Palestinian-American stand-up sensation Mo Amer is here! He’s on a tour of Europe, he’s in the UK for a couple of days and he came into the studio to tell us all about his Five Brilliant Things and he did not disappoint. Mo has an easy Texas charm coupled with seriously funny bones. His relationship between his American upbringing and Middle-Eastern heritage is fascinating and you can see that in the things he chose for the show: Coffee, bidets, air-travel… and he tells an epic story about a nig...
Nov 26, 2025•58 min
From Countdown's Dictionary Corner it’s Susie Dent! Susie is here with her Five Brilliant Things and they are as fascinating and vocabulary-expanding as you might hope; but it’s not all words, Susie also tells us about her special relationship with a rock. Is it Dwayne Johnson? You’ll have to listen to the show to find out! Alongside these revelations Russell and Susie luxuriate in some of the far corners of words and meanings; if you’re even remotely interested in finding out some new language-...
Nov 19, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Wine Wine Wine! Tom Gilbey is one of the UK’s top wine experts and he also talks about it like a normal person! This podcast takes us through the things that makes a wine buff happy (some of them are, and I don’t want to spoil things, wine-related). Russell does a live wine-tasting of some rock and roll wine. Tom takes us through his marathon that he ran while drinking wine every mile (!), the beauty of a good pen and there are some really good tips for buying wine in a supermarket. Tom has a bo...
Nov 12, 2025•1 hr 4 min
She’s the star of Whitstable Pearl, AfterLife and Taskmaster. She’s a phenomenal stand-up comedian and she’s Kerry Godliman, here to tell Russell about the things that make life worth living and it’s a nostalgic romp through Portobello Market, living off-grid in India and how to parent without being a beg. Loads of fun, really great funny episode; this is a big ‘recommended’ sticker. Kerry is touring her latest show right now! It’s called Bandwidth and you can find out when she’s near you and bu...
Nov 05, 2025•1 hr 6 min
It's all the best bits from October's shows! A tasting plate of the shows we've already broadcast this month and if you've been too busy to listen to the whole shows this is a way to get a morsel and who knows... maybe head back and listen to the whole thing if you like the sound of it. Featuring Dom Joly, Sally Lindsay, Nick Mohammed, Horatio Gould and Pete Firman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Nov 03, 2025•1 hr 20 min
You know Pete Firman. He’s charming. He’s northern and he pops up on your Instagram or TikTok with fantastic magic tricks, illusions and comedy. Pete is one of Britain’s most accomplished comedy magicians and he’s here with his Five Brilliant Things which take him from Chip Sauces, through Old Theatres and the whole thing wraps up with a love-letter to the very particular British art of CONKERS! Lots of fun and he’s got (as Russell will shortly point out) a lovely voice. Pete Firman is also on t...
Oct 29, 2025•57 min
From the hit podcast Fin vs History, it’s the nascent comedy superstar Horatio Gould! He’s here to explain why Men need to start doing more Business in saunas. He tells us just how violent and disgusting it should be to eat chicken. And everyone gets sidetracked in a discussion about a man who went into a cave and made sweet love to a chicken. Horatio is performing the last extended run of his solo tour show ‘Return of the Space Cowboy’ throughout November, ending with some special shows in Lond...
Oct 22, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Star of Celebrity Traitors, and Ted Lasso, and Slow Horses…Nick Mohammed is here revealing the five things that make him happiest. What happened when he was asked to perform one-on-one for his hero Andrew Lloyd Webber (awkward!)? Who was the inspiration for his hit character Mr Swallow? And what invaluable tips did he get from Paul Daniels? That’s all in here and so much more. It’s a Nick Mohammed fan’s dream hour. Oh, and if you’re here after listening to the podcast, this is the link to the fi...
Oct 15, 2025•1 hr 4 min
From Corrie, Phoenix Nights and the Madame Blanc Mysteries, Sally Lindsay is here with her Five Brilliant Things and they are belters. It’s a romp through the majesty of Chas and Dave, some strong opinions about loudspeakers on public transport and taking wild train trips from England to Italy in the early 1980s. As we talked about on the show, Sally stars in and wrote the Madame Blanc Mysteries and you can find that paragon of cosy crime on Netflix or Channel Five. And if you want to know Russe...
Oct 08, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Which famous author does Dom Joly feel he may have to kill in order to get his perfect job? And why is he compelled to jump off every high perch that he comes across? And why was he caught in the bathroom of a High Court Judge semi-clothed? The answers are all in this fabulous podcast, where Dom Joly selects the Five Things that make his life most exciting - and it is an exciting life. The show takes us across the globe, through dangers and back out the other side to silliness and nonsense. To c...
