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The Mighty Boosh

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The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh
From left to right: Howard Moon (Julian Barratt), Bollo (Dave Brown), Naboo the Enigma (Michael Fielding), Vince Noir (Noel Fielding) and Bob Fossil (Rich Fulcher)
MediumTheatre, radio, television
NationalityBritish
Years active1998–2009, 2013
GenresDouble act, surreal humour, new wave[1]
Subject(s)Surrealism, fashion victims, fantasy, music
Notable works and rolesThe Mighty Boosh (stage show, 1998)
Arctic Boosh (stage show, 1999)
Autoboosh (2000)
The Boosh (2001)
The Mighty Boosh (TV, 2004–2007)
The Mighty Boosh Live (2006)
The Mighty Book of Boosh (Book, 2008)
The Mighty Boosh Live: Future Sailors Tour (2008–09)
The Mighty Decider (iPhone app, 2010)
MembersJulian Barratt
Noel Fielding
Dave Brown
Michael Fielding
Rich Fulcher
WebsiteThe Mighty Boosh Online websites

The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows, The Mighty Boosh, Arctic Boosh (1999) and Autoboosh (2000) as well as a six-episode radio series, it has since spanned a total of 20 television episodes for BBC Three which aired from 2004 to 2007,[2][3][4] and two live tours of the UK, as well as two live shows in the United States. The first television series is set in a zoo operated by Bob Fossil, the second in a flat and the third in a secondhand shop in Dalston called Nabootique.[5][6]

The style of humour in the Mighty Boosh is often described as being surreal,[7][8][9][10][11] as well as being escapist[8] and new wave comedy.[9]

Various members of The Mighty Boosh have appeared in a number of different comedy series including Nathan Barley, Snuff Box and Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy. Regular Boosh collaborators include Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher, Dave Brown,[12] Nigel Coan,[12] Richard Ayoade and Matt Berry. The troupe is named after a childhood hairstyle of co-star Michael Fielding.[5][13]

History

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The cast of the Mighty Boosh at comic-con; from left to right Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher and Dave Brown. 2009
A performance of the stageshow The Mighty Boosh Live at the Brighton Dome. From left to right; Rich Fulcher, Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt, Dave Brown. February 2006

Noel Fielding first met Mighty Boosh collaborator Dave Brown whilst Fielding was studying a foundation course in fine arts[6][14] at the Croydon School of Art.[6][15][14] Then from 1992 to 1995 Fielding studied Graphic Design and Advertising at Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education[16][17][15] and whilst there both Dave Brown and Nigel Coan were studying the same course as Fielding[12] and all three shared a student house together.[12] After they had lived together in student housing, Fielding, Brown and Coan then later lived together in a flat in Hackney in London.[18]

It has been commented that Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt first met when in 1997 they both appeared on the same comedy bill at a pub in north London.[10] In 2006 Fielding commented that "We were doing stand-up and were on the same bill together. I was on first and usually you can only have about one weird comedian on a line-up. He’d been doing it a bit longer than me... [Barratt was like]'...Let’s write together'. I’ve been stuck with him ever since and that was about eight years ago or something."[19] It has also been commented that whilst Fielding and Dave Brown were both art students at Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education "They were both regular visitors to the Hellfire Comedy nights next to the Wycombe Swan Theatre in High Wycombe, which is where Noel first met future Boosh co-creator, Julian Barratt".[16][20]

Whilst Barratt and Fielding were on The Jonathan Ross Show, Ross asked them "And did you perform as solo acts ever, did you do like stand up..." with Barratt responding "yeah, yeah, that's how we sort of met really on the circuit, doing stand up, yeah.", with Ross responding "But, but was it similar to the Boosh stuff, 'cos the Boosh stuff it seems to be so much of a partnership I can't imagine it being taken apart and being served up separately.", with Barratt responding that "We were both doing quite surreal stuff, eh...", with Fielding adding "It was quite weird wasn't it, a lot weirder than the show in a way...", with Barratt continuing "...but we sort of, when we first met we kind of liked each others comedy but we didn't know that it would work, we didn't know whether it was gonna cancel each other out and make....", with Fielding responding "Yeah, too weird to make sort of, straight...", with Barratt continuing "...might just become geography or something else or... this sort of thing, but it worked for some reason...", with Fielding adding "We had quite a good chemistry straight away."[7]

