“hugely physical with his performances and relentlessly funny, he has been a mainstay of the schedules for more than a decade”
Iman Amrani, The Guardian

“one of the world’s top comedians”
 Martin Hemming, The Sunday Times

“the star doesn’t shy away from the biggest news stories of the week…hilarious”
Louis Staples, The Independent

“Russell Howard has found his place with this satirical vehicle”
Victoria Segal, The Sunday Times

Russell Howard is back to share his hilarious takes on the spiralling headlines with the 6th series of The Russell Howard Hour, coming to Sky Max and streaming service NOW on Thursday 8th September at 10.30pm. The show immediately became one of Sky’s most successful entertainment series when it launched and has also gone on to see huge success online with over 400 million views on social media.

Obsessed with the news, the comedy megastar makes his highly anticipated return, following his third and biggest sell-out world tour. The satirical and topical series, which will include Russell’s 100th episode on Sky, is perfectly timed to launch during the week the new Prime Minister is set to be announced.

Throughout the series Russell will be joined by guests in studio and via a satellite link, with the show previously featuring interviews with well-known faces including Ed Sheeran, Matthew McConaughey, Dizzee Rascal, Elizabeth Day, Billy Connolly, Akala, Keanu Reeves, Lady Leshurr, Guz Khan, Naomi Klein, Jim Carrey, Jack Black, Louis Theroux, Tyson Fury, John Oliver, Alesha Dixon, Tan France, Brian Cox, Rob Delaney, Armando Iannucci, Elizabeth Banks and Jimmy Carr, while also spotlighting unsung heroes such as disability activist Sinead Burke, anti-knife crime campaigner and former champion boxer Mark Prince and KKK converter Daryl Davis.

We will see the welcome return of Playground Politics, where Russell talks to entertaining school children around the country on a whole host of topics and issues and Good Deeds, with the show continuing to celebrate the nation’s acts of kindness plus live guest performances from the world of comedy.

All episodes of the series are available to catch-up on NOW. Each episode is also available to watch worldwide on Russell’s YouTube channel, with over 1.4 million subscribers, as well as being broadcast on Foxtel in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand close to UK transmission.

Russell has over 10 million followers on social media. His recently created TikTok channel attracted over 100k followers within 48 hours of launching and is currently tracking over 1.1 million with over 50 million views including the first video featuring a sketch on the fuel crisis from the previous series of The Russell Howard Hour clocking up over 6.4 million views.

The sixth series of The Russell Howard Hour was commissioned by Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content for Sky UK and Ireland and Phil Edgar-Jones, Director, Sky Arts and Head of Entertainment. The Commissioning Editors for Sky are Shirley Jones and Dwayne Eaton. The Executive Producers for Avalon are Richard Allen-Turner, James Taylor and Jon Thoday and the Series Producer Jason Dawson.

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Other Things The Press Said About The Russell Howard Hour:

★★★★The Mail On Sunday ★★★★ Heat Magazine ★★★★ The Daily Star ★★★★ TV Times ★★★★ The Daily Express ★★★★ Star Magazine 

“sardonic but ultimately affirmative and optimistic take on global news and politics. What sets Howard apart from other TV satirists is his faith in human nature.”
Ed Power, The i

“Altogether more politicised and hard-hitting….It was a treat to find Howard showing so much bite… it’s not often you get such spiky satire on Sky1…Howard and his Hour should be applauded.”
Michael Hogan, The Daily Telegraph 

“Howard’s routines provide a more pointed critique of government incompetence and malfeasance than you might expect…his interview segments offer extended chats with an eclectic range of guests beyond the same old roster of celebrities”
Jack Seale, Radio Times

“Underestimate Russell Howard at your peril…behind that smile is a performer with real teeth ready to tear into current affairs and the many failings of our lords and masters”
Mark Wareham, The Mail On Sunday

“There is no denying the popularity of Russell. As his topical comedy returns for its fourth series, the numbers it can boast are staggering- it’s had over 400 million views on social media and has covered topics as varied as the porn industry and Ku Klux Klan”
Eleanor Relf, The Sun

“the star doesn’t shy away from the biggest news stories of the week…hilarious”
Louis Staples, The Independent

“a big hit for Sky”
Forbes

“His topical chat show has been a hit, securing fascinating celebs like Louis Theroux, Jon Ronson and Naomi Klein for extended chats”
Graeme Virtue, The Guardian

“Russell Howard gets set to nail our messed-up world once again with another series of sharp comedic insights from the week’s biggest stories”
Emily Baker, The i 

 “The Russell Howard Hour, a weekly comedy series on Sky 1 in which Howard brings his characteristic wit and observational humor to the stories dominating the cultural zeitgeist.”
Dane Rivera, UPROXX (USA)

“a refreshing antidote to the default world-weary cynicism of so many of his comedy peers.”
Sharon Lougher, Metro

