Each week Russell sits down with fantastic guests to chat about their Brilliant Things; the items, places and people that make life worth living.
Five Brilliant...
You want wisdom? Here’s five bucketfuls of Wisdom poured into your ears.
Britain’s top philosopher Alain de Botton sits down with Russell and, well, it’s an absolute belter.
🧠 He explains how to make your mind more healthy, how to get through the bad times and he tells Russell just how much he loves water parks. Yeah. You don’t get that on the other Alain de Botton interviews, do you? 🧠
There’s so much to enjoy, and so much nourishment in here for you. Give it a bloody whirl and you won’t regret it. Also, don’t double-screen it. Give it some attention. There’s proper good stuff in there, it seems a waste to have it on while your attention is 85% on finishing the next level of Balatro.
So you’ve enjoyed the podcast, and you are keen to expand your curiosity further? Good. So you should. Alain’s books are available in all independent bookshops, and a good start point for your curiosity is Alain’s online home The School of Life.
Have a look around, watch some videos, check out the shop, and you can subscribe if you want to get really involved with your own mind.
In our Patreon show this week Alain answered your questions, and the show gets looser in a really fascinating way - Alain talks a bit more about himself and his own life, what drew him to his work and how he likes to organise his thoughts.
The Patreon community you can join for free, so please do join us, we’re growing and we’d love you to come along for the journey. We’ve got lots of exciting plans, but really it’s worth just getting more of Alain. I’m a big fan. Can you tell? Go to: patreon.com/RussellHoward.
And that’s the end of the screed. It’s been a great ride having you along for this podcast blurb, I feel we’ve come a long way together and really connected. I hate goodbyes. Maybe it’s not ‘adieu’ but more ‘a bientot’? Same place next week? Lovely.
Until then. There’s no need to keep your ketchup in the fridge so take it out and free up some room. Better still, get rid of the red abomination you’re ruining perfectly good food.
Producer: Dan Atkinson
Line Producer: Daisy Knight
Exec Producer: James Taylor
Composer: Fat Lady Music
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1:06:54
Sara Pascoe
Why did Robbie Williams leave Sara a voicemail out of the blue? Sara actually plays Russell the voicemail live on the podcast. The moment when Sara was contacted out of the blue by her teenage crush. It’s an ELECTRIFYING podcast moment!
You’d expect Sara to be fantastic and you’d be right. What a guest. She’s a woman with a borderline psychotic obsession with soup. She tells Russell about her great grandmother who was an extraordinary woman and potentially a killer (unproven), and of course we’ve got that insane Robbie Williams moment. Because it’s a voicemail we can’t say for sure if he was man or monkey when he recorded it.
Sara has just announced a mega-tour of the UK in 2025, which is immensely exciting. She’s a really excellent, funny and thoughtful comic who will give you an amazing evening of fun, and you’ll come away with some new fizzy brain ideas too.
The tour is called ‘I am a Strange Gloop’ and it’s going everywhere.
Find out the dates and get the tickets at sarapascoe.co.uk
🚨 BIG NEWS ALERT! 🚨
Today we launch our Patreon page, which you can join for free to get some extra goodies, and if you like it then you can join as a full member, which means you'll get our spin-off show, Five Brilliant Questions - and you'll get to make the show with us.
It's looser than the main show and a lot of fun.
On this week’s show, one listener asked for the recipe for a lasagna that Sara cooked in a dream they had. It’s very weird, a lot of fun and the recipe is not what you expect.
Go to: https://www.patreon.com/c/RussellHoward to get involved. Looking forward to seeing you there!
And we’ve come colliding to the buffers at the end of the track once again. This is the last stop, all change please. If you need me I’ll be in the little room with all the other drivers having a well earned cup of Bovril.
Next week, I will be here and I hope you will too.
Sayonara, you wonderful human being.
Producer: Dan Atkinson
Line Producer: Daisy Knight
Exec Producer: James Taylor
Composer: Fat Lady Music
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1:04:24
Joe Marler
Does Rugby's hardest man have a dog with the least hard name? It's all in this barnstorming show with England Rugby Union Prop Joe Marler, who announced his retirement just a week ago.
Joe tells Russell about drug testing in Japan, he explains the fine art of shithousery and they both get incredibly passionate about biscuits.
