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. [citation needed]
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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- 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
[edit]- 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
[edit]- 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
[edit]- 2005 The Milk Run (Radio 1)
- 2007 An A-Z Of The British Countryside (BBC 7)
- 2007 Peacefully In Their Sleeps (Radio 4)
References
[edit]- ^ "Howard Read: 2005 Comeback Special - Description". Chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2009.