At 18 years old, Russell Howard would make hours-long journeys across the UK to practice his standup in various comedy clubs. The award-winning comedian is now bussing the world over with his 'Russell Howard Live' show.
Howard (45) even brought his eight-month-old son on the last leg of the tour. "It was fantastic but strange," he tells The Brussels Times. "I've never been on a tour bus with a baby before. It was like there were two babies – a big baby that needed everything doing for him, that was me, and an actual baby that needed everything doing for him, my son. So it was quite nice to have a bit of companionship."
Howard's comedy has always been imbued with a strong sense of optimism. He shot to fame with the television programme Mock The Week and became a household name with Russell Howard's Good News. His podcast Five Brilliant Things celebrates the many moments of joy that populate daily life. The current show is no different, he assures me.
"It's very difficult to laugh and be furious unless you're a Bond villain," he says. "Laughter is so innately freeing and silly. It's kind of like a societal orgasm in that respect. I wouldn't say I'm a constantly happy person but when I do standup, I just love making people laugh so much. If you're giving people societal orgasms it would be strange to be stood there doing it but be indifferent about it."
Trump 'a good test of the material'
Howard's jokes jump from "minges" to the "majesty of the female body", but his material largely hinges on political commentary. He describes a "fascinating" experience while touring around "the bonfire that is America" given the polarising effect of President Donald Trump.
"It was brilliant to be in places where if you spoke about Trump in a derogatory way, the audience is completely with you and you can say anything. And then sometimes you'd be in a beach community in California and you could see them bristle because that that was their guy. So it was a really good test of the material. If you can make people who don't want to laugh about it laugh, then you really feel like you're on to something."
Brit abroad
A British comedian performing in Brussels has to cater to a very different audience than the one across the Atlantic, he points out.
In Europe, "there is this assumption that we're shit. We can't speak another language, we're oafs, we're morons, we fight, which is all pretty true. But then you go to America and they think we're refined, we're debonair, we're sophisticated. And it's so funny, gigging in those two [places] in a very short space of time."
Credit: Craig Sugden / Avalon Promotions
Ahead of his show, Howard admits he needs learn more about Belgium and it's complicated political system, but is ready for the challenge.
"My Belgian politics will be better the day before I arrive – I will do some last minute boning up." I mention the fact that the country is run by a separatist Flemish Prime Minister whose party dreams of regional autonomy. "That gets me excited, because you kind of go: Okay, that feels like something to sink your teeth into, or at least acknowledge."
He says his material often draws inspiration from things he has picked up from in his surroundings on the day. This makes things more tailored but has its drawbacks. "It's so strange because you're like, Right, I've got loads of stuff about Portugal that's funny, and then the next day you're in Barcelona and none of it works."
Gaffes happen all the time, says Howard, reminiscing on an awkward moment on stage in Slovenia, where a section of his set joked about the Baltic Sea – a body of water a considerable distance from the Balkans.
But the comedian doesn't tend to overthink these melodramatic moments. "If I'm in a country where there's jail time hovering, if I have to make the show a bit more vanilla, that's fine. But I don't think I'll be thrown in jail in Brussels for jokes."
Russell Howard is performing at La Madeleine on Sunday 4 May 2025. More information here.
