Josh Howie
Josh Howie was raised as a Buddhist, before living with Native Americans and finally settling down as a trainee Rabbi. At least that was the plan until he was kicked off the program for getting caught with a naked (non-Jewish) girl. Perhaps it was inevitable that he would go on to become a stand-up comic.
Performing regularly at all the major comedy clubs around the UK, so far this year Josh has also taken his distinctive brand of humour to Ireland, France, China and Thailand. He has also written and performed two solo shows for the Edinburgh Festival, before sell-out runs at the Soho Theatre; his hugely successful debut solo Fringe stand up show, entitled Chosen, which played to sell out audiences and received rave reviews at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival, and returning in August 2010 with Josh Howie: Gran Slam, based on his time living with his grandmother. Another distinctive and highly original show, Gran Slam also went down a storm with audiences and critics alike.
Josh has been filmed for the Comedy Central shows Comedy Store, World Stands Up and Comedy Blue and can currently be seen as the presenter of Movie Geek, the Sky Movies show that offers all the latest news in the world of cinema. Often praised for his writing talent, Josh is a regular contributor to The Guardian, a reviewer for Sky Movies Magazine, and writes a weekly column 'Fears of a Clown' for blokely.com.
Television credits:
The Movie Geek (Presenter, Sky Movies, 2009-Present)
Comedy Store (Comedy Central, 2010)
TNT Show (Channel 4, 2009)
Comedy Blue (Comedy Central, 2008)
The Kevin Bishop Show (Channel 4, 2008)
World Stand Up (Comedy Central, 2007)
Indie Close Up (Presenter, Sky Movies, 2007-2008)
Radio credits:
Comedy Club (R4 Extra, 2011)
4 Stands Up (R4, 2009)
Act Your Age (R4, 2009)
Josh Howie – Press Quotes
Howie is a name to watch.
The Times
A fabulous storyteller who can make you concentrate in silence then erupt into a fit of giggles. He’s slick, he’s quick and he’s incredibly playful with words.
***** Metro
Josh Howie walks the potentially trip-wired ground of race and religious identity with diamond-sharp wit and no small degree of daring. It’s fiercely intelligent, delivered with verve and you can expect to see a lot more of Howie in the future.
The Observer
Great things are expected from the abrasive yet strangely lovable Josh Howie.
The Guardian
Howie is an intelligent comedian who knows how to amuse, shock and move an audience in equal measures.
Time Out
He is a very smart and hugely sophisticated writer; pulling the interesting facts from his life, then mixing honesty and wit, and only then garnishing it with punchlines.
**** Chortle
It’s refreshing to see someone like Howie tell a wider story about his life while taking comic opportunities at every turn.
**** Independent
Sharply drawn self-deprecating stories, plus a too-much-information re-birthing anecdote, are given added oomph by accompanying photos and Howie’s nervy comedic delivery. This is a very good hour.
**** Evening Standard
As a piece of writing it is quite literally breathtaking...Terrifyingly funny. Howie is a charming, diffident, articulate man with a show that is as fascinating as it is funny. He is a terrific talent.
The Scotsman
Extremely funny.
The List
Howie is an intelligent comedian with daring material which is consistently very funny indeed.
**** Fest
An intensely personal hour of close-to-the-bone stand-up.
**** Mail on Sunday
With such wit and succession of one-liners it is impossible not to be impressed.
**** Sunday Express
A skillful comic whose ability to layer gag upon gag is unlikely to be surpassed.
The List
Excellent, intelligent stand-up…terrific.
Time Out
The very undervalued Josh Howie delivers self-deprecating sharply written slices of neuroticism. There's a distinct (and lovely) whiff of the Woody Allens.
The Independent