Oct 01, 2025•1 hr 5 min
A bumper month of truly excellent shows! This podcast contains the best bits of each of our September shows so there's no new content (unless you include some links and a little bit of chat about Beef Rendang). But here you can enjoy a brief bit of: Irish stand-up powerhouse Ardal O'Hanlon! Podcaster and actor Georgia Tennant! US comedy megastar Taylor Tomlinson! From Taskmaster - the brilliant comedian Phil Ellis! And Stacey from Gavin and Stacey - Joanna Page! Please enjoy responsibly. See you...
Sep 27, 2025•1 hr 21 min
How did Joanna Page nearly cock up her Gavin and Stacey audition? How did she end up following Kenneth Branagh around in secret? The stories, the stories! This delightful episode with Gavin and Stacey’s Joanna Page is a delight from cover to cover (yeah yeah, podcast/book/bad analogy get lost). Her Brilliant Things include her unhinged dog Daisy (the stories!), her Dad’s Prawn Salad and her refuge, a wonderful caravan. It’s a marvellous listen. Joanna’s written a book about her extraordinary lif...
Sep 24, 2025•1 hr 9 min
He’s in Taskmaster, he’s had his own Radio series and for years he’s been one of the downright funniest stand-ups in Britain. Welcome to the Five Brilliant Things of Phil Ellis! Expect incredible stories about Rik Mayall, an awful kid’s game where you either get mauled by a dog or soaked in your friends urine. Expect the most harrowing ‘bad gig’ story you’ll ever hear in your life. Hedgehog NO! Watch Phil on Taskmaster on Channel 4 right now. Then go to watch him live on tour because he’s so gre...
Sep 17, 2025•1 hr
Comedy megastar Taylor Tomlinson has dropped into the studio in the middle of her world tour! And as you might imagine it’s an absolute belter of an episode. Her favourite things include siblings (where she talks about starting comedy as a 16 year old on the US Church circuit 😮) Taylor tells a chilling tale about leaving her comedy notebook lying around, and the significance to her of the ‘umble walnut. An hour in the company of Taylor and Russell talking about all the things that make them tic...
Sep 10, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Warning: This podcast starts with Very Strong Opinions about potatoes. It continues in a similarly esoteric vein as star of The Horne Section and Dr Who Georgia Tennant gives her opinions on the versatility of the humble glue-gun, some pretty straight-talking on MoonCups and how to psyche out opponents as an older netball team. It’s a cracking good fun episode. You’re going to enjoy this one. Even if Georgia has unusual opinions about potatoes. Georgia stars as Ash in The Horne Section that is o...
Sep 03, 2025•1 hr 5 min
It's a taster of all the shows broadcast through August 2025, including Michael Dapaah talking about why Bernie Mac was such an influential comic, Tiff Stevenson running through some of her astonishing accent skills, Jake Lambert on the hunt for the person who shot his cat and a story about Howie Mandell from Red Richardson that you simply won't believe. Tuck in if you haven't heard any of them and if you hear something you like why not circle back and chow down on the whole episode? Producer: D...
Aug 30, 2025•51 min
One of the best comedians to ever come out of Ireland, Ardal O’Hanlon is a complete treat. He is brimming with excellent stories from his extraordinary life of stand-up comedy, acting and amateur tennis; illicit late-night oysters, holidays in Ireland back in the day, footballing heroics on exotic islands. This episode that is like a hot bath of delights. Get those clothes off and get on in. As mentioned in the show Ardal is about to embark upon a major tour of the UK and Ireland, beginning this...
Aug 27, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Which mega-famous US celebrity has a room full of AI holograms that he talks to? It’s all in this podcast with ‘Stay Toxic’ Instagram star and brilliant comedian, Red Richardson. Aside from this extraordinary anecdote about being taken through rooms of madness, there’s also wonderful tales about Keith Floyd, some great stories about living wild in Devon and the whole podcast is packed full of laughs from start to finish. A treat. Red is not touring at the moment but he surely will be in the futu...
Aug 20, 2025•1 hr
Food poisoning in Kyrgyzstan with Jack Dee? It's just one of the fantastic stories told by comedian Jake Lambert on today's fantastic episode of Five Brilliant Things. Other highlights include a vigilante mission to discover the man (or woman) who shot his cat and much much more. 🙀 Jake is huuuuge on Instagram where his reels do some serious numbers - you can see him on Instagram where he's @jakelambertcomedy 🌞 Jake is also out on tour, so if you want to see his latest live show 'The Sunshine ...
Aug 13, 2025•57 min
Are you an Umarell? Or will you become one? What is an Umarell? It’s all in Tiff Stevenson’s Five Brilliant Things. Tiff is a fantastic UK-based comic who has joined us in the studio to talk about the majesty of accents, the beauty of weddings, the taste of childhood sweets and the mysterious Umarell. It’s worth listening just for Tiff’s wonderful way with accents. Come for the accents, stay for the brilliant things. And of course to discover what this blasted Umarell could be. Tiff is at the Ed...
