Research by Dr Shaun May, Senior Lecturer in Drama and Theatre in the School of Arts, was recently used fed into a podcast series entitled 1800 Seconds on Autism.

1800 Seconds on Autism is hosted by Robyn Steward and Jamie Knight, and covers subjects such as home, family, humour and ‘geekiness’. The episode features stand-up comedian and poet Kate Fox, and begins with: ‘There’s this rumour going around that autistic people don’t laugh, don’t get comedy, and don’t have a sense of humour’. The hosts  then dissect well-known jokes such as ‘why did the chicken cross the road?’

The programme references Shaun mid-way through, with presenter Robyn Stewart quoting him: ‘Autistic people find slapstick humour and word play enjoyable in terms of humour’, and using this as a starting point for discussion.

Shaun was also interviewed on the same topic by BBC News, in an article entitled ‘Do Autistic People ‘Get’ Jokes?’ You can read the article on the BBC website.

Shaun is also organising the Autism Arts Festival which will take place at the University of Kent from Friday 26 April to Sunday 28 April 2019.

The 1800 Seconds on Autism podcast  can be heard on the BBC website.