The Mighty Boosh
| The Mighty Boosh | |
|---|---|
| File:The Mighty Boosh Subtitles ScreenShot.jpg The Mighty Boosh's title card. | |
| Created by | Noel Fielding Julian Barratt |
| Starring | Noel Fielding Julian Barratt Michael Fielding Rich Fulcher Dave Brown |
| Theme music composer | Julian Barratt |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Steve Coogan Mark Freeland Henry Normal |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 27 min. (approx.) |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Three |
| Release | May 18, 2004 – Present |
The Mighty Boosh is a British cult comedy television series and live show. It is about two friends who go on magical adventures. It appeared initially as a series of stage shows, then a BBC radio series and subsequently a BBC Three television series. The Mighty Boosh was created by Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, who play Vince Noir and Howard Moon respectively. Series one and two have now aired on SBS Australia and Finland's YLE Extra. Series one has aired on BBC America, Swedish channel ZTV, Danish channel DR2,Israeli channel Xtra, Portuguese channel RTP2 and New Zealand music channel C4. The title of the show apparently comes from a comment Noel heard about his brother Michael Fielding's hair by a Portuguese friend.[1]
The stage show has no strict setting, but the radio series and first television series are based around a zoo called "Bob Fossil's Funworld" and later "The Zooniverse". Though the episodes would invariably begin and end in the zoo, the main characters would tend to leave the area for more bizarre realms, such as the Arctic tundra and limbo. The second series had an even looser setting, based in a flat in Dalston. The third series is set in a shop in Dalston owned by Naboo (the "Nabootique"), who is played by Noel Fielding's brother, Michael. It was recently revealed in NME magazine that Garage Rock band The Horrors would be appearing in the third series, along with Razorlight. The first show of the third series aired on November 15, 2007 at 22.30 on BBC Three.[2]
Style
The Mighty Boosh is a comic fantasy containing non-sequiturs and pop-culture references. Episodes often feature elaborate musical numbers in different genres, such as electro, heavy metal, funk, and rap, as well as Crimping (short random songs, the name Crimping appeared in the 3rd Episode of Season 3). Julian Barratt writes the music and sings the psychedelic theme song, and Noel Fielding often sings the series' music. Fielding also designs many of the show's graphics. The TV series has many animated sequences, puppets and special effects. Barratt, in a 2005 interview, says that he approached Fielding with the idea of doing a show like The Goodies[3], as it was a complete "world" rather than simply a sketch show. Fielding and Barratt play many of the supporting characters themselves, usually disguised on TV with elaborate make-up; Rich Fulcher takes on many of the other roles in the TV series and is the only other writer to provide additional material.
The dialogue is mainly scripted but features some improvisation [citation needed]. Series One of the television show opens and often closes with Vince and Howard addressing the audience in front of a curtain; the viewer is thereby led to believe that Howard and Vince wrote the show themselves. The second series leaves this format, instead starting in front of the characters' flat. Unlike the radio series, which is played as though "real", the characters on the TV series all seem aware that they are in a TV show, and Vince especially will often break the fourth wall to address the audience and to comment on the action.
Little attention is paid to continuity; for instance, in the first episode of the radio series, Bob Fossil is forced to give up being boss of the zoo, which is then renamed "Howard Moon's Fun World", yet by the second episode, Jungle, he is once again boss. Also, in the second series the shaman Saboo is shown being killed by the demon Nanatoo, but in the first episode of series three he is alive and well.
They have also created a style of singing loosely based on scat singing called "Crimping". Present throughout all three series, it came to fruition in the 3rd series when Vince and Howard confront their doppelgängers Lance and Harold and take part in a Crimp-off, the culmination of which is a never before done 4-way Crimp.
Characters
Though there are many recurring characters, the "central cast" consists of six characters:
Regular characters
- Howard Moon (Julian Barratt)
- Vince Noir (Noel Fielding)
- Bob Fossil (Rich Fulcher)
- Bollo (Peter Elliott -Season 1), Dave Brown Season 2 onwards)
- Naboo (Michael Fielding)
- The Moon (Noel Fielding with a shaving foam-covered face)
Recuring characters
- The Hitcher (Noel Fielding)
- Tony Harrison (Mighty Boosh) (Board of Shamen)(Noel Fielding)
- Saboo (Board of Shamen)
- Kirk (Board of Shamen)
- Dixon Bainbridge (Matt Berry)
- The Bongo Brothers (Noel Fielding & Julian Barratt)
- Lester Corncrake
- Dennis (Board of Shamen)
Recurring themes
The Mighty Boosh has a number of recurring themes created by Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt including references to Polo mints, there production budget amongst many other items, people and lines.
History
The Mighty Boosh (1998)
Fielding and Barratt conceived of The Mighty Boosh whilst working on Stewart Lee's Edinburgh show King Dong vs. Moby Dick in which they played a giant penis and a whale respectively.
Barratt and Fielding took The Mighty Boosh to the Edinburgh Festival in 1998, recruiting fellow comedian Rich Fulcher, whom the pair had met working on a television series called Unnatural Acts. The show won the Perrier Award for Best Newcomer. During their residency at the Hen and Chickens Theatre in North London the following year, they built up a cult following and introduced new characters whilst developing old ones.
