4. Tattoos
When Ashley was diagnosed as autistic, suddenly everything started to make sense. Each week, he unpicks his complex web of 'hyperfixations' - one obsession at a time.
"I went from being a rule-following ultra-Orthodox Jew to getting completely covered in strictly forbidden body art, making me even less kosher than a ham and cheese sandwich, presented on a plate made of crackling, and served by George Galloway."
Ashley's current - and most permanent - hyperfixation is tattooed body art. In another major life change he's now covered, head to toe, in ink; having crossed continents to get the best work by some of the most highly-regarded tattoo artists in the world.
When Ashley Blaker was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, one of the most significant aspects of his diagnosis is his propensity for hyperfixation in special interests, which he now realises has entirely shaped his past and which he uses to mine comedy for this new series.
It’s no exaggeration to say Ashley’s life has been driven by obsessions. He has variously been a schoolboy with a love of Star Wars and Doctor Who, a wannabe comedian who performed on the London comedy circuit at 16, a trivia nerd who appeared on University Challenge, a history PhD candidate at Cambridge, a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ producer of hit comedy shows including Little Britain, a fanatical football fan who saw Liverpool play across England and Europe, a strictly Orthodox Jew who went to synagogue three times a day for over ten years, a father of six, and latterly, a heavily tattooed renegade in hiding from his former community.
In this series, Ashley takes a comedic look at each of his obsessions in turn, merging personal memoir with a delve into subjects which have yet to be covered in stand-up comedy shows. The result is a series which, while based on the broader topic of neurodiversity, covers it with the lightest of touches and is focused more on Ashley’s individual hyperfixations, lifting the lid on many of the different worlds he’s inhabited.
Written and performed by Ashley Blaker
co-starring Rosie Holt and Kieran Hodgson
Script Editor: Steve Hall
Recording engineers: Jerry Peal and Jon Calver
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4
On radio
Broadcasts
- Next Thursday 18:30ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4
Thu 31 Jul 2025 09:00ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4 Extra- Thu 31 Jul 2025 22:00ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4 Extra