Geoff Norcott is no stranger to performing for crowds who don’t agree with him. However, Norcott knows that with humour, even those we disagree with can be more agreeable when they make us laugh. As a political commentator and award-winning comedian, Geoff has spent his career learning how humour and politics interact. Even in the most polarising political climates, Norcott has seen laughter bring folks together.
Norcott says that being relatable to more people is what brings political and comedic success. Both political success and success on the comedy stage are built on the relationships you make with your audience. Norcott knows that humour is the best way to build lasting rapport with the people, whether you’re running for Prime Minister or performing at the Edinburgh festival.
“If you look at the all the recent prime ministers that have struggled to sort of strike up a rapport with the British public, it’s been a lack of humour in a way.”
In addition to bringing people together and building rapport, Norcott knows that humour can be key for coping with difficult situations. When times get tough, he knows that laughter is a way to bring lightness.
“If you define humour as a coping mechanism, you sort of a smile in the face of chaos. I think that the more difficult your life is, the more important humour becomes.”
To hear more of Geoff Norcott’s insights on breaking down expectations and building up rapport, listen to this week’s episode of The Humourology Podcast.
You can find out more about the multi-award-winning Geoff Norcott here:
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Geoff is touring all over Britain in 2023. Find his Basic Bloke tour dates here
In 2021, Geoff published his superb memoir entitled Where Did I Go Right?. In which he unpicks his working-class upbringing and his political journey.
It was great to share Geoff’s political perspective and punchlines on the podcast. Even though he rare amongst the comedy community for his declaration that he dresses politically to the right, he is pretty even-handed when it comes to taking the piss out of everyone in politics.
If you enjoy the interview, please take a moment to like, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
See you next Tuesday.
Warmest,
Paul x
