| The Mighty Boosh | |
|---|---|
Title card. |
|
| Format | Surreal humour |
| Created by | Julian Barratt Noel Fielding |
| Directed by | Paul King |
| Starring | Julian Barratt Noel Fielding Michael Fielding Rich Fulcher Dave Brown |
| Theme music composer | Julian Barratt |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 21 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Steve Coogan Mark Freeland Henry Normal Lindsay Hughes |
| Producer(s) | Spencer Millman Alison MacPhail |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes (approx.) |
| Production company(s) | Baby Cow Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC Three |
| Picture format | 16:9 576p |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | 18 May 2004 – 20 December 2007 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy television show created by Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding and others (collectively known as The Mighty Boosh). The Mighty Boosh is a comic fantasy containing humour and pop-culture references. Episodes often featured elaborate musical numbers in different genres, such as electro, heavy metal, funk, and rap. The show has been known for popularising a style called "crimping"; short a cappella songs which are present throughout all three series. Julian Barratt wrote the music within the show, and performs it with Noel Fielding. Fielding also designed many of the show's graphics and artwork.
The TV series has many animated sequences, puppets and special effects. Barratt has said that he approached Fielding with the idea of doing a show like The Goodies, as if it were a complete "world" rather than simply a sketch show.[1] Barratt and Fielding play many of the recurring and one-off characters themselves, with other characters being played by other Boosh members Rich Fulcher, Dave Brown, and Michael Fielding.
Contents |
The Mighty Boosh centres on the adventures of Howard Moon (Barratt) and Vince Noir (Fielding). These characters are often presented as the creators of The Mighty Boosh themselves. Series 1 opens and often closes with Howard and Vince addressing the audience in front of a theatre curtain, introducing the show and offering some final reflections. Series 2 leaves this format, instead starting in the characters' flat, with no direct address to the audience. 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 situation. Little attention is paid to continuity; for instance, in the second series the shaman Saboo is shown being killed by the demon Nanatoo, but in series 3 he is alive and well. In the first series episode, 'Bollo', Bollo the gorilla is killed at the end of the episode, before the credits. However, in subsequent episodes, Bollo is also seen alive and well.
Though there are many recurring characters, the "central cast" consists of five characters:
Recurring characters include:
Notable guest actors and actresses include:
The Mighty Boosh made the transition from radio to television in 2004, when an eight part television series - 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 was shot with a live audience because there had been doubts as to whether the successful stage show could translate to the screen, but the actual series had no live audience.
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 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 3 started airing on BBC Three from 15 November 2007.
Series 3 began airing on America's Adult Swim on 29 March 2009. Series 1 aired on Adult Swim on 10 May 2009 with Series 2 airing on 5 July 2009.
| Series | Episodes | Originally broadcast | DVD release date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| 1 | 8 | 2004 | 21 July 2009 | 29 August 2005 | 11 April 2007 | |
| 2 | 6 | 2005 | 21 July 2009 | 13 February 2006 | 12 April 2007 | |
| 3 | 6 | 2007 | 21 July 2009 | 11 February 2008 | 6 August 2008 | |
| # | Original airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 101 | 18 May 2004 | "Killeroo" |
| 2 - 102 | 25 May 2004 | "Mutants" |
| 3 - 103 | 1 June 2004 | "Bollo" |
| 4 - 104 | 8 June 2004 | "Tundra" |
| 5 - 105 | 15 June 2004 | "Jungle" |
| 6 - 106 | 22 June 2004 | "Charlie" |
| 7 - 107 | 29 June 2004 | "Electro" |
| 8 - 108 | 6 July 2004 | "Hitcher" |
| # | Original airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 9 - 201 | 25 July 2005 | "Call of the Yeti" |
| 10 - 202 | 2 August 2005 | "The Priest and the Beast" |
| 11 - 203 | 9 August 2005 | "Nanageddon" |
| 12 - 204 | 16 August 2005 | "Fountain of Youth" |
| 13 - 205 | 23 August 2005 | "The Legend of Old Gregg" |
| 14 - 206 | 30 August 2005 | "The Nightmare of Milky Joe" |
| # | Original airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 15 - 301 | 15 November 2007 | "Eels" |
| 16 - 302 | 22 November 2007 | "Journey to the Centre of the Punk" |
| 17 - 303 | 29 November 2007 | "The Power of the Crimp" |
| 18 - 304 | 6 December 2007 | "The Strange Tale of the Crack Fox" |
| 19 - 305 | 13 December 2007 | "Party" |
| 20 - 306 | 20 December 2007 | "The Chokes" |
In the UK the Mighty Boosh has released Series 1-3 individually and in a few boxsets. Series 1 was released on DVD (Region 2) on 29 August 2005, Series 2 on 13 February 2006 and series 3 was released on 11 February 2008.
As a result of a growing fan base in the U.S. the BBC released seasons 1-3 individually on North American NTSC-formatted DVDs on 21 July 2009. The North American series 1-3 boxset was released on the 17 October 2009.
| DVD Title | No. of discs | Year | No. of episodes | DVD release | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||||
| Complete Series 1 | 2 | 2004 | 8 | 21 July 2009 | 29 August 2005 | 11 April 2007 | |
| Complete Series 2 | 2 | 2005 | 6 | 21 July 2009 | 13 February 2006 | 12 April 2007 | |
| Complete Series 3 | 2 | 2007 | 6 | 21 July 2009 | 11 February 2008 | 6 August 2008 | |
| Complete Series 1 & 2 | 4 | 2004–2005 | 14 | — | 13 February 2006 | — | |
| Complete Series 1 - 3 (Special Edition) |
7 | 2004–2007 | 20 | 13 October 2009 | 17 November 2008 | 6 August 2009 | |
| Complete Series 1 - 3 (HMV Edition) |
6 | 2004–2007 | 20 | — | 17 November 2008 | — | |
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