Arctic Boosh (1999)
In 1999, they returned to the Edinburgh Festival with a new show, Arctic Boosh, which sold out every night and won a nomination for the Perrier Award. It was the first time Dave Brown worked on a Boosh show playing a variety of characters, as well as acting as choreographer and photographer.
Autoboosh (2000)
In 2000, while performing their third stage show Autoboosh at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, they won the festival's Barry Humphries Award. Noel's brother Michael and his friend Pete (who worked in Dixons) also went along for the journey, but ended up going on stage with the cast every night. Michael became a permanent fixture.
Radio series (2001)
The Boosh were signed by the BBC soon after the success of Autoboosh and in October 2001 The Mighty Boosh radio series, produced by Danny Wallace, was first broadcast on BBC London Live, then BBC Radio 4 , and later BBC 7.
The Mighty Boosh TV Season 1 (2004)
Like many other successful British comedies such as Dead Ringers, Goodness Gracious Me and Little Britain, The Mighty Boosh made the transition from radio to television in 2004, when an eight part television series - also called The Mighty Boosh - was commissioned by the BBC. It was directed by Paul King and produced by Baby Cow Productions. The pilot episode was directed by Steve Bendelack, and a large portion of the pilot episode was used in the actual series, in the episode Tundra. The pilot had a live audience because there had been doubts as to whether the successful stage show could translate to the screen, but the actual series did not.
Series 1 of the television version of The Mighty Boosh expanded on the radio series. It was first broadcast on BBC Three on 18 May 2004 and, from 9 November, also on BBC Two, although in a different order and with the mild swearing censored or edited out. (The censors were not infallible in their task, however. In one case, a word that had been bleeped out in a particular scene was left written in fully legible form on Howard's back seconds later.)
The Mighty Boosh TV Season 2 (2005)
The second series began showing on BBC Three on 26 July 2005, though with a smaller budget. A full-length preview of the following week's episode was available online at the BBC's Boosh webpage. Series 1 was released on DVD (Region 2) on August 29, 2005, and Series 2 on February 13, 2006.
The pair also told Steve Jones that they wanted to call series 3 "series 4", so that future generations could wonder what happened to the third series.[citation needed]
The Mighty Boosh Tour (2006)
In 2006, The Boosh went on tour again. The main story, "The Ruby of Kukundu" - in which Howard and Vince travel to the Arctic and Spain respectively in search of the mystical gem that can restore the life of Naboo, slain by The Hitcher - draws heavily upon the well-known "Tundra" scenario used previously in the TV pilot, both the TV and radio series, and the Edinburgh show Arctic Boosh. This stage show was later released on DVD.
The Mighty Boosh TV Season 3 (2007)
On 26 May 2007, Fielding revealed that filming of the new series would commence in mid July 2007. According to the official website, it will be set in Naboo's Secondhand Shop, where Vince and Howard both work. They have enlisted the help of Richard Ayoade as script editor. The show is due to be aired on BBC Three on November 15th, 2007.[4] Gary Numan is scheduled to make a cameo appearance in an episode slated to air on the 15th of November. Also making cameos are The Horrors, Rev and Snell formerly from the band Towers of London, members of the DJ group Team Disgusting (which Noel Fielding has been named 'King' of) and some members of the band Dead Dog in Black Bag.
Filming for series 3 finished on 1 September 2007 after seven weeks. Series 3 started airing on BBC3 from Thu 15 Nov at 22:30, with repeats on the following Sunday.
On 11/20/07 actors Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt, Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher, Dave Brown took over NME editing for one week.[5]
The Mighty Boosh Tour (2008)
The gang will be going on tour again in September through December, 2008.[6]
Awards
- 2007 Loaded LCA Funniest TV Show
- 2007 Chortle Award for best full-length show – TMB Live in Brixton
- 2007 NME Shockwaves Best TV Show
- 2003 Time Out Outstanding Achievement – Noel Fielding
- 2001 Douglas Award for innovative writing – The Mighty Boosh Radio
- 2000 Melbourne ICF Barry Humphries Award – Arctic Boosh
- 1998 Edinburgh Perrier Award Best Newcomer – King Dong vs. Moby Dick
Nominations
- 2007 Loaded LCA Funniest Double Act
- 2006 Loaded LCA Funniest Double Act
- 2006 Loaded LCA Funniest TV Show
- 2006 Loaded LCA Funniest DVD
- 2006 BCA Best Stage Show
- 2005 BAFTA Best New Director (fiction) – Paul King
- 2005 RTS-TVA Best Costume Design in Entertainment – June Nevin
- 2004 Loaded LCA Funniest TV Show
- 2004 BCA Best TV Newcomer
- 2002 Edinburgh Perrier Award – Voodoo Hedgehog Show (Noel Fielding)
- 2001 BAFA Best Short Film – Sweet
- 1999 Edinburgh Perrier Award – Arctic Boosh
References
- ^ Interview on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 10 November 2006
- ^ From the Official Mighty Boosh Site [1]
- ^ Mind the Gag [2] Interview with John Dredge 2005 accessed on April 30, 2007
- ^ BBC Radio 2 – Russell Brand: 26 May 07
- ^ NMEThe Mighty Boosh take over NME11/20/07
- ^ blogspotThe Mighty Boosh 2008 tour
External links
