Russell Howard’s Good News on BBC 3 sees Somerset’s favourite comedy son build on the stand-up and TV credentials that he’s garnered from putting in some ace performances on Mock the Week. Always funny and occasionally little dribble of pee, Russell’s Good News is the light hearted flip side to the gore, depression and overreaction that has come to typify modern media coverage. While he’s not the only comedian to have gone down this route in recent years (See Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe), Good News does a really good job of teasing out the humour that underlies all of the sh*t that the press churn out.
The first series has already seen some class moments: Howard flirting with the cackling presence of the most tattooed pensioner in the world, laughing at the precious irony of Cockermouth’s floods and genuinely being impressed by a blind boy that is able to shoot baskets accurately by using clicks like a dolphin (it’s amazing).
With some brilliant audience interaction and the magic of the mystery guest, Russell Howard’s Good News is definitely a good way to spend half an our on a Saturday morning sat in bed wearing pyjamas under a little fuzzy blanket while eating hand made pizza that consists of toast, tomato puree, cracker barrel cheese and a small sprinkling of herbs with a glass of Ribena – as I have done just now.
Russell Howard’s Good News review: 3.9/5
