Edinburgh, Festival Culture and Controversy

🔥 Geoff Norcott on Comedy, Brexit, the BBC, Men’s Issues & Why Comedy Lost Its Balls 🔥

In this explosive episode of Heretics, I’m joined by comedian, writer and broadcaster Geoff Norcott — often described as the only conservative comedian allowed on the BBC — for a brutally honest conversation about comedy, politics, culture wars and free speech.

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Geoff opens up about voting Leave, being labelled a “token Tory”, navigating BBC comedy, and why the 2010s broke comedy through fear, self-censorship and ideological purity. We talk about Brexit, cancel culture, topical comedy, Mock the Week, The Mash Report, and what really happens behind the scenes at the BBC.

We also dive deep into:

- Why 98% of comedians lean left

- How Brexit changed everything in British comedy

- Self-censorship, fear, and why comics stopped taking risks

- The Ava Santina / Politics Live moment and the fallout

- Men’s mental health, male identity, and whether we need a Minister for Men

- Why discussions about men get derailed — and who benefits

- Class, working-class voices, and BBC “diversity” panels

- Why comedy works best when left and right actually clash

- Why podcasts replaced TV as the home of honest comedy

- Whether comedy has finally got its balls back

Geoff also reflects on Laurence Fox, GB News, cancel culture on the right and left, and why ideological purity is killing real conversation. This is a rare, long-form discussion that doesn’t shout slogans — it actually thinks.

If you’re interested in:

free speech, British comedy, politics, men’s issues, BBC bias, cancel culture, culture wars, Brexit, or why comedy stopped being funny, this episode is for you.

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🎤 Geoff Norcott Tour: Basic Bloke 2: There’s No Bloke Without Fire

🎧 Geoff’s Podcast: What Most People Think

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Chapters:

00:00 Why This Comic Was Never Meant to Exist on the BBC

03:42 The Moment Comedy Stopped Being Funny

07:58 Voting Brexit in a Room That Hated You

12:41 The Unwritten Rules Every BBC Comedian Knows

18:09 How “Diversity” Quietly Replaced Talent

23:37 Why 98% of Comics Think the Same Way

28:54 The Joke That Would End a Career Today

34:06 Self-Censorship Is Worse Than Cancel Culture

39:22 The Incident That Changed Everything On Air

44:51 Why Talking About Men Makes People Panic

49:36 The Class Conversation No One’s Allowed to Have

54:48 Podcasts Became Dangerous for a Reason

59:31 What Really Happens When You Disagree Publicly

1:04:27 The Line You’re Never Supposed to Cross

1:09:15 Has Comedy Finally Got Its Balls Back?

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