James Acaster’s Findings: A BBC Radio Comedy Show

by James Acaster

You may know him from his Netflix series Repertoire, his podcast Off Menu or James Acaster's Perfect Sounds, but before all of that James Acaster was one of the top researchers working in the UK today....
In these five shows, he probes deeply into a variety of subjects - and shares his eye-opening conclusions. Accompanied by agreeable assistant Nathaniel Metcalfe (Fresh from the Fringe) and Donna from the Complaints Department (Call the Midwife's Bryony Hannah) he tackles the big questions on the topics of bread, wood, fruit, wheels and paint.

Pilot show 'Bread' reveals why the French struggle to come up with a snappy slogan to advertise brioche. Plus, we learn why the bagel is so trendy and discover the hidden anti-bread propaganda pushed at children through the medium of fairytales.

In 'Wood', James goes to a lumberjack optician to find out if they can see the wood for the trees, experiments with toothpicks and termites, and investigates the difference between the xylophone and the glockenspiel - all while wearing his patented Clegg Clogs.

'Fruit' finds him disagreeing violently with Nathaniel on the subject of orange juice with bits in, recalling a formative childhood experience with a brown banana and explaining why it's fine to bring an apple to an orchard.

'Wheels' (powered by Picnic the hamster) sees James analysing the stylistic perfection of 'The Wheels on the Bus', refusing to divulge his roulette wheel exploits (what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...) and reinventing the Ferris wheel so it's proportionally more thrilling.

And in 'Paint', James gets his portrait painted, speculates on the identity of Banksy (top three suspects: Jamie Oliver, Gordon Banks and Nathaniel Metcalfe) and strips down to his pants to play paintball, just like on Jackass....

Also included is a bonus short story, 'Sorry for Your Loss', recorded in front of a live audience at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Written and performed by James Acaster

Featuring Nathaniel Metcalfe and Bryony Hannah

Produced by Lyndsay Fenner (James Acaster's Findings) and Kirsteen Cameron ('Sorry for Your Loss')

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 26th March 2013 ('Bread'), 5th-26th November 2014 (Series 1), 26th August 2012 ('Sorry for Your Loss')

Genres: Audiobook, Humor, Nonfiction, Comedy

Audible Audio

First published November 26, 2014

Reviews

[Tabi A · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Acaster is one of my favorite comedians, and I especially love his dry wit. This quick book was composed of recordings of 5 episodes of his BBC comedy show and each one focused on a specific thing he decided to "research" like bread or paint. I will say I think a large component of his hilarity is also his physical gestures and facial expressions, which you don't get by merely listening. That missing element was felt at times.

[andie z (amzreads)]

DNF at 33%

This is a DNF for now, not forever - I really like James Acaster, I just wasn't feeling the humor in this one right now and I have other audiobooks to listen to that are calling to me more. Totally willing to give this another try in the future!

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly and fun. First couple of episodes are very heavy on the laugh track, but they manage to ease up on the last three.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am usually a big Acaster fan, but I couldnt get into the format

[Jake Kilroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm continually delighted by James Acaster.

[Lauren Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's my boy, right there.

[T.J. Gillespie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio.

Is this a “book”?

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF for now. About 45%. Not as funny as his comedy specials, but I think it's because of the radio format. It's almost like it's trying to be a podcast and a standup special.

[Chloe Merriman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find myself charmed

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like his stand up. This was fine.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's nice to listen to James Acaster build a world in a different format to his other shows I've seen.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of James Acaster for the longest time, but this particular comedy had me in stitches - and I've listened to it quite a bit. Each chapter, James explores a new finding about a particular topic along with his cohost but there is also a few underlying subplots that carry through the show that add a realistic expectation to the hilarity ensuing around him.

The unique thing about radio shows, specifically the ones made for theatrics of any kind, is that the listener often feels like the material being presented to them is very personal, like a secret. Every word, every sound, every intonation and inflection and breath is being uttered right into our ears leaving the visuals up to our imagination and interpretation. It is the job of the performers and writers to execute the scenes so precisely that the audience can follow along by sound alone, and the job of the audience to remain rapt with every moment. James Acaster succeeds at his job, and therefore had me succeed in mine because I was hooked from the very first moment his "findings" began. It is seriously un-serious in the best possible way.

[Rob Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does this one count as a book? Well, both Libby and Goodreads say so so I’m counting it towards my 2023 total! Acaster and his assistant Nathaniel along with Donna from the Complaints Department tell us all about his extensive research. He talks at length about bread, wood, fruit, wheels, and paint…some of it might even be true. This is a quick one and delightfully absurd!