On the day they met they both went back to Julian's place that night where Barratt played music on his Akai sampler whilst Fielding used a ping-pong ball to make an eye patch.[10] The pair soon found that they shared common interests in music and comedy which included Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer[2][10] and it was also commented that "Both wanted to get their material heard; neither had found anyone to work with who remotely understood what was going on in their head. It was a huge relief when they chanced upon one another and decided to be the new Goodies... ...What they take from the classic Seventies series is more the spirit of... ...silly and surreal comedy."[10][8] Fielding has commented on their shared interest in music that "I was sort of a bit more rock n roll and pop and he [Julian Barratt] was a bit more jazz but then we sort of met in the middle with electro... but Julian was... I think he left univeristy to join a band, we were both in bands before we were in the Boosh, so we sort of came from that background. Lot of our friends were in bands."[21] It has also been commented that Barratt "...had dropped out of an American studies course at Reading University"[10] and Barratt has also commented that when he was seventeen "We went to stay with a friend of a friend’s uncle but we came back after three days. We thought we’d make inroads into the jazz scene in London – we’d read biographies about guys who got gigs at Ronnie Scott’s and got spotted and immediately taken into someone’s band. So we told our parents we were leaving home. They gave us two days and we lasted three...".[22] It was also commented that "...both [Fielding and Barratt] had fathers who loved Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, and who encouraged their sons to avoid getting proper jobs."[10]

On his beginnings in stand up Barratt has commented that "I was never like Noel [Fielding] or Lee Mack, who are just funny all the time. No one ever said to me, you should be a comedian mate. But I watched a lot of stand-up at uni – people like Mark Lamarr, Sean Hughes, Eddie Izzard, just standing on a stage doing these phenomenal routines. And I could see how you could do it. So I started doing it myself, and I was so shocked when it worked. I remember one time I completely forgot what I was about to say, and I just ran out of the venue."[22] It has also been commented that this occurred "...during his first standup sketch at Reading University..." and that he "...ran through the back door mid-act and through fields to a lake."[23] Barrett has further commented that after he left the venue "...the manager came out after me and said: 'Get back in there, it’s going well.' So I went back. I suppose that was a big turning point for me."[22]

Barratt and Fielding have commented on the beginning of the Mighty boosh, with Barratt commenting that "We performed together for the first time in... ... was it in that show by Stuart Lee?", with Fielding replying "yeah, Stuart Lees show, Moby Dick and King Dong (At the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 1997)... ...Julian played King Dong's penis...", with Barratt replying "...an enormous penis...", and then with Fielding replying "...a perfect King Dong... ...then we thought lets do a show together."[4]

Sometime in around 1998[4] they then put on their first comedy show and it was commented by Nigel Coan with whom they collaborated with on Mighty Boosh that "They did their first gig at Oranje Boom Boom which is sort of in Chinatown in London, and ah, which was ridiculous, I mean it was really, like, ridiculous costumes and um, they didn't know what... they really [didn't] know what they were doing... ...It was very raw, but it was, it was hilarious..."[4] After Barratt and Fielding's first performance together at Oranje Boom Boom at bar De Hems, in London in April 1998,[4] they developed their zookeeper characters, Howard Moon and Vince Noir, in a series of sketches for Paramount Comedy’s Unnatural Acts with Barratt commenting that "Early on we had Rich Fulcher, we were working on a sketch show...".[4]

Nigle Coan has commented further on them developing the Mighty boosh "...They thought lets do a show, an Edinburgh show. I think they started to think about doing that. So they got a gig at Hen and Chickens...".[4] Dave Brown who also collaborated on the Mighty Boosh with them commented further on their time at the Hen and chickens which is a theatre bar in Islington, London, "They would use the Hen and Chickens as this kind of... place to, a platform to just try stuff out and it was just a great little place they could do a regular spot... ...where they would probably write and have ideas in the week, try stuff out for half of that and then for the rest of it, it would just be improv and mucking about. Then they took the, um, took The Mighty Boosh up to Edinburgh and then two more shows Arctic Boosh (1999), Autoboosh (2000)...".[4]

Fielding and Barratt commented on their time at the Hen and Chickens, with Fielding commenting that "...cos it'd be stand up and people would come on and do straight stand up. And then we used to put potted plants all around the gig and music on... ...to try and make it into a sort of play... people couldn't believe the audacity. It got some sort of reputation as being sort of enigmatic but we're just really unprofessional. We didn't know anything about theatre or what you did."[4] with Barratt responding to Fielding "Speak for yourself, I was in a Sartre play at university I'll have you know. Huis Clos."[4] Fielding has commented further on their first live show, The Mighty Boosh, “Julian had a song about a mammoth that he wanted to sing to a girl in the audience, and I had a few ideas for some weird sketches... ...We started working on our ideas together... ...We were zookeepers and we got sucked through our bosses’ eyes and into a magic forest..."[24]

