Russell Howard: "I'm done with TV"
Russell Howard has confirmed that he's quit television, saying that he prefers to focus on live stand-up and podcasting instead.
The arena comic, who releases his latest special next week, has also dismissed the small screen as a platform for upcoming acts to build an audience.
Howard, who last appeared on UK television in August, guesting on Channel 4's The Big Fat Quiz Of Telly, made 10 series of the topical satire show Russell Howard's Good News for the BBC between 2009 and 2015, followed by six series and a Covid-era spin-off series of home-filmed episodes, of the similar The Russell Howard Hour for Sky from 2017-2022.
Both shows featured dedicated stand-up spots that gave valuable exposure to upcoming acts, often a comedian's first television credit. However, Howard has said that such opportunities no longer exist in the broadcast schedules.
He currently hosts two podcasts, Russell Howard's Five Brilliant Things, in which he interviews fellow comedians about things that are special to them - initially launched as Russell Howard's Wonderbox in 2023 - and GoalLess, a football podcast primarily aimed at US listeners that he hosts with Major League Soccer broadcaster Chris Wittyngham.
Produced by his management company, Avalon, his new special Live At The London Palladium is debuting with a livestream on the Driift platform on 15th January, along with a bonus programme of content called Off The Cuff, before getting an on-demand release the next day.
"I don't do TV anymore, I just do stand-up and my podcast" Howard told fellow comics Adam Rowe and Dan Nightingale on their Have A Word podcast. "It kind of makes sense just to do it all yourself."
"You're done with TV, you just want control?" Nightingale asked.
"Yeah, I had a pretty good run, I just prefer doing stand-up" Howard explained, before reflecting on touring. "I was all over the world and it was just fun."
Speaking about the trend for comics establishing themselves on social media with brief clips from sets, Howard affirmed his commitment to longer form content.
"I think that's what propels all of us [comics] forward, that thing of going 'I think there's a great hour in me' and I haven't lost that, that's what I like the most" he said. "That thing of putting together a show, finishing it and then putting it out there ... I was almost going to call the next tour Lifer because there's nothing else I'd rather do.
"TV is fun but it's not as fun. Writing a book I couldn't do because I don't want to sit and entertain myself but doing stand-up is what I love doing ... It's not entertainment for committee, it's your dictatorship ... The audience are like this brilliant jury that let you know through laughter whether it works or not."
His latest comments echo an interview that he gave to the Telegraph last summer, in which he remarked that podcasts are easier to make than television, "you can make better stuff and don't have to wait for someone to tell you you're allowed to do it. It's kind of punk rock, setting up a podcast. You basically put out your own album."
And he told the paper that for comedians starting out, "I don't think there's any TV to aim for, is there?
"We've just had an election and there were no satirical programmes on TV. Literally nothing. The only comedy show you could aim for as a young comic is Have I Got News For You, but when I started there were lots of opportunities."
His international tour resumes on 21st January in Helsinki, taking in European, Asia and US dates over the next three months.