List of characters from The Mighty Boosh
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These are characters from the radio and TV series The Mighty Boosh.
Characters are only listed once, normally under the first applicable subsection in the list.
[edit] Supporting characters of radio series
[edit] Graham
Played by comedian Lee Mack, he was the security guard at the zoo, armed with an electrical baton, who always fails to recognise Howard as a zoo employee (due to his generic looks) his most famous quote being "You may as well not have a head, sir because I don't know who your face is". He appeared to be so unsuited to the job of security guard that he even failed to recognise a photo of himself that Howard pointed out was on his booth.
[edit] Colobus the Crab
A television character that Vince enjoys. In the second TV series his programme can be heard playing (in the background) at the end of the episode 'The Nightmare of Milky Joe'. He can also be spotted in the pages of Naboo's black magic spellbook in the episode 'Nannageddon'
If Vince could meet anybody, it would be Colobus the Crab, because "he's brilliant."
[edit] Tony the Prawn
A pyschopathic prawn who lives in the zoo and scares Vince. His eyes are terrifying 'like black fists... punching into your subconscious'. He first appears in 'Tundra' as he is mentioned as the one of their few remaining animals in the zoo. At the beginning of the episode 'Hitcher' Vince and Howard have to take Tony the Prawn to a zoo for animal offenders after Tony the Prawn kills all the other animals in the aquarium in two days.
Vince says that Tony the Prawn is the scariest thing he's ever seen during his time at the zoo.
[edit] Jimmy's Dad
Played by comedian Simon Evans, he appears at the end of Stolen to be told by Fossil that his son has been 'eaten by a lion.'
[edit] Bruno Mindhorn
A very strange musical act in the 'Jungle' episode. Vince comments that "his act is weak."
[edit] The Shadowed One/Uncle Pedro
Howard's Spanish uncle from the 'Tundra' episode. He was a fisherman but he never actually fished. He had a dream to build a zoo as big as a house. He copes poorly with the fame of being lauded as Spain's first zoo-keeper and then disappears, re-appearing as the mysterious Shadowed One. When Vince goes to Spain the Shadowed One approaches Vince to tell him to save Howard.
[edit] Supporting characters of Series 1 (TV)
[edit] Dixon Bainbridge
Dixon Bainbridge (Matt Berry) is the owner of The Zooniverse and Howard Moon's nemesis in series one. Not appearing in the radio series, he largely takes over Bob Fossil's character from that series, although he is evil in a more deliberate and much less insane way than Fossil was on radio.
He is a proud man with a deep, booming voice. He seems to succeed wherever Moon fails - be it exploring, writing or moustache growing (he uses his magnificent moustache to get him out of trouble - for example, by hiding a pistol in it.) While the press prints stories of his heroic adventures as an explorer, he is in reality a very sneaky, sinister fellow involved in various shady operations. He experimented on zoo employees to create human/animal mutant hybrids and he imprisoned the zoo's former owner, Tommy, in the Jungle Room for many years. He appears to be a man of prejudice, saying goodbye to Naboo as "So long, gypsy". He also takes pleasure in the pain of others, as in Krakatoa in 1962 he stayed for an extra day to watch the hanging. For all his evil intent, he is also much more brave, resourceful and (superficially) charming than Howard, and when he's not off on some dangerous adventure he hangs around with high-society types around the world. He has contempt for Vince and Howard, but while Howard sensibly despises Bainbridge in return, Vince is sometimes awed by Bainbridge's tales of adventure.
Bainbridge's assistant is Bob Fossil, who has a crush on him, although Bainbridge has contempt for Fossil and often knees him in the groin. Fossil is always hoping to be part of Bainbridge's shady operations, although Bainbridge generally treats Fossil like his lackey. Fossil, while a generally sleazy person, isn't quite up to Bainbridge's standards of evil, and when confronted with the products of Bainbridge's mutant experiments, Fossil was horrified. In the episode Tundra, Bainbridge and Fossil perform an impassioned version of Total Eclipse of the Heart that has become something of a fan favorite.
In the pilot episode for the television series, Bainbridge was played by Richard Ayoade who couldn't continue in the role due to a contract with Channel 4. Also in the pilot episode, Bainbridge was not the owner of the zoo as depicted on Series 1, but a zoo keeper who was thrust to "Head Keeper" due to Fossil's admiration of him (because, as Fossil admits to Naboo, he is homosexual). Bainbridge also makes a special guest appearance on the Live Tour DVD, delivering a package to Howard which contains Old Gregg.
[edit] Mrs. Gideon
Mrs. Gideon (Victoria Wicks) is Howard's love interest. On radio she was mentioned briefly as a woman in Howard's jazz band who had broken his heart after falling for the "rustic wisdom" of Rudi Manciego. Rudi joined the band and muscled out Howard, leaving him broken-hearted and unable to get another jazz gig.
On TV, when she worked at the zoo, she was head of Reptiles, and she always forgot who Howard was, but was interested in Vince, to Howard's disgust and envy. She finds the idea of a human shedding their skin "disgusting".
She isn't interested in boxing, but likes trumpets and bookmarks (both things that Howard conjectured women would like).
[edit] Joey Moose
Joey Moose (Brown) is the Australian zoo keeper at the zoo, and sponsors the kangaroo that Howard fights. He is seen briefly at the beginning of Mutants before being knocked out by Dixon Bainbridge. He is seen later on in the episode hideously mutated. He is released from his cage along with the other mutants, and participates in the mutant song before leaving the zoo.
