Geoff Norcott's Working Men's Club
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What are the roots of anger among middle-aged white men in the UK?
Welcome to Geoff Norcott's Working Men's Club. If this is the first time you're listening and you're worried it all sounds a bit manosphere, don't worry, it won't go all Andrew Tate, but it might go a bit Andrew Flint. However, for the men in the room who aren't always easy talking about feelings, if you do need a time out, there's a listening booth at the back with the chant from the darts on a constant loop. MUSIC PLAYS 10 men in the room who knew what i was on about just a quick reminder however that this show is not exclusionary and i mean the subject matter absolutely is exclusionary but anybody is welcome to listen there are actual women in the audience tonight give us a cheer but just like american immigration under donald trump we've checked their last five years of social media to see if they've ever said anything derogatory about luke littler or 40 towers
And for tonight's episode, we're once again back in Leeds. And airport rugby and football teams are thriving nightlife. What doesn't Leeds have? From my experience, I'd say humility. And no one, no one has as much pride in their county as people from Yorkshire. I mean, you'll never hear someone from Shropshire going, Shropshire, Shropshire. Possibly because nothing interesting has ever happened in Shropshire. I mean, fair play, the Industrial Revolution did start in Shropshire, but they haven't given the world anything as interesting as Billy Bremner's hair. First question, has Yorkshire given anything else to Britain and the world that you'd like to celebrate tonight? I know we've got a hand up at the back there.
What's your name? Matt. Matt, what has Yorkshire given the world? Sean Bean. Sean Bean. United. It's a bit of a niche reference. You've given the world Sean Bean. What do you think is something in Sean Bean's acting that is unique and that you appreciate?
It's just the voice, the character he brings. Everything's Yorkshire, isn't it?
He's just from Yorkshire, isn't he?
How does humor play a role in discussing men's feelings?
I mean, that sort of underlines the point. One of the things that we consider on this show is how men are really feeling, which we'll come to later as the subject of this week's show. It's a focus we've continued from the first series when we wondered why this country has a minister for women but not for men. Possibly because ministry for men sounds like a nightclub on Canal Street. LAUGHTER And a bloody good one. However, to this government's credit, they did, under Health Secretary Wes Streeton, bring in the first ever men's health strategy. All I'll say is 2024, the first series of this show went out. 2025, the government take action. You do the math. Now, the proper Radio 4 listeners would have rightly noted that I just said math, which is the American usage.
So just for safety and to avoid death threats from retired English teachers, you do the maths... I would happily concede, however, that women's bodies are more complex than men's. There are more moving parts. Men can't get pregnant. Not that you think that these days. Looking at the blokes outside Weatherspoons. Yeah, you thought that was going to be an edgy trans joke. It was just a bit of good old-fashioned fat shaming. When it comes to how men are feeling, the men's health strategy is taking on the stigma around mental health, which is still a hard sell in parts of Leeds. There are places near here where they think mental health is someone who's much healthier than they need to be. Did you hear about Gunny?
Ran a marathon. I think he's mental. The government are also partnering with the Premier League for the Together Against Suicide campaign. Now, many of you would have seen moving videos by the likes of clubs such as Brighton and Norwich City on this very subject. In the Norwich City video, we see an introverted man and an outgoing fella sitting side by side in the same seats week in, week out. One guy is forever grumpy and the other is always smiling and singing. However, one day there's an MCC and it's not the guy you expect. Moving stuff. So, as ever, we'll use manly hypotheticals to break the tension when we get a bit too close to actual feelings.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What are the roots of anger among middle-aged white men in the UK?
0:01–2:03
2
How does humor play a role in discussing men's feelings?
2:03–5:50
3
What is the significance of Yorkshire pride in the conversation?
5:50–7:38
4
Why is there a lack of focus on men's health in government policy?
7:38–28:15