EXTRA DATES IN BIRMINGHAM AND BOURNEMOUTH ADDED

5 CONTINENTS, 24 COUNTRIES, 51 CITIES 

“One of the world’s top comedians” The Sunday Times, UK

“Howard has ascended his way to the top of the comedy world” The New Zealand Herald, New Zealand

“He’s cheeky, he’s charming, and he may be your new favourite British export in a Brexit world” Time Out, USA

“internationally renowned stand-up comedian” Time Out, China

15^th February 2019 – Russell Howard has added a second date at the Arena Birmingham on the 18^th September and a third matinee performance at the Bournemouth International Centre on the 29^th September to his upcoming Respite world tour to meet demand for tickets. The news arrives as multiple UK arena dates have sold out and others are reaching capacity, with extra tickets being released ahead of international dates going on-sale in March.

The new Arena Birmingham show goes on-sale today at 12pm. All tour tickets are available to buy at www.russell-howard.co.uk

After the global success of Netflix special Recalibrate, Sky One’s hit The Russell Howard Hour which spawned over 109 million views worldwide on social media and 2017 international record-breaking sell-out tour Round The World, Russell Howard returns to the live stage with his third and largest world tour to date, Respite. Russell begins the trip with a nationwide arena tour including two shows at The SSE Arena, Wembley in autumn 2019, during which he will perform ‘in the round’ wherever possible. Breaking the record for the biggest ever stand-up show in China on his last tour, he returns to play Shanghai and Beijing in 2020. Outside of Asia, Russell will perform in Africa, North America, Europe and Australasia, visiting over 24 countries and 51 cities including: Mumbai, Dehli, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpa, Singapore, Copenhagen, Berlin, Helsinki, Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.

In addition to Russell breaking a record in China on his 2017 sell-out international tour, Round the World, he played 10 consecutive sold out nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall, breaking the venue’s record previously held by Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow for 8 shows in a row. The tour led to a global release of Netflix Special entitled Recalibrate.

Russell is currently offering his unique and acclaimed perspective on international news and current affairs with the second series of The Russell Howard Hour on Sky One. Every episode is available to watch worldwide on Russell’s YouTube channel which has over 645,000 subscribers. The show is also broadcast simultaneously in Australia and New Zealand. Series one was the most successful new entertainment series to launch on the channel since 2010 and had over 109 million global views across social media. A further series three and four has been commissioned, and the third fourteen part-series (14×60)’ will go in to production in autumn 2019.

Russell has a social media following of over 3.4 million Facebook fans around the world with more followers than any other British comedian.

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Other things the press said about Russell’s last stand-up tour, Round The World:

★★★★★ Sharon Lougher, Metro, UK

 “Hilarious and heartfelt” ★★★★ Bruce Dessau, The Evening Standard, UK

“Intimate and raw” ★★★★ Mark Wareham, The Mail On Sunday, UK

“He’s never been more relevant” ★★★★ Rachael Moon, Manchester Evening News, UK

“world domination is looming… he has grown darker, angrier and more satirical on stage. His sets deal with everything from foreign policy to his fear of death, and he rages as much as he teases.”  Stephen Armstrong, The Sunday Times, UK

“Last week, I saw Russell Howard’s highly entertaining new show, playing at the Royal Albert Hall, no less. He is now doing a world tour, and why not? He is a global star, with a huge following.” David Stephenson, The Sunday Express, UK

“We’ve certainly never seen the venue’s [Royal Albert Hall] roof raised this high.” Shyvonne Thomas, Digital Spy, UK

For more information please contact: Victoria Wedderburn or Dan Lloyd at Avalon on 0207 598 7222 or VWedderburn@avalon-entertainment.com / DLloyd@avalon-entertainment.com

About Avalon:

Avalon is a multi-award winning talent management, live promotion and television production group with offices in the UK and the USA. Avalon and ARG, the talent management arm, has discovered and represents many artists that are household names, both in the UK, the USA, and around the world.

In 2018, Avalon was again named the number one true independent television production company in the UK and has produced numerous ground-breaking television shows including: Emmy and Peabody award winner Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), multi-award winning and Emmy-nominated Catastrophe (Channel 4/Amazon Prime), RTS and Rose d’Or winning Not Going Out (the BBC’s longest running sitcom currently on air), BAFTA and RTS-nominated Taskmaster (DAVE/UKTV), multi-BAFTA award winning TV Burp (ITV1), Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC2), Fantasy Football League (BBC/ITV) and Workaholics (Comedy Central USA).

Avalon and Topical Television form the television arm of the company and other shows recently in production include:  Catastrophe (C4/Amazon Prime), Taskmaster (Dave), The Russell Howard Hour (Sky One), Not Going Out (BBC One), Stand Up Central with Rob Delaney (Comedy Central UK) and Russell Howard & Mum: Road Trip (Comedy Central UK); whilst the catalogue is sold worldwide by Avalon Distribution.

Avalon produced Newman and Baddiel: Live at Wembley, the UK’s first arena comedy show; Jerry Springer: The Opera, the first West End show to win all four UK ‘Best New Musical’ awards; and has continued to produce live shows globally, as well as promoting more winners and nominees of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award than any other company. For Avalon news visit: www.avalon-entertainment.com or @avalonent.

For Avalon news visit: www.avalon-entertainment.com or @avalonent.