“Russell Howard has truly gone global…Though he may be known for his cheeky, happy-go-lucky demeanour, Howard has never been one to shy away from the bigger issues…Whether it’s highlighting child hunger, unashamed praise for the police, or taking aim at Trumps’ views on transgender people in the military, the varying topics are all things Howard has a strong opinion on.”
Alex Nelson, The i 

“no one can seriously deny him his place at comedy’s top table…the way in which Howard views the world has changed. He is more reflective, less flippant, than he used to be”
Rupert Hawksley, The Daily Telegraph

What The Press Have Said About Russell’s stand-up:

“With smart, satisfying and well-rationed callbacks, Howard builds his giddy anecdotes into a tsunami of feelgood humour, drenching the sizeable crowd in positivity. No wonder they were moved to rise to their feet… and not just in the usual festival shuffle for the exit.” ★★★★½
Steve Bennett, Chortle

“Howard’s riffs on life in 2021 that is the best material…Respite is, at times, Howard’s philosophy on life. Sort of like a self-help book for a flawed world slowly coming out of hibernation that would be a whole lot better – and sillier – if we followed his advice….has achieved global success… You would have to be pretty joyless yourself not to have fun at a Russell Howard gig. He will now take these life lessons around the world, offering togetherness, hope and a lot of silliness” ★★★★
Martin Booth, The Telegraph

“In 2021, what does gratitude sound like? Having witnessed it firsthand, I’d say it’s the sound of a 2000-seat auditorium lit up with laughter…Howard is one of the world’s biggest comedy stars. His flow is punchy and unstoppable”
Maggie Wicks, The New Zealand Herald

“Howard is a megastar” ★★★★
Allan Radcliffe, The Times

“Howard’s presence and manner are honed art forms, and his pacing is close to perfection. His set is tightly-packed, relentless, accelerating and energetic. But every word is crystal clear. This tightrope between rushing and dragging is rarely so well walked.” ★★★★
Alex Bruce, Chortle

“In Respite he takes stock of the current chaos and concludes that we need more fun…. Howard says laughter brings people together. It certainly did last night.”
★★★★ Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard 

“Russell Howard is at the top of his game, his elegantly crafted observational stand-up using cunningly spun callbacks and physical comedy to flirt with controversy, domesticity, politics, sex, and Calippo ice lollies”
Stephen Armstrong, The Sunday Times 

“Hero’s return for the uplifting comedy king…Howard is undeniably one of the biggest names in comedy”
★★★★ Josh Stephenson, Metro

“Howard masterfully builds a show that is hilarious and convincing in equal manner”
★★★★ Owen Richards, The i

“It’s safe to say this show went down a storm”
★★★★★ Tabitha James, Young Perspective

“Arguably one of the funniest blokes to come out of the United Kingdom right now, you can rest assured Russell Howard will be keeping the laughs coming”
Mina Kerr-Lazenby, Stuff

For more information, please contact Victoria Wedderburn on 07557160139 or VWedderburn@avalonuk.com and Jasmine Ruparelia on JRuparelia@avalonuk.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

• Russell recently completed his third and biggest sell-out world tour to date. Selling over 300, 000 tickets,  the Respite tour saw Russell play a UK arena run plus a second UK leg including 5 Hammersmith Apollo dates culminating with taping his second Netflix special Lubricant which is streaming now.

• The two-part Netflix instalment features his stand-up special striving to make sense of a world that is spinning out of control, Lubricant and documentary mapping his attempts to keep performing throughout the Covid 19 pandemic, Until The Wheels Come Off.

• Russell is the first comedian to release a special accompanied by a documentary on Netflix.

• Following Lubricant’s release, Russell became the sole comedian to have two of the top ten most-streamed specials across all platforms in the UK in the last 12 months.

• Russell has over 10 million followers on social media and over 600 million views across his social media channels

• In response to the government’s step 4 roadmap delay, Russell moved his homecoming run of Respite from the Bristol Hippodrome to play seven socially distanced shows at Ashton Gate Stadium, the home of Bristol City FC.

• Russell became the first stand-up comedian from the Northern Hemisphere to perform in New Zealand and Australia since the global lockdown in 2021.

• Whilst on tour in New Zealand and Australia, Russell filmed a new 3 x 60 min travelogue, Russell Howard Stands Up To The World, airing in the UK on Sky in New Zealand on TVNZ in 2021.

• In London during lockdown in 2021, Russell was the first to open The Clapham Grand’s doors playing a series of work in progress gigs alongside some of his favourite performers.

• Ratings and critical hit The Russell Howard Hour was recommissioned for a fifth and sixth season, whilst the fourth season was still on air, by Sky One and TV streaming service NOW TV. The show immediately became one of Sky’s most successful entertainment series when it launched and has also gone on to see huge success online with over 400 million views on social media.

