Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe S11 EP41: Russell Howard
20 snips
Jan 2, 2026 Join comedian and presenter Russell Howard as he shares the rollercoaster of parenting while balancing a busy tour. He discusses taking his family on the road and the realities of life on a tour bus. Russell contrasts the intimacy of theatre performances with the excitement of arenas and shares hilarious backstage stories about Michael McIntyre. He reflects on how fatherhood reshaped his career motivation and the importance of creative balance, all while safeguarding family stories from the spotlight. Laugh along as he finds comedy in everyday parenting moments!
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Tour Bus Family Life
- Russell Howard toured with his wife and 18-month-old son on a tour bus, even taking him on stage at the Sydney Opera House as a warm-up.
- He describes the bus life, overnight drives, and the logistical reality of parenting while touring.
Venue Shapes Comic Style
- Russell prefers mid-size theaters where intimacy allows conversational improv and still reaches the whole room.
- He sees arenas as an oceanic monologue that limits on-the-spot creativity.
Pivot Crowd Work Into Material
- Use crowd work as a pivot to warm a room, then steer quickly back to prepared material.
- Keep improvised moments organic and avoid manufactured viral bait that targets phones over the room.
