Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things

60:00

Alexei Sayle

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/09/30

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 Alexei’s formative years and his ill-fated experiments in Hollywood. Alexei’s latest book is called ‘How

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49:05

Natasha Bedingfield

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/09/23

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 the greats. You can hear it, buy it and find so much more music at natashabedingfield.com You can

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59:58

Alasdair Beckett-King

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/09/16

ALASDAIR BECKETT-KINGA 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) to things you definitely can’t (strippers - only joking - ghosts actually) and it’s just the kind of

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60:34

Mark Simmons

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/09/09

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 Autumn leg of his ‘Jest to Impress’ tour, and basically you won’t get more jokes per pound spent at

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56:00

Brian Conley

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/09/02

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 just competed in Celebrity Hunted on Channel 4, and you can watch the whole series, including his victorious

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53:41

August's Moments of the Month

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/09/01

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 the comedian, actor and star of SNL UK, Scarborough’s finest… Paddy Young. Then we had Dan Tiernan

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63:06

Alfie Brown

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/08/26

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 touring the UK. You can find out all the dates and book tickets in a couple of quick clicks by going to

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63:56

Joe Maggio

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/08/19

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 Five Brilliant Things are unusually rich; told with a story-telling flair that betrays his many years creating,

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57:59

Dan Tiernan

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/08/12

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 his new show ‘Quartz and All’ and it’s about the crystal madness he talks about in this podcast. If that’s

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55:01

Paddy Young

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/08/05

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 at the Edinburgh Festival right now. His Fringe show is at 9pm at Monkey Barrel but that’s all

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52:48

July's Moments of the Month

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/08/01

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 writer Bella Hull. Then we had the choreographer turned comedian Christopher Hall. And

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64:45

Ian Moore

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/07/29

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 and listen to the show. Then you’ll see why Ian’s got such an engaging brain and why you should, if you

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61:47

Christopher Hall

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/07/22

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 will be on at the Edinburgh Fringe this August and then out on tour, starting in Margate on 30th September and

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58:27

Bella Hull

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/07/15

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 genuine enthusiasm. Bella has created, just for you, a new show and it will be on at this year’s

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65:16

Peter Serafinowicz

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/07/08

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 Elden Ring and you can experience (as recreated on the podcast) his effort noises. Also watch out for

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47:35

June's Moments of the Month

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/07/07

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 was the lead singer and creative force behind Kasabian... Serge Pizzorno After that we were

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62:40

Natalie Cassidy

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/07/01

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’ alongside her closest friends and family, so if you want to hang out with Nat more long-term, you

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58:56

Al Nash

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/06/23

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 how they made that first season of SNL UK and what it’s like to forge a career as an online sketch

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63:43

Aziz Ansari

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/06/17

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 the tactile experiences. It’s a funny and warm show that you will definitely enjoy. 🎟️ We

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63:46

Sindhu Vee

Russell Howard’s Five Brilliant Things ·

2026/06/10

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 can! Sindhu is out on tour with her smash hit show ’SWANKY’. 🎟️ There are a handful of European

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