Russell Howard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Russell Howard
Howard at the QPAC Theatre in 2017
Birth name	Russell Joseph Howard
Born	(1980-03-23) 23 March 1980 (age 45) Bath, England
Medium	Stand-up, television, radio
Alma mater	UWE Bristol (BA (Hons))
Years active	1999–present
Genres	Social satire observational comedy surreal humour
Spouse	Cerys Morgan ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	1
Parent(s)	Ninette Howard (mother) David Howard (father)

Russell Joseph Howard, born on March 23, 1980, is a well-known English comedian. He is also a TV and radio presenter, and an actor. You might know him from his popular TV shows, Russell Howard's Good News and The Russell Howard Hour. He also appeared on the funny panel show Mock the Week. Russell won an award in 2006 for being the "Best Compère" (which means a host of a show). He was also nominated for another big comedy award for his show at the Edinburgh Festival.

Russell Howard's Early Life

Russell Howard was born in Bath, Somerset, England. He grew up in a nearby town called Radstock. His parents are Dave and Ninette Howard. He has two younger siblings, twins named Kerry and Daniel, who were born in 1982. Russell sometimes talks about his brother Daniel, who has epilepsy, in his comedy shows.

Russell went to Hanham High School, Perins School, and Alton College. Later, he studied economics at the University of the West of England.

Russell Howard's Career in Comedy

How Russell Started in TV and Radio

In 2004, Russell was asked by BBC Radio 1 to write and perform for a comedy series called The Milk Run. He also appeared on other radio shows like Banter and Political Animal for BBC Radio 4.

For several years, until 2010, Russell was a regular guest on the TV show Mock the Week. He also appeared on other popular shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You?, and Live at the Apollo.

Russell often worked with a group of comedians called the Chocolate Milk Gang. They would perform and collaborate together. Some of these comedians included Daniel Kitson and John Oliver. Russell and John Oliver both love the football team Liverpool F.C..

In 2006, Russell was chosen as one of the best new comedians from the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He recorded a short comedy set for a show called "Edinburgh and Beyond," which was shown on Paramount Comedy 1. From 2009, he became the main host of this show.

Howard at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea

From 2006 to 2008, Russell co-hosted The Russell Howard Show on BBC Radio 6 Music with fellow comedian Jon Richardson. Russell later explained that he left the radio show because he found radio "really restrictive." He felt he couldn't get a reaction from the audience like he could when performing live.

Russell Howard's Good News

Russell was asked to create a comedy show for BBC Three called Russell Howard's Good News. This show was made for younger audiences, especially those under 25. The first episode aired on October 22, 2009. The show became very popular and ran for ten series, plus special episodes. It became BBC Three's most-watched entertainment series ever!

On the show, Russell shared his funny opinions on the week's main news stories. He also highlighted some of the more light-hearted and amusing news. Russell Howard's Good News was voted the "Best Ever BBC Three show" in 2013, as part of the channel's 10th birthday celebrations.

Other TV Appearances and Shows

Russell made his first appearance on American TV on the show Conan in August 2011. He also guest-hosted an episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks in September 2013.

From 2015 to 2016, Russell hosted a show called Russell Howard's Stand Up Central on Comedy Central. In 2015, he also performed stand-up on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

In December 2015, Russell acted for the first time in a TV comedy-drama called A Gert Lush Christmas on BBC Two. He also helped write the show. In the film, Russell played Dan Colman, who takes his girlfriend to meet his family for Christmas. His sister Kerry also acted in the film, playing Dan's sister.

Starting in October 2016, Russell presented a travel show for Comedy Central called Russell Howard & Mum: USA Road Trip. In this show, he traveled across America with his mother, Ninette.

In November 2016, it was announced that Russell would write and star in a new weekly comedy series called The Russell Howard Hour on Sky One. This show began in September 2017.

Russell Howard's Live Comedy Tours

Howard before a gig at the New Wimbledon Theatre, London

A show from Russell's 2007 "Adventures" tour was released on DVD in November 2008. It was called "Russell Howard Live" and was recorded at The Bloomsbury Theatre.