• During lockdown in 2020, Russell was on our screens twice a week presenting a new Sky One show, Russell Howard’s Home Time, from his childhood bedroom for which he donated his fee to NHS Charities Together and The Trussell Trust.  The series saw Russell give his unique perspective on current world events, as he chatted to some famous faces and interesting people in lockdown including Marc Maron, Jack Whitehall, Louis Theroux, Katherine Ryan, Greg Davies, Michelle Wolf, John Richardson, Guz Khan, James Bay, Stephen Merchant, Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno, and heroes on the front line including Bafta and Emmy award winning film maker Hassan Akkad, intensive care doctor Aoife Abbey and mental health volunteer Caitlin Grant.

• Russell Howard and his mum Ninette were on our screens with the fourth series of Comedy Central’s Russell Howard & Mum: Globetrotters in 2019. The first three series reached 4.2M 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 previous critically acclaimed world tour titled Recalibrate launched worldwide in December 2017.

• Russell’s 2017 sell-out international tour, Round the World saw him play a total of 87 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 previous 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 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.

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

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

• On the 10^th anniversary of the channel, a poll of over 10,000 readers of Digital Spy voted Russell Howard’s Good News as the best ever BBC Three Show, beating shows such as Little Britain and Gavin & Stacey

• Russell’s 2014 Wonderbox tour 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.

About Sky
Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. Across six countries, Sky connects 23 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own award-winning original content.

Following the launch of Sky Glass, we now offer customers our strongest ever line-up of products and services. As well as the new streaming TV with Sky inside and everything integrated, customers can enjoy the award-winning Sky Q with all your favourite channels and apps in one place, and with Sky Go you can now access an even better experience on your devices. Sky TV has new channels, new shows and new deals with Peacock, Paramount+ and more. Sky Mobile was voted Best Pay Monthly and Best Value Pay Monthly network by Uswitch, and with Sky Broadband we’re offering our fastest speeds yet.

Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years alone. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free; Sky Arts is the UKs only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service, brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in-between. Sky Cinema is the home of Sky Original films with brand new films launching every month alongside an unrivalled range of the latest cinema releases and on demand library.

We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we’re proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity, and we’ve set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation. We’re also committed to investing £30million across our markets over the next three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice.

About NOW
NOW is the home of brilliant entertainment. We’re one of the UK’s leading streaming services with critically acclaimed shows, new and exclusive movies, unmissable sport and epic kids TV – all with no contract. Join in with an Entertainment, Cinema, Sports, or hayu Membership to stream instantly across TV, mobile, desktop and over 60 other devices. Watch on the go and even offline with our app by downloading shows and movies.

Entertainment Members can enjoy critically acclaimed dramas, documentaries and comedies, Emmy award-winning shows, the best of HBO and exclusive Sky Originals. Cinema Members can discover over 1000 brilliant movies, from the latest blockbusters and classic favourites and a new premiere every day. Sports Members cheer on unmissable Premier League, international cricket, F1, golf and more – all live, across 11 Sky Sports channels.

Plus, members can enhance their experience with NOW Boost – that’s full 1080p HD, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and streaming on up to 3 devices at once, ad-free in VOD.

For super-fast broadband, members can enjoy a contract-free connection with a NOW Brilliant Broadband, Fab Fibre or Super Fibre Membership.

Learn more: nowtv.com
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About Avalon
Avalon is a multi-award-winning talent management, television production and live promotion group with offices in London, Los Angeles and New York.

Avalon, Artist Rights Group (ARG) and The Agency represent a prolific roster of artists including comedians, actors, presenters, writers and directors. Avalon’s numerous ground-breaking returning television shows currently in production include: Not Going Out (BBC), the UK’s longest running sitcom on air; Taskmaster (Channel 4), the BAFTA-winning hit entertainment format showing in 100 countries; multi Emmy-winner, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO); The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), the network’s most successful entertainment show launch since 2010; Starstruck, a new sitcom from the 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Rose Matafeo (HBO Max/BBC); Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, from creator Josh Thomas (Freeform); Breeders, a sitcom starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard (FX/Sky); a new series of the iconic British satirical puppet show, Spitting Image (BritBox UK); and multiple comedy specials for Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max and Netflix.

Other landmark Avalon shows include BAFTA winning and multi-Emmy nominated Catastrophe (Amazon Prime Video/Channel 4), Fantasy Football League (BBC/ITV), multi BAFTA-winning TV Burp (ITV), and Workaholics (Comedy Central USA). Avalon also distributes its catalogue of programmes to over 150 countries worldwide.  Avalon has produced many globally successful podcasts and is at the top of the UK iTunes chart with the multi-award-winning Shagged. Married. Annoyed by Chris and Rosie Ramsey.

As a leading promoter of live comedy, 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 and promote 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.avalonuk.com/press or follow @avalonent