In this searingly funny and deeply affecting live conversation, Elizabeth speaks to stand-up comedian, author and Taskmaster favourite Fern Brady about her autism diagnosis, her working-class roots, and the failures that shaped her award-winning memoir Strong Female Character.

Fern opens up about late diagnosis, social masking, and stripping to fund her education - all delivered with the brutal honesty and whip-smart humour that’s made her one of the most exciting voices in comedy today. A powerful exploration of identity, feminism, and finding your voice.

What stood out for you in this episode? Leave us a comment. 

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

01:58 Autism Diagnosis and Masking

04:40 Experiences on Taskmaster

11:40 University Struggles and Stripping

17:33 Challenges of Writing a Memoir

20:03 Reflections on Edinburgh

21:49 Struggles with Mental Health and Misdiagnosis

22:35 University Challenges and Autistic Shutdowns

23:25 Extreme Stress and Physical Symptoms

24:34 Breaking into Comedy and Facing Limitations

26:05 Overcoming Self-Limiting Beliefs

27:55 Navigating the Comedy Industry

34:02 Rejecting Mainstream Entertainment

37:21 Celebrity Bakeoff Experience

💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

“Even when people don’t know you’re autistic, they know you’re autistic. They pick up on something different about you.”“Comedy radicalised me as a feminist. And so did working in a strip club.”“I was told I had the wrong energy for QI. I think that was a coded way to say I was too common.”“Autistic people are always learning to speak neurotypical. All we’re asking is for a bit of that in return.”

🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:

Fern’s memoir Strong Female Character is out now! @fernfrombathgate

Fern is a the Edinburgh Fringe: fernbrady.co.uk/gigs

Elizabeth’s upcoming one-off show at Cadogan Hall on 21 Sep for her new novel One of Us: ⁠https://www.fane.co.uk/elizabeth-day 

Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/

📚 WANT MORE?

Christine McGuinness on autism, calm and self-acceptance

Caitlin Moran on feminism, girls and mental health

Miriam Margolyes on difference, defiance and not caring what people think

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Website: www.elizabethday.org

Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/

Elizabeth and Fern answer YOUR questions live in Edinburgh in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: 

Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com 

Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan  

Live Show Engineer: Will Kontargyris

Sound Engineer: Matias Torres

Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali

Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.  

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