Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things

Current Taskmaster contestant and musical comedian Isy Suttie is here and you’d imagine that she would have oodles of brilliant things…and she does! Adrian Mole features for the first time ever on the show, and Isy talks through the unbeatable feeling and potential that comes with a brand new ball of wool (that ends up in a tale of tragedy turned triumph regarding a dinosaur cardigan…). It’s a fee...

One of the leading lights of Irish comedy: it’s Catherine Bohart and she brings bucketloads of her trademark charm and wit into the podcast studio.  I mean it’s worth coming for the Hockey Smut alone. Catherine wrestles with her new found passion for racy Ice Hockey fantasies. We then take a violent turn into the less racy but arguably healthier world of porridge. And you won’t want to miss C...

Welcome to September's Moments of the Month. In case you’re new here, this is a compilation show with a little flavour of each guest we’ve enjoyed this month, but not the whole show. Then if you like the taste of any of them you can double-back and listen to the whole episode. It’s a good way to discover someone you would never have thought of clicking on before.  First up we’ve got the vinta...

He’s one of the breakout stars of SNL UK and a sketch and comic actor of the highest calibre - it’s George Fouracres!  George’s Brilliant Things are signs of an inquisitive and sideways brain, for example ‘roads’ are definitely brilliant but maybe the rest of us take them for granted? Likewise the month of September. It’s not for everyone but George makes a bloody good case as to why it’s A B...

One of the forefathers of modern British Stand-up comedy, Alexei Sayle sits down with Russell to talk through his brilliant things and they show sides to Alexei that demonstrate the forces in him that make him such an interesting voice; nobody else has chosen both a poem and a gun among their brilliant things! It’s a fascinating interview, not taken in a rush, that goes from demonstrations to Alex...

The pop megastar is in the studio and her brilliant things are as wholesome as you might hope; a swim through the importance of connecting with nature, the vitality of comedy and there’s a fascinating chat about the creative process. Oh! And chocolate. Natasha’s new single ‘Dot Dot Dot’ is out now and it’s an absolute banger; the kind of upbeat, optimistic pop that has earned Natasha a place among...

ALASDAIR BECKETT-KING A tremendous comedian with a distinct voice (and hair) and a talent for making some of the best videos to ever grace the internet - it’s the unstoppable ABK!  A man like Alasdair, with an interest in life’s niches, was always going to produce a good episode of Five Brilliant Things, but who knew it would be this good? We career from things you definitely can touch (rocks...

Mark Simmons, one of the sharpest joke writers in the country (maybe the world? Maybe the universe?) is here and his five brilliant things give an insight into the man behind the gags. From Taekwondo tournaments to Wrestling and the thrills of Mr Miyagi, you can see that his discipline in joke-writing comes from a deep love of Eastern sports and arts. And…um…wrestling? Mark is about to start the A...

Brian Conley has been one of the biggest names in UK comedy and theatre for the past generation. From being the biggest comedian on TV to the most in-demand stage performer, he’s done it all. Come in and listen to a fascinating chat between Russell and Brian, two comics who sit, and have sat, at the top of their game at different periods in history.  As we spoke about on the show, Brian has j...

Hello there! Welcome to August’s Moments of the Month. In case you’re new here, this is a compilation show with a little flavour of each guest we’ve enjoyed this month, but not the whole show. Then if you like the taste of any of them you can double-back and listen to the whole episode. It’s a good way to discover someone you would never have thought of clicking on before.  First up we’ve got...

One of the most interesting, honest and self-eviscerating comics around at the moment, Alfie Brown brings his happy things to the studio including the city of Liverpool, Love Songs, his own wife and the levelling, life-saving properties of cannabis.  Alfie has been in Edinburgh but if you haven’t been there yet you ain’t going now, but luckily for you his latest hit show ‘The Entertainer’ is...

Today, the first guest Russell nearly killed. American director Joe Maggio is here, miraculously, after nearly losing his life on Russell’s stag-do some years ago. He’s written a show about the near-fatal mistake of trying to keep up with a feral UK stag-do and it’s at the Edinburgh Festival right now. The brush with death has led to a deeper, more profound love of life for Joe, so his F...

Award-winning stand-up comic Dan Tiernan is here! If you thought you’d heard about torturous writing process before, just wait until you hear Dan’s extraordinary stories. He’s been to some tricky places and come back. He’s also a strong poker player and tells another cracker about winning BIG in a tournament in slightly awkward circumstances. All good things!  Dan’s out there right now with h...

