Reason Russell Howard says he is quitting TV after 19 years

Comedian Russell Howard has revealed he has quit television to focus on his stand-up and podcasts. The star, who has hosted shows on the BBC and Sky, said he is putting his TV work on the backburner after 19 years on-screen.

Originally a stand-up comedian Howard, 44, became a household name after featuring on BBC panel series Mock The Week, before going on to host his own shows - Russell Howard's Good News for the BBC, which ran for 10 series between 2009 and 2015 and in 2017 The Russell Howard Hour for Sky, which ran for six series.

Now, he has revealed to the Have A Word Podcast that he prefers doing stand-up to screen work, as well as his podcasts Five Brilliant Things and GoalLess. "I don't do TV any more, I just do stand-up and my podcast," he said. "I had a pretty good run, I just prefer doing stand-up. I was all over the world and it was just fun."

He went on: "TV is fun but it's not as fun. Writing a book I couldn't do because I don't want to sit and entertain myself, but doing stand-up is what I love doing. It's not entertainment for committee, it's your dictatorship. The audience are like this brilliant jury that let you know through laughter whether it works or not."

Russell, famed for jokes about his home city Bristol, became a father for the first time last year with wife Cerys Morgan as they welcomed a son. The pair, who got together in 2004, have since moved to Buckinghamshire to raise their family.

During the pandemic, doctor Cerys cut short a six-month career break to return to the NHS frontline and help tackle the outbreak, working at the West Middlesex University Hospital in Hounslow, London.