CONSERVATIVE comedian Geoff Norcott brings his show ‘Conswervative’ to Bromsgrove’s Artrix next Friday (March 31) and is hoping to fill the venue with dialogue on Brexit, the Scottish referendum, the NHS and everything else in the political spotlight.
Despite growing up on a council estate with two disabled parents – one being his dad, a Trade Unionist – Geoff has somehow ended up leaning to the right.
In the show Geoff, who describes himself as being ‘at the socially liberal end of the Conservative Party’, comes to terms with being ‘a class traitor’ while taking uncompromising stances on issues ranging from depression, benefit fraud and the British obsession with the NHS to why he voted ‘Leave’ in the EU referendum.
Speaking to The Standard he said he started talking about his political views in 2013 and wanted to bring more topical material to his stand-up.
“My wife said it was pretty weird that I had turned out to be a Conservative and suggested I spoke about that.”
Geoff has since written for Channel 4’s Alternative Election Night (2015) and appeared on BBC One’s Live at the Apollo, The Sarah Millican Television Programme, 8 out of 10 Cats and Alan Carr’s Happy Hour.
But he said by far his most daunting role came on BBC’s Question Time.
“I’ve done stand-up in front of hen parties in Birmingham’s Broad Street but sitting next to Diane Abbott on Question Time by far was the most terrifying thing I have done.”
He said the measure of QT’s success and its millions of viewers each week was testament to how the nation was talking about politics like never before.
“Take Brexit for example – that divided the country but it also brought people together – people who would have never mentioned politics before are now regularly talking about it with their family members and friends.”
Essentially stand-up, the show starts with Geoff Speaking about his political views and sees him get into conversation with members of the audience.
“I don’t just do jokes about people opposed to me, I also have a go at my own knowledge black holes and views.”
Three quarters of the way through he even holds a ‘heckle amnesty’ where anyone with opposing views to himself can get their points of view across.
He said from the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition, British politics had started to get more and more intriguing.
“The coalition time was interesting – with the Tories driving the bus and Nick Clegg with one hand on the wheel.”
He admitted he did not know how the Conservatives managed to come out of the agreement so well and the Lib Dems so badly when some of the policies, such as the free school dinners for all infants and the increased Income Tax thresholds were Lib Dem policies.
“The level that Nick Clegg was hated afterwards was one of the most irrational I had ever seen in politics.
“It was unbelievable.”
But he said, with the three main electoral events in the last few years – the general election, the Scottish Referendum and the EU vote – things had become even more fascinating, creating the perfect time for a show like this.
“Any one of those three events could have gone a different way and it would still have been equally as fascinating – we could have had a minority Labour Government, Scotland could have left the UK and we could have voted to stay in the EU – but I doubt the Brexiteers would have shut up or gone away.”
He took his Coswervative show to Edinburgh last year ready for taking it on tour this year.
Geoff said he was excited to be coming to Bromsgrove because the West Midlands had always been an interesting place politically with a good mix of views and he hoped whatever people’s opinions – whether they shared his or were vehemently opposed – residents would join him for the evening.
“You do get some extreme views expressed with things like social media because people on there make the most noise but I do think, in spite of everything, the majority of people in this country are pragmatic and sensible and want what is best for everyone.”
The show, suitable for those 16 and over, starts at 7.30pm in the Artrix studio and tickets are £12 (£10 concessions – over 60s and students).
For tickets or more information, visit www.artrix.co.uk or call 01527 577330.