Michael Fielding and Richard Ayoade both performed with the Mighty Boosh in 2002[4] during a live run through of a Mighty Boosh pilot.[4] Richard Ayoade played adventurer Dixon Bainbridge, but Matt Berry replaced him in the first television series, since Ayoade was under contract with Channel 4.[25] Ayoade returned in the second and third series as a belligerent shaman named Saboo. The name "Mighty Boosh" was originally a phrase used by a friend of Michael Fielding's to describe the hair that Michael had as a child.[5][13]

Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt as Vince Noir and Howard Moon in the stageshow The Mighty Boosh Live at the Brighton Dome. February 2006
A performance of the stageshow The Mighty Boosh Live at the Brighton Dome. From left to right; Noel Fielding, Julian Barret, Dave Brown. February 2006

All three of the Mighty Boosh stage shows – The Mighty Boosh (1998), Arctic Boosh (1999) and Autoboosh (2000) – were taken to the Edinburgh Fringe and with the success of Autoboosh, a radio series was commissioned by the BBC. Produced by Danny Wallace, The Boosh radio show was a six-part[3] series that was first broadcast in 2001 on BBC London Live, later transferring to BBC Radio 4,[3] and Barratt has humorously commented that "...so we did a radio show, we did, we sort of recorded it in a sort of old railway sort of arch... [with Fielding adding] in Shoreditch... ....built our studio out of weird... little childrens toys...".[4]

From the radio show Fielding and Barratt were given a half-hour television pilot of the same name, and Barratt has commented that "...we wanted to get on TV but it'd been a lot of trouble because they thought it was eh, the scripts we sort of gave them were sort of like massive epic adeventures that sounded like it would cost them a million pounds to make so they said this isn't, I dont know how this is going to work on stage, well actually what happened is...", with Fielding adding "We wrote it for Channel 4 originally...", and Barratt replying "[we spoke to them]...before we'd done a stage show and they said how is this going to work on TV cos it is ridiculous. So we wrote, we did a stage show and then they said hows that going to work on TV because its really good live, so, perhaps we should've done it inside a television set."[4] In 2013 Fielding has also commented that "I would love to do a Boosh film I really would. I hope we do cos I feel like thats what we started out wanting to do. We really wanted to do a film, really,... ...we wanted to do a film, and then we thought alright we'll do a live show. We didn't really know how to do a live show we thought we'd just learn, and then we sort of... ...we did a radio show, we did a TV show, we never quite got around to doing a film..."[26] In 2008 Fielding commented that "A film is the first thing we ever wanted to do, so we've always come up with ideas and stuck them in a drawer."[27] and in 2014 it was commented that "The pair have written two film scripts in the past, though neither made it to production. One was a "Rocky Horror Picture Show type thing," according to Fielding, in which Barratt played a character who has woken up believing himself to be the last man on earth. The other was an Arctic adventure – 'because we always liked the Arctic'."[27]

The first 8-part series was then commissioned for BBC Three, directed by Paul King and broadcast in 2004, with a second series of 6 episodes the next year. The second series moved away from the zoo setting to show Howard, Vince, Naboo the shaman and Bollo the talking ape living in a flat in Dalston.[28] In 2006, the Boosh returned to theatre with The Mighty Boosh Live, which featured a new story entitled "The Ruby of Kukundu".

Fielding has commented in relation to touring that "The touring lifestyle is quite hard... ...In the boosh tour we did a 100 day tour and we had one day off a week to travel and we were playing arenas and we partied every single night and we got up for sound check at six o'clock. So we were like Dracula. I was like Dracula. So I'd wake up at six, do a sound check, wake up, do the show, go to a party, stay up till five in the morning, sleep all day, every day for a hundred... ."[21] Fielding has further commented about the Mighty Boosh that "It was crazy cos we were just going.... ...it was never mean't to be, we were never mean't to be playing the O2 and Wembley and being on the cover of Time Out and... ...being on Jonathan Ross I dont think we ever thought that would happen... ...We always sort of just made it in our bedroom and then brought it out and stuff happened. We were as surprised as anyone when we won the Perrier and we were surprised when it got put on telly. We were like 'Wow this is great' we weren't ever sort of planning it. Like... ..we didn't even know if we could make a living from it."[26] Fielding has commented further that “We always thought we’d make one show and that’d be the end of it. But after we won the Perrier, everyone was telling us that we had to do another, which we did and brought it to Melbourne and won the Barry, and then we made a radio show that won the Douglas Adams Award. We won loads. It was manic. We always thought we’d do a couple of years together and go our separate ways. We went from stages to the radio show to television to live shows. It went on and on.”[24] Barratt has also commented that “Me and Noel went to HBO once and pitched this really ludicrous idea about us driving around in a haunted car and they just stared at us. Literally stared at us!... ...Luckily, we were together so we could laugh about it..."[2]

