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PODCAST

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things

Avalon Television

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.

comedy comedy interviews

All Episodes

69:54

Troy Deeney

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2025/02/05

Insider tips on how to take the perfect penalty? We got ‘em. Genuinely fascinating insights from a man with a better record than many others. Troy Deeney was Watford’s talisman and striker for years, and now is on our screens as pundit with the main sports broadcasters. He’s got a fascinating life story to tell involving some pretty hard stories about his upbringing, a stint in prison and how he’s kept himself together through it all. OH, and one thing that’s worth mentioning… There’s a

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67:31

William Hanson

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2025/01/29

Etiquette expert William Hanson is with us, and he’s had enough of being asked the correct way to touch yourself under the table. Do you want to find out the correct way to do the incorrect things? It’s all in this podcast with one of the most charming, funny men in Britain. 🌂 William goes through his Five Brilliant Things, including Mary Poppins (you won’t believe how many times he’s seen the stage show. It’s a bigger number than the one you are thinking of). There is also a very informative

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70:41

Andy Zaltzman

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2025/01/22

Can Russell convince Andy to go to a Water Park? And can Andy convince Russell to visit an Ancient Greek Citadel? It’s a tussle for the ages. This episode of Five Brilliant Things all comes from the brains of comedian and cricket statistics royalty, Andy Zaltzman. It is, frankly, a fiesta of culture. From obscure Ancient Greek plays to casting sculptures in bronze the depth and breadth of Andy’s magnificent brains are on full display. Oh, yes, there’s also a smattering of cricket chat. Just a

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65:34

Jessie Cave

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2025/01/15

There is something wonderful about this episode. Jessie has been through a lot. She’s taken more life thrown at her than most other people could handle, yet there is still an emphatic positivity that shines through. These Five Brilliant Things have a bittersweet quality to them which makes for a tender, funny and terrific show.Jessie talked about her novel ‘Sunset’ on the podcast, and it really is a great piece of work, highly recommended. Please either buy it from an independent bookshop, or you

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67:34

Al Murray

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2025/01/08

Would you expect to find the Pub Landlord chowing down in a Wagamama? Neither would we but it’s exactly where he’ll be. Al Murray tells Russell why he always has the same noodles, the best place to get pissed in Ireland and a sidetrack into trained cannon musicians. Al Murray is a proper British treasure. If you only know him as the Pub Landlord then there’s so much more - he gives so much History, explains some fascinating background to percussion (he’s a dab hand percussionist) and is a font of

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70:16

Suzi Ruffell

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2025/01/01

You want rollerskating telephone operators? We got ‘em. You want arguments about how many gears a decent bike should have? It’s all here in this episode of Five Brilliant Things with Suzi Ruffell. From the rough-arse pubs of Portsmouth to the fashionable theatres of London’s West End, this lovely show touches on all corners of Suzi’s past. Suzi’s on tour in 2025 with her brand-new show ‘The Juggle’. It’s going all over the UK to a town or city near you in the second half of the year. Tickets and

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62:59

Vogue Williams

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/12/18

From a town planner, to dressing as a burger, to conquering the world of podcasts, Vogue Williams strides across this podcast like a Colossus, taking us to mad Irish Christmases in the pub, to sleeping with unfeasible numbers of pillows (6?!) to wild Podcast tour shows. It’s a real blast. You’ve probably heard Vogue on many podcasts so you know she’s just great to hang out with, and this is no exception. A conversation that bounces along gleefully from one Brilliant Thing to another. Now go and

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67:28

Cariad Lloyd

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/12/11

I tell you what’s fun to listen to: someone who loves cake, talking passionately about cake. Griefcast’s Cariad Lloyd sits with Russell and waxes lyrical about Pavlova and wider cakes. There’s more! We get all down and dirty with the Moomins and then there’s a weird bit where Cariad and Russell start acting out passages from Labyrinth. Which music star was originally slated to play Jareth? It wasn’t Bowie… the answer lies in this terrific episode.Cariad talked in the podcast about her book, the

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66:54

Alain de Botton

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/12/04

You want wisdom? Here’s five bucketfuls of Wisdom poured into your ears. Britain’s top philosopher Alain de Botton sits down with Russell and, well, it’s an absolute belter. 🧠 He explains how to make your mind more healthy, how to get through the bad times and he tells Russell just how much he loves water parks. Yeah. You don’t get that on the other Alain de Botton interviews, do you? 🧠 There’s so much to enjoy, and so much nourishment in here for you. Give it a bloody whirl and you won’t

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64:24

Sara Pascoe

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/11/27

Why did Robbie Williams leave Sara a voicemail out of the blue? Sara actually plays Russell the voicemail live on the podcast. The moment when Sara was contacted out of the blue by her teenage crush. It’s an ELECTRIFYING podcast moment! You’d expect Sara to be fantastic and you’d be right. What a guest. She’s a woman with a borderline psychotic obsession with soup. She tells Russell about her great grandmother who was an extraordinary woman and potentially a killer (unproven), and of course we’ve

