Pierre Novellie: 'I wasn't able to get what I wanted out of life' | 18
How Do You Cope?
Wondery
5 • 695 Ratings
🗓️ 16 June 2025
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What do you do when a stranger at a gig tells you they think you have autism?
Comedian, writer and broadcaster Pierre Novellie sits down with John to talk about his experiences of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Pierre wasn’t diagnosed with ASD until the age of 31, after an audience member at his stand up show told him they thought he was on the autistic spectrum.
He talks about masking at a young age, and his fascination with comedy and the impact jokes have on people. The pair also discuss Pierre’s coping mechanisms for living in a neurotypical world, including learning what his face should do in certain situations, and knowing when to say no to holding hands.
On Thursday in our bonus episode The Gratitude List, Pierre shares the 5 things that he is currently grateful for.
You can send in your thoughts and reflections to [email protected], or follow the show on Instagram and TikTok @howdoyoucopepod.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Wonderry Plus subscribers can listen to episodes of How Do You Cope early and ad-free? |
| 0:04.7 | Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:09.2 | This advert is brought to you by Macmillan Cancer Support, a registered charity. |
| 0:14.1 | If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, the Macmillan online community is here. |
| 0:19.6 | Macmillan's online community is open 24-7. |
| 0:23.0 | It's a free, safe space to connect with people who get what it's like to have cancer. |
| 0:27.6 | You can browse groups, ask questions to an expert, share your experience, or just see what |
| 0:32.6 | others have to say. On the online community, no question is too big, too small or too personal. Their members have all |
| 0:39.7 | been there too. Plus, it's completely anonymous. Search McMillan online community today. |
| 0:49.0 | Hello and welcome to How Do You Cope with me, John Robbins. |
| 0:57.0 | Each week I talk to fascinating people about the hardships they've overcome and together we explore how they were able to cope. |
| 1:03.8 | Today's guest is the comedian, writer and broadcaster Pierre Novelli. |
| 1:07.9 | Pierre was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but grew up on the Isle of Man. |
| 1:12.1 | He studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge University, and whilst there was a member |
| 1:17.6 | and subsequently vice-president of the Cambridge Footlights. Pierre has written for and appeared in a |
| 1:22.6 | variety of shows, including the Mash Report and The Now Show. He co-hosted with Frank Skinner on Absolute Radio |
| 1:28.5 | and now features on Frank Off the Radio, the Frank Skinner podcast. |
| 1:32.8 | Pierre suspected that he might be on the autism spectrum |
| 1:35.1 | after a chance heckled during a stand-up gig in 2020 |
| 1:38.0 | and after taking online tests was formally diagnosed in 2022. |
| 1:43.2 | He recently released the book, Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things? |
| 1:46.3 | A Comedians Guide to Autism. And is taking his new show, you sit there, I'll stand here, |
... |
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