Aug 06, 2025•59 min
Four short clips from this month's episodes for the indecisive or time-poor podcast listener. This gives you a taster of what we did this month and if you like the sound of any of them you can go back and devour the whole thing. July's guests were Australian comic Felicity Ward, Ironman competitor and TV presenter Ashley Cain, comedian Sophie McCartney and Internet Food Sensation, What Willy Cook. Please enjoy responsibly. Thanks. Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer:...
Aug 02, 2025•53 min
The YouTube sensation, the brains behind Big Shaq and the international hit 'Man's Not Hot' - it's Michael Dapaah and he's in the studio to tell Russell about his Five Brilliant Things. Michael's Brilliant Things include Bernie Mac (which has an unexpected story about Michael meeting Dave Chappelle in Ghana?!) and his ex-girlfriends. Michael talks in the show about his new project 'Comfortably Speaking' and that show began just a few days ago, with his first guest being music superstar Mabel. Yo...
Jul 30, 2025•56 min
Will can cook. And he’s become rather well-known on Instagram for his no-nonsense, chirpy recipes under the Instagram handle ‘What Willy Cook’. Well here he is with his Five Briliant Things, including the smell of mini-eggs, sandwiches in general and Portuguese food. It’s a cheeky sashay through these marvellous things and there’s some excellent food and cooking tips to take away too. As mentioned in the show, Will is putting on a festival of food, music and comedy to raise money for the Save th...
Jul 23, 2025•57 min
Do you fancy a romp through 90s nostalgia? Because comedian Sophie McCartney has got you covered. Her brilliant things include the X Files, Keanu Reeves, as well as some amazing frank stories about the less glamorous side of being a Mum (as you may expect from Sophie). Lots of fun and our Patreon episode is equally exciting with a run down of Russell’s plan to approach Dame Judi Dench to play him in a biopic. Honestly it’s really worth a look. You should go to see Sophie in her live show! Sophie...
Jul 16, 2025•1 hr
This episode of Five Brilliant Things is an enormously powerful listen; an emotional journey through the extraordinary life and times of the TV Host and endurance athlete Ashley Cain. He talks with disarming honesty about finding strength and wisdom after the tragic death of his daughter, and his Five Brilliant Things are actually borne of his adversity. He also goes into detail about what it was like to canoe around the British Isles with the threat of Killer Whales over his shoulder. Scary stu...
Jul 09, 2025•55 min
The best of our June shows! Starring Jake Humphrey, Harriet Kemsley, Jordan Banjo and Max Fosh. A snippet from each show that you can sample as a little amuse bouche (amuse oreille?) and see if you fancy listening to some more. It's the perfect way to find out about people you don't know or just trot away an hour or so. Please enjoy. Normal shows are still released as always every Wednesday, this is just an extra bit for the indecisive listener. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Jul 05, 2025•47 min
Australian actor, comedian and infectious company (can we say that positively in a post-covid world?!) Felicity Ward is in the studio with Russell today. She’s here to talk about the five things that make her happiest, and they are belters. Felicity shares her passion for turning up as a surprise when you said you couldn’t make it, she talks about the joy of passing on generational family weirdness and she reveals just how gruelling it is to star on Strictly Come Dancing (Australian version). Sh...
Jul 02, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Having dinner sitting next to a grizzly bear. Provoking a hundred muscle-bound men in Coventry. Visiting a laboratory in Spain to cook food using lightning. It could only be YouTube’s most innovative creator… Max Fosh! Russell and Max sit down to discuss Max’s Five Brilliant Things, which include many tales of his extraordinary life and the mad challenges he sets himself. Also mayonnaise. He bloody loves mayonnaise. A delightful show, delightful company, a delightful man. He also gives a sneak p...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 3 min
JORDAN BANJO Jordan Banjo, from the Diversity street dance group, from I’m a Celeb, from Kiss FM is in the studio and his Five Brilliant Things are a huge amount of fun; from watching videos of Mums cutting fringes badly through to smelly pens and a surprising revelation about how old Jordan was before he’d tasted water… Get thee into this podcast and enjoy Russell and Jordan talking all over these good things. Jordan also tells what it’s like to suddenly become well-known after winning BGT, how...
Jun 18, 2025•59 min
From Last One Laughing it’s comedian Harriet Kemsley, who is great company and with some surprising stories; her youth flying in World War Two Fighter Planes to her snowboarding exploits PLUS find out why she could end up imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay… it’s all in this fantastic episode of Five Brilliant Things. 🎭 Harriet has just a few tour dates left, notably one on 12 June at Leicester Square Theatre in London. If you can go, you should go, she’s a great comic with a superb show. Tickets avai...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 1 min
