The Mighty Boosh

For other uses, see The Mighty Boosh (disambiguation).

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]

  1. ^ "The Mighty Boosh". The Guardian.
  2. ^ 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. ^ "The Mighty Boosh". BBC. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mighty Boosh A History was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b "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. ^ Menhinnitt, Daniel (4 January 2006). "Mighty Boosh star is Fielding our questions". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  7. ^ "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 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.
  10. ^ Raphael, Amy (21 October 2007). "Boys from the Boosh". The Observer. Retrieved 29 March 2008. 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.
  11. ^ Gallagher, Sophie (22 April 2015). "Getting Surreal with Noel Fielding". Honi Soit. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  12. ^ a b "The Man Who Brings Noel's Dreams to Life". The Velvet Onion. 23 January 2012. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  13. ^ "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".