James Acaster
Nominated for the 2012 Edinburgh Comedy Award
James Acaster Videos
Reviews
James Acaster: Prompt: Fringe 2012
At first, James Acaster seems like one of those newer comics who are steeped in ironic detachment, a convenient cover for their own shyness. He comes on stage with no enthusiasm, talking about this brilliant show that is going to blow your mind in an awkward, hesitant style that doesn’t match the braggadocio.
But it soon transpires he’s not only a quirky, inventive writer, but also a comedian who’s not afraid to ‘commit to the bit’. Taking the mickey out of repetitive football chants, for example, could be easy pickings – but he extends his spoof to such ridiculous levels that his determination to see it through becomes funny. And even more so that he directs his entire performance at one poor punter who happened to catch his eye. There’s a touch of Stewart Lee in the way he hammers home the point repeatedly, but without joining the army of clones.
Over the hour he mixes observational stand-up with more deliberately eccentric set pieces. For the former he has a meticulous eye for the most minor detail – but it is not detached study; the best moments are when he articulates common reactions to situations, such as the uncomfortable forebodeing he feels about having to share a platonic bed with another man.
read more of this review …
Nor does he try to be an everyman, he’s just odd enough that you could believe he gets excited about Pancake Day or that he’s genuinely interested in cow-based meteorology or conducting research on bread. This latter topic gives him an excuse to bring out the obligatory nerd-comic charts and graphs explaining his research among both humans and ducks, but it’s more than a gimmick.
Acaster has put as much attention to the structure of the hour as he has to his distinctive jokes. There are some long-range callbacks, an unlikely source of poignancy, and ideas that cleverly resurface in unusual ways to make this a satisfying experience, not just a string of unrelated jokes and offbeat comments.
Although he might not immediately seem confident on stage, that’s exactly how you’d describe his writing… and there’s much more to him than meets the eye. Like his beloved ducks, beneath that placid exterior there’s a lot of work and energy being invested.
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James Acaster Dates
Thu 20 Jun 2013
Tue 25 Jun 2013
- Leicester Square Theatre
- 20:30
- £5
- David Trent, James Acaster
Thu 27 Jun 2013
- Beaufort House
- 20:00~21:45
- Free
- James Acaster, Luke Graves (MC)
Sat 29 Jun 2013
Book Now- Oxford Glee
- 20:30
- Adult - £14.50, Student - £5.00
- Bethany Black, Bethany Black, James Acaster, James Acaster
Sat 29 Jun 2013
Book Now- Oxford Glee
- 20:30
- Adult - £14.50, Student - £5.00
- Bethany Black, Bethany Black, James Acaster, James Acaster
Thu 4 Jul 2013
- The Harrison
- 19:00~22:00
- £5
- James Acaster, John Kearns, Paul F Taylor
Sat 6 Jul 2013
- Camden Head Camden
- 20:00
- £5
- James Acaster, Rich Fulcher
Tue 9 Jul 2013
Book Now- Bloomsbury Theatre
- 19:30~23:00
- £20
- Glenn Wool, James Acaster, Jigsaw, Lee Mack, Lucy Beaumont, Lucy Porter, Rich Hall, Robin Ince, Roisin Conaty, Stewart Francis, Tiffany Stevenson
Fri 12 Jul 2013
Book Now- Nottingham Glee
- 20:00
- Adult - £11.00, Student - £4.00
- Carl Donnelly, Carl Donnelly, Chris McCausland, Chris McCausland, James Acaster, James Acaster, John Gordillo, John Gordillo
More James Acaster Dates …
Fri 12 Jul 2013
Book Now- Nottingham Glee
- 20:00
- Adult - £11.00, Student - £4.00
- Carl Donnelly, Carl Donnelly, Chris McCausland, Chris McCausland, James Acaster, James Acaster, John Gordillo, John Gordillo
Sat 13 Jul 2013
Book Now- Nottingham Glee
- 20:00
- Adult - £14.00, Student - £4.00
- Carl Donnelly, Carl Donnelly, Chris McCausland, Chris McCausland, James Acaster, James Acaster, John Gordillo, John Gordillo
Sat 13 Jul 2013
Book Now- Nottingham Glee
- 20:00
- Adult - £14.00, Student - £4.00
- Carl Donnelly, Carl Donnelly, Chris McCausland, Chris McCausland, James Acaster, James Acaster, John Gordillo, John Gordillo
Sun 14 Jul 2013
- Pineapple Pub
- 20:00
- £5
- James Acaster, Joe Bor
Mon 15 Jul 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Invisible Dot
- 19:00
- £10
Thu 18 Jul 2013
Book Now- Birmingham Glee Club
- 20:00
- Adult - £11.00, Student - £6.00
- James Acaster, James Acaster, John Moloney, John Moloney, Mickey D, Mickey D, Simon Bligh, Simon Bligh
Thu 18 Jul 2013
Book Now- Birmingham Glee Club
- 20:00
- Adult - £11.00, Student - £6.00
- James Acaster, James Acaster, John Moloney, John Moloney, Mickey D, Mickey D, Simon Bligh, Simon Bligh
Fri 19 Jul 2013
Book Now- Birmingham Glee Club
- 20:15
- Adult - £15.50, Student - £6.50
- James Acaster, James Acaster, John Moloney, John Moloney, Mickey D, Mickey D, Simon Bligh, Simon Bligh
