Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things

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

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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

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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!

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Marketing expert and thinker-outside-the-box, Rory Sutherland is here with his Five Brilliant Things and they all begin with the letter C: Consumerism, Contradictions, Cars, Commuter Towns, Cornbread and the Commonwealth. 

If you are sparked off by the way Rory thinks then you can get a real schooling in unconventional thinking by enrolling on Rory’s Masters Course. It’s a distance learning course with Rory himself that teaches you new ways to approach problems and think in a creative and unexpected fashion. Follow this link to find out more and enrol. 

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

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

Happy Christmas!

On our Patreon show something a bit special this week - Russell and Dan sit down and talk about how they made the TV show Good News. For anyone who enjoyed that show, it’s a real treat and an insight into what went on behind the scenes…

⁠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

Thank you for listening, you lovely lot. X

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

One of Britain’s most mercurial and naturally talented stand-ups of all time, Ross Noble sits down with Russell to explain how he went from a school drop-out with a couple of circus skills to one of the greatest stand-ups Britain’s ever produced. He also goes into detail about Cuttlefish. 

Ross is in the middle of his latest live tour, called ‘Cranium of Curiosities’. It’s a full show of brand-new stand-up and it is going to all those UK theatres, then to Australia with dates all through 2026. Find out the specifics and book your tickets by going to https://www.rossnoble.com/#/shows

And Russell has just released a whole load of extra dates for his 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 if you’re a fan of the show you can experience every element of it, and be rid of adverts forever by joining our perfectly formed Patreon Crew. You will get an extra show every week, get it all early and we’ve got a very special surprise planned for Xmas for fans of Russell and Good News…

patreon.com/RussellHoward  

That is all of the everything for this week, thanks for tuning in and we look forward to spending more time with you next week. Nearly Xmas now!!!

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

Ania Magliano loves gossip, and she’s here to share some CHOICE cuts of the stuff. From Taskmaster, Stand-up Ania is in the studio and she’s running us through her favourite things which takes us on a journey through some unashamedly indulgent birthday parties, the perils of being bold with your hair and some fascinating chat about writing process and generating comedy ideas. Oh, and did I mention the excellent gossip?!

Ania is about to embark upon her next UK tour (well - she’s going to have Christmas first, then go go go!) and she’s travelling across the whole of the UK and Ireland. The show is called ‘Peach Fuzz’ and if you like what you hear of Ania on this show then get y’self tickets! All the information and dates and tickets are available at https://aniamagliano.com.

And Russell has just released a whole load of extra dates for his 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 if you’re a fan of the show you can experience every element of it, and be rid of adverts forever by joining our perfectly formed Patreon Crew. You will get an extra show every week, get it all early and we’ve got a very special surprise planned for Xmas for fans of Russell and Good News…

patreon.com/RussellHoward  

So long and thanks for all the fish. 

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

Doctor, author, comedian, musician Adam Kay tells Russell about the things that he’s discovered that are brilliant. It’s a laugh-out-loud funny show that begins with a tale of conception, takes what it feels like to be spied on by Ben Wishaw, and by the end we are all getting acquainted with the inside of Adam’s nostrils. 

As spoken about in the show, Adam has published his first novel that is a thriller with plenty of laughs and tension. It’s called A Particularly Nasty Case and it’s available right now - get it for a Christmas present! 

For younger family members (or friends??!) Dexter Proctor is Adam’s story about a fantastic 10 year old doctor. And there’s also the poo-tastic puzzle book.

All of the books can be found HERE and if you buy them through that link a small donation goes to the Lullaby Trust, supporting families of bereaved babies and young children.

Adam is also doing a series of live dates in Ireland and Northern Ireland at the beginning of 2026. Should be a lot of fun and you can find out more about those here.  

And Russell has just released a whole load of extra dates for his 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

If you’re looking to join the Patreon crew we’d love to have you as part of the inner circle. There’s a whole extra show with Adam and Russell and it’s available now, alongside so many other benefits. Check out how you can join here:

patreon.com/RussellHoward  

Are we feeling festive yet or is it too early? Trick question, it’s too early. No trees before mid-December please. Byee!

Producer: Dan Atkinson

Line Producer: Daisy Knight

Exec Producer: James Taylor

Composer: Fat Lady Music

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Hello, here's a round up of the best bits from the last month of shows, featuring the fantastic comic Kerry Godliman (she's so funny), wine expert Tom Gilbey with a great story about Iron Maiden, dictionary corner's Susie Dent and the American-Palestinian comic Mo Amer.

If you hear something you like you can double-back and take in the whole episode if you like!

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

Palestinian-American stand-up sensation Mo Amer is here! He’s on a tour of Europe, he’s in the UK for a couple of days and he came into the studio to tell us all about his Five Brilliant Things and he did not disappoint. 

Mo has an easy Texas charm coupled with seriously funny bones. His relationship between his American upbringing and Middle-Eastern heritage is fascinating and you can see that in the things he chose for the show: Coffee, bidets, air-travel… and he tells an epic story about a night out with Dave Chappelle…

And if you’re not a Mo fan but we’ve turned your head with this podcast, then there’s a whole lot more to enjoy - most of it is on Netflix. His narrative show ‘Mo’ is a work of genius, and his stand-up shows are excellent too. But that sitcom…boy it’s good. You can find your way to all of Mo’s recorded stuff and find out what he’s up to live by going to his website - https://moamer.com

And Russell has just released a whole load of extra dates for his 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

For this week’s Patreon we’ve done something a little different; in summer Russ went to Montreal and recorded a special live show of Five Brilliant Things with the incredible Australian comic Celia Pacquola. 

That show is very very funny and it’s available exclusively on our Patreon. Check out how you can join here:

patreon.com/RussellHoward  

That’s all for this week. I hope you stay warm in this inhospitable squall rolling in off the coast. Hunker down, get cosy and binge podcasts. That’s my advice. 

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