In the Radio series of the Mighty Boosh Joey Moose Plays an important part in the 'Mutants' Themed episode in which he gets bitten by 'a moth with the legs of a hawk' causing his head to swell up to the size, as Vince puts it, of a dustbin lid. Later he turns up as Vince and Howard attempt to infiltrate Bob Fossil's secret research facility on Wolf Mountain, later being savaged by a dog, falling onto 'an old gimmer' called the colonel and being harassed by a pack of mutants.
He also seems to have a love for tomatoes.
[edit] Vince's Uncle (or not?) /Gym Owner
Vince's uncle (Fulcher) owns a boxing gym with a number of strange clients. He attempts to train Howard with music and a training montage, but comments that he is hopeless. He suggests Howard beat a weaker opponent to get his confidence up. It works, but he warns Vince that Howard is going to die. He also yearns for a pocket cup, which Bob Fossil happened to invent.
It is revealed near to the end of the episode that the boxing trainer was not Vince's real uncle. Instead Vince's uncle is a French Duke.
[edit] Johnny the Reach
Johnny the Reach (played by Olly Ralfe) is a member of Vince's uncle's gym with extraordinarily long hard arms. He "always gets his man". Howard Moon made the mistake of insulting him, only to be punched at the end of the 'Killeroo' episode.
[edit] The Grim Reaper
When Fossil talks Howard into wearing a gorilla suit and impersonating an ailing Bollo, the Grim Reaper comes to Bollo's cage seeking Bollo and takes Howard by mistake. He ends up taking Howard to Monkey Hell anyway, but the Grim Reaper is not without compassion and allows Howard a chance to briefly return to Earth for a haunting. There are actually many Grim Reapers, and when they gather up the souls of the dead they transport them through space in taxicabs to limbo, where the Grim Reapers play pool and darts in a lounge. All of the Grim Reapers appear to be cockney, and all seem to have wives named Pauline.
[edit] The Ape of Death
The Ape of Death (Fulcher) is the guardian of the gates to Monkey Hell. He has trouble with his hair (if he washes it, it's too dry, if he doesn't wash it, it's too greasy) until Vince gives him the benefit of his styling skills using Naboo's Miracle Wax. Afterwards, the Ape of Death feels "confident and super sexy", even going so far as to sing a song in celebration with his minions Davy and Nemo.
[edit] Davey And Nemo
The Ape of Death's companions/servants. They both play electric guitar and forget to tell their master about products for his hair.
[edit] Jack Cooper
A Scottish fox at the zooniverse and an 'acquaintance' of Howard Moon, although it is rumoured that their formerly close relationship eventually got "a little too close". Howard is mocked by the other zoo keepers for "bumming that fox". Both of them persistently deny the rumors, but when Howard finds himself in Monkey Hell, he is told that he has been judged harshly for bumming a fox. Even then Howard denies it, but the ruler of Monkey Hell insists that "where there's smoke, there's fire." While Howard tries to stay polite with Jack despite the unfortunate rumors, Jack wants nothing to do with Howard and generally sits in his cage looking grumpy.
[edit] Mr. Susan
Mr. Susan (Barratt) is the keeper of the Mirror World which contains over 17 mirrors (Vince points out that this is more of a mirror room) that lead to various dimensions. Though in the stage show, his face was covered in strawberries, in the television series he is a large creature made entirely of rags with a pair of spectacular "mirror balls". He has has a spray to clean the mirrors, and his mirror balls. He is a rather sinister creature, more than a little mad and always dancing around, singing strange little rhymes ("My name is Mr. Susan... and now it's time for you to do the choosin'!") and spraying everything, especially his mirror balls, with his spray bottle. All that time in isolation has made him more than a little fixated on his mirror balls. (Look at them shine! Look at them shine! Look at them shine!") He claims he used to be vain, and this fatal flaw led to him being stuck in the mirror world. He seems eager to share his no-doubt fascinating story with Vince, but Vince isn't interested. The only way for Mr. Susan to escape the mirror world is for one of the visitors to choose the wrong mirror for their desired purpose, in which case they will replace him for all eternity.
[edit] The Black Frost
An "icy bastard" featured in The Tundra. The Black Frost (Brown) is the protector of the egg of Mantumbi (a sapphire the size of a school boy's head). He is so terrible that he is capable of freezing a man's last words as they come from his mouth. However, in the episode he is knocked out by a polar bear that Vince befriended earlier on in the episode. He is the protector of the Parka People, who refer to him as "Loogaroo". He is a humanoid creature with skin that is midnight black, he has branchlike fingers and hair and a long, pointy nose. He has a high-pitched giggle, but it is unknown if he can speak. He arrives accompanied by blasting Drum and Bass music (he has a stereo that plays it) and he is a rather odd dresser, wearing nothing but flashy cowboy boots (which Vince eventually steals) and plastic-looking bikini briefs with a hole in the front that shoots out his freezing "breath". While the polar bear does knock him out, he presumably survived. In the pilot episode of the Mighty Boosh (which follows a very similar storyline to The Tundra), The Black Frost is destroyed when Vince's phone rings, playing a high-frequency monophonic version of Gary Numan's "Cars" that causes him to explode.
[edit] The Polar Bear
Becomes close friends with Vince in "Tundra", much to the surprise of Howard who thinks he has been eaten by him. After a day of fun, the bear asks Vince to "Hold me" to which Vince obliges. Having saved Vince and Howard from the Black Frost, he is seen staring at the stars all alone humming Gary Numan's 'Are 'Friends' Electric?'. In the radio 'Tundra' episode and it is revealed that he works in a kiosk.
