Edinburgh Fringe comedy review
Yes, it’s another banger of a show from the comedian with – and I think this is fair to say – the most consistently entertaining body of work of the last two decades.
Pierre Novellie, now 35, has performed at every Fringe festival since he was 18, and I’ve been watching him for the last ten, always with the sense of utter security that comes from being in the hands of a master.
While he tends to eschew the intimate revelations or theatrical flourishes that would make any one of his shows become the talk of the town, his body of work as a whole is an unequivocal five stars. Good move on his part to run a Best Of show this year alongside his regular annual offering, although personally I’m priced out of the experience.
Okay, One More Then Bedtime is another such rock-solid hour, but it does feel more profound than usual, and not just because of any deepening relationship with his body of work.
Recently married and fully at peace with the diagnosis of autism that has been the thread of his last four shows, Novellie has begun to look further down the track, with his hyperfocus alighting on – of all things – Zen Buddhism, a fascinating or perhaps obvious choice (depending on where you stand) for such an ultra-rational and clear-eyed observer of the human experience.
Novellie is just at the beginning of this new journey, but is characteristically penetrative. It’s very entertaining to watch a congenitally literal-minded person Wrestling with zen koans for our amusement.
Much of this hour is centred on Novellie’s honeymoon to Japan. As you’d expect, he finds great comic mileage from comparing the perfectly orderly society of Japan with the orc-like behaviour of the English, but that’s only half the story. While his workaholic new bride spent her morning on LinkedIn, Novellie took a morning to himself to essentially interview a monk.
This is an intriguing development. It’s part of the comedian’s brand that he’s a bit of a know-it-all – a brand that’s largely justified as he’s a very well-educated man who thinks very carefully about things and highly prizes being ‘correct.’ This is a man who hasn’t had stage fright in over a decade, and in this show, he’s even brought along a special autism bell which he rings when he wants to deliver pure information instead of having to make a joke.
When he describes himself quizzing the monk and trying to understand this very different frame of mind, it’s unexpectedly tremendously endearing to see him in the position of student, rather than the monolith of authority he usually presents.
Fascinating themes and developments aside, the material is bulletproof as ever, the same bristling phalanx of dry, exquisitely worded bombs that so reliably takes the roof off the Monkey Barrel year after year.
Although part of his zen quest involves relinquishing the yearnings he once carried for panel show appearances, I feel I can still get angry on his behalf. How has he not been a panellist on QI at the very least? It’s a national disgrace. Sort yourself out ,TV booking industry…
Published: 23 Aug 2026
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Book (2024)
Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?
Pierre Novellie: Do the One About...
Pierre Novellie: Okay, One More Then Bedtime
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