Bristol-born Russell Howard started comedy as a teenager, making the finals of Channel 4's So You Think Your Funny? competition in 1999 in only his fifth ever gig. Two year later, he was also a finalist in the BBC New Comedy Awards.

He made his Edinburgh debut in 2002, sharing an hour-long show, and returned the following year as part of the long-running Comedy Zone showcase line-up. His first solo show was in 2004.

In 2006, he joined BBC Two's topical panel game Mock the Week as a regular panellist,which led to Russell Howard's Good News from 2009 to 2015, which became BBC Three's biggest entertainment show.

In 2014, he signed to Comedy Central to front a stand-up showcase and a travelogue in which he took his mum around the USA. And in 2016 he signed with Sky for a new entertainment show.