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John Finnemore's Souvenir Program

For some years now I've intended to make a post about my December media diet, which runs heavily to audio adaptations of M.R. James stories from the other side of the pond. In 2024 I didn't start thinking about it seriously until December 26th, and then the rest of the month got away from me and now here we are at the end of January; maybe next year.

I do, however, have a recommendation to make. It's very late to be making this particular suggestion, but if you're anything like me (American and blisfully unaware of any programs (sorry, programmes) that the BBC doesn't export), then you won't have heard John Finnemore's Souvenir Program, which is very, very funny. It's also been flying under my radar since 2011 which makes me seem like I've been living under an America-shaped rock, a metaphor that works in a lot of sitautions.

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud so frequently in such a short span of time. I've only just listened to the first episode and there are nine (nine!) seasons, but I don't think I'll have much difficulty making my way through them. I only looked it up because I'd read that Mr. Finnemore, being an M.R. James fan, has a recurring segment in which a Jamesian narrator tells tales to chill one's blood. The first one did not disappoint, and neither did sketches skewering truth in advertising and people who like to assert their bluntness. My favorite, so far, has been a play on the old logic puzzle where one guard always tells the truth, and the other always lies. How do those guards react when you introduce a third guard who tells the truth when it suits him? I know, I know, it doesn't sound like promising stuff, but the last 27 minutes put me into a very good mood, and I'm looking forward to the rest. Mr. Finnemore's schtick, it seems, is to carry a joke past its initial punchline to an absurd but logical conclusion; it's like applying the idea of malicious compliance to comedy.

I found the show on the Internet Archive, which is one of the few really bright spots on the increasingly useless web. It looks like the BBC has been putting quite a bit of content there which is generous of them and exciting for me, even if I did already use precious Audible credits on some of this material. Anyway, I know I already linked it, but here it is again: do yourself a favor and check out John Finnemore's Souvenir Program.