Don't Make Me Laugh

My debut novel - out Feb 2025

FINALLY, it’s been announced.

I’ve written “the comedy #metoo novel we’ve all been waiting for”, because I got tired of waiting. DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH is available to pre-order now in hardback, published by Bedford Square.

It’s the blackly comic story of Ali, a 40-year-old radio producer whose whirlwind friendship with a famous stand-up comedian comes crashing down when she finds out that all is not as it seems.

You’ve listened, patiently, to me banging on about real-life #metoo stories, particularly in the comedy industry, because there are so many of them. The stuff that makes the papers is a small fraction of the live investigations going on right now, not to mention the names circulating among women who work in that industry, passed between them to keep each other safe at work.

I’m fascinated by the motivations of some stand-up comedians who thrive on the control they have of a roomful of strangers and I wondered if the high incidence of predatory men in the industry was linked to that. They like to have control on stage. What if they also need to have control when they’re off stage?

In my favourite romcoms, the girl falls for the schlubby non-Jock guy because he’s funny. He makes her laugh. But what if that ability to “laugh her into bed” was a cover for a controlling monster? We all know clowns are sinister, so why do we keep falling for them?

In making up a set of fictional characters, I hope I’ve begun to explore that murky grey area between “illegal” and “plainly wrong” because I think we still lack the language to talk about it. But most of all, I had a blast taking the above idea for a walk. I hope it’s as much fun to read as it was for me to write.

I spoke to a lot of women on the circuit during the writing of the book and while the events depicted are entirely fictional (and at times, quite appalling), I’ve aimed to explore the emotional truth of what is still going on in some parts of the comedy industry.

It’s clear that “one bad apple” is very far from the truth.

Oh, and if you work in the British comedy industry, it’s definitely not about you.

Keep an eye on my Instagram for updates and a bit of content about my recent trip to announce the book at the Edinburgh Fringe.

I had a mad fun 48 hours gallivanting around the city, flyering the Royal Mile, slapping big pink stickers all over the place and drinking afternoon wine with some lovely pals and Fringe folk who kindly came along to shove me down the slipway. A pre-launch launch, if you will.

I’m feeling incredibly lucky to get the chance to do this. It’s a story I’ve wanted to tell for a long old time and now you only have to wait a few months to see what has been a real labour of love.

DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH is published by Bedford Square on 13th February 2025