Howard Read

Howard Read is an award winning stand-up comic, writer and animator.

Howard's show The Big Howard Little Howard Show was the only British Nominee for the Perrier Award at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He then took this show on a national tour, and to New York, Stockholm and The US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado and The Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

"This Year's performance is smart, cute and incredibly witty confirming Read as one of the finest comedy talents in the UK. A genius creation" The Metro, 2003 on The Big Howard Little Howard Show

The Big Howard Little Howard Show was a unique combination of stand-up comedy and live, interactive animation where Read performs with a cast of animated characters which he writes, voices and animates himself. The star of the show is Little Howard, Read's six year old alter-ego who can respond to audience questions using a complex data-base of animated routines. This and Howard's other festival shows Howard Read: Words and Pictures (2002) and At Home With The Howards (2004) received rave reviews and ongoing interest from television companies both here and in the US. Howard can (and does) claim to have created a completely new genre in live entertainment.

"I defy you not to be helplessly charmed" - The Telegraph, August 2003 on The Big Howard Little Howard Show.

Howard's TV appearances with Little Howard include The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (NBC, 2004), The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala (ABC Austrailia, 2004), Talk Of The Town (Granada 2002) and Loose Lips (Living TV 2002). Bizarrely he also appeared with Little Howard on the radio (Four At The Store, Radio 4, 2003).

Howard's work as an animation director is also going strong. His most recent project has been making the opening animated film's for Ross Noble's International tours, Noodlemeister (2004) and Unreal Time (2003) both of which appear on his DVD.

Howard television work includes Celebdaq (BBC3 with a BBC2 repeat) where he contributed weekly and then daily segments in which, through the magic of television, animated celebrities (written, caricatured, voiced and animated by Howard) interviewed Hollywood stars. In 2003 Howard wrote and animated segments of The Big Read (BBC2) film about the work of Douglas Adams. Two Posh Old Men (PlayUK and G2, 2002) a series of thirty five-minute cartoons animated by Howard and co-written and co-voiced by Chris Chantler. In 2003 he wrote and voiced Bird On A Wire (Paramount Comedy Channel) a series of twelve cartoons in which telephone conversations were acted out by pigeons. In 2001 Howard's online-cartoon Polar Bears In A Snowstorm won the BBC New Comedy Award for Animation.

Howard is also a highly acclaimed stand-up comic (without animation) who headlines clubs all over the country and in such places as France, Dubai, Iceland, Melbourne Australia and New York. He has performed stand-up on Pick Of The Fringe (Radio 4, 2003) and Spanking New (Radio 7, 2003).

"Howard Read. can be said to be breaking new boundaries in stand-up comedy... this is no ordinary comedy show... He completely broke down the barrier between audience and performer, which by the end of the
night left the whole crowd feeling as if they had shared in something very special. This is a fantastic show that no-one should miss the opportunity to see." - Edinburgh Evening News, 2002 On Word's And Pictures

His other writing credits for Television and Radio include Meet Ricky Gervais (Channel 4), The Eleven O'clock Show (Channel 4), The In Crowd (Radio 4), and various interstitial cartoons on The Paramount Comedy
Channel and Play UK.

Howard Warm Up work includings Black Books (Ch4), Baddeil and Skinner Unplanned (ITV1), The Frank Skinner Show (ITV) and The Baddeil Syndrome (SKY1).