Howard Moon sending the audience into "...a jazz trance." at the Mighty Boosh Live stage show. Brighton Dome. February 2006

Fielding commented in 2015 that whilst creating Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy that "Originally I used to do all the paintings for the animations. This meant that I was filming in the day and staying up untill 5 am painting. After three weeks of this I started to feel unusual so Ivana Zorn, who is Nigel Coan's partner, now does a majority of the painting and I just design the main characters. Nigel animates everything like a futuristic goose."[29] Fielding formed "Secret Peter Productions"[30] with Nigel Coan who, along with Fielding and Zorn, helped to animate series 1 and 2 of the Mighty Boosh TV show, An evening with Noel Fielding and Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy.[31][12] Coan also directed Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy as well as helping to write it along with Fielding.[12] Dave Brown also contributed to graphics for the Mighty Boosh[16] including the DVD cover art for the Mighty Boosh Live 2006 stage show.[32][16] Brown also "...designed and compiled The Mighty Book of Boosh..."[16] as well as all the publishing output for the Mighty Boosh.[16] It has been commented that Barratt "...composed all the music for The Mighty Boosh."[23][10] with Barratt also commenting that "I write the music, eh, but we both sort of write, we both write the lyrics, and we, I do the music mostly..." with Fielding replying to Barratt that "I have a go at the melodies then he goes away and makes it..." and then with Barratt replying "...tweaks, tweaks it a bit".[33] Fielding also made drawings that formed a basis for the characters costumes and make-up in the Mighty boosh TV show.[34][33] Regular Boosh collaborators include Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher, Dave Brown,[12] Nigel Coan,[12] Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry[4] and Ivanna Zorn.[12][29] In 2002[4] during a live run through of a Mighty Boosh pilot[4] Richard Ayoade played adventurer Dixon Bainbridge, but Matt Berry replaced him in the first television series, since Ayoade was under contract with Channel 4.[35]

Fielding has further commented that "'I think our show is magical and fantastical. We tell very intricate, weird stories. Vince Noir is quite modern, a bit of an indie kid; Howard Moon is... ...eccentric... ...and we rely heavily on Julian's music and my animation... ...It's such a weird shambles of stuff.'"[10] It was also commented that the Mighty Boosh "... almost didn't make it to television. Around 2000, Barratt and Fielding disappeared into development hell. They had done a sketch show for Radio 4, but no one was sure how to translate their act on to TV. That's until Steve Coogan, who had seen them in Edinburgh in 1999 when they were performing as Arctic Boosh, moved things along. His production company... ...sold the concept to the BBC simply by saying: 'If we were young, we'd want to be them.'"[10] From August 2008 to January 2009 they went on tour for a second time with a new stage show of the Mighty Boosh.[27]

After two years away from television, the Boosh returned in November 2007. Set in Naboo's second-hand shop below the flat, the third series drew approximately 1 million viewers with its first episode,[36] and in light of its success, BBC Three broadcast an entire night of The Mighty Boosh on 22 March 2008, which included a new documentary and 6 of Barratt and Fielding's favourite episodes from all 3 series. J. G. Quintel has said that The Mighty Boosh was a large influence on his animated series Regular Show.

The magic carpet-assisted finale of the Mighty Boosh Live stageshow. From Left to right;Noel Fielding as Vince Noir, Rich Fulcher as Bob Fossil, Michael Fielding as Naboo, Dave Brown as Bollo and Julian Barratt as Howard Moon. Performing in the stageshow the Mighty Boosh Live. March 2006

In June 2013, it was confirmed that The Mighty Boosh would reunite for a US festival called Festival Supreme in October 2013.[37]

On 1 January 2020, Fielding posted an image of himself and Barratt on Instagram with the caption, "There really wasn't enough Boosh this decade ! let's try and rectify that in the next one ;) x".[38]

Main cast

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The cast members also play smaller roles throughout the series, the roles listed above are their most frequently appearing characters. For a full list of characters, see the List of The Mighty Boosh characters.