Fri 19 Jul 2013
Book Now- Birmingham Glee Club
- 20:15
- Adult - £15.50, Student - £6.50
- James Acaster, James Acaster, John Moloney, John Moloney, Mickey D, Mickey D, Simon Bligh, Simon Bligh
Sat 20 Jul 2013
Book Now- Birmingham Glee Club
- 20:15
- Adult - £18.50
- James Acaster, James Acaster, John Moloney, John Moloney, Mickey D, Mickey D, Simon Bligh, Simon Bligh
Sat 20 Jul 2013
Book Now- Birmingham Glee Club
- 20:15
- Adult - £18.50
- James Acaster, James Acaster, John Moloney, John Moloney, Mickey D, Mickey D, Simon Bligh, Simon Bligh
Sun 28 Jul 2013
- Darlington Inside Out
- 19:30~22:30
- £10 (£8 advance)
- Dan Nightingale, James Acaster
Wed 31 Jul 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Thu 1 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Fri 2 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Sat 3 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Sun 4 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Mon 5 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Tue 6 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Wed 7 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Thu 8 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Fri 9 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Sat 10 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Sun 11 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Mon 12 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Tue 13 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Wed 14 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Thu 15 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Fri 16 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Sat 17 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Sun 18 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Mon 19 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Tue 20 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Wed 21 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Thu 22 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Fri 23 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Sat 24 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Sun 25 Aug 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 19:00~20:00
- £6 (preview) to £12
Sat 12 Oct 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Redditch Palace Theatre
- 19:45
- £10 (£8 concs)
Sat 19 Oct 2013
- James Acaster: Lawnmower
- Cambridge Junction
- 20:00
- £12 (£10 concs)
Represented by
Chris Lander
Phil McIntyre Management
contact by email
Office: 020 7291 9000
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Older Comments
Ollie - 11/07/2012
Absolute quality...
Ollie - 11/07/2012
Absolute quality...
Ben - 26/06/2012
Many, many laughs generated by Mr A recently at XS Malarkey. Well done that man!
Nicki - 08/10/2011
Sorry,but very poor,all you wanted to do was tell him to get off stage as painful to watch some one die on stage! How can anyone find that funny?
Mark - 11/07/2011
Saw him at Lounge on the Farm festival, 2 days ago by accident. Best accident of the weekend! He had me in stitches with his stories and his visual comedy was brilliant too. His handling of a heckler was brilliant too! Hope to catch him if/when he performs in London.
Graham H - 07/07/2011
I saw James Acaster as Support for Milton Jones in January at Salford Lowry Centre. Milton's Grandad came on first and had the audience in stitches, James Acaster had he been poor would have lowered the bar but he didn't and so showed his class. Well done
Not impressed - 23/05/2011
He "supported" Milton Jones in Edinburgh last night and I thought he was awful! Sorry, but I barely smiled.
Ed O\'Meara - 19/04/2011
He just gets better and better. Very exciting to just watch it all happen.
Heather C - 06/12/2010
Being a 45 year old who has now been comedy gigging for most of my adult life, I sometimes feel that I am getting more and more difficult to 'please' when it comes to new acts on the comedy circuit (in the main, I know it's me and my age, having seen alot of 'stuff' now second and third time round - revamped !!). However, I can also still spot 'natural' talent when it comes to 'stand up' and after seeing James last night at Just the Tonic, thought how funny and enjoyable his act was. His 'timing' is great, and he has a gentle, comfortable ease about him that enables him to interact with his audience with confidence. Definitely one to watch. Thanks James; the best of luck - although I'm sure you won't need it.
9t of Kent - 27/11/2010
Saw him last night supporting Josie Long and he got my mate on stage. Very funny man I think
GHM - 04/11/2010
Very funny guy.
Not my name - 08/10/2010
He brought me out to the stage and tried to embarrass me. Comedy at its best.
RWJ - 22/05/2009
Genuinely brilliant! I barely stopped for breath from laughing. I'm envious that he thunk up such a brilliant style!