[edit] Leroy
Leroy (Olly Ralfe) is Vince's friend and is often mentioned but is only seen once, in a flashback to their ill-fated attempt to combine Glam Rock with Folk music. He also helped Howard rewrite Tundra, much to Vince's chagrin. He apparently works at an ice rink, where he sells slush puppies. Leroy also appears heavily in the radio series
[edit] Tommy Nookah
Tommy (Fulcher) was the diminutive original owner of the zoo and mentor to Howard. He was missing for ten years, presumed eaten by ocelots. Howard absolutely idolizes him, refusing to believing Tommy is dead, leading Vince to suggest that Howard has a crush on Tommy. In reality, Dixon Bainbridge had locked Tommy in the Jungle Room where he survived living off nothing but cheese. (It is unknown how he was able to find so much cheese in the Jungle Room, but the Jungle Room is, after all, a very strange place.) Ten years of eating nothing but cheese caused Tommy's flesh to turn into cheese and an enormous fatty deposit developed on his head. Despite his grim condition Tommy is quite cheerful (and insane), happily telling Howard, "You are what you eat... and I am freaking cheese!" Tommy admits that he has become hideous, but believes that when he dances, his inner beauty shines. Tommy is a rocker, a firm hater of mods (much to the chagrin of Vince who, in this episode, claims to be the king of the mods). In a last attempt to save the zoo, Howard is forced to grate Tommy and then offers Dixon Bainbridge Tommy's cheesy remains. Tommy's philosophical qualities thus briefly infect Bainbridge, and he is too busy pondering the nature of reality to go through with the sale. Tommy was originally played by Richard Ayoade in the radio series.
[edit] Fire
Fire (Dave Brown) is actually a man in a fire suit who appears when Tommy tells everyone to gather round. He is a very minor character, but his brief, baffling appearance has made him something of a fan favorite. Fire is very similar to Naan Bread, who appears in the episode 'The Legend Of Old Gregg' in the second series. In some stage shows out of improvisation the fire replies "My name is James Smith and I'm just dressed up like this because I have issues with attention", however this has not been adopted as a regular theme.
[edit] Rudi Van DiSarnio
When we encounter him in the first series, Rudi Van DiSarnio (Barratt) lives in the Jungle Room in The Zooniverse where he poses series of bizarre tests and attempts to guide lost people using his wisdom, although in reality he is usually of little use. He has a large afro, inside which is the door of Kukundo, from which a mystery hand may offer different instruments, and he has protruding upper teeth which affect his speech. Rudi sits atop his own small section of Woodstock.
Rudi reappears in series 2 as a High Priest of the Order of Psychedelic Monks and member of The Bongo Brothers alongside his partner, Spider Dijon. In this episode we discover that Rudi's wife left him after she found him in bed with his guitar (he had his balls inside it and strummed himself to ecstasy) and since then Rudi has no place for women. Strangely, in the series two episode Rudi is shown as a full-sized man, but in series one he appeared to be some sort of dwarf and he was (literally) rather two-dimensional, growing out of his traveling "Woodstock" backdrop. The issue is never directly addressed, but it seems logical to conclude that the change in Rudi's appearance is probably related to the arcane, mystical pursuits that also put a door in his head.
Rudi also appeared in the 2006 Live Tour, in which he fought a duel with the Hitcher. During the show Vince comments on the large number of tests that Rudi sets, to which Rudi responds that many people think this, and that in school his friends gave him the nickname "Testy" because of that very fact.
Rudi was first played by Rich Fulcher in the early live and radio show (he was a judge in the battle of the bands that Howard and Vince were in), but is played by Jullian Barratt in both TV series and the later live shows.
One of Rudi's defining characteristics is that he has many aliases, many of which he reveals ad nauseum. The names he mentiones include:
- Shatula: Bringer Of Corn
- Secret Peter-Where is he hiding, in a shoe, in a rock, in a bush, in a side, a cupboard, in a... lane?
- Mickey Nine: The Dream Weaver
- Photo Shop
- Trinew: The Boiler
- Marjory Keak
- Captain Margaret (which was also another name of The Shadowed One/Uncle Pedro)
- RRRRRrrrubbady Pubbady
[edit] Pete
Pete is Naboo's friend who works in Dixons. The two generally sit around together, getting stoned and listening to Tangerine Dream.
[edit] Charlie
Charlie is the subject of a book drawn by Vince in crayon. Vince maintains that Charlie is in fact real. Charlie has two singing henchmen and enjoys Alice Cooper. He has been known to eat humans. He is the subject of episode 6 (Series 1).
Charlie seems to have the ability to hypnotize people with a bright pink light and hypnotic music, forcing them to dance, though his victims appear to be terrified even while they do this. He can also entangle his victims in strands of pink bubblegum.
Vince leaves Charlie's story in packets of Weetabix. The story is as follows:
The Charlie Story
Charlie is genius, right; he's made from a million pieces of old bubble gum, ha, imagine that! In the summer of 1976, on his way home from an Alice Cooper concert, Charlie started to melt onto the pavement; It was too hot in LA, and he melted like a pink bitch, Ha ha ha ha ha! Luckily though, there was Eric Phillips, a local crocodile who dabbled in black magic. He took pity on Charlie and scraped him off the floor with a pair of fish slices. He poured him into an antique soup ladle and boarded his magic carpet, ha ha! Destination Alaska! Eric Phillips decided to refreeze Charlie, but in his cold-blooded reptilian haste, he refroze him into to the shape of a hoover - "I wasn't thinking." Charlie wasn't fazed though, he just zoomed about the place sucking up Inuits "ha ha … oh." The Inuits didn't mind, they loved it in Charlie's pink tight warm belly pouch, and they refused to come out. Charlie said "I'm cool with that," and set fire to a posh hammer to make it official. "I appear to be on fire." The downside was that the Inuits suffocated immediately. It was air-tight in there. Charlie panicked and fired the tiny Inuit bullets into Eric's crocodile peepers. "After all I did for you … oooh." The green shape was frozen. After a quick drink Charlie stole Eric Phillips magic carpet and left for Seattle. Charlie was racked with guilt, he'd killed 50 Inuits, no-one needs that. He decided to spend the rest of his life putting small hairstyles onto boots, monkey nuts, trumpets and spanners.
