Russell Howard returns to our TVs tonight with his batch of news clips from throughout the week and we couldn’t be happier to see our favourite Bristolian back on BBC Three. But why is it that Russell Howard has become possibly the UK’s most liked comedian over the last few years?
The secret to Howard’s success is his incredible likeability. He may occasionally push the barriers of taste now and again, but he never seems to revel in causing controversy, with any groan inducing joke nearly always followed with a sheepish grin and an apology. It might be a ploy, but it’s awfully effective.
Howard has an incredible knack of just seeming like your cuddly mate on screen, even when being incredibly filthy, partly due to his habit of cracking up on stage and appearing to be making things up as he goes along, partly due to the fact that he quite often brings his personal and professional life together. That he goes on about his family to the extent that he does is one of the reasons why he manages to cross generational gap, despite spewing out lines that would make even the most brazen of people blush.
Tales from photo shoots and tapings have also hit the grapevine too, that Howard’s on stage modesty and niceness is completely genuine. This might seem like a daft thing to bring up, but to many that ‘nice young man’ factor is massive.
Howard’s also not particularly harsh on the eye either, regularly held up as the pin-up of the live comedy scene and it’s hard to argue why. He may keep making jokes about his wonky eye, but that doesn’t stop the legions of fans out there awfully jealous of his long-time girlfriend and being name Heat magazine's Weird Crush Of The Year.
The single most obvious and important reason why Howard has become so popular is that he’s absolutely hilarious. His ability to find the humour in the most banal of subjects and subtly blend the surreal in with the day-to-day makes his routines regularly side-splitting. From cracking jokes about OCD to making meerkat impressions, Howard’s range of humour is that wide that at least twice to three times an episode you’ll be keeling over with laughs.
Good News has become one of the most successful shows in BBC Three’s history, regularly getting in an audience of over a million and only behind Doctor Who when it comes to watches on the iPlayer. With the unusual sex-symbol of Howard at the core of its success, it’s easy to see why the show ranks as one of the shiniest jewels in the channel’s crown.
Russell Howard's Good News starts again tonight on BBC Three
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