Russell Howard: "There's certainly enough mad news"

Do you ever have a problem finding enough ‘good news’ to fill your show?

Well this is it, we have to find it. There’s certainly enough mad news. It’s a never-ending conveyor belt of lunacy. Viewers send in stuff but we’re such news monkeys we’ve usually found it all.

All the research must get tiring.

As soon as a series finishes I have a good month away from the television and newspapers. You know yourself, reading the newspapers every day isn’t particularly good for you. It’s an endless assault of horror.

Should there be more good news amongst the bad news?

There should be less things designed to make people moan. It would be quite lovely on the News at Ten, having Alistair Stewart going, “Now, look at this, isn’t it absolutely wonderful?” to send you to bed with a smile.

But misery is more popular.

Yeah, the Daily Mail’s website is the most popular in the world. Bizarrely, for all the moral highground that the paper upholds, the website is the most banal thing you’ll ever see. For example, I know that every week Katherine Heigl gets attacked for dressing like a frump. I don’t need to know that but I do.

Does your show’s success prove there’s appetite for positivity?

There’s a nice spirit to it. There aren’t any of these jokes like - I don’t know if you saw the stuff about that woman Rebecca Black? Is it Rebecca Black… Rebecca Brick…

Samantha Brick.

It was a really big media story but the majority of people don’t give a shit. I had various producers saying I should do something but what’s the point of going on and say, “See this woman? She thinks she’s pretty - she’s not! Aaahhh!” It’s bullying and I hate stuff like that.

Why is everyone nowadays such a bully, especially online?

It’s just pretty anonymous. You can be as angry as you want and it’s never going to get back to you. It’s bizarre isn’t it, going out of your way to say horrible things?

Even, I’ve noticed, on stories about you…

I don’t dwell on it. I’ve found something I like doing in life and people enjoy it. I’ve got enough personal hatred within me without finding anymore. I would just sit there and agree with them.

Russell Howard's Good News is frequently repeated on BBC Three