad news and the prospect of everything getting more expensive. We discuss how non-interventionalist Trump intervening in everything is going down with the MAGA base. We also wonder if the war might save Keir's Job. Then it's a chat about the lack of working-class writers in TV and why female characters all end up being super-heroes. CATCH ME ON MY TOUR ‘Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire’. Book tickets here: https://www.live...
Mar 10, 2026•54 min
