James Acaster's Findings
BBC Radio 4
Award-winning comedian and Hypothetical host James Acaster presents the remarkable results of his in-depth research into a variety of subjects, with the help of Nathaniel Metcalfe and Bryony Hannah. 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.... Written and performed by James Acaster. Featuring Nathaniel Metcalfe and Bryony Hannah. Produced by Lyndsay Fenner. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 26th March 2013 ('Bread'), 5th-26th November 2014.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.