Book Review: The British Bloke Decoded, by Geoff Norcott

Description

If you see a man drinking a pint in an airport pub alone, that’s a bloke.
If you see a man driving to the tip on a Saturday morning with a smile on his face, that’s a bloke.
And if you see a man heading back from the tip and on the way to the pub,
that’s a very happy bloke.

The British Bloke appears simple and straightforward. He loves football, cricket, beer and sheds. But beneath that simple exterior lies a mysterious and complex being…

In The British Bloke Decoded, writer, comedian and regular bloke, Geoff Norcott, peels back the layers of blokedom, revealing the truth behind the behaviour of Britain’s husbands, dads, brothers and friends. He dives into the value of banter, the roots of mansplaining, the near impossibility of getting blokes to send birthday cards, and whether there could be a medal system for vacuuming.

Based on 46 years of intensive field research and semi-scientific insights, this book is a celebration of the simple British bloke in all his splendour.

My Review

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book and to Anne Cater for organising this Random Things Tours blog tour.

Geoff Norcott covers various topics related to the sort of working/lower middle class masculinity I suspect many of us are used to. Likes beer, sports, and women, set in their ways, struggle to show emotions that aren’t lust or anger, except when their mum dies, is somewhat involved with their kids, more than their dads were at least, and expects a medal for doing the washing up.

They develop from ‘lads’ when they settle down and might eventually become a ‘chap’ with age. I certainly have a few of those in my life. Some of them developed a bit of empathy and became decent human beings, eventually. Some earlier than others. Some still have a way to go. The vast majority of blokes seem to be stuck in this middle phase and are quite happy with it. They don’t have to wash the pots that often, after all.

Norcott attempts to explain the strange behaviours of this set of British men, using amusing observation and a bit of science (and pseudoscience), and especially seems to believe that men are meant to ‘provide and protect’, and that it is from this that the behaviours of the ‘bloke’ are derived.

Even if they’re an improvement on their own fathers, this still leaves a lot to be desired in blokes. Norcott encourages them to improve themselves, suggesting blokes allow themselves to feel all their emotions and not to bottle things up, for example. I would say they need to drop the misogyny, read more than Facebook and the Sun for information, and do their fair share of housework and childcare, and the emotional labour that goes with maintaining a community of family and friends, but then I’m probably a bit too far left for Norcott.

The chapters on sports and heroes of blokedom were very funny. Even I’ve heard of Freddie Flintoff and I find Norcott’s continuous references to cricket amusing. Yes, it’s perfectly normal to remember random facts about cricket players who died decades ago. Lots of people do. And about footballers. I’d swap football for rugby, as one of the three sports of blokes, because I detest the vapidity of the game, the players and the supporters, but cricket and the darts are absolutely correct. Its probably because I have been influenced by my step-dad, who used to play rugby for Cornwall.

In general, an amusing look at the ‘bloke’, just don’t accept all the ‘science’ Norcott presents to support his claims.

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Author Biography

Writer and comedian GEOFF NORCOTT is well known for his TV work on Question Time, Live At The Apollo, Backstage With Katherine Ryan, Late Night Mash, Mock The Week and Have I Got News For You among many others. He also fronted his own documentary How The Middle Classes Ruined Britain for BBC2.

A regular on Radio 4 he’s known for his specials, including Right Meaning But Well Meaning (which won the 2019 BBC Radio & Music Award). Geoff often appears on Times Radio and is also the host of the popular podcast What Most People Think. As a stand-up he has performed several successful national stand-up tours, including his most recent show I Blame The Parents in 2021/2022.

His first book Where Did I Go Right?: How The Left Lost Me was published in May 2021 by Monoray.

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