Straight to VHS

Sifting through inbox junk and finding logic in tech-support scripts is the main draw of a stand-up set built largely around a projector screen. The performance relies on a signature mix of visual aids, retro gaming references, and highly detailed, petty schemes—including a year-and-a-half-long gag about subtly messing with his roommate’s hair care products. On stage, the performance channels a fastidious, slightly neurotic nerd attempting to apply basic troubleshooting logic to romance and modern communication.

Presented by Team Coco, the hour was released in August 2020 on HBO Max as part of the streaming platform’s first major push into original stand-up comedy. At the time, British comedian James Veitch was enjoying a career peak built on the back of his massive online following for baiting email scammers, and this debut hour was meant to solidify that momentum.

Instead, the release became a brief, strange blip in streaming history. Within days of its premiere, multiple allegations of rape and sexual assault from his college years surfaced against Veitch. HBO Max quickly pulled the special from its library, his agency dropped him, and the show vanished from the public eye. Because of its sudden removal, the hour remains largely unseen, existing mostly as a footnote on internet archiving forums.