James Acaster: Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999

James Acaster has done it again, this man is a comedy genius but there was something about this show that just feels so special and personal. This will make you laugh and cry at the same time! I really recommend you buy it because it's worth it!! I can't wait for the day when i get to see James performing live :) *** UPDATE!! I met him and Ed gamble on sunday night for the off menu podcast show and got to get photos with them both afterwards!

He is incredibly unique, untouchable. Brilliantly written yet the delivery is so natural. Such an innovative and comically clever way of describing pretty dark moments of his life (e.g. Through the viewpoint of his agent). Loveable, communicates tremendously, made me laugh out loud when I was watching it alone, as well as feel for him deeply. He is changing the course of stand-up. I wish him all the best in whatever he does in the future as well as for his general well-being.

His Netflix special of 4 shows over previous years is clearly his best work. I love this man and this new content is more humbling and closer to his heart clearly. Great work as always but if you are expecting similar outlandish hypothetical scrapes this isn't it.

Edit: I put this on again the next day and have now bumped my score to 9. It definitely has a deeper meaning and is more of a cohesive routine than his others. I 'challenge' you to watch it again.

This special is not funny or interesting which is definitely special coming from the guy that came up with Repertoire.

I watched the show last night and I've continued thinking about it long into today. I loved the 4 Netflix specials, the mixture of great comedy with what I would argue is even better theatre, acting and story-telling. It appears to be so natural and yet having followed him for years I know it's a craft he is perfecting with time.

This show is another huge step forward however. It's just brilliant. Yes it's extremely funny, but it's much more than that. It's a one-man show that is up there with any performance of a classic, stripped-down play you could hope to see. Timing, silences, changes of pace, changes of tone. It's meticulous. It's personal, biting, thoughtful and full of insight into the challenges of life. For some reason it really reminded me of catcher in the rye. To be able to create that in a comedy show is really something to behold. With no disrespect to other comedians, I can only imagine the time that goes into it - it's true art in a genre that typically lacks it I think.

I genuinely believe he is starting to create a new niche in comedy, and I hope he's able to continue down that path. It's not for everyone, but what comedy is (other than Mr Bean perhaps...)