The Russell Howard Hour returns for fifth series

The show returns next month to the soon-to-launch Sky Max, which is replacing Sky One.

Russell Howard is back to dissect the news with his uniquely humorous perspective for the fifth series of The Russell Howard Hour premiering on Thursday 9th September at 10pm on Sky Max and streaming service NOW. The latest season of the critically acclaimed topical comedy entertainment show attracted the biggest viewing figures since season one, which was the biggest new non-scripted entertainment show to land on Sky One since 2010.  A huge hit online, show content has been seen over 400 million times across social media since the show’s arrival.

Russell will once again conduct in-depth interviews with 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, Lady Leshurr, Guz Khan, Elizabeth Day, Jim Carrey, Naomi Klein, Jack Black, Louis Theroux, Tyson Fury, John Oliver, Alesha Dixon, Tan France, Brian Cox, Rob Delaney, Armando Iannucci and Elizabeth Banks , 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 return of Playground Politics, where Russell travels around the country to chat to children on a whole host of topics and issues, Life Lessons featuring some of our finest comedians tackling life’s biggest questions head on and Good Deeds, championing the nation’s spirit of generosity. Plus, for the first time, there will be intimate live performances in a new strand titled The Spotlight.

Every episode is available to watch worldwide on Russell’s YouTube channel, with over 1.2 million subscribers, as well as being broadcast on Foxtel in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand close to UK transmission

Since the global lockdown, Russell has been at the forefront of the live comedy scene. Russell became the first stand-up comedian from the Northern Hemisphere to perform in New Zealand and Australia and to open the doors at The Clapham Grand playing a series of work in progress gigs alongside some of his favourite performers. In response to the government’s step 4 roadmap delay, he moved the homecoming run of his world tour Respite from the Bristol Hippodrome to play seven socially distanced shows at Bristol City FC and prior to this gigged in various unconventional settings including car parks, lay-bys and woods.

After performing a sold-out and critically acclaimed UK arena run in Autumn 2019, Russell is currently playing his rescheduled (due to the coronavirus) second UK leg, including 5 Hammersmith Apollo dates from 25th-29th August, of his world tour. Russell’s third and biggest world tour to date, Respite, will in total take him to 79 cities across 24 countries in 5 continents.