Little Howard's Big Question (2009–11) is a British children's edutainment programme starring Howard Read as Big Howard and his six-year-old animated friend, Little Howard. The programme was first broadcast on 8 January 2009, running for a series of 13 episodes. Series 2 began airing on 6 October 2010, and series 3 began on 18 May 2011 on CBBC.

Format Animated boy Little Howard and his live-action guardian Big Howard live together in Purley, London. Each episode typically begins with a short comedy sketch, which inspires Little Howard to blow a loud animated klaxon and ask a "big question" on a related topic. After a credit sequence involving an animated monkey song-and-dance routine, the remainder of the programme investigates possible answers to the big question, using a combination of research, expert advice, fantasy, and song.

Further assistance is provided by Mother, a pink (series 1) or orange (series 2/3) anthropomorphic personal computer that wears clothes and feels emotions.

Although the programme is broadcast on the BBC, which does not show commercial advertising, each episode features a comedy "advertising break" with imaginary products vaguely related to the big question. Similarly, a frequent element throughout the series is the use of humorous pop culture references to appeal to an adult audience, and which would fly over younger viewers' heads.

Awards On 16 November 2011, the episode Why do Things Have to Die? from series 2 won a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award for Best Children's Television Script.Writers' Guild Awards 2011 – winners

List of episodes

Series 1 Series 1 began airing on 8 January 2009. Performers who appeared in series 1 included: Kirsten O'Brien,Series 1 Episode 4 Can I Get Big Howard Abducted by Aliens? Lucy Porter,Series 1 Episode 5 How Will I Know When I'm in Love? Justin Edwards,Series 1 Episode 6 How Can I Be Lucky? Ishia Bennison,Series 1 Episode 10 What the Gibbing Flump Are You On About Doris? and David Penn.Series 1 Episode 12 Can I Believe My Eyes?

# Little Howard's Big Question Original air date 1 Why Do I Need to Go to Sleep? 8 January 2009 2 Why Can't I Fly? 15 January 2009 3 How Did I Get Here? 22 January 2009 4 Can I Get Big Howard Abducted by Aliens? 29 January 2009 5 How Will I Know When I'm in Love? 5 February 2009 6 How Can I be Lucky? 12 February 2009 7 Could Dinosaurs Ever Come Back? 19 February 2009 8 Why Does Time Fly When You're Having Fun? 26 February 2009 9 What is Funny? 5 March 2009 10 What the Gibbing Flump Are You on About Doris? 12 March 2009 11 What is the World's Most Dangerous Food? 19 March 2009 12 Can I Believe My Eyes? 26 March 2009 13 Little Howard's DVD Extras(Clips episode, premiered on CBBC following episode 12) 26 March 2009

Series 2 Series 2 began airing on 6 October 2010. The first two episodes were shown on BBC Two (because the 2010 Commonwealth Games were being aired on BBC One), and the rest of the series on BBC One. The series introduced many new characters, real and cartoon, including Little Howards "Sort-of half-brother, kind-of" Little Albert. Actors who appeared in series 2 included David Schneider,Series 2 Episode 2 How Can I Make a Monster? Sy Thomas,Series 2 Episode 3 How Can I Learn Superpowers? Lucy Porter,Series 2 Episode 5 How Can I Make Big Howard Famous? Siân Lloyd,Series 2 Episode 8 Can I Wrestle Control of the Weather from Sian Lloyd's Evil Grip? Jarred Christmas,Series 2 Episode 9 Can I Dig to Australia? Tim Brooke-Taylor, Marek Larwood, Barney Harwood,Series 2 Episode 10 Why Do Things Have to Die? and Andre Vincent.Series 2 Episode 11 Can Father Christmas Star in Our Nativity Play? Helen Lederer featured in more than one episode as Big Howard's Mum.Series 2 Episode 6 Who's Been Eating My Porridge?, Series 2 Episode 7 Why Can't I Be You?

# Little Howard's Big Question Original air date 1 Why Can't I Get Hold of Sawblaind the Municipal? 6 October 2010 2 How Can I Make a Monster? 13 October 2010 3 How Can I Learn Superpowers? 20 October 2010 4 Is There Anything Smellier Than Big Howard? 27 October 2010 5 How Can I Make Big Howard Famous? 3 November 2010 6 Who's Been Eating My Porridge? 10 November 2010 7 Why Can't I Be You? 17 November 2010 8 Can I Wrestle Control of the Weather from Sian Lloyd's Evil Grip? 24 November 2010 9 Can I Dig to Australia? 1 December 2010 10 Why Do Things Have to Die? 8 December 2010 11 Can Father Christmas Star in Our Nativity Play? 15 December 2010 12 Can Big Howard Live Without His Mobile Phone? 5 January 2011 13 The Best of Little Howard's Big Questions 12 January 2011

Series 3 Series 3 began airing on 18 May 2011. Actors who appeared in series 3 included: Rusty Goffe, Ben Moor,Series 3 Episode 2 Can I Be in Two Places at Once? Daniel Hill,Series 3 Episode 4 How Can I Change Someone's Mind? Chris Cox,Series 3 Episode 7 Can I Read Big Howard's Mind? Doc Brown, Trevor Neal,Series 3 Episode 9 Am I Art? and Thomas Nelstrop.Series 3 Episode 10 Where is Big Howard?

# Little Howard's Big Question Original air date 1 Why Can't I Be Bigger? 18 May 2011 2 How Can I Be in Two Places at Once? 25 May 2011 3 Can I Catch a Mermaid? 1 June 2011 4 How Can I Change Someone's Mind? 8 June 2011 5 Why Am I Afraid? 15 June 2011 6 Am I Normal? 22 June 2011 7 Can I Read Big Howard's Mind? 29 June 2011 8 Why Can't I Be in Charge? 13 July 2011 9 Am I Art? 20 July 2011 10 Where Is Big Howard? 27 July 2011 11 Can I Sing for a Whole Episode? 3 August 2011 12 Why Do I Have To Share? 10 August 2011 13 The Little Howard's Big Question Awards 17 August 2011

References

External links Official website at www.littlehoward.co.uk