Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things

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

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

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

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

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