[edit] Hamilton Cork/Simon McFarnaby
Hamilton Cork aka 'Corkie' (played by fictional actor Simon McFarnaby, both played by comedian Simon Farnaby) is a publisher whose whole philosophy is that he can tell within one sentence of reading a book whether or not he wants to publish it. His nickname, as his good friend Dixon Bainbridge notes, is "One Sentence Cork". He and Bainbridge first met at a wedding in Krakatoa in 1962 where the bride was hung ("it was almost as though she didn't want to die!").
It appears that McFarnaby's head is made out of a conker, and Vince suggests that Simon McFarnaby dip his head in vinegar for his "big thing" coming up in the autumn.
At the end of the episode 'Charlie', Howard is dismayed by Cork's/McFarnaby's snubs and states "What do you think you're playing at, you conker-headed berk". Without a moment's hesitation Cork floors Moon with a powerful headbutt and states "Don't mess with me, twenty-niner" before striding off the set.
[edit] Phillip the Kitten
Phillip is actually more of a concept than a character. When Howard Moon goes to Naboo for some sage advice on how to handle his outbursts of rage, the shaman gives him a picture postcard with two kittens on it, saying "This is two kittens in a barrel, look at them in there, having a whale of a time. You see the one on the left? He's called Phillip. Now when you look into Phillip's eyes your anger will recede like an ocean...."
[edit] The Spirit of Jazz
The Spirit of Jazz (Noel Fielding) is an evil force to whom Howard sold his soul for the ability to be a multi instrumentalist. He claims to have been inside all the jazz greats, including Miles Davis and Steve Davis (though Steve Davis was actually an accident). The price of selling your soul to the Spirit of Jazz is that every time you pick up an instrument he is "there, inside ya, wearing you like a glove" and he "creeps inside ya like a warm kitten." (Howard rightly points out that this endless talk about getting inside people is a little "weird", but the Spirit of Jazz doesn't seem to catch his meaning.) In the TV series he has a pitch-black face with white markings of a rather African design (it is unclear if this is face paint or his actual skin), red eyes and long, dread locked hair. He wears a white tuxedo and top hat. The hat is on fire when he first appears; Howard mistakes this for part of his "look," but it turns out his hat really is on fire and he's quite upset that Howard didn't mention it. The Spirit of Jazz has a strong New Orleans accent and sometimes refers to himself as "Uncle Mario".
Naboo briefly manages to somehow imprison the Spirit of Jazz inside a Hoover vacuum, but the Spirit of Jazz soon figures out how to make the vacuum travel around and uses its hose to get back inside Howard (through his behind) while he is in the middle of performing a concert with Vince's new electro band, Kraftwerk Orange. The concert ends in a shambles, as Howard's clothing magically rips off and he performs a loud, blistering jazz solo in nothing but his underwear. Furious, the Kraftwerk Orange girls then proceed to "stab everybody up".
In the radio series, the Spirit of Jazz isn't quite so sinister and never buys Howard's soul. Instead he urges Howard to take his chance to be part of Vince's band and become 'the one'. However, it later transpires that the Spirit of Jazz was incorrect and that Howard is not 'the one'. In fact, he's about as far away as being the one as it's possible to be. He's not even in the top ten.
[edit] Electro Girls
The Electro Girls, Neon and Ultra, (played by Dee Plume and Sue Denim, the real-life members of the band Robots In Disguise) are in the electro band Kraftwerk Orange for which Vince briefly performed as frontman and Howard even more briefly played keyboards. When Howard, possessed by the Spirit of Jazz, disrupts the performance the Girls "stab everyone up" and the gig ends in disaster.
Plume and Denim can be seen again in series 2 as the Goth Girls Ebola and Anthrax in Nanageddon. Dee can also be seen again in 'The Legend of Old Gregg' as the lady covered in shells and once more in 'The Call of the Yeti' as a ninja.
[edit] Johnny Two Hats
Johnny Two Hats (Dan Clark) is so named because he wears two hats. He is a founding member of the band "Kraftwerk Orange", which he leaves after an argument with Vince. He is seen at the Kraftwerk Orange gig anyway as a spectator, wearing five hats.
[edit] Ivan the Bear
Ivan is a Russian dancing bear with a profound dislike for jazz and slap bass, and goes into a rage on hearing such music. He seems to share Vince's love for Gary Numan, and his only spoken lines are to sing along with the chorus of "Cars." According to Fossil, he is a communist. Howard and Vince are charged with transporting him to the Zoo for Animal Offenders after he breaks free from his cage at the Zooniverse and attacks Fossil. He becomes enraged and breaks free from the transport van when The Hitcher begins playing jazz fusion, and his subsequent attack on The Hitcher saves Howard and Vince from certain doom.
