The Mighty Boosh

The Mighty Boosh

A British cult comedy, the Mighty Boosh is a culmination of surreal and magical adventures of Howard Moon and Vince Noir, played by Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding.

Satisfying the nation's need for kangaroo boxing matches, jazz-mad zookeepers and a gorilla called Bollo, The Mighty Boosh have been an unlikely hit ever since their first stage-bound incarnation.

Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, who would one day declare "we're just interested in being ridiculous", were actually rather serious, studious types when they first met at art college. Julian's first passion was music, and he actually toured Europe playing in a jazz band. Noel, meanwhile, was immersed in the visual arts (and would one day be responsible for the distinctive sets of The Boosh).

Comedy was the last thing on their minds, even as they started performing it on stage. Instead of doing anything as simple as telling jokes, they recited poems, sang songs and baffled the audience by getting a woman to cry on stage and attempting to collect her tears.

Noel and Julian first unleashed The Boosh at the Edinburgh Festival in 1998, winning a Perrier Award. Such was the success of their initial Booshy outing that Julian and Noel did the natural thing - and completely changed it. The year after their Edinburgh breakthrough, they returned with a new version of the show, called Arctic Boosh, which replaced the zoo-keepers with postmen. It was a smash-hit, and was followed the year after that by the even more successful Autoboosh.

The BBC had taken notice by this time, and the pair were signed up to bring The Boosh to Radio 4. But even after the success of the six-part radio series (it won the Douglas Adams Award for innovative comedy writing, a one-off award specifically created to honour The Boosh) there was some doubt in TV-land that the show would successfully transfer to telly. Then came Steve Coogan. And the rest is crazed, gorilla-infested history.

A huge fan of the radio version, Coogan approached the lads and offered to produce a TV version through his company Baby Cow Productions. The Mighty Boosh as we know it was born, and in 2004 series one hit our screens airing on BBC Three. Before long though Beeb bigwigs, having finally sat up and taken notice of just how damn good the show was, decided to bump the show to BBC Two later in the year allowing yet more people to experience the weird yet worryingly wonderfulness of Vince Noir (Noel Fielding) and Howard Moon (Julian Barratt).

Series one saw mismatched best pals Howard and Vince working as zoo-keepers at Dixon Bainbride's (you've got to love this man's tastic tache) rundown Zoo-niverse. The pair would often address the audience at the beginning and end of each episode introducing the sitcom and providing some interesting, often reflective thoughts on all the frankly bonkers going-ons. By series two, vain music-man Howard and 60s obsessed Vince were living at a flat in Dalston with the world at their finger trips. By the third series they we back in their London pad working in Naboo's second-hand shop. All the while talking ape Bollo is on-hand to offer his words of wisdom, which are usually: "I've got a bad feeling about this".

Not sticklers for continuity, there are lots of bits that don't quite add up over the series. Like the fact Bollo is killed off, but yet we still see the fury fella alive and well in subsequent episodes. Then there's shaman Saboo who met his grizzly end at the hands of demon Nanatoo only to pop up in series three as though nothing ill-fated had happed. Not that we mind, it all adds to the darkly funny surrealism we've come to know and absolutely love. Love maybe a bit too much.

When is it on?

The series is currently off-air.


Ultimate Mighty Boosh Quiz

Ultimate Mighty Boosh Quiz

The weird and wonderful world of the Boosh is full of hermaphrodites, talking gorillas, arctic exploration and, er, Bryan Ferry. But how well do you know the Mighty Boosh - enter the Zooniverse and find out.

Latest post

  • mousiiie mousiiie | 10 Aug 11

    I totally think you should air this again! It is genius! Never realised you played it ;) If you don't then I think they should at least make another series. Although there are rumours of a film....

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Displaying 1 to 5 of 35

  • mousiiie mousiiie | 10 Aug 11

    I totally think you should air this again! It is genius! Never realised you played it ;) If you don't then I think they should at least make another series. Although there are rumours of a film....

  • kimmiecat kimmiecat | 27 Aug 10

    i would justliketo let you know i am bessotted by noel feilding and marcus brigstocke do you think i need therapy

  • fredwardW89952 fredwardW89952 | 5 Aug 10

    LOVE BOOSH IT IS AWESOME! we need more series

  • Vidlina Vidlina | 3 Aug 10

    A new series is needed

  • LouisJ55269 LouisJ55269 | 24 Mar 10

    BEST. SHOW. EVER.

Displaying 6 to 11 of 35

  • ArronMetalHead ArronMetalHead | 27 Feb 10

    the mighty boosh is fuckin awesome YEAH!!!!!!

  • chibiXminchkinG54557 chibiXminchkinG54557 | 20 Feb 10

    I <3 the mighty boosh so much! xD Naboo's acting skills never stop amazing me x3

  • BethanyS40714 BethanyS40714 | 1 Feb 10

    The Mighty boosh is so cool i love it noel fielding is the best.i seen the one with the yeti thing last night i was laughing so much

  • LucyL32023 LucyL32023 | 10 Jan 10

    OM-OMG!! :O I Love these guys!!!Cn't wait for the 24th!!! I've only evr seen the 3rd series!

  • jessbob jessbob | 15 Oct 09

    These guys are ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT !!!!!! Saw them live as well. Never laughed so much ever in my life

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  • twilight_goth twilight_goth | 13 Aug 09

    hey noel fielding is amazing!!! i love his character-vince too! i also love naboo he is soooo funny

  • kimmiecat kimmiecat | 9 Aug 09

    noel fielding is brilliant

  • i love stephen fry i love stephen fry | 8 Jul 09

    the mighty boosh is the fabiest of the fab shows on the fab tv in the fab world I LOVE IT!!!!

  • Conquest Conquest | 30 Jun 09

    Are the Boosh really splitting up?! Someone tell me....

  • LisaSavage LisaSavage | 27 May 09

    LOVE NOEL FIELDING MENY KISSES XXXXXXX

Displaying 21 to 26 of 35

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  • ComedyxCutie ComedyxCutie | 25 Mar 09

    i just adore the boosh!!!! its just soooo funy!!

  • PETER2888 PETER2888 | 24 Mar 09

    I love the Mighty BOOOOOOOSH I have all three series on a box set (IT IS THE BEST TV PORGRAME IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) FUNNNNNY STUFFFF

  • grapefruit fairy grapefruit fairy | 20 Jan 09

    mighty boosh is the new classic. its just great! with a amazing (and some hot) cast whats better that a bit of mighty boosh to cheer you up on the cold winter night

  • Twisted Fire Extinguisher Twisted Fire Extinguisher | 3 Jan 09

    The funniest show in many moons,"dont touch me"

  • fredthefish fredthefish | 3 Jan 09

    more Boosh! :)

Displaying 31 to 35 of 35

  • Space Alien Space Alien | 20 Dec 08

    Has this ever been on Dave...cos if it has then Dave justg got cooler, if possible :)

  • mentalist queen mentalist queen | 23 Nov 08

    I tottl agreee with whitto I WANT MIGHTY BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Holly-Beth Holly-Beth | 20 Nov 08

    Amazing, enough said.

  • Lingdada Lingdada | 29 Oct 08

    The lads at Mighty Boosh have given comedy insanity their own wicked strain of clever writing and surrealist sets! You never know where the story will take you and by the end you want more,but you need a breather from laughing!!

  • pure cola pure cola | 27 Oct 08

    I got a bad feeling about this....