COL HOWARTH
About Col
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Col Howarth is a writer and stand-up comedian. He is currently completing an MA in Creative Writing at the Open University, specialising in fiction and scriptwriting.
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Writing
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Col is the co-writer on successful fictional podcast Moonkarta which he writes with Terry Mynott (Motherland, Toast of London, Murder in Successville, The Mimic and more).
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Released in December 2023 the podcast shot into the top-40 Apple Podcasts fiction charts. It was featured in The Guardian among its Best Podcasts of the Week, and in the Radio Times as a Pick of the Best Audio On Demand. In its first month Moonkarta was downloaded in 30 countries.
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Col and Terry are currently writing Series One, Part Two and have three series in development.
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Stand-Up
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Col burst onto the live stand-up circuit in August 2013.
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He soon became a semi-finalist in Cardiff's Last Mic Standing, a runner-up in Hereford's Wye Valley Brewery Scratch Night and was a Welsh Unsigned Stand Up Awards Finalist, playing a packed out Cardiff Glee Club in the final. He established several monthly comedy nights in Cardiff and Hereford, and ran a pop up comedy festival in Cardiff over two weekends, called the Comedy Arcade.
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In 2017 Col took his first show End to End to a hand full of comedy festivals including a short run at the Edinburgh Fringe. He has since performed at comedy and fringe festivals with this and two other shows titled Id Ego Superego and Gubbins in Leicester, Bath, Cardiff, Shaftesbury, Ludlow, Buxton and others and has performed spots at The Little Orchard Festival, Breaking Bread (Bristol), Swansea Fringe, Nottingham Comedy Festival among others.
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In 2017 he was also the resident tour MC for Tales From Wales, performing at numerous festivals and theatres over the course of two years.
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In 2018 Col performed a 20 minute spot in the Green Man Festival Settlement Field. His profile was also included alongside some of the very biggest names in stand-up in Steve Best's book Joker Face.
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In 2022 Col was selected to compete in the national British Comedian of the Year competition from thousands of applicants.
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Under the guise of standupforcomedy.co.uk Col has promoted countless gigs. You will also find interviews and articles on this site. Interviews are with the likes of Tony Law, Craig Campbell, John Moloney, Mike Gunn, Romesh Ranganathan, Nathan Caton, Dave Spikey, Iain Stirling and many more.
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Col has also contributed to the Indie Comedy Mag where some of these interviews are available to read in print.
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Stand Up Comedy Highlights:
Selection: British Comedian of the Year, 2022
Finalist: Welsh Unsigned Stand Up Awards
Semi Finalist: Last Mic Standing
Runner-Up: Wye Valley Scratch Night, Hereford
Green Man Festival: Settlement Field, 20 minute spot
Little Orchard Festival
Swansea Fringe, closing spot
Tour MC: Tales from Wales, including festivals and theatres
Breaking Bread Festival - spot
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As Promoter and Resident MC:The
The Confessional at Chapel 1877, Cardiff - throughout 2022:
Closers include: Sarah Keyworth, Glenn Moore, Harriet Kemsley,
Ahir Shah, Jordan Brookes, Barbara Nice and many more.
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Crafty Laughs at the Cambrian Tap, Cardiff
Comedy Idols, Cardiff
The Comedy Booth, Hereford
The Comedy Arcade, Cardiff
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Col has performed full shows at:
The Edinburgh Fringe
Bath Comedy Festival
Leicester Comedy Festival
Shaftesbury Fringe
Ludlow Fringe
Buxton Comedy Festival
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Media Appearances:
Radio Cardiff
BBC Radio Bristol - Dr Phil Hammond Show
Made in Cardiff interviews - Lowdown
Made in Cardiff live broadcast - The Crunch
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Publishing:
Tony Law - 'My Pure Funny' in The Indie Comedy Mag
Lloyd Langford - 'Why the Big Face?' in The Indie Comedy Mag
Comedy Profile in Steve Best's book, Joker Face
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Corporate / fundraisers:
NAS Cardiff - MC: with John Williams My Son's Not Rainman
Autism Puzzles - Host: Gala Dinner and Comedy Night
British Gas Gala Dinner - Leicester King Power Stadium
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Photo Credit: Dave Daggers
