The Doctor Will See You Now – Dr Benji Waterhouse in Conversation
Saturday 11 October 2025
3–4pm
£8
Exchange Studio, Market Buildings, Maidstone, UK
Event Description
‘Fearlessly honest, funny and uplifting’ JO BRAND
Join us for a fascinating afternoon with Dr Benji Waterhouse – practising NHS psychiatrist, award-winning comedian, and bestselling author – as he discusses his acclaimed memoir You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here.
In conversation, Benji will offer a rare, behind-the-scenes look at life inside the NHS mental health system, sharing stories that are by turns poignant, absurd, and deeply human – from erotomania to Cotard’s syndrome. Drawing on both his clinical expertise and comedy background, he brings a uniquely honest and humorous voice to the realities of psychiatric care in the UK.
Praised by The Guardian as “humane, hilarious and eye-opening,” Benji’s memoir is helping to reshape how we talk about mental health – with compassion, clarity, and wit.
The event includes a live audience Q&A and an opportunity to buy a copy of the book and have it signed.
Whether you're interested in mental health, medicine, memoir, or the power of laughter in difficult times, this is an unmissable chance to hear from one of the most refreshing new voices in nonfiction.
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**THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**
A humane, hilarious and heart-breaking window into the world of psychiatry from ‘the Adam Kay of mental healthcare’ (THE TIMES)
‘This is honestly my dream book… Fascinating’ FERN BRADY
‘Very funny and deeply sympathetic. Really excellent’ HENRY MARSH
Most of the psychiatric cases in this book are Benji’s patients. Some of them are his family. One of them is him.
Unlocking the doors to the psych ward, NHS psychiatrist Dr Benji Waterhouse provides a fly-on-the-padded-wall account of medicine’s most mysterious and controversial speciality.
Why would anyone in their right mind choose to be a psychiatrist? Are the solutions to people’s messy lives really within medical school textbooks? And how can vulnerable patients receive the care they need when psychiatry lacks staff, hospital beds and any actual cures?
This is an eye-opening medical memoir – from both sides of the doctor’s desk. The perfect read for fans of This Is Going to Hurt, Unnatural Causes and The Prison Doctor.
Biography
Dr Benji Waterhouse is a front-line NHS doctor specialising in psychiatry. He is also an award-winning stand-up comedian who performs sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Festival. He has written for the Guardian and Independent, and was included in a list of 'Inspiring Psychiatrists’ by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here is his first book.