Comedy
A-Z
The A-Z of Russell Howard
The complete alphabet of Russell Howard, from A to Z
A is for ADHD
Russell Howard usually tends to leave the more serious stuff until the end of his show, but we’re going straight in – the comedian has ADHD and is open in speaking about the condition, and in his typical spirit and good nature, finds positive and self-deprecating ways to discuss it.
B is for Bath
The place, not the tub. This is the historical, picturesque city where Howard was born, growing up in Somerset. You can still hear the endearing West Country twang in his accent.
C is for Compère
It’s one thing to be a successful stand-up comedian, but a different skillset to make for a good compère. It’s not just us saying that either, no, Howard won the award for Best Compère at the 2006 Chortle Awards. Wonder if he does weddings?
D is for Don’t Tell the Algorithm
Howard’s next, and major tour will be entitled Don’t Tell the Algorithm, and will no doubt showcase some of his finest work to date, because as a comedian who responds to the world around him, there’s a certainly a lot to currently respond to. Don’t miss out on tickets for this one!
E is for Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a cause close to Howard’s heart, given his brother Daniel lives with the condition. It not only features as a theme in his stand-up material, but he also completed the London Marathon in 2010 for the Epilepsy Society, raising over £7k.
F is for Five Brilliant Things
This is the name of a podcast that Howard hosts, which celebrates the small yet significant things in life that, in his words ‘makes it worth getting up in the morning’. The weekly show hosts a different guest to sit down with Howard to speak all things happiness.
G is for Good News
Russell Howard’s Good News is arguably the comedian’s most famous work to date. Running for ten seasons between 2009-2015, he would perform stand-up and satirise the topical news cycle, also giving a platform to young comedians to perform. It became well known for his final few minutes when he’d take a more profound and earnest look at the world around him.
H is for Hour
The Russell Howard Hour is effectively what Good News turned into – moving away from the BBC and over to Sky One, and while it didn’t have quite the same prominence as what came before, it remained a popular series that ran for six seasons, featuring great guests ranging from Ed Sheeran, Louis Theroux and even former Premier League star Juan Mata.
I is for Injury
Howard took the idea of physical comedy to a whole new level, when during the ‘Mystery Guest’ segment on Good News he literally (and of course accidentally) broke his hand. The price to pay for comedy, eh.
J is for Jack Russell Terrier
It’s hard to articulate why, but Russell Howard was always going to be a dog owner, and he was always going to own a Jack Russell Terrier. He’s named Archie.
K is for Kerry Howard
Russell is not the only famous Howard to come out of his family, as his sister Kerry is also in entertainment, as his younger sister is an actress, most famous for her roles in Him & Her, and Witless.
L is for Liverpool
Russell Howard is an avid football fan, and a keen supporter of Liverpool. Makes you wonder why he invited former Manchester United player Juan Mata on his show…
M is for Mock the Week
Outside of their own individual work and live shows, panel shows have been a great place to keep up with your favourite comedians, and Howard was a regular panellist on the hugely successful Mock the Week.
N is for Ninette
Ninette is the name of Howard’s mother, and his co-star in Russell Howard & Mum: USA Road Trip, as the pair set off across the Atlantic to travel around America. Airing on Comedy Central, the Howards are not the first parent-child duo to go travelling in the name of comedy, in a sub-genre that also consists of Romesh Ranganathan and Jack Whitehall.
O is for Out to Lunch
Out to Lunch was a comedy show on BBC Radio 2, of which Howard was the co-host (alongside Rob Deering), before Russell Kane took over. It was one of many forays into radio for the comedian, though Howard admitted later on in his career that he found the radio restrictive, much preferring the connection with a live studio audience in his other ventures.
P is for Political
While Howard is known for his optimistic and poignant approach to the art-form, he has a cutting, political edge too, with a smart satirising of the political landscape, where he lets loose a little more freely, even landing him in a spot of bother once with a Tory MP.
Q is for QI
Surprisingly, Howard has never been on QI, which is a shame as this has been a great help for these A-Z feature articles we write on comedians. Real shame we can’t use it this ti…. Hang on a minute.
R is for Recalibrate
Recalibrate is one of Howard’s biggest live shows to date, with the Netflix special filmed at the Brighton Dome. It features some of his very best work.
S is for Sunday Times
The weekly newspaper gave Howard one of the greatest compliments possible, referring to him as ‘one of the world’s top comedians’. Not bad for the boy from Bath.
T is for Three
BBC Three at one point was one of the go-to places for British comedy, and Good News was the entertainment series that would bring in the highest ratings, even being crowned the best ever BBC Three show in 2013.
U is for Uplifting
Comedy can exist in many forms, it can be satirical, political, or self-deprecating, and it can even be really cruel, with cutting, barbed comments leading the way. For Russell Howard, however, he represents a somewhat unique voice on the circuit, with an uplifting style of humour. Far removed from some of his peers, there’s an endearing sincerity that just shows that comedy can be whatever you want it to be.
V is for Veganism
Russell Howard has tackled veganism in his work, with a funny skit even claiming that while he used to be a vegan, he had to give up due to the silly names of food items (‘bad bitch burrito’), while there’s also a sweet and funny video he created for Veganuary talking to kids about the lifestyle choice.
X is for X
Russell Howard is active on X, formerly known as Twitter, with well over a million followers. On a side note, the social media site’s name change has really made this article easier. Cheers, Elon.
W is for Weird Crush of the Year
In 2013, when Good News was voted as BBC Three’s very best show, Russell Howard took home another, arguably more prestigious award: Heat Magazine’s Weird Crush of the Year. Beating stiff competition in the form of Jon Richardson, who placed second, Howard was able to receive all the glory – and what glory it is.
Y is for You Never Walk Alone
Given Howard’s affiliation with Liverpool, it’s very likely he has sung this song before, and given his positive spin and outlook on the world, it’s something he’ll no doubt believe in too.
Z – Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Howard has guest hosted the popular music/comedy panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and yes, while we know this production starts with an N, there are two Z’s in Buzzcocks, so deal with it. And yes, we may have pulled this stunt before.
