The Mighty Boosh

I first stumbled upon this a few weeks ago, one late Saturday night on BBC3. I only saw half of one of the episodes but it had me killing myself laughing. I then felt I had to watch the remaining two episodes of series two in the following weeks. It is one of the most random shows ever (and the costume department love their polo mints) but it is hilarious. I think you have to give the show a chance and give yourself time to get into it(having a good sense of humour helps too). A review here said that it was 'a step too far' but I think that was just a wee bit too dramatic a statement to make. I don't think it's a point of not liking it, I think its the fact that people don't give it a chance or understand the humour. The Mighty Boosh could be described as a mixture between 'Garth Marenghi's Darkplace' and 'Spaced' with added randomness and songs but even that is quite vague and I guess you really have to see it for yourself. I just bought the series 1 DVD with my birthday money and so far, I am loving it. It will appeal to fans of 'Garth Marenghi....' and 'Spaced'as I said before(because of the type of humour)Finally, can I just say that I am so glad that the BBC decided not to use canned laughter in the programme. Canned laughter seems to kill a lot of comedies (with the exception of Father Ted and the like) and if the people at the BBC had decided not to ditch the canned laughter, The Mighty Boosh would not be nearly as fantastic as it is just now.

"The Mighty Boosh" is one of those series that are only possible in the U.K.. Writers and producers have such a refreshing and daring humour there, it's a joy to ignore American sitcoms for a while and take a peek at British comedy shows. "The Mighty Boosh" is another very original and imaginative show that grew from a stage act to a radio show to a T.V. sitcom. Every episode is taking place in different locations including jungles, deserted islands, snow and sandy deserts and underwater worlds. Sounds far out? It is.

The only things linking up from one episode to the next are the main characters, clumsy, but lovable Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) and Uber-Mod Vince Noir (Noel Fielding). In the first series these two are working at a zoo where some rather curious colleagues of theirs hang out, too. The second series mainly takes place at night. Vince and Howard have moved in with their friend Naboo, an Indian shaman, and a talking ape. Sounds far out? It is.

Another element that's in every episode is the hilarious, quite catchy music. Barratt is responsible for these short little ear candies. As funny as these songs may be they reveal a real songwriting talent as Barratt covers a lot of different styles effortlessly. Usually I'm not a big fan of musical parts in TV shows, but it works here and the songs about "Nanageddon", "Mod Wolves" and the "Ape Of Death" make this program even more special. Sounds far out? It is.

The humour of "The Boosh" is not as in your face as in other sitcoms. The show is more amusing than it is flat out hilarious. That and the innocent, child-like creativity of "The Boosh" might not be for everyone and these are probably the reasons for the show being more of a cult phenomenon right now. Barratt and Fielding already have a loyal following, though, and I'm sure that it will grow over time. Very English, very far out. The Boosh rules!

I