As we talk about on the show, Joe's post-rugby work is his weekly podcast that he does with Tom Fordyce, 'Things People Do'. It's well worth checking out, it really is one of the better podcasts around. You can get it on Spotify, Apple, your podcast app there on your phone, or if it's easier, just click this link to help you find it.
Russell is working up some new material at the moment, popping up at gigs across the UK and for a little while in Australia. Keep up to date with all his latest gigs at Russell-howard.co.uk.
Thanks once again for tuning in, and remember when the ball pops loose from the scrum you've got to just dive on it.
Byeeee!
Producer: Dan Atkinson
Line Producer: Daisy Knight
Exec Producer: James Taylor
Composer: Fat Lady Music
Get an Exclusive NordVPN deal here: https://nordvpn.com/fivebrilliantthings
It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!
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1:02:01
Giovanna Fletcher
Welcome to Five Brilliant Things, or as it used to be known, Wonderbox.
Like a latter-day Reginald Dwight we’ve had a wee name change - everything else is the same show that you know and love.
And this week, the irrepressible Giovanna Fletcher is in the studio to explain the beauty of silent discos (Russell disagrees), the majesty of a dibber and some top tips for dropping your guts on a mountain.
It’s a brilliant chat that bobs along at a lick, taking in Giovanna’s writing career, her performing and getting into the practical challenges of trekking across the Himalayas.
Giovanna can be found weekly on her Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast, and she’ll be appearing across the UK in the upcoming stage production of The Girl on the Train.
🥾 But probably most importantly, she’s in the Himalayas right now trekking to raise money for the awesome Breast Cancer Charity, CoppaFeel! 🥾
For more information about CoppaFeel! and how you can support this challenge and donate to the CoppaTrek! head to the following link - https://coppatrek-himalayas.coppafeel.org/ - to help CoppaFeel! ensure everyone has the best possible chance of surviving breast cancer.
And for those of you wondering why a podcast would change its name… you’d be surprised if you call your podcast something as suggestive as ‘Wonderbox’ just how much attention you get from spambots.
So unless ‘Brilliant Thing’ has become some kind of new euphemism we haven’t heard of then we should be safe for the time being. It’s Wonderbox. But now it’s called Five Brilliant Things. And we will return next week with another fabulous guest.
Goodbye!
Producer: Dan Atkinson
Line Producer: Daisy Knight
Exec Producer: James Taylor
Composer: Fat Lady Music
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1:06:18
Adam Rowe
Russell sits down with Liverpool stand-up legend Adam Rowe, resident at the famous Hot Water Comedy Clubs and host of the ‘Have a Word’ Podcast with Dan Nightingale.
Adam and Russell talk over the finer points of Liverpool the city, the football club (if you’re a Man Utd fan you can forward over that bit). Adam talks costumes, and we find out whether he finds a blow-up dinosaur costume or a banana costume more sexually attractive.
There’s also a great bit of advice for a way of driving that makes you look sexy. So if you’re on the hunt for tips on how to get sexy (and we could all do with a bit more of that. Look at you now, sitting there, crisps in hand, reading show notes for a podcast. I mean who does that?) then this is the episode for you.
📺 Adam’s stand-up specials are all available for you to watch FOR FREE on that there YouTube, and his latest one is out THIS FRIDAY! Here’s a link to the Have a Word Youtube channel to make that all a bit easier for you. No thanks necessary. 📺
🎤Aaand of course, like all stand-ups Adam is best eaten in a live setting, so you can get all the details of where he is when by going to his website https://www.adamrowe.co.uk/ 🎤
🚴♂️ Adam’s off on his charity bike ride in aid of the Baby Hospice Zoe’s Place. If you’d like to sponsor Adam and donate to that brilliant cause then please go to https://cycle4zoes.enthuse.com/pf/adam-rowe 🚴♂️
Russell is in various parts of the world doing his tour show, and occasionally popping back to the UK to try out some new bits in smaller clubs. Often found at Top Secret Comedy Club in London. Find out his dates and get some trinkets if that’s your thing at Russell-howard.co.uk
We go. We come back again same time week on from now. Egg Man say bye bye.
Producer: Dan Atkinson
Line Producer: Daisy Knight
Exec Producer: James Taylor
Composer: Fat Lady Music
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Each week Russell sits down with fantastic guests to chat about their Brilliant Things; the items, places and people that make life worth living.
Five Brilliant Things is a fun, funny and sometimes heartfelt look at life through an optimistic lens.
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