[edit] The Hitcher
The Hitcher (Noel Fielding), whose real name is Babu Yagu, is a Cockney man-witch with green skin and a top hat; he has a giant Polo for an eye and is pure evil. He is often accompanied by The Piper Twins (Fultcher and Brown), Jim and Jackie Piper, who also have Polo eyes. He is proprietor of the Zoo for Animal Offenders which features the Nazi turtle ("a fresh-water fascist for all the family"), the Ku Klux goose and Trevor Robinson, a shire horse with over 37 unpaid parking tickets.[1] The Hitcher has an enormous thumb, and tells Howard that he was born with a pathetically small thumb, but he sought out a shaman hornet who stung his thumb until it became huge. When the shaman hornet asked for 500 Euro in return, the Hitcher squashed him. The Hitcher travels with a Polo-covered box that contains a nightmare world inside, including the Zoo for Animal Offenders. He plans to chop up Howard and Vince and feed them to his animals. He is a proponent of jazz fusion (although he also raps), and has a slap-bass guitar style that Howard finds most impressive. Bryan Ferry tells Vince that some believe the Hitcher is the Devil himself, and some believe he is just a strange man in green makeup. Ferry apparently believes the former. Despite his magical attributes, the Hitcher suffers from a bad back. In the first series, he was beaten when Howard tricked him into playing jazz fusion, sending Ivan the Bear berserk, leading him to the zoo and attack the Hitcher. When the attack was finished, all that was left was the Hitcher's clothes (though as it transpired, he was just to the left, having leapt out, before making his exit)
The Hitcher reappears in series two episode Fountain Of Youth, where he plans to utilize the fountain's magical qualities to restore himself to his, "Former glory... And beauty, mind", after which he planned to 'Rule the universe', 'with an army of green bitches destroying everything in their cockney wake!'. It is uncertain how he intends to achieve this simply with his restored youth. His scheme goes awry when, while showering in the fountain (which has been done up Ikea-style), Naboo flushes the adjoining toilet, causing him to melt and possibly die. In this episode we learn that the Hitcher can change his appearance, as he disguises himself as an attractive woman in order to con Howard.
A coconut version of The Hitcher appears briefly as the owner of a nightmarish fairground game, in the series two episode The Nightmare of Milky Joe. This is arguably not a real reappearance of the Hitcher, however, as it is later revealed that Vince and Howard had eaten a lot of rancid coconuts and gone "coco loco", and they were hallucinating.
In the radio series, the Hitcher is not in charge of the Zoo for Animal Offenders, which is owned by Bob Fossil's brother and contains a rapist crab, a mackerel that exposes himself, a baboon that presses all the buttons in lifts and a swan that keys cars. He does still abduct Howard and Vince by trapping them in his box, but the box is inhabited by the 'People of the Box' and they are rescued by Bob Fossil rather than Ivan the Bear.
The Hitcher also appeared in the 2006 Live Tour, although time constraints meant that Noel appeared without the usual green makeup he wears for the role, and wore a simplified version of the usual costume, where he claimed the show was to be called "The Mighty Stump-Fuckers". During a scene in which the Hitcher becomes involved in a sword fight with Rudi Van Der Saniel he is complimented by Rudi who says "You fight well, for a Jimmy Saville impersonator." When the audience responds by laughing, the Hitcher replies "Shut up or i'll fix it for you, and you, and you and you", quoting the famous closing titles theme tune for the BBC children's show Jim'll Fix it, presented by Jimmy Saville from 1975-1994.
He also appeared at a Razorlight concert. In return, Razorlight agreed to play a small cameo role in the episode "The Priest and the Beast".
Noel Fielding has said that The Hitcher is based on a lot of people that he knew in his childhood (probably the Cockney aspect, rather than the evil) including his grandfather. He also references Fagin from Oliver Twist as inspiration.
[edit] Marcus Hoffman
(Simon McFarnaby) Mistaken for the head of Pieface records by Vince, because his head is in fact a pie, and reveals the fact that he designs speedboats. He also invites Vince to the pub where, on weekends, he and his mates listen to some reggae. Vince turns down this offer with the exclamation "get lost, creepy crust" and leaves.
[edit] Bryan Ferry
Has a cameo role in the episode 'Hitcher' (but it is obviously Barratt covered in fake tan and a strap on chin, made to look like the collage of Ferry seen in an earlier animated segment). Ferry apparently raised Vince in the forest, although there is some suggestion that this strange fellow is only a Ferry impersonator. (Naboo points out that the "Ferry" seen here looks more like Terry Wogan.)
[edit] The Parka People
The Parka People are featured in Tundra. They are a strange race of diminutive people who wear parkas that obscure their faces. While Howard is suffering in the snow, convinced Vince is dead, a parka person appears and commands Howard to "look deep into the parka." He claims there are many things within his parka, things Howard has never dreamed of, such as rubies. When Howard says that he has, in fact, dreamed of rubies, the parka person then says his parka contains "lesbian ham". When Howard finally looks deep into the parka, he sees the Egg of Mantubi he and Vince were seeking. Howard returns to the icy lair of the parka people, where he joins them for dinner. He eats one of their vomit, mistaking it for a dish they are offering. Then the parka ruler sentences him to be sacrificed, as they know Howard plans to steal the Egg of Mantumbi, and it is their duty to guard it. While they are summoning the Black Frost, Vince arrives. They grab the Egg, but the alarm goes off, and the Parka People tie them up and then are not seen again.
[edit] Supporting characters of Series 2 (TV)
[edit] The Moon
The Moon was originally used in Noel Fielding's one man show at the Edinburgh Festival. It is clear that The Moon is played by Noel Fielding, covering his face with shaving foam. In the 2006 live tour, The Moon is a hologram projected onto a disk, hanging above the stage. He appears in Series 2 twice per episode and says a variety of bizarre things. He has a dreamy voice with a thick, European accent of indeterminate origin, and talks about himself, the stars and other planets, as well as strange and often borderline incoherent things. For example, he talks about licking the Sun's back "all on his yellow suit" without the Sun knowing, or the time he saw a man with a tube and how the man made the moon big inside the tube (a telescope). He has a variety of little poems and songs, with perhaps his best-known poem being the one about various astronauts walking on his face and looking at all the stuff that the moon has to offer. To judge by the conclusion of the second season episode Nanageddon, the moon is apparently a fan of The Cure (he sings Love Cats over the closing credits). The Moon always appears to be simplemindedly cheerful, and he is described by Tony Harrison as "an alabaster retard".