Theatre

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The Mighty Boosh Live stage show. From left to right: Rich Fulcher, Julian Barratt, Michael Fielding, Dave Brown and Noel Fielding. March 2006

Original stage shows

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The Mighty Boosh (1998)

[edit]
Main article: The Mighty Boosh (1998 stage show)
Noel Fielding as Tony Harrison, right, with Richard Ayoade as Saboo.

The Boosh, then consisting of only Barratt and Fielding, conceived The Mighty Boosh whilst working on Stewart Lee's Edinburgh Festival show King Dong vs. Moby Dick in which they played a giant penis and a whale respectively.

In 1998, they took The Mighty Boosh to the Edinburgh Festival, recruiting fellow comedian Rich Fulcher, whom the pair had met while working on Unnatural Acts. The show won the Perrier Award for Best Newcomer.[39] During their residency at North London's Hen and Chickens Theatre the following year, they built up a cult following, introducing new characters whilst developing old ones.

Arctic Boosh (1999)

[edit]
Main article: Arctic Boosh
Poster used in magazines and venues around the UK to promote the Boosh's nationwide 2008 tour. This poster was created by Dave Brown who also appeared in the Mighty Boosh as the character Bollo.[32] Dave Brown also contributed all the publishing output for the Mighty Boosh.[32][16] Fielding and longterms collaborators Nigel Coan and Ivana Zorn also all helped to create the animation that was used in the Mighty Boosh TV show.[4][10][31] Barratt also "...composed all the music for The Mighty Boosh."[23][10] with Fielding contributing to the melodies.[33] Both Barratt and Fielding wrote the lyrics for the music together.[33] 2006

In 1999, the Boosh returned to the Edinburgh Festival with a new show, Arctic Boosh, with Dave Brown acting as choreographer and photographer, as well as playing a variety of characters. Arctic Boosh sold out every night and was nominated for the Perrier Award. The show was directed by Stewart Lee.[40]

Autoboosh (2000)

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Main article: Autoboosh

In 2000, the Boosh premiered their third stage show, Autoboosh, at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, adding Fielding's younger brother Michael to the cast. Autoboosh won the festival's Barry Award.

Nationwide tours

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The Mighty Boosh Live (2006)

[edit]
Main article: The Mighty Boosh (2006 stage show)

The Boosh returned to the stage in 2006, touring the UK for the first time. Though drawing heavily from their earlier material, the main story combined these elements into a new narrative. A recording of this show at the Brixton Academy was later released on DVD, before being broadcast on BBC Three on Boxing Day, 2007.

The Mighty Boosh Live: Future Sailors Tour (2008/09)

[edit]
Main article: The Mighty Boosh Live: Future Sailors Tour

The Boosh toured the UK and Ireland for a second time from September 2008 to February 2009. The show featured characters from all three series as well as the Boosh Band.

They made appearances throughout the UK after their live shows, at after-parties held in different places in each city. The events were called "Outrage", after the catchphrase by Tony Harrison.

Radio

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The Boosh (2001)

[edit]
Main article: The Boosh (radio series)

From the success of Autoboosh, the BBC commissioned a six-part radio series for the Boosh. In October 2001 The Boosh radio series, produced by Danny Wallace, was broadcast on BBC London Live, then BBC Radio 4, and later on BBC 7. The show focuses on the adventures of a pair of zookeepers at "Bob Fossil's Funworld": socially awkward, jazz enthusiast Howard TJ Moon, and ultra-vain, fashion-obsessed Vince Noir. This also included voices from Lee Mack, playing such characters as the Plumber or the Gardener.

Further appearances

[edit]
Julian Barratt as Howard Moon in the stageshow The Mighty Boosh Live. March 2006
The pre-show curtain for the Mighty Boosh Live stage show. 2006

The Mighty Boosh returned to radio on 22 October 2004, in a one-off comedy special for The Breezeblock, a show on BBC Radio 1.[41] Instead of the plot driven nature of their own series, this show featured improvised conversational comedy with Barratt, Fielding and Fulcher, combined with the show's usual mix of electronic music.

