Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things

Avalon Television
  • 4.8 (67)
  • COMEDY INTERVIEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Join our Patreon for two shows a week, ad-free listening, early access and much more... Follow this link and get involved! - patreon.com/RussellHoward Each week Russell sits down with fantastic guests to chat about their Brilliant Things; the items, places and people that make life worth living.

  1. Amy Gledhill

    3D AGO

    Amy Gledhill

    This week we have the winner of the 2024 Edinburgh Best Show! One of Britain’s fastest rising comics is with us; it’s the fabulous Amy Gledhill and this is an absolute banger of an episode.  Hull’s most exciting product since the White Phone Box explains why cheap white bread is better than all your fancy Italian nonsense, how working in a dungeon gave her existential dread and why she enjoys spending her free time singing about tapeworms and listening to hairdryers.  🎫 Amy is putting the finishing touches to her brand new tour ‘Thanks for Having Me’. Tickets are about to go on sale, and may well even be there by the time you read this. Check and re-check https://amygledhill.co.uk/live-dates to find out the dates and get the tickets. 🎫 📻 Also get into those podcasts - Amy is on Northern News with Ian Smith, and on Single Ladies in your Area with Harriet - get either of them by searching for them on your podcast app. Both are freely available with many episodes to catch up on. What a treat! 📻 🎟️ YOU WANT MORE LIVE COMEDY? Russell’s brand new tour show ‘Don’t Tell The Algorithm’ is starting its grand journey across the UK: Don’t miss this fantastic show of all brand-new material. Find out more at https://www.russell-howard.co.uk 🎟️ Thanks for being here, thanks for being you, but now it’s time for you to leave. Bye! Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 4m

  2. 4D AGO · BONUS

    January's Moments of the Month

    From our January shows, here's a little taster of each episode so you can get a flavour of the things we got up to with our wonderful guests: Comedian and star of ‘The Change’ on C4, Bridget Christie Comic and social media sensation Daniel Foxx Actor and stand-up Tom Rosenthal And the endlessly fascinating historian, Dan Snow. If you hear anything you like, circle back and enjoy the whole episode - they are all there waiting for you to listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    47 min
  3. Charlie Higson

    FEB 4

    Charlie Higson

    British Sketch Comedy Royalty in the studio. One of the core cast of the iconic Fast Show is here and his name is Charlie Higson! He lays out the Five Things that make life interesting - get ready for a delightful journey through James Bond, what is and isn’t included on the Golden Record that we yeeted into space. How did Charlie go from being a Punk Band frontman to a decorator to a comedian… and a best selling James Bond author? What a life.  📖 Charlie has just released his latest book; it’s an History of Britain’s Kings and Queens; but less funny hats and pageantry and more treachery, incest and murder.  It’s called ‘Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee’ and it’s also illustrated by Jim Moir, who you probably know better as Vic Reeves. Anyway it’s fascinating and funny and it’s available from bookshops or online now, or you can just follow this link 📖 🎟️ YOU WANT LIVE COMEDY? Russell’s brand new tour show ‘Don’t Tell The Algorithm’ is starting its grand journey across the UK: Don’t miss this fantastic show of all brand-new material. Find out more at https://www.russell-howard.co.uk 🎟️ And like the Voyager Space Probe, this blurb continues its endless journey into the void long past the point where anyone can receive it, and long past the point where anyone cares about it. Just bibbling its way aimlessly into the darkness, without purpose, getting slowly smaller and further away. 🛸 Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 4m
  4. Dan Snow

    JAN 28

    Dan Snow

    Fascinating, delightful company. That’s what Historian Dan Snow is. I suppose the skill of any historian worth their salt is to use that historical knowledge and make it relevant today, and this endlessly interesting podcast does exactly that. Dan’s passions go way beyond history, drawing in sailing tall ships, democracy and most importantly of all, his greatest passion beyond all other things: GHERKINS. 📖 Dan’s treatment of history is available to us all through History Hit: A series of podcasts and documentaries about all different periods of history, arranged into clever and neat topics and original angles. You can explore the whole catalogue through that link, or you can search for ‘History Hit’ on your podcast app to find all the many channels they run. This writer listens to them. It’s good stuff.  📖 🎟️ The Good Ship Russell Howard has set sail! Russell’s brand new tour show ‘Don’t Tell The Algorithm’ is starting its grand journey across the UK: Don’t miss this fantastic show of all brand-new material. Find out more at https://www.russell-howard.co.uk 🎟️ And here we are. At the end of the history of this particular blurb. We have seen empires (sentences) rise and fall yet we have endured like some kind of literary Roman Empire. But we all know how that ended. 😬 Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 1m
  5. Tom Rosenthal