Russell started his "Dingledodies" tour in September 2008. It was so popular that he extended the tour twice into 2009. Over 125,000 tickets were sold, including three sold-out shows at the Hammersmith Apollo and other large venues like Wembley Arena. The DVD of this tour was released in November 2009.

Russell was named "Best Theatre Show" at the 2009 Chortle Comedy Awards. His 2011 arena tour, "Right Here Right Now," also sold out completely.

In April 2013, Russell announced a new stand-up tour called "Wonderbox." This tour started in February 2014 and included shows in Britain, Ireland, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. The tour was released on DVD in November 2014.

In November 2015, Russell announced his fifth stand-up tour, "Round The World," which took place from February to July 2017. He toured Europe, including the UK and Ireland, as well as Australia, New Zealand, and America.

From September 2019 to September 2020, Russell had his sixth stand-up tour called "Respite." This tour included shows in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, Canada, America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Russell Howard's Personal Life

When Russell's comedy career began to grow, he lived in Leamington Spa. Now, Russell lives in London with his wife, Cerys, their son, and their dog, a Jack Russell Terrier named Archie. Russell and Cerys got married in June 2019.

Russell is very serious about football and has supported Liverpool since he was ten years old. He enjoys playing football with his friends.

In April 2010, Russell ran the London Marathon with his brother and sister. They ran to raise money for the Epilepsy Society. He finished the 26-mile race in 4 hours and 15 minutes, beating his goal time. They raised over £7,000 for charity.

For Sport Relief 2010, he took part in the BT Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride. He cycled from John o' Groats in Scotland to Land's End in England in four days with other celebrities to raise money.

In November 2011, while filming a segment for Good News, Russell accidentally broke his left hand.

Russell Howard's Stand-up Shows

DVD Releases

Russell Howard's TV and Radio Credits

• Mock the Week – BBC Two (2006–2010) – Panelist
• Never Mind the Buzzcocks – BBC Two (2006, 2007) Sky Max (2022) – Panelist; (2013) – Guest Host
• Would I Lie to You? – BBC One (2007) – Panelist
• Live at the Apollo – BBC One (2007, 2009)
• 8 Out of 10 Cats – Channel 4 (2008) – Panelist
• Russell Howard's Good News – BBC Three/Two (2009–2015) – Presenter
• The Graham Norton Show – BBC One (2010)
• Conan – TBS (2011)
• Children in Need 2011 – BBC One (2011)
• The Jonathan Ross Show – ITV (2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
• The Big Fat Quiz of the Year – Channel 4 (2012) – Panelist
• Red Nose Day 2013 – BBC One (2013)
• A League of Their Own – Sky 1 (2014) – Panelist
• Russell Howard's Stand Up Central – Comedy Central (2015–2016) – Presenter
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – NBC (2015) – Guest Performer
• A Gert Lush Christmas – BBC Two (2015) – Dan Colman (Also co-writer)
• Room 101 – BBC One (2016) – Guest/Panelist
• Russell Howard & Mum – Comedy Central (2016–present)
• 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown – Channel 4 (2016, 2017) – Contestant
• Michael McIntyre's Big Show – BBC One (2016) – Guest Performer
• The Late Late Show with James Corden – CBS (2017) – Guest
• The Russell Howard Hour – Sky Max (2017–2022) – Presenter
• Taskmaster (2018) – Contestant, Series 6
• Russell Howard's Home Time – Sky 1 (2020) – Presenter
• Russell Howard Stands Up to the World – Sky 1 (2021) – Presenter
• Russell Howard: Lubricant – Netflix (2021) – Himself
• A League of Their Own – Sky Max (2022) Guest
• Fantasy Football League – Sky Max (2022) Guest

Radio Shows

• The Milk Run – BBC Radio 1 (2004)
• Political Animal – BBC Radio 4 (2004)
• Banter – BBC Radio 4 (2005)
• The Russell Howard Show – BBC Radio 6 Music (2006–2008)
• Out to Lunch – BBC Radio 2 (2006–7)
• Russell Howard's Perfect Christmas – BBC Radio 5 Live (2016)