Consisting largely of stories told from a XFM radio show presented by Josh Widdicombe, the book describes amusing incidents in which Acaster ended up in embarrassing situations, referred to as "scrapes".

The scrapes are often one-off stories, but many are on the subjects of childhood embarrassment, Acaster's experiences performing as a drummer, and his early ventures into stand-up comedy.

Acaster quickly became a regular guest on the show, where he would discuss his "scrapes"—funny incidents from his past or from the previous week in which he had made bad decisions and ended up in ridiculous scenarios.

[8][9] Acaster recalls scrapes in roughly chronological order, beginning with anecdotes from his childhood such as wiping his wet hands on a classmate's coat or pretending he knows juggling for a Cub Scout performance.

He tells stories set in his secondary school years, in which an assembly performance fell flat and a "Humpty Dumpty" routine became very popular.

After nine months of stand-up, Acaster was invited to be a support act for comedian Josie Long on tour, and quit his school job.

[11] Matt Rudd of The Sunday Times describes the book as "a charming and nostalgic memoir", noting that it is unusual for being a comedian autobiography with a non-depressing tone.

[12] Steve Bennett of Chortle praises that the book's humour about embarrassment is made relatable and "universally hilarious" through its "painfully funny" writing style.

However, Forrest notes that hecklers and audience distractions left a "bitter taste", despite Acaster's "quick-witted and versatile" attempts to handle these situations.