Quotes: "One Time, I saw a man looking at me, er with his eyes. Then, he pi-- he picked up a tube, looked in the tube, and made the moon big inside a tube! Moon big inside a tube! haha! ...telescope."
"When you are the moon, the best you can be is a full moon. er... and then a half moon. He's alrite. But the full moon is the famous moon. And er, like 3/4s, no-one gives a shit about him. When does he come? 2 days into the calender month. He's useless. Full moon. The Moon. The Main moon."
(singing)"Shooting star, look at you. Shooting star, you're a beautiful ball of light. Shooting star, get out the way, I can't see nothing! You're all in my periferins, in my perifierins vision. How can i concentrate? You're all over! Like a bluebottle! gettin in-- gettin in all about it, the place. flippin' idiot."
"And some say, Old Gregg is like a, a big fish finger, but big! Like um, like a garage. As big as a garage. Imagine that fish finger, when you can see it is as big as a garage, oh! It isn't small, it's the big one! Like that." (smiles)
[edit] Kodiak Jack
Kodiak Jack (Fulcher) is a strange mountain man who owns the log cabin that Howard and Vince rent in Call of the Yeti. He sports an impressive array of injuries incurred by hunting the various animals in the forest where he lives.
He firmly believes that Vince is a woman, a misconception shared by many minor Boosh characters (one of the recurring jokes of the show), and even fell in love with him. Jack is eventually raped by very horny Yetis, although he actually seemed to enjoy this.
[edit] The Yeti
In the world of The Mighty Boosh, the Yeti are a race of tall, shaggy creatures with skull-like faces. They live in the woods, hibernating for 25 years and then reviving to find a man to mate with. They seduce their victims with a siren song of mellow hippie music, leading their vicitm to believe that "we are your family" and "everything you need within life." This musical spell is so potent that it affects apes (like Bollo) and even overcomes Naboo's "fortress"-like mind. In the end, our heroes escape and the Yeti end up raping Kodiak Jack.
[edit] The Bongo Brothers
The Bongo brothers are Rudi Van DiSarnio (Barratt) and Spider Dijon (Fielding) who we meet in the episode The Priest and the Beast searching for the new sound.
Rudi and Spider have a stormy but close friendship in this flashback episode, however, their relationship seems to have soured later as Rudi is living alone in the Zooniverse's Jungle Room by the time of the first series.
[edit] Spider Dijon
Spider (Fielding) is the other member of the The Bongo Brothers, along with Rudi Van DiSarnio.
Spider is so called because of his eight penises and he admits to have had an affair with Rudi's wife. However, he claims in his defense that she was neglected due to Rudi's love for his guitar. He is resentful of the fact that Rudi made them stay behind at Woodstock which resulted in them having to do "six weeks of Hoovering" with Carlos Santana, who we find out is trying to poach Spider away from The Bongo Brothers. Spider longs to have a door in his head like Rudi, and at the end of the episode is granted one.
[edit] Monkey
Also known as "The Woolen Bullet", Monkey is the outsider woman of the village in the episode 'The Priest and the Beast'. She's strange, she has visions, she drinks her own urine and she smells of peanuts, and we eventually learn that she deliberately makes herself unappetizing so that the creature called Betamax won't ravage her. Rudi Van Der Saniel's look reminds her of her cross-eyed dead father, and her look reminds Rudi Van Disarzio of the pig he used to have when he was younger. Far from being insulted, Monkey is delighted by the comparison, since she has a secret passion for her pet pig and longs to marry him and ride him around the village square. Rudi and Monkey share a strange understanding, and she asks Rudi that "the next time you see that pig, or eat a peanut sandwich...think of me."
[edit] Betamax Bandit
Betamax is a feared obsolete format who takes rule of a small run-down desert village in the episode 'The Priest and the Beast'. It was believed his anger originated from his becoming obsolete to VHS, until he reveals his rage is in reality because Spider Dijon made love to his wife. He vents his fury by killing any men he finds in the village.
He seems to be a formidable opponent in combat, able to reel in his enemies with strands of Betamax tape. He appears to be vulnerable to Fusion guitars licks, which turns out to be fortuitous for the Bongo Brothers, since this is Rudi Van DiSarnio's chosen form of attack when he encounters Betamax.
Betamax is defeated when Spider Dijon rewinds him back into his original cassette form. He is then taped over with the snooker.
He is voiced by Rich Fulcher.
[edit] Nanatoo
Appears in series two, episode three entitled “Nanageddon.” A seemingly sweet old woman who is, in fact, the most evil demon known to the Shaman; she has a five star rating in Spotlight for Demons. She kills a lad with the edge of a bus pass and Saboo with a combination of her 'Speed Knitting' and 'Needles of Death' techniques. She could wrap you up, then throw her needles at you, then - Uh oh! - you're dead. It is possible to get rid of Nanatoo with the mystical incantation, "Nana Nana go away, come again another day!".
[edit] Kirk
Kirk is a member of the Board of Shaman convened to discipline Naboo for losing the Book of Black Magic. Although Kirk was aged six when filmed, he is in fact a violent and sexually deranged being from the fourth dimension. By his own admission, Kirk is "an erotic adventurer of the most deranged kind."
