[ATTENDED: January 23, 2026] James Acaster
I have made a list of all of the contestants from Taskmaster who I want to see do stand up. And while I don’t wish to rank them or anything, James Acaster was near the top of my list.
AND YES! He came to Philadelphia. We had seen David Cross in this same theater when it was called the Merriam Theatre ten years ago.
This time we were in the balcony and, good lord, those seats have no leg room whatsoever. I think there’s a reason we don’t get balcony seats. So I was a little happy that the show was a little over an hour. Sad, of course, because it was hilarious, but pleased because my knees hurt so much!
So the announcer (James) informed us that tonight’s show would be performed by Craig Simons, the UK’s number one James Acaster tribute act.
And out came Craig Simons, who looks exactly like James and shares the same birthday with him (although Craig is from Pittsburgh and has a wife and five kids). And he says James’ catch phrase (from the Off Menu podcast) “papadams or bread?” (said in a ridiculously exaggerated Acaster accent). (more…)
I Just Read About That... 