Chapter 1: 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?
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Chapter 2: 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. So, here's a manly hypothetical. Would you rather be pictured standing next to Kanye West or the artist formerly known as Prince Andrew?
LAUGHTER We will need an answer for this. So, would you... A photo. Have we got a hand up somewhere? What is your name? Karen. Karen. OK, well, the share price of your name fell off a cliff, didn't it?
Stop it.
LAUGHTER
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Chapter 3: What is the significance of Yorkshire pride in the conversation?
I'm sorry. But we should always acknowledge progress. And since my last series, there is undeniably more focus on male well-being. Last Christmas, we had the viral John Lewis rave dad commercial. If anything suggested the male representation had become a bit negative, it was an advert going viral because the dad wasn't a dick and the son wasn't a sociopath.
It was refreshing to see acknowledgement of the codes around male emotional intimacy. But I'll be honest, I feared the worst when I saw a pale 18-year-old with jet black hair sitting on his own. Thought, hello, he had a lesson sequel, looks a bit depressing.
LAUGHTER
Emergency hypothetical. OK. If you're drinking Guinness Zero, do you still have to buy a round? OK, we've got any hands up for this? We've got a positive answer over here. What is your name?
Vicky.
Vicky, nice to meet you, Vicky. So if you're drinking Guinness Zero, do you still have to buy a round?
Absolutely.
Absolutely. Why is that?
Because it's the same price as a pint of beer.
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Chapter 4: Why is there a lack of focus on men's health in government policy?
Now, personally, I know I'm out on a serious limb here in Leeds. I don't mind admitting it. I have some problems with Gary Neville. And... And his... Oh, no, I'm an edgelord. But I had problems with his assertion. One, I looked at Gary Neville critiquing angry middle-aged white men and thought, in the words of the great historians from Newman and Baddiel, that's you, that is. LAUGHTER
Gary Neville is so argumentative and divisive. He's one of those rare blokes who can even piss off people who agree with him on almost everything. I mean, he's tactically astute. He speaks a lot of sense about football fans being priced out of the game. He hates VAR, but still, I'm just not having him. I mean, he could rescue my dog from a canal and I'd shout, put my dog down, you irritating git.
Whether it was on a football field looking terrified of Roy Keane or in a podcast studio looking terrified of Roy Keane or hiding in the commentary gantry because he's too scared to be in the same room as Roy Keane, the whole Gary Neville brand is an angry wind-up merchant. Secondly, Gary, without those angry middle-aged white men, you'd have a much smaller audience for your stupid podcast.
LAUGHTER
Thirdly, we all know the rules for the liberal media that Neville works in, so the suspicion lingered that he wouldn't have dared stereotype any other communities that way. Would he claim that the problems, for example, of going to the doctors are caused by nosy female receptionists with a God complex? Or that the worst thing about his stupid podcast is all the laughing?
For God's sake, stop laughing and tell us whether United should have started with a back three! Where was I? Oh yeah, angry middle-aged white men. So, Gary Neville's always been outspoken about his political views on social media. He recorded this particular video shortly after an attack on the Jewish community in Manchester, which was very much not carried out by angry middle-aged white men.
However, that's not to say that what Neville said was completely without risk. He might not have taken any risk within the liberal bubble, but as everyone in the public eye knows, if you are going to get criticised on social media, the assailants are most likely to be male, and a lot of them will be middle-aged and, yes, white.
I've had a few myself, though the most cutting insult I ever had was after the first episode of Mash Report went out. There were plenty of people calling me a right-wing bootlicker or Bill Hicks for people who shop at Stone Island. But one woman did more psychological harm than all of them when she tweeted, well, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
It's all like finishing sex and your partner going, good for you. Neville's accusations came at the end of a hot summer where many people had hung St George's crosses and union flags around their community. He concluded all of those flags came from a toxic place. Now, I'm patriotic and I don't want to presume the worst about men from any community, especially my own.
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