Kirk is played by Noel Fielding's nephew.
[edit] Tony Harrison
Tony Harrison (Noel Fielding) is a member of the Board of Shaman. His body consists of a pink head with six tiny legs sticking out of its base. Saboo has described him as looking "like a ball". Despite his lack of a torso or limbs, he allegedly has a gift for strategy, "I'm a unique thinker". This ability, however, seems non-apparent as he requires someone to write down his ideas. Frequently Tony shouts, "This is an outrage!" at any suggestion. References to "Mrs Harrison" imply that he is married. He suffers from motion sickness and cannot travel very well on most vehicles, but claims to be good on horses. Although his own motive abilities are limited, should he need to be transported, he comes fully equipped with a Papoose. In his words, he 'slots in the back like a peanut'. He also comes with a wheel, that clicks into his chin "like a skate". In Nanageddon he is knocked off a flying carpet by Saboo and spends the rest of the episode falling to Earth. It is unknown whether he survived.
Tony Harrison is also the name of a 20th century English Poet.
[edit] Saboo
Saboo (Richard Ayoade) is a character created by Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, who appeared in the Series 2 episode "Nanageddon." Saboo sat in the Board of Shamans, and was part of the decision regarding Naboo's fate, after Naboo lost control of his Black Magic Book. For this offence, Naboo's powers were revoked, and he had to spend 6 hours travelling back to Dalston on the Northern Line. Saboo talked obsessively about the "crunch" (as in, "What are you going to do when it comes to the crunch?"). He and Tony Harrison were sent to retrieve the Book of Black Magic from the old lady demon Nanatoo. Saboo considered Tony Harrison useless ("You know nothing of the crunch!"), and eventually he knocked Harrison off of their flying carpet at a high altitude. Saboo then tracked down Nanatoo, along with Howard and Vince, at the bingo hall. After dealing out Howard's "first taste of crunch" by slapping him with a handbag, Saboo was seemingly killed by Nanatoo, who wrapped Saboo in her knitting, and stabbed him with several knitting needles, whilst he exclaimed "Crunch time!".
[edit] The King
The King (Nicholas Burns) rules over the planet Xooberon, and accidentally entrusts Naboo with a sacred amulet that operates the Fountain Of Youth. The true hero, a warrior named Banoo, arrives only seconds later to find Naboo and the amulet have gone to planet earth. He has a penchant for folk music and vegan food, and has fantastic hair. He always introduces himself by taking off his outermost robe and announcing, 'It is I... the King!'
[edit] Sandstorm
Sandstorm (Barratt) is a fidgety, impatient humanoid creature made entirely out of sandpaper with an electric sander on each hand. He wreaks havoc upon the planet Xooberon, though it emerges that this is only because he is frustrated as his coarse, rough hands mean he cannot love another or even masturbate. Vince solves his problem by giving him his gloves, after which Sandstorm immediately and furiously begins making up for a lot of lost time (He apparently considers furniture catalogues pornography). Sandstorm is so grateful for Vince's kindness he pledges to help Vince out whenever needed, and later on Vince calls for Sandstorm's protection against one of the Hitcher's minions, the aptly named Evil Tree (Fulcher). Sandstorm's high-pitched voice and fidgety manner are rather similar to Mr. Susan, also played by Barratt.
[edit] Banoo
(Ramon Tikaram) Banoo is a warrior who is willing to do anything for his King. Banoo comes from the planet Xooberon and he always seems to appear at the wrong time. Banoo appears twice in the episode (at the start and the end). He was originally supposed to go to planet earth but the king got Naboo and Banoo's names mixed up. On his last appearance the King asks him if he has "ever ventured into buying a watch." Banoo asks what the time is, the King tells him it's four o'clock, and Banoo replies that he "needs to pick up the kids."
[edit] The Xooberon Tribe
This unnamed tribe is led by a short, big-headed, belligerent fellow (Fulcher yet again) and when Vince shows up with the amulet, they proclaim him "the chosen one" and spend their nights singing his praises. (Howard is not so lucky, and becomes Vince's slave.) All the tribespeople have blue skin. The tribe leader falls in love with Vince, and when he thinks he has offended Vince, he cuts off his own hand. Nonetheless, after Howard steals the amulet and it falls into the clutches of the Hitcher, the tribe turns on our heroes and leaves them to die a horrible death in the desert sun.
[edit] Old Gregg
Main article Old Gregg
Old Gregg (Noel Fielding) is a strange, murderous, hermaphroditic merman-creature that lives at the bottom of Black Lake. On a full moon he kidnaps any fisherman that sails in his waters. Some say he's half-man half-fish, others say it's more of a 70/30 split, but, as Lucien (Barratt), a local fisherman, says, "Whatever the percentage, he's one fishy bastard". Old Gregg has seaweed hair and webbed fingers, he wears a silver jacket and a tutu, and has an accent that seems to suggest he originates from the American South. He lives in an undersea cave and has, as he puts it, "all things that are good". He is the keeper of The Funk (see below) and has a "mangina." The bright light which emerges from Old Gregg's mangina has a hypnotic effect on its victims. He takes them to his underwater lair ('Gregg's Place') to marry, or kill them. Only one man has ever returned from Old Gregg's lair (though technically four in total, plus one ape, since Vince, Howard, et al escaped at the end of the episode; this might just be taking it a tad too seriously), and he was so terrified that today he shrieks whenever he is spoken to. Howard et al don't shriek, so this might be an isolated problem.
