Howard Read Explained

Howard Oliver Drinkwater Read is a British screenwriter, comedian, and animator best known for his work with his animated sidekick, Little Howard. His other creations include an angry manager with a conversational style and the worldview of Bernard Manning, Roger T. Pigeon, and H:BOT 2000, a robot from the future. Each of these characters interacts with both Big Howard and each other.

Howard Read is also known for his on-stage human Guess Who? act: the audience guesses who he has drawn on a large pad of paper, sitting down as their questions exclude those of a certain appearance until only one person is left standing.

In 1993, Howard Read invented NikNakNoodles - an amalgamation of Golden Wonder's Pot Noodle and Golden Wonder's other oddly-flavored product,Nik Naks. Unfortunately, the product was never mass-produced.

Read is a regular contributor to Robin Ince's Book Club.

Read also went on to work as a writer for the Disney XD series Counterfeit Cat and is also a writer for the new Danger Mouse series on CBBC.

Little Howard

Little Howard is a sketched cartoon child aged 6 who is a "standing-up comedian". He appears on a laptop or projection screen except on his own TV show, interacting either with Big Howard, the audience, or with other animated characters (including the pigeon Roger, his manager, and H:BOT 2000 (named as MOTHER on Little Howard's Big Question), a computer). He is adept at interrupting Big Howard, dealing with hecklers and doing tarot readings with a pack of Top Trumps. His favorite food is fish and chips and he is currently learning the ukulele.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The Big Howard and Little Howard Show was nominated for a Perrier Award at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

In 2005, Read staged his own Comeback Special where he performed his first solo Festival show.^[1]

Writing Credits

2021 Horrible Histories Podcast
2021 Horrible histories 9 (covid-safe mini series) (Lion TV/CBBC) Sketch and song-writer.
2019-21 It's Pony Series 2 (Blue Zoo/Nickelodeon)
2018-2021 Deer Squad Series 1 & 2 (NICK jnr/IQIYI)
2018-2020 The Rabbids Invasion Mars (Ubisoft/France Télévision/Netflix)
2019-2020 Horrible histories 9 (lion tv/CBBC) (filming delayed by Covid pandemic)
2019 I Don’t Wanna Grow Up (HARE AND TORTOISE/FREEMANTLE) Created, co-writer and performer
2019-2020 Family Jewels (Wildseed Studios) Pilot script for adult animation series
2018-2019 The Blackpool Museum Project, Development writer and animated character bible author.
2019 Ninja Express (CBBC/Boomerang)
2019 Incredible Ant (Wildseed Studios/iQiyi)
2019 Not The End Of The World (Wildseed studios/Sky)
2019 "Horrible Histories 8" (Lion TV/CBBC) BAFTA NOMINATED as part of Best Writer team and WINNER BEST CHILDREN'S COMEDY BAFTA
2018 "Super Natural" (King Bert) Development, sketch and song writer.
2018 "Totems" (A Productions/Sesame Studios/Apple TV)
2018 "The World's Worst Children" (King Bert) development writer
2016-19 "Dennis And Gnasher Unleashed" (Beano Studios/CBBC)
2016 Horrible Histories 7 (Lion TV/CBBC), BAFTA NOMINATED as part of Best Writer team
2016 "The Floogals" (Sprout/Channel 5)
2012 - 2015 "Horrible Histories 5 - 6" (Lion TV/CBBC)
2016 "Danger Mouse" (Freemantle/CBBC)
2016 "The Furchester Hotel" (Sesame Studios/CBBC)
2015 "Class Dismissed" (CBBC)
2015 "The Tracy Ulman Show" (Citrus/BBC)
2015 "Counterfeit Cat" (Wildseed Studios/Disney XD)
2015 "The Amazing World Of Gumball" (Cartoon Network)
2013-14 "Gigglebiz" (Cbeebies) BAFTA winning live action pre-school sketch show
2009-11 "Little Howard's Big Question" (CBBC) British Writer’s Guild Award-winning animated/live-action edu-sit-com. Creator, head-writer, song-writer and lead animator, 38 episodes.
2003 "Celebdaq" (BBC3) Live action/animated celebrity comedy show. Creator, writer and animator of animated celebrity caricature sketch segments.
2001 "Polar Bears In a Snowstorm" (BBC) BBC New Comedy Award-winning animated comedy short. Creator, writer, voice and animator.

TV credits

2004 "Celebdaq" (BBC Choice/BBC3)
2005 "The World Stands Up" (Paramount Comedy/BBC America)
2005-06 Two Posh Old Men (UKTV G2)
2006 "Stairlift To Heaven" (CBBC/BBC1)
2007 Comedy Cuts (ITV2)
2007 The Royal Variety Performance (ITV1)
2009-12 Little Howard's Big Question (BBC1/CBBC/BBC2)

Theatre credits

2002 Words and Pictures
2003 The Big Howard and Little Howard Show
2004 At Home With The Howards
2005 The Little Howard Appeal
2005 2005 Comeback Special
2007 Little Howard And The Magic Pencil Of Life And Death
2011 Aladdin
2012 Little Howard's Big Show
2013 Howard Read - Hide and Speak

Radio credits

2005 The Milk Run (Radio 1)
2007 An A-Z Of The British Countryside (BBC 7)
2007 Peacefully In Their Sleeps (Radio 4)

External links

Notes and References

Web site: Howard Read: 2005 Comeback Special - Description. Chortle.co.uk. 2009-05-15.