Utterly charming, utterly chaotic and singing the praises of cold flannels. The SNL UK star Paddy Young is here, and is the first guest to arrive to the recording with a bottle of milk in hand. Why? It’s all in this delightful hour of chat that includes banned Scrabble words and why you should walk out of more plays and films.  Paddy’s new live show is called ‘Will Sir be Laughing Alone?’ And...

It's July's Moments of the Month: no new shows, just a smattering of the best bits of all the shows from the past month. Try some, and if you like it, go back and listen to the whole episode! First up in July it was the Eastenders star turned super-podcaster, Natalie Cassidy. Then it was the comic actor extraordinaire, Peter Serafinowicz. Following Peter was one of the bright lights of comedy, SNL...

Death and Croissants author and comedian Ian Moore is in the studio! The best-selling author of France-based cosy crime novels, Ian has never lost that razor-sharp comedian instinct and gives a belting show that takes in the unbridled pleasure of judging others on how they dress, the simple beauty of a cheese sandwich and the arcane insanity of French bureaucracy. Hard recommend.  Right. Go a...

He’s danced for Kylie and Shania, he’s a viral sensation, a comedian and a born showman; Christopher Hall  is in the studio. Christopher explains why there’s nothing more liberating than pottering around the shops, enjoying punny names for businesses and the nostalgic taste of a home-made Middlesborough chip.  Christopher has created a brand-new stand-up show! It’s called Pizazz and it w...

Horror gig stories are always fun; Comedian and SNL UK writer Bella Hull serves up some of the best in the business. If art is suffering then Bella is Leonardo da Vinci. Bella is one of the most exciting newer voices on the UK comedy circuit and even a brief listen to this episode demonstrates why: her strong feelings about duvets, pies and the sensation of going downhill are told with panache and...

Comedian and Actor Peter Serafinowicz takes an hour out of his hectic filming schedule to sit down and explain why we should listen to the Oh-Sees, why the Bionic Commando soundtrack was so groundbreaking and he gives us the most iconic death noise in video-game history.  If you want to see Peter, get onto Netflix and watch Million Dollar Secret which he hosts. If you want to be Peter, then get El...

Hello there! Welcome to June's Moments of the Month. In case you’re new here, this is a compilation show with a little snippet of each guest we’ve enjoyed this month, so you can get a flavour. Then if you like the taste of any of them you can double-back and listen to the whole episode. It’s a good way to discover someone you would never have thought of clicking on before.  First in studio in June...

A lovely chat with a lovely guest: Natalie talks about her time behind the scenes on Eastenders (and her prodigious ability to nap on command), her more recent time spent working with the care system and sharing memes that people have made out of her own face! There’s  loads to enjoy, please dive in and have a great time.  We talked about it on the show - Nat has her podcast ‘Life with Nat’ alongs...

AL NASH From SNL UK and your favourite online viral sketches, it’s comic and actor Al Nash!  Al popped in to chat to Russell about why there’s nothing quite as enjoyable as a School Fair, the simple delight of the ‘umble crumpet and and extraordinary story about the time his flat was raided by the police. Yeah! You did’t see that one coming did you? The chat also goes into fascinating detail of ho...

He’s only one of the biggest comics in the whole of the US! You know him from Parks and Rec, his own brilliant Netflix show Master of None and most recently from his incredible turn on SNL as Kash Patel.  He’s here in the studio with his Five Brilliant Things which show a real meticulous, thoughtful side to him: whether it’s Martinis, Espressos or the feeling of real pen on paper, Aziz is here for...

Comedian and Actor Sindhu Vee is in the studio and she’s brought stories galore! Her Five Things serve as catalysts to some of the funniest and most excellent stories we’ve had on the show in some time.  From ‘the ability to cry on demand’ to Free Bibles and Fake Hotdogs, this is a tremendous show. Hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making it.  You should go to see Sindhu live, and you...

Serge from Kasabian and Russell sit down and discuss the creative process, what it means to be an artist in the digital age, how to age gracefully and how to make the perfect egg. There’s something utterly engaging about listening to artists from the top of different fields discussing the similarities and differences between the ways they work and this show is no exception. Get involved, get inspi...