Once Howard is taken to Old Gregg's lair, he discovers that Old Gregg is a pathetic creature, desperate for love. Old Gregg paints watercolours and has a fixation with Baileys, so he constantly offers Baileys whenever he is not painting watercolours of himself, Howard or Baileys. He is very persistent, repetitive and mad, and wishes he could perform in a catchy 80's funk duet with Howard called The Family Funk. At the end of the episode he persuades Howard to marry him, and while Howard escapes before the marriage can take place, the show ends with our heroes driving back to town and Old Gregg perched atop their van, wearing a wedding dress. What happens when they return to London or how Howard deals with Old Gregg is never made clear. Old Gregg's catchphrase is to wail "I'm Old Gregg!".
Old Gregg also appears in the live show and sings his "Love Games" song to Howard which turns into a rave at the end of the song.
[edit] The Funk
The Funk is a small, medicine ball-sized, purple alien who lives in a box in Old Gregg's underwater home. The Funk is made up entirely of teats which can be milked and produce a funk-shake, and drinking this apparently grants a person extreme funkiness. When the Funk first came to Earth it fell into the possession of Bootsy Collins, who used it to become a funk star but mistreated the Funk terribly. Eventually the Funk ended up under the sea, where it was found by Old Gregg and taken to Gregg's lair.
Interestingly, when Howard opens the Funk's box, the sad-looking creature seems to recognize him, calling his name in a high, whispy voice. It is unknown if Old Gregg spoke of Howard to the creature, if it was able to overhear their conversations outside the box, or if it somehow recognized Howard due to his obsessive love of jazz-funk fusion music. Howard steals the box at the end of the episode, and while it is implied that Old Gregg catches him later, we are never shown what becomes of the Funk.
In some early stage shows a character called Jono The Jono would come on from underneath the stage and drink The Funk's funky milk, but this was not adopted as a regular theme mostly because of a lack of trapdoors at every theatre or gig.
[edit] Milky Joe
Howard creates Milky Joe (in previous productions, Milky Jono) -- a coconut on a stick -- whilst stranded on a desert island, to avoid boredom (a parodic reference to Tom Hanks' film Castaway which involves the making of an imaginary friend from a volleyball). As time progresses he becomes more realistic, until eventually he takes on a life of his own.
Milky Joe is French and has intellectual discussions with Howard and delivers lectures on geology - as well as frequently talking about Jean Paul Sartre. In an attempt to equal Vince's coconut girlfriend Ruby, he dressed MJ as a girl, named Jemima. When this ploy fails, Howard says to Joe, "Well that was a great idea- I thought you were supposed to be an intellectual." Howard eventually tires of Milky Joe's conversation, declaring "the man's an arse". Later Milky Joe testifies against Howard and Vince in a coconut court, after the murder of Howard’s abusive coconut lover, Precious Lilywhite (a reference to Albert Camus' l'Etranger, which Howard discussed with Milky Joe earlier (Howard argues for Camus' superiority over Sartre)). Vince's response to this is to call him a "garlic twit". He finally appears on the 'Pie-Face Showcase' with his band, 'The Coconuts' who are introduced by Bob Fossil. Milky Joe's band steals Howard's "Isolation" song, and they apparently have a big hit with it.
[edit] Ruby and Precious
Ruby and Precious Lilywhite are also coconuts on sticks whom Howard and Vince fall in love with. Both are created by Vince as a response to Howard's invention of Milky Joe. Ruby becomes Vince's girlfriend, and Precious Howard's. Precious, however, becomes overbearing and violent, ordering Howard to stay inside and put up shelves. Howard soon kills her by accident, but is still charged with murder.
[edit] Naan Bread
Appearing only in 'The Legend of Old Gregg,' a man seemingly composed entirely of garlic naan bread, who comes free with the curry that Howard and Vince purchase in the King Prawn's Head. His appearance parallels the first series joke concerning Fire.
[edit] Breakfast Bob
A desert island-dwelling man who wears exactly the same clothes as Vince and has the same hairstyle, but whose face is composed of sausages and eggs. When Vince and Howard are starving, Vince suggests eating Breakfast Bob, but Breakfast Bob panics and runs away before they can catch him. Breakfast Bob's voice was provided by Noel Fielding, using a variation on his Moon voice. His appearance is a parody of the long-standing comic device where a starving character will hallucinate that their companion is turning into food.
[edit] Characters From The Live Shows
[edit] Archaeology Boy (possibly named Alan)
Played by Fulcher in one of the live shows (in which he was called Dr. Henry J. Sexuallyfrustratedpuppetfucker) and can be seen delivering the global explorer in the second series. He asks Vince to sign his magazine when asked who to he says 'my wife' Vince then asks what she is called, and he replies 'Alan.'
[edit] The Rabbit
The Rabbit featured in the live show is the key player in the game "Pelt The Rabbit in his big white face". The Rabbit is 6 foot tall, moves like a man and has a "massive face" which causes Vince to describe him as "a freak". He has a brother (who is possibly his twin) who looks exactly like him, however, the brother is more powerful and vigorous.
The game works as follows:
- The victim goes about his life as normal.
- The Rabbit arrives. The Rabbit has no regard to how inconvenient his arrival maybe, he can come at any time and at any place, even by a windmill.
- The victim must keep The Rabbit away from him or herself by any means neccessary. For Example: Throwing coins, sunflower seeds, football boots etc.
- The Rabbit catches you (inevitably), throws you down on the ground and rapes you, followed by a spank.
After Vince describes the game, Howard points out that it "isn't really game, is it. It's more like a series of events. A series of horrific events...culminating in a rape."
It is revealed in the backstage documentary that the Rabbit is played by Johnny Borrell of indie band Razorlight.