    JAN 21

    Tom Rosenthal

    Tom Rosenthal is a comedian with a deep interest in all things: His Brilliant Things include The Danish Gambit, The Golden Ratio and Trip Reports. This is a repeatedly fascinating conversation where Tom is completely unguarded and enthusiastic in his descriptions of these corners of humanity. He also conjures, from nowhere, the most outstanding improvised acid trip you’ll ever hear. It’s well worth your time.  We talked about it on the show; Tom’s latest show is out on tour. It’s called ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am’.  You can find out when Tom is near you, and get your hands on those tickets by going to https://tomrosenthal.net Also there are still a handful of tickets left for Russell’s brand new tour show ‘Don’t Tell The Algorithm’. There are shows across the whole UK in 2026: You can book tickets at https://www.russell-howard.co.uk Well played, you have acquitted yourself throughout reading this blurb with great dignity. It speaks volumes of your character that you’ve made it this far and are still willing to read this guff. Have a special sticker.  Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 2m
  6. Daniel Foxx

    JAN 14

    Daniel Foxx

    Why is it the ruder the waiter, the more it gets Daniel Foxx excited? The laconic comedian is here to explain the beauty of surly service, the simple serenity brought by a scented candle, and you’ll experience some of the worst ASMR in podcast history.  Russell also relates the time Louis Theroux gyrated aggressively at him. That’s worth the admission fee alone.  Daniel’s latest tour ‘How Lovely’ is about to hit UK theatres, so to get yourself a whole evening of this very funny comic please check out where the tour is near you and book tickets - you can find it all HERE. Also there are still a handful of tickets left for Russell’s brand new tour show ‘Don’t Tell The Algorithm’. There are shows across the whole UK in 2026: You can book tickets at https://www.russell-howard.co.uk And we said in the show we’d link in the show notes to the comedian/chef George Egg’s cookbook, which can be found HERE, and very good it is too. That’s it for today, thanks for popping in, hope you’ve enjoyed the tea and biscuits. Thank you for taking off your shoes at the door and putting on the ceremonial slippers, shin-pads and fez. You looked radiant.  Until next time. Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    59 min
  7. Bridget Christie

    JAN 7

    Bridget Christie

    Superb comedian Bridget Christie is here. She’s won the Edinburgh Award, she’s been nominated for oodles of comedy prizes, she’s written and performed in two series of her own show ‘The Change’ for Channel 4 and now she sits down with us to reveal her Five Brilliant Things.  It’s as thoughtful and funny as you would imagine from a comic as good as Bridget, including why empathy is disappearing, why we underestimate water and driving a motorbike through London at night. Zoom zoom.  Bridget has written a brand new full length show, and as anyone who’s seen her before can tell you it will be thought-provoking, fascinating and definitely very funny. It’s called ‘Jacket Potato Pizza’ (full explanation on the Patreon show as to why it’s called that). It’s touring the UK across 2026 and you can find out the dates and book tickets by going here.  You can also watch both series of Bridget’s series ‘The Change’ on the Channel 4 player.  There’s a whole second show’s worth of Bridget on our Patreon which also means you get the main show without adverts and everything a day early; Check out our Patreon offering at this link: patreon.com/RussellHoward   Also there are still a handful of tickets left for Russell’s brand new tour show ‘Don’t Tell The Algorithm’. There are shows across the whole UK in 2026: You can book tickets at https://www.russell-howard.co.uk I think it’s appropriate to say Happy New Year. Whatever you wish for over the next twelve months I hope it comes to you, but in appropriate amounts. If you want custard but end up drowning in a surfeit of custard that would be a tragedy (albeit a deliciously ironic and vanilla-y one).  Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 2m
  8. December's Moments of the Month

    JAN 3 · BONUS

    December's Moments of the Month

    From our December shows, here's a little taster of each episode so you can get a flavour of the things we got up to with our wonderful guests: Doctor/Writer Adam Kay Taskmaster star and stand-up Ania Magliano Stand-up comedy legend Ross Noble and one of the most fascinating people in Britain, Rory Sutherland. If you hear anything you like, circle back and enjoy the whole episode - they are all there waiting for you to listen. Happy New Year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 15m
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4.8
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Join our Patreon for two shows a week, ad-free listening, early access and much more... Follow this link and get involved! - patreon.com/RussellHoward Each week Russell sits down with fantastic guests to chat about their Brilliant Things; the items, places and people that make life worth living.

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