Joe Wells: Daddy Autism

Joe Wells brings his new show, Daddy Autism, to The Attic on Thursday 8 October. It's a stand-up set that looks at fatherhood through the lens of neurodiversity, and the starting point is personal: Wells and his wife are expecting a baby, and he is autistic. The show works its way through what that combination means, and it's the first time he's taken this particular subject to the stage.

Wells has been working in the public eye for a while. He won Funniest Student in 2010 at Comedy Central and has spent years performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, with I Am Autistic in 2022 and King of the Autistics in 2023. Both of those shows dealt with autism from his own perspective, so Daddy Autism feels like a natural next step — the same thread of neurodiversity, just shifted onto the ground of starting a family.

He's also written a book, Abigoliah Schamaun & Joe Wells - Neurodivergent Moments, which came out in 2026. Between the book and the previous shows, he's spent the last few years talking about autism in a way that's specific to his own life, and this show adds fatherhood to that mix.

The Southampton date is part of a nine-venue tour across the UK, with stops in Salford, Chelmsford, Birmingham, Hertford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cambridge and Swindon. It's one of the few times he'll be playing in the south on this run, so if you're around the city that night, it's a good chance to catch it. The show is at The Attic at River Studios, 32 Winsor Road, SO40 9HQ, starting at 7pm, with doors opening about half an hour before. Tickets start from £18.