On 15 November 2007, as part of the publicity for the premier of their third series the same day, Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding returned to Radio 1, this time on Jo Whiley's Live Lounge.[42]

On 9 April 2019, it was announced that The Mighty Boosh will be the UK ambassadors for the Record Store Day at 13 April 2019, a show on BBC Radio 1.[43]

Television

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The Mighty Boosh (2004–07)

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Main article: The Mighty Boosh (TV series)
Opening titles of The Mighty Boosh on TV & film

In May 2004, after the success of the Boosh pilot,[10]Steve Coogan's company, Baby Cow Productions, produced the first television series of The Mighty Boosh for BBC Three, before it moved to BBC Two in November that same year. Though each episode invariably starts and ends in Dixon Bainbridge's dilapidated zoo, the "Zooniverse", the characters of Vince and Howard often depart for other locations, such as the Arctic tundra and limbo.

A second series, shown in July 2005, saw Howard and Vince sharing Naboo's flat in Dalston with previously minor characters Naboo and his familiar, Bollo, a gorilla living at the "Zooniverse". This series had an even looser setting as the four characters leave the confines of the flat in every episode, travelling in their van to a variety of surrealistic environments, including Naboo's home planet "Xooberon".

Series three started in November 2007, still set in Dalston, but this time the foursome are selling 'Bits & Bobs' in their shop, the Nabootique. Their adventures and outings in this series focused more on the involvement of new characters (e.g. Sammy the Crab, or Lester Corncrake etc.) rather than just the two of them.

Although BBC America originally aired only series 1 in the U.S (all episodes in their entirety), The Mighty Boosh began airing in North America on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block (with up to 6 minutes cut from each episode), starting 29 March 2009 with the third series.[44] In February 2016 series 1 of The Mighty Boosh was made available to watch via the online service BBC iPlayer for six weeks; this included every episode minus the final episode of the first series 'Hitcher'.[45]

The Mighty Boosh Night

[edit]

On 22 March 2008, BBC Three broadcast a whole night of The Mighty Boosh from 9:05 pm, starting with a new documentary titled The Mighty Boosh: A Journey Through Time and Space, documenting the history of the Boosh from their first amateur performances to their then-upcoming 2008 tour. This was followed by six of Barratt and Fielding's favourite episodes from the three series: "Party", "The Power of the Crimp", "The Nightmare of Milky Joe", "The Priest and the Beast", "The Legend of Old Gregg", and "Tundra". The pair also appeared in live links throughout the night, in a similar style to the openings of Series 1 episodes. On 23 December 2008, BBC3 held a Merry Booshmas Party featuring the entire series 3 as well as a broadcast of The Mighty Boosh Live.[46]

Film

[edit]

On 8 February 2012, whilst sledging, Noel Fielding said that he and Barratt had discussed plans to make a Mighty Boosh film.[47] On New Year's Eve in 2019, Noel Fielding posted that there needs to be more Boosh in the following decade on his Instagram account.

Festival

[edit]

On 5 July 2008, the Boosh held their own festival in the Hop Farm in Kent. It featured musical acts, Robots in Disguise, The Charlatans, The Kills, Gary Numan, and The Mighty Boosh Band, as well as comedy acts Frankie Boyle and Ross Noble.

Media

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Audio CDs

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Title Release date Contents Bonus material
The Mighty Boosh 8 November 2004 All 6 episodes of the Boosh's radio series across 3 discs Interview with producer Danny Wallace, outtakes
The Mighty Boosh Live 13 November 2006 Audio recording of their live show at Brixton Academy N/A

According to an official MySpace page for PieFace Records (the fictitious music label mentioned throughout the series), Barratt and Fielding are to release an album of music from the show, "along with extras, versions, remixes and rare unreleased stuff all to be released later in the year on their own label—this one".[48][non-primary source needed] In interviews since, The Mighty Boosh have confirmed they will be releasing an album of their music.[49] On 21 October 2013 episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Fielding stated that the Boosh have recorded an album, but don't know when it will be released.[citation needed]

