Russell Howard
Manic, full-body sketches fueled by aggressive optimism.
1 special · 2017
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He covers the entire stage, bounding from one side to the other with restless energy. He tells stories with his whole body, acting out conversations where he plays both sides of the dialogue. The voices are cartoonish—a squeaky pitch for a bewildered child, a low bellow for an unreasonable relative. A typical bit starts with a mundane family interaction, escalates into an absurd hypothetical, and ends with him physically pantomiming the scenario until he cracks himself up.
Specials
On stage
In a British comedy scene that often defaults to deadpan irony, he built a massive touring career on relentless optimism. Through years of hosting topical television like Russell Howard’s Good News, he trained his audience to expect a specific rhythm: a few jokes about the grim headlines of the day, followed immediately by a palate-cleansing story about an eccentric old man or a resilient kid.
He treats his family’s quirks as high-stakes physical comedy, dropping into frantic sketches to illustrate a passing comment from his mother.
When he pivots to social commentary, the tone shifts toward earnest appeals for common decency. The political material is broad rather than biting, and the sentimentality sometimes outpaces the punchlines. But his sheer velocity leaves little room to dwell on the softer edges. He simply launches into the next act-out, sprinting back across the stage.
Turning points
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Good News Voted Best BBC Three Show
For the channel's 10th anniversary, over 10,000 readers in a Digital Spy poll voted Russell Howard's Good News as the best show in BBC Three history, beating Little Britain and Gavin & Stacey.
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Ten-Night Record at Royal Albert Hall
During his Round the World tour, Howard set a new record with a 10-night standup run at London's Royal Albert Hall, breaking the previous consecutive record held jointly by Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Jon RichardsonRichardson co-hosted The Russell Howard Show on BBC Radio 6 Music with Howard and shares an overlapping audience rooted in classic British observational comedy.
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John OliverBoth comedians emerged from the early 2000s UK circuit as members of the collaborative 'Chocolate Milk Gang' and transitioned into leading topical news-satire television shows.
Podcasts
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Russell's Five Brilliant Things · host
Russell chats with guests about items from their lives that make it worth getting out of bed in the morning.
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GoalLess · co-host
An original sports comedy podcast focused on the passion, personalities, and pitch drama of soccer.
Also on screen
- A Gert Lush Christmas
A clip to start with
I get my sense of humour from my Nan