Howard Oliver Drinkwater Read is a British screenwriter, comedian, and animator. He is best known for his stand-up comedy and television work alongside his animated sidekick, “Little Howard”. His other animated creations include characters such as Roger T. Pigeon and H:BOT 2000.
Read is a regular contributor to Robin Ince‘s Book Club and has written extensively for children’s television networks, including CBBC, Cartoon Network, Disney XD, and Nickelodeon.
Career
Little Howard
The stage show The Big Howard and Little Howard Show was nominated for a Perrier Award at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This concept was later adapted into the CBBC television series Little Howard’s Big Question (2009–2011), which won a British Writers’ Guild Award for Best Children’s Television Script in 2011.[1] Read served as the creator, head writer, and lead animator for all 38 episodes.
Live comedy and television
Outside of his animation work, Read is known for an interactive human Guess Who? stage act. In 2005, he debuted his first solo show, 2005 Comeback Special, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[2]
Filmography and writing credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Network / Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Polar Bears in a Snowstorm | Creator, writer, animator, voice | Short film; BBC New Comedy Award winner | BBC |
| 2003 | Celebdaq | Segment creator, writer, animator | Animated segments | BBC Three |
| 2004 | Celebdaq | Performer | Live-action segments | BBC Choice / BBC Three |
| 2005 | The World Stands Up | Performer | Stand-up comedy | Paramount Comedy |
| 2005–2006 | Two Posh Old Men | Performer | Comedy series | UKTV G2 |
| 2006 | Stairlift to Heaven | Performer | Comedy broadcast | CBBC / BBC One |
| 2007 | Comedy Cuts | Performer | Stand-up showcase | ITV2 |
| 2007 | The Royal Variety Performance | Performer | Stand-up showcase | ITV1 |
| 2009–2012 | Little Howard’s Big Question | Creator, head writer, lead animator | 38 episodes; Writers’ Guild Award winner | BBC / CBBC |
| 2013–2014 | Gigglebiz | Writer | Sketch comedy | CBeebies |
| 2015 | Class Dismissed | Writer | Sketch comedy | CBBC |
| 2015 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Writer | Sketch comedy | BBC One |
| 2015 | Counterfeit Cat | Writer | Animated series | Disney XD |
| 2014 | The Amazing World of Gumball | Writer | Animated series; Episode: “The Shell” | Cartoon Network |
| 2016 | The Furchester Hotel | Writer | Children’s puppetry series | CBeebies |
| 2016 | Danger Mouse | Writer | Animated series | CBBC |
| 2016 | The Floogals | Writer | Animated series | Channel 5 / Sprout |
| 2016–2019 | Dennis and Gnasher Unleashed | Writer | Animated series | CBBC |
| 2012–2019 | Horrible Histories | Sketch and song writer | Series 5–9; BAFTA Winner (Best Children’s Comedy)[3] | CBBC |
| 2018 | Totems | Writer | Animated short project | Apple TV+ / Sesame Studios |
| 2018 | The World’s Worst Children | Development writer | Script adaptation | King Bert Productions |
| 2018 | Super Natural | Sketch and song writer | Development stage | King Bert Productions |
| 2018–2021 | Deer Squad | Writer | Series 1 & 2 | Nick Jr. / iQIYI |
| 2019 | Ninja Express | Writer | Animated series | CBBC / Boomerang |
| 2019 | Incredible Ant | Writer | Animated series | Wildseed Studios / iQIYI |
| 2019 | Not the End of the World | Writer | Animated series | Wildseed Studios / Sky |
| 2019 | I Don’t Wanna Grow Up | Creator, co-writer, performer | Live comedy pilot | Fremantle |
| 2019–2020 | Family Jewels | Writer | Adult animation pilot | Wildseed Studios |
| 2021 | Rabbids Invasion: Mission to Mars | Writer | Television film | Netflix / France Télévisions |
| 2021–2022 | It’s Pony | Writer | Series 2[4] | Nickelodeon |
Other work
Radio credits
- 2005: The Milk Run (BBC Radio 1)
- 2007: An A-Z of the British Countryside (BBC 7)
- 2007: Peacefully in Their Sleeps (BBC Radio 4)
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
References
- ^ “Writers’ Guild Awards 2011”. Writers’ Guild of Great Britain. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ “Howard Read: 2005 Comeback Special”. Chortle. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ “Bafta Children’s Award winners announced”. Televisual. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ “Nickelodeon Greenlights Season 2 of ‘It’s Pony’“. Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2026.