About Russell Howard:

• The Russell Howard Hour has been commissioned for a further series three and four whist the second series is currently on air until 28th February on Sky One. The first series of the topical entertainment show, which sees RUSSELL offer his unique and acclaimed perspective on news and current affairs, was the most successful new non-scripted entertainment series to launch on the channel since 2010 and had over 100 million views across social media. The third, fourteen-part series (14 x 60’) will go into production in autumn 2019.

• Following 2016 and 2018’s adventures in the USA, RUSSELL and his mum NINETTE HOWARD have returned to our screens with a trip to Asia. The 6 x 60 minute series (twice the length of series one and two’s 30-minutes episodes) Russell Howard & Mum: Globetrotters is on Comedy Central UK until 27^th February. The first two series reached 3.7M individuals, with the first series being the highest rated new commission on the channel the year it launched. After achieving as much as +241% on the 16-34s slot average and +172% on the adults slot average, series three and four were commissioned with extended episodes.

• A Netflix special of RUSSELL’s latest critically acclaimed world tour titled Recalibrate launched worldwide in December 2017.

• During Round the World, his largest international tour to date, RUSSELL performed 87 major dates with runs in the UK, USA, Canada, Europe, China, New Zealand and Australia.  This tour also saw a record-breaking 10-night run at the Royal Albert Hall, overtaking eight in a row jointly held by Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow, and performing the biggest ever stand-up show in China.

• Whilst RUSSELL was touring Round The World in 2017, his last stand-up show Wonderbox (2014) went viral with 15 million views in China (with Mandarin subtitles) and 55 million views worldwide.  Russell Crowe and Stephen Fry are amongst some of the Twitterati who have shared the heart-warming story of Russell and a sick fan’s triumph over adversity.

• The last series of Russell Howard’s Good News saw multiple sections go viral, including a passionate backing of junior doctors and the NHS (8.2 million views), an interview destigmatising Tourette’s (4.9 million views) and a demonstration of the absurdity of the tampon tax (10.2 million views).

• Russell Howard’s Good News is available around the world via a YouTube channel launched in 2014 – allowing fans to watch full episodes of the show (without piracy) in countries where the show wasn’t already broadcast – and has had over 48 million views and been watched in 180 countries (including North Korea and Vatican City).

• Christmas 2015 saw RUSSELL’s first comedy-drama with the premiere of, A Gert Lush Christmas (BBC Two).   As well as co-writing the special, RUSSELL starred for the first time along-side his sister KERRY HOWARD (Him & Her, BBC Three), GREG DAVIES (The Inbetweeners, Man Down, Channel 4), NEIL MORRISSEY (Men Behaving Badly, Waterloo Road, BBC1), and SOPHIE THOMPSON (EastEnders, BBC1).

• RUSSELL’s stand-up series – Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central, which aired from April 2015 on Comedy Central (UK) achieved viewing figures of 159% above the slot average for its first episode.

• Episodes of Russell Howard’s Good News have even been subtitled and uploaded to Chinese video site AcFun, where the show has also been watched over 4 million times.

• RUSSELL is the most popular British comedian on Facebook with over 3.4 million fans and over 1.3 million followers on Twitter.

• 10 series of Russell Howard’s Good News has seen RUSSELL write and star in 96 episodes.

• Russell Howard’s Good News is regularly the most watched show on iPlayer across all BBC Channels.

• RUSSELL’s tour, Wonderbox (2014) – saw him perform to over 285,000 fans at 40 shows across the UK and Ireland, including four consecutive nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

• RUSSELL extended his 2014 Wonderbox tour across the world following over 17,000 suggestions from his fans after he asked them via Facebook where they’d most like to see him perform. The extra sold out dates saw RUSSELL travel to New York, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, Denver, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Auckland.

• RUSSELL’s tour in 2011, Right Here, Right Now saw him perform to over 240,000 fans across the country, including three sold out dates at London’s O2 arena.

• RUSSELL performed to over one million people on his UK and international tours from 2006-2014.

• RUSSELL HOWARD has four bestselling stand-up DVDs, 2014’s Wonderbox Live, 2011’s Right Here, Right Now, 2008’s Russell Howard Live and 2009’s Russell Howard Live – Dingledodies, which have sold over 619,000 DVDs and all been in the top 5 DVD comedy chart.

• RUSSELL was voted Heat Magazine‘s “Weird Crush of the Year 2013″

• RUSSELL made 58 appearances on Mock The Week between 2006 and 2010.

• In addition to being a regular on Mock The Week, RUSSELL was twice featured on Live At The Apollo and appeared on Would I Lie To You (BBC One), Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC Two), and 8 Out 10 Cats (Channel 4).

• In 2010 RUSSELL took part in the Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride with DAVID WALLIAMS, JIMMY CARR, FEARNE COTTON, MIRANDA HART, PATRICK KIELTY and DAVINA McCALL – cycling 874 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End in 4 days and raising over ￡1, 337.099.

• In 2010 RUSSELL ran the London Marathon, raising money for the National Society for Epilepsy – a condition from which his brother suffers. He completed the 26 mile course in 4 hours and 15 minutes and raised over ￡7,000.

• RUSSELL HOWARD’S fifth ever stand-up gig got him to the final of Channel 4’s So You Think You’re Funny.

• In 2006 RUSSELL HOWARD was nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Award for his show Wandering, which followed with a nationwide sell-out tour.

• From November 2006 to July 2008, RUSSELL co-hosted The Russell Howard Show (BBC 6 Music) with fellow comedian JON RICHARDSON in a Sunday morning slot previously hosted by RUSSELL BRAND.