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62:01

Joe Marler

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/11/20

Does Rugby's hardest man have a dog with the least hard name? It's all in this barnstorming show with England Rugby Union Prop Joe Marler, who announced his retirement just a week ago. Joe tells Russell about drug testing in Japan, he explains the fine art of shithousery and they both get incredibly passionate about biscuits. As we talk about on the show, Joe's post-rugby work is his weekly podcast that he does with Tom Fordyce, 'Things People Do'. It's well worth checking out, it really is one

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66:18

Giovanna Fletcher

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/11/13

Welcome to Five Brilliant Things, or as it used to be known, Wonderbox. Like a latter-day Reginald Dwight we’ve had a wee name change - everything else is the same show that you know and love. And this week, the irrepressible Giovanna Fletcher is in the studio to explain the beauty of silent discos (Russell disagrees), the majesty of a dibber and some top tips for dropping your guts on a mountain. It’s a brilliant chat that bobs along at a lick, taking in Giovanna’s writing career, her

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63:14

Adam Rowe

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/11/06

Russell sits down with Liverpool stand-up legend Adam Rowe, resident at the famous Hot Water Comedy Clubs and host of the ‘Have a Word’ Podcast with Dan Nightingale. Adam and Russell talk over the finer points of Liverpool the city, the football club (if you’re a Man Utd fan you can forward over that bit). Adam talks costumes, and we find out whether he finds a blow-up dinosaur costume or a banana costume more sexually attractive. There’s also a great bit of advice for a way of driving that

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63:03

David Baddiel

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/10/30

David Baddiel has a story to tell about his upbringing and it’s… one of the most incredible stories you’ll hear in a long time. You may have read about it in his book, or seen his show, but if not then get involved in this Wonderbox and you’ll never look at a golf club in the same way ever again.David takes Russell through a blow-by-blow account of a family life that was let’s say unusual, and he doesn’t spare any details. It’s funny, it’s astonishing, it’s just a fascinating hour in the company

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65:59

James Bay

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/10/23

How awkward is it to play a surprise set for the England Football Team when they’ve just finished training? James Bay did just this and told us all about it on this week’s podcast! James and Russell talk about tight silver trousers, they get into how to write a song and Russell tells what he believes to be the greatest joke he’s ever written. It’s a thoroughly relaxed, intimate chat with plenty of tales from a life on the road as a musician. As James revealed on the podcast he has a new album out

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61:22

Allan 'Seapa' Mustafa

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/10/16

How do you go from a kid hanging around the DJ booth in Eurodiscos in Prague to creating one of Britain’s most iconic sitcoms of all time? Seapa is here to take Russell through his Wonderbox, including the dreaded call centres he worked in where he met the other People Just Do Nothing stars, and the perfect Banh-Mi Sandwich. Lots of fun. Really funny episode with proper energy, fascinating stories and some excellent digressions. Keep up with Allan on Instagram here. Watch him as Andy Peacock

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67:27

Stephen Merchant

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/10/09

Why did a young Stephen Merchant sneak a boat onto a Devon beach under cover of darkness? It's all in this absolutely spankingly good podcast episode where Russell and Stephen sit down in a Bristol-born meeting of titans! Stephen is as brilliant as always, taking us through some less-covered areas of his life, talking through hilarious old family holidays, his experiences trash-talking with strangers in online chess and he also gives some incredible insights into his creative process. This is an

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64:06

Ashley Roberts

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/10/02

Secrets from the Pussycat Dolls tour bus! And more! Comin’ atcha in Russell’s absolutely delightful chat with Ashley Roberts. Find out what life is like being a pop mega-star, what kind of mischief happened backstage and an alternative, let’s call it unconventional, use for a burrito. You can hear more of Ashley by getting out your digital radio (or analog? Did they turn off the signal yet?) for she is on Heart FM every week. Ashley is a showbiz correspondent on the Heart FM’s breakfast show,

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65:08

Adam Hills

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/09/25

Host of the Last Leg, Australian comedy royalty Adam Hills joins Russell in the studio this week for a warm and optimistic journey through Adam’s Wonderbox. There’s some fascinating and funny stories from Adam’s childhood, about his Dad who worked on Qantas airlines ✈️, about those hot evenings on Australian balconies 🌅, and about sharing a bath with twenty two other grown men in Warrington singing drinking songs 🤪🍻. Adam has been away from live comedy for a while, concentrating on the Last

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62:42

Linford Christie

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2024/09/23

Did Linford Christie take part in the Dad’s race at his kids’s school sports day? Russell and Linford discuss what it’s like to be bloody quick, what it’s like to win an Olympic gold medal, and why Linford used to growl like a tiger at his competitors on the starting blocks. It’s a really interesting and intimate chat with a British legend, seeing a side to him that we rarely get to see. It’s really worth watching the documentary all about Linford’s career and life. It’s called simply

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99 results

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