DVDs

[edit]
Title UK Release date US Release date Contents Special features
The Mighty Boosh 29 August 2005 21 July 2009 All 8 episodes of the first television series across 2 discs Inside the Zooniverse, history of the Boosh, Boosh music, out-takes, picture gallery, commentary on "Bollo", "Tundra", "Electro" and "Hitcher"
The Mighty Boosh 2 13 February 2006 21 July 2009 All 6 episodes of the second series, plus a second disc of special features Boosh pilot, Boosh publicity, making of Series Two, commentary on all six episodes, photo gallery, out-takes, deleted scenes, Sweet
The Mighty Boosh: Series One & Two 13 February 2006 n/a Box set of first and second series DVDs, plus exclusive booklet Identical to individual releases
The Mighty Boosh Live 13 November 2006 n/a Recording of their live show at Brixton Academy Backstage & tour documentary, the Ralfe Band, a deleted scene, The Culture Show piece
The Mighty Boosh 3 11 February 2008 21 July 2009 All 6 episodes of the third series across 2 discs Making Boosh 3, Boosh publicity, deleted scenes, Mint Royale promo, Boosh music, out-takes, Boosh 3 trailer, audio commentaries
The Mighty Boosh Special Edition DVD 17 November 2008 13 October 2009 Box set of first three series DVDs, plus seventh disc Identical to individual releases, plus stickers, postcards, 'A Journey Through Time and Space' documentary, behind the scenes of a live night, footage from the Royal Television Society Awards, Dave Stewart interview, the making of Sammy the Crab, outtakes and deleted scenes from the pilot, pre-recorded live night links, cinema trailer, crimping collection, Unnatural Acts zoo-keeper sketches, Bob Fossil audio
Boosh Live; Future Sailors Tour 9 November 2009 n/a A DVD release of Boosh Live at the Manchester Apollo on 3 & 4 December 2008 Features the full show, commentary, audience participation option, Bob Fossil's Vietnam Video Diaries, highlights from The Mighty Boosh Festival and performances from the Teenage Cancer Trust concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Footage was filmed during the aftershow party that week at Club Academy, and members of the audience in costumes were filmed and photographed throughout the week, which may also add towards the additional features. There will also be a "Limited Edition".
Mighty Boosh On Tour: Journey Of The Childmen 15 November 2010 n/a A documentary charting The Mighty Boosh on their Future Sailors tour. n/a

Previously most of the DVDs were only released in Region 2 but as a result of a growing fan base in the U.S., the BBC rereleased in Region 1, Series 1–3 individually on 21 July 2009,[50][51] and a Special Edition Series 1–3 Boxset on 13 October 2009.[52]

Australian releases

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  • Series One – 11 April 2007
  • Series Two – 12 April 2007
  • Series Three – 6 August 2008
  • Live – 3 December 2008
  • Special Edition – 6 August 2009
  • Future Sailors Tour – 10 November 2009
  • Series One: Episodes 1–3 (Comedy Bites) – 4 March 2010

Books

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On 18 September 2008, Canongate Books published The Mighty Book of Boosh, designed and compiled by Dave Brown and written by Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt, Rich Fulcher, Dave Brown, Richard Ayoade and Michael Fielding. The book includes original stories, crimps, concept art, behind-the-scenes photography, comics, and various other things, featuring old and new Mighty Boosh characters. On 1 October 2009, a paperback version was released under the name The Pocket Book of Boosh.

Awards

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Particularly popular among followers of the indie and electro music genres catered to by NME magazine, The Mighty Boosh has been recipient of the Shockwaves NME Awards Best TV Show for three consecutive years, even though there were no new episodes broadcast for the latter two of the three years.

Year Award Category Nominee Result
1998 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Perrier Best Newcomer Award Mighty Boosh Won
1999 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Perrier Comedy Award Arctic Boosh Nominated
2000 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Barry Award Autoboosh Won
2001 Douglas Adams Award Innovative Writing[53] The Boosh Won
2004 British Comedy Awards Best New TV Comedy Series 1 Nominated
2004 Loaded LAFTAS Funniest TV Programme Series 1 Nominated
2005 RTS Craft & Design Awards Costume Design – Entertainment and Non Drama Productions[54] June Nevin
Series 2 		Nominated
2005 BAFTA Television Awards Best New Director (Fiction) Paul King
Series 2 		Nominated
2008 Alistair Baldwin Comedy Awards Best Stage Show The Mighty Boosh Live Nominated
2006 Loaded LAFTAS Funniest TV Programme Series 2 Nominated
2006 Loaded LAFTAS Funniest Double Act Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding
Series 2 		Nominated
2006 Loaded LAFTAS Funniest DVD Series 2 Nominated
2007 Chortle Awards Best Full-Length Solo Show[55] The Mighty Boosh Live Won
2007 Loaded LAFTAS Funniest TV Programme[56] Series 3 Won
2007 Loaded LAFTAS Funniest Double Act Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding
Series 3 		Nominated
2007 NME Awards Best TV Show[57] Series 3 Won
2008 NME Awards Best TV Show[58] Series 3 Won
2008 RTS Programme Awards Situation Comedy and Comedy Drama[59] Series 3 Won
2009 NME Awards Best TV Show[60] Series 3 Won
2010 NME Awards Best DVD[61][non-primary source needed] Future Sailors Won

