James Ackerley was a non-canonical character who was created for the film adaptation of The Affair at the Victory Ball in Series 3 of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot. He was a senior executive at the BBC and also a friend of Hastings. He invited Hastings and Poirot to the Victory Ball. Later he set up a live radio broadcast for Poirot to stage his denouement.
James Ackerley is played by Andrew Burt. This character does not occur in the original story.