Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things?: A Comedian’s Guide to Autism

Comedian Pierre Novellie was on stage when a heckler suggested he was autistic. Usually, this disruption would be water off a duck’s back but two things made this heckler different: first, he was himself autistic. Second, he turned out to be absolutely right.

This random encounter led to a diagnosis of autism at the age of 31 that unraveled his world, explained his struggles and answered questions that had bothered him for his entire life: why were the other kids obsessed with Britney Spears instead of The Goon Show? Why don’t people ever say what they mean? Why is everyone chewing so loudly?

At once a hilarious and insightful journey through autism and neurodivergence, an entertaining explainer for the uninitiated and observational comedy for the neurodiverse, this is the perfect read for anyone who has ever asked themselves: why can’t I just enjoy things?

Pierre Novellie is a stand-up comedian, writer, radio host and podcaster. He is co-host of The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio, and the co-host of the hit Budpod podcast alongside Phil Wang. His TV appearances include World’s Most Dangerous Roads (Dave), The Mash Report (BBC2), and Stand Up Central (Comedy Central).

On the radio, Pierre has performed on The Now Show (Radio 4) and hosted the BBC Sounds podcast series Obsessed With... SAS: Rogue Heroes. As a writer, Pierre was one of the regular writers on the rebooted Spitting Image (ITV/Britbox) and has also written on shows including Mock the Week (BBC2), The News Quiz (Radio 4) and The Mash Report (BBC2).

Pierre has performed stand-up around the world, including sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, residencies in Soho and nationwide tours.