Don't Make Me Laugh

A powerful and darkly comic story of ambition and survival in a business that’s anything but funny. 

Ali Lauder, a driven but undervalued radio producer, is assigned the job of a lifetime: landing the sought-after comedian Ed Catchpole for her show. A seasoned performer with an unpredictable edge, Ed seems to offer Ali a way out of her routine – but as their connection deepens, she realises that Ed’s charisma hides more than his talent, and her own boundaries begin to fray. 

Against the murky backdrop of London’s comedy circuit, Ali is forced to confront the precarious power dynamics at play in an industry rife with misogyny. Fortunately, she’s not alone. Enter Scold’s Bridle, an underground network of women in comedy who’ve seen too much to keep silent and who band together to expose the darkest secrets of the stage… and the men who hide in the spotlight. 

Don’t Make Me Laugh is an outrageously funny but unsettling novel that celebrates female solidarity, resilience and the courage to stand up and be heard. 

'A great book, an important book that will start a discussion that needs to be had…my heart was in my mouth' Marian Keyes

'Exhilarating, viscerally thrilling and SO timely - an ambitious dark comedy that really delivers. Hugely smart, with so much emotional depth and resonance' Daisy Buchanan

'Sharp, dark and outrageously funny' Marianne Levy

'This is an honest, funny, devastating and timely book' Jenny Colgan

'So tense and gripping it flourishes into a proper thriller. It's wonderful. It's furious. It's true. And all gorgeously written with bright clever flashes and insights, it should be seen and heard.' Russell T Davies

'A gloriously unnerving and compelling read with so many sharp and witty moments' Justin Myers