Monoray signs The British Bloke Decoded by writer and comedian Norcott

Monoray, part of the Octopus Publishing Group, has acquired The British Bloke Decoded: From Banter to Man-Flu. Everything finally explained. by Geoff Norcott.

Publisher Jake Lingwood acquired world all-language rights from Sophie Chapman at Sophie Chapman Talent. It will be published on 14th September 2023.

In The British Bloke Decoded, writer and comedian Norcott “peels back the layers of the British Bloke, revealing the truth behind the sometimes inexplicable behaviour of Britain’s husbands, dads, brothers and friends.”

The synopsis goes on: “Why won’t British men wear sun-tan lotion? Why are they so reluctant to go to the doctors? And why do blokes want medals for the most basic tasks? The British Bloke appears simple and straightforward. He loves football, cricket, beer, sheds, wearing socks and reading books about the SAS. But beneath that simple exterior lies a mysterious and complex being.

“Based on 46 years of field research, Geoff digs deep into subjects as wide as: the value of banter, the near impossibility of getting blokes to send birthday cards, and whether there could be a medal system for hoovering. Ultimately, he concludes that whilst the toxic men have been grabbing all the publicity – perhaps now’s the time to celebrate the simple British bloke in all his eccentric splendour.”

Norcott is 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”. He also fronted his own documentary “How The Middle Classes Ruined Britain” for BBC2.

He will be launching his new tour "Basic Bloke" at the Edinburgh Festival in August, which will run through the autumn to tie in with publication of The British Bloke Decoded. Lingwood said: “Geoff has been solidly researching the topic of what makes men tick for 46 years – no one understands the idiosyncrasies of the British Bloke better than he does. The book is a real eye-opener and is going to cause a huge amount of debate this Christmas.”

Norcott commented: “I recently discovered that everything about me is bang in line with the average British Bloke. I’m (almost) five foot nine, have size nine feet and I’m just over 13 stone. Even my Tesco meal-deal choices are in line with their most commonly brought combos (though I sometimes swap out the crisps for mini cheddars if I’m feeling reckless). Blokes are so commonly thought of as basic or primitive, I want to illustrate just how much of our iceberg lives under the sea, how deep and mobile our tectonic plates are…or any other metaphor which makes smart people pre-order this book.”