References

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  1. ^ "The Mighty Boosh". The Guardian.
  2. ^ a b c Freeman, Hadley (24 April 2016). "Julian Barratt: 'I have trouble keeping a lid on the self-hatred'". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2024. Barratt... ...initially thought he'd be a musician and set off as a teenager to pursue that dream: "You know the well-known saying: leave home at 17 and make your fortune in London as a jazz drummer,... ...This, after various detours, led him to comedy, where he met Fielding, and the two bonded over a shared love of Vic and Bob.
  3. ^ a b c "The Mighty Boosh". BBC. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Mighty Boosh A History". Youtube. Baby Cow productions. 2005. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "How The Mighty Boosh got its name – Exclusive Mike Fielding Interview – BBC". 25 June 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2012 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ a b c Menhinnitt, Daniel (4 January 2006). "Mighty Boosh star is Fielding our questions". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b "The History of The Mighty Boosh". Youtube. Absolute Jokes. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2024. Ross: "And did you perform as solo acts ever did you do like stand up..." Barratt: "yeah, yeah, that's how we sort of met really on the circuit, doing stand up, yeah." Ross: "But, but was it similar to the Boosh stuff, 'cos the Boosh stuff it seems to be so much of a partnership I can't imagine it being taken apart and being served up separately." Barratt: "We were both doing quite surreal stuff, eh..." Fielding: "It was quite weird wasn't it, a lot weirder than the show in a way..." Barratt: "...but we sort of, when we first met we kind of liked each others comedy but we didn't know that it would work, we didn't know whether it was gonna cancel each other out and make...." Fielding: "Yeah, too weird to make sort of, straight..." Barratt: "...might just become geography or something else or... this sort of thing, but it worked for some reason..." With Fielding adding "We had quite a good chemistry straight away."
  8. ^ a b c Raphael, Amy (14 September 2013). "Interview A new view of the Mighty Boosh". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2024. When Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, the principal members of the Mighty Boosh, started doing gigs in 1997, they had decided to be the new Goodies. It was a flip reference to the zany 70s show; their own successful BBC series owes more to The Goon Show, Tony Hancock, Monty Python and Vic and Bob.
  9. ^ a b van Tricht, Isla (5 March 2012). "New Wave Comedy: Post-funny?". The Yorker. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
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  11. ^ Gallagher, Sophie (22 April 2015). "Getting Surreal with Noel Fielding". Honi Soit. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
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  13. ^ a b "The History of The Mighty Boosh". Youtube. Absolute Jokes. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2024. Jonathan Ross:"Where did the name the Mighty Boosh originate and does it mean anything?" Fielding: "My brother whos in the green room who plays... ...Naboo he had sort of curly hair when he was little... ...and he had a little friend who... ..used to go "you've got a Mighty Boosh".
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  22. ^ a b c Graham, Jane (27 April 2017). "Julian Barratt: "I'm interested in communicating a pompous person"". Bigissue.com. The Big Issue. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
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  31. ^ a b "Nigel Coan". imdb.com. IMDB. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  32. ^ a b c "The History of The Mighty Boosh". Youtube. Absolute Jokes. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2024. Jonathan Ross:"And this is all your artwork in'it?" (Refferring to the DVD cover of the 2006 Mighty Boosh Live stage show) Noel Fielding: "Well actually, um, Bollo did that. He's a graphic designer."
  33. ^ a b c d "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross". Youtube. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2024. Barratt: "My dad and mum are both in it... ...Cos my dad was in the last series and she said why dont you put me in it? So um, i said OK and i put her in it but I dressed her up as a sort of yellow aubergine..."
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  40. ^ The Guardian Interview – The Barnacle of British Comedy
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  43. ^ BBC Record Store Day 2019:The Mighty Boosh named UK ambassadors BBC news, 9 April 2019.
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  48. ^ "PieFace Records on MySpace Music". Retrieved 22 March 2009.
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  52. ^ "The Mighty Boosh DVD news: Announcement for The Mighty Boosh – Special Edition". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  53. ^ Chortle. Boosh win writing prize, First Douglas Adams Award, 26 October 2001
  54. ^ Royal Television Society. RTS Craft & Design Awards 2004/2005 Archived 15 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine, 22 November 2005.
  55. ^ Chortle. Chortle Awards, The UK Comedy guide, 2007.
  56. ^ Loaded. Loaded LAFTAS Archived 3 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, 2007.
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  59. ^ BBC. RTS Awards: Winners list, bbc.co.uk, 20 March 2008.
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  61. ^ "NME Radio (@nmeradio) op Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
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