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. Until one particular fan called Steve Coogan approached the lads and offered to produce a TV version. And the rest is crazed, gorilla-infested history.

Comments (8)

Holly-Beth

November 20, 2008
9:56 p.m.

Amazing, enough said.
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Harriet...x

November 2, 2008
5:54 p.m.

If I had to choose the best TV show EVER made, I wouldn't have to think about it for more than a second! TOP GEAR! =D No, only joking! Of course the Mighty Boosh is silly and surreal and that's what makes it so utterly AMAZING! As Russell Brand once quoted - My Booky Wook - "On telly I love the Mighty Boosh: Noel Fielding is an angelic dream-weaver and Julian Baratt a world-weary connoisseur." Now if that doesn't say it all, what does? BOOSH FOREVER! =) x x x
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partridge88

November 2, 2008
1:32 p.m.

Yes funny stuff. legend? no. Top Gear? YESSSSS PLEASSE
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Paperboy

October 29, 2008
7:37 p.m.

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!!
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pure cola

October 27, 2008
8:48 a.m.

I got a bad feeling about this....
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whitto

October 26, 2008
7:36 p.m.

Mighty Boosh is a legend, i totally agree with ethan but you cant have too much top gear DAVE should get rid of ray mears!!!! DAVE put mighty boosh on more often :))))))))))
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jedimindtricks

October 24, 2008
4:16 p.m.

Why isn't there more of this show? Because animal whimsy gets old. Fast. ;-)
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ethanB89539

October 18, 2008
4:19 p.m.

by far one of the best shows ever, why isn't there more of this show broadcasted? Top gear gets more coverage than anything and everones seen every episope of top gear ever made by now!!
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