Comedian Russell Howard has announced that he has quit TV after almost two decades on our screens.
The 44-year-old Brit is best known for presenting Russell Howard’s Good News (2009-2015), The Russell Howard Hour (2017-2022), and for being a panellist on Mock the Week (2006-2010).
He was known for his satirical humour around politics, which was geared towards young adults, on his TV shows.
After spending years split across BBC, Sky and even Comedy Central, it sounds like Howard is done with presenting for good.
Russell Howard has been a prominent figure on British TV for almost two decades (BBC)
After 19 successful years, Howard has admitted that he actually prefers doing stand-up comedy instead of structured television, as well as hosting his podcasts, Five Brilliant Things and GoalLess.
Having presented Good News on the BBC for 10 series, followed by six series of The Russell Howard Hour after that, the comedian opened up on his decision to step back from filming.
Speaking on the Have A Word Podcast, Howard explained: “I don’t do TV anymore, I just do stand-up and my podcast.
“I had a pretty good run, I just prefer doing stand-up. I was all over the world and it was just fun.”
Further highlighting how much he loves stand-up, Howard said that there’s ‘nothing else he would rather do’ than touring his own comedy set across the UK.
He added: “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.”
Howard then went to compare comedy to a courtroom, explaining: “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.”
Howard confirmed that his time on TV is over (YouTube/Have A Word Pod)
Another reason that may have encouraged Howard to call time on his TV career is the fact that he became a father last year.
In August, the comic announced that he and his wife, Cerys Morgan, became parents.
After 15 years together, the pair made it official in the summer of 2019 and he explained how his life changed in a 2024 interview with The Times.
“Six months ago my evenings would have been spent getting ready to go out and perform in front of a thousand people, but now evenings find me sitting on the sofa watching TV with my son on my chest,” Howard said.
“I’m tired a lot. It’s funny, when you become a parent everybody compliments you on your baby, but they will freely turn to you and say that you look like s**t, that your face should be on a government watch list or something.”
He concluded by saying that he sleeps when he can, as with a child, he ‘needs it’.
