Josh Howie

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Josh Howie
Born
Joshua Howie

(1976-02-22) February 22, 1976 (age 49)
London, England
Occupation(s)Broadcaster, comedian, columnist, screenwriter

Joshua Howie (born 22 February 1976) [1] is an English political commentator. He currently features as a broadcaster for GB News. Howie is also a stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and actor.

Contents

Early life

Although Jewish, Howie grew up in London in the Buddhist household of his mother Lynne Franks and his father Paul Howie. [2] [3] He was a weekly boarder at Mill Hill School. [4]

Career

Howie started performing comedy on the London comedy circuit in 2002. For years he performed on the London comedy circuit, gradually working his way through the ranks. He presented his first Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, Chosen, in 2008; it received considerable criticism. [5] [6] He appeared in series three of the BBC Radio 4 stand up show 4 Stands Up in April 2009. [7]

He was the presenter for the Sky Movies show, The Movie Geek. [8]

Howie wrote and starred in two series of the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Josh Howie's Losing It. [9]

He was the weekday host on the GB News comedy paper review show, ending in June 2015, which was called Headliners. [10]

He has also been the host of the show Free Speech Nation for GB News since December 2024. [11]

Howie began contributing to online men's lifestyle magazine Blokely in 2011, and has written multiple articles for The Guardian . He has written for The Jewish Chronicle . [12] [13]

Controversies

On 22 January 2025, during a GB News comedy show, Howie made a joke conflating the church and the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ with paedophilia. [14] Following this incident, Good Law Project submitted over 70,000 complaints to broadcasting regulatory body OFCOM to take action against GBN. [15]

In a twitter post on the 9th August 2025, Josh released a statement confirming he had been subsequently dropped by his acting agent as a result of the incident.

References

  1. @joshxhowie (22 February 2017). "Hey Brighton, it's my birthday! Please come celebrate by watching me work. Josh Howie's Messed Up Tour. Komedia 8pm. Southeastern rail time" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  2. Bowditch, Gillian (3 August 2008). "Josh Howie converts his life into laughter". www.thetimes.com.
  3. Higgins, Ria (8 August 2010). "Me and my absolutely fabulous mother". www.thetimes.com.
  4. Potton, Ed (26 July 2008). "Josh Howie plans to be the Jewish Woody Allen". www.thetimes.com.
  5. "Josh Howie: Chosen, Pleasance Courtyard" . Independent.co.uk . 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022.
  6. "Josh Howie: Chosen : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide".
  7. "4 Stands up: Series 3, Episode 3". British Comedy Guide .
  8. McIver, Brian (8 June 2010). "Sky Movies host Josh Howie on turning his love of film into a dream job". Daily Record.
  9. "Josh Howie's Losing It series and episodes list". British Comedy Guide.
  10. "Headliners Statement from Josh Howie on X". X.com. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  11. "Two presenters depart GB News Radio to make way for new schedule in 2025". 18 December 2024.
  12. Richardson, Anna (17 February 2011). "Reviews: Site-insections: Blokely". New Media Age . Centaur Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  13. "Men's Lifestyle". blokely.com magazine. blokely.com. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  14. Mortimer, Josiah (31 January 2025). "GB News Hit by Guest Boycott After Hosts Label LGBT+ People 'Paedos' and 'Deviants'". Byline Times. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  15. Glynn, Paul (12 February 2025). "Ofcom receives 1,200 complaints over GB News show". BBC News . Retrieved 25 June 2025.