Vibrators

At Laughter Lounge Dublin, 2011

More Josh Howie videos

Josh is the son of legendary PR guru Lynne Franks, the woman who inspired Jennifer Saunders’ character Edina in Absolutely Fabulous. Raised as a Buddhist this ex-public schoolboy then trained as a Rabbi before being kicked off the programme for being caught with a naked (non-Jewish) girl. He started his own PR firm when he was just 16, received critical acclaim for writing and directing a short film for Channel 4, and has had a number of senior roles in music video production companies. And now he’s decided to settle down and get a proper job – as a stand-up comedian, which started in earnest with his first trip to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2003.

Josh Howie at the Just For Laughs London showcase
Live Review

Josh Howie’s material is not for the faint at heart, revolving almost entirely around domestic violence, paedophilia, anal sex and rape. Even Frankie Boyle might think ‘Hang on, that’s a bit much’ for the relentlessly hard-edged nature of the set, which Howie was auditioning for the Montreal festival’s Nasty Show.

He’s saved by a great technical expertise in crafting gags, and often you can laugh at the artistry despite the uncomfortable nature of the premise and the bluntness of the payoff. Sometimes, however, he seems to give disconcerting the audience a higher priority than making them laugh – especially in matters of race – at which moments the reaction can only be stony and uneasy.

Skip to page: 1 | 2 | 3

I had the misfortune to see Josh Howie at the Jewish Christmas Comedy event and Josh Howie was the lowlight of the evening. Apart form Looking like Chandler Bing there's nowt else funny about him. To get things firstly into perspective I'm not Jewish, or religious however his set had little to do with anything. His interaction with the audience members in the front row was embarrassing and not even funny. His set revolved around a story of an argument with his wife over an envelope. This story was so long winded and was drawn out for far to long for what in general circumstances might be considered a punchline however was more like a damp squib. He did however genuinely relay the story with lots of anger, however I feel sorry for his wife!. I attend a lot of comedy clubs in London however will now be checking the itineries to see If I can avoid this man.

Jim Williams, December 2011

Josh Howie is an absolute delight to watch, he is calm, reflective and effortlessly touches upon subjects which others would struggle to face without discrimination. Check this guy out!

Swamp Thing, January 2011

Constant swearing and rudeness... even jokes about the holocaust. I would like to see him strung up!

Disgruntled audience member, October 2010

Too crude. Why do so many comedians try to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the quest for cheap laughs.

Nick Craythorne, February 2010

Josh just gets better and better! Seen him a few times this year and I'm really impressed by his hit rate, use of words and confidence. It's laugh after laugh after laugh. A genuinely solid act. He's come a long way in the last few years.

Steve McBride, September 2009

I saw Josh last night in London. I was in tears laughing. Anyone who doesn't find him funny is in need of a sense of humour transplant. His jokes are so relevent and he makes it look so easy... but it really isn't. Fantastic comic. If he's ever up in the north then I'll go to his show.

Chris, July 2009

Caught him at the Hen and Vhickens performing a pre festival warm up. His material was very self-indulgent and difficult for his audience to connect to unless you happen to be Jewish and middle class.

Neil Kelleher, June 2008

Josh is on the cusp of racism - which is London estate agent talk for saying that he's nowhere near racist. I really like his stuff...so much so that I might steal his joke about stealing jokes.

Ed O'Meara, December 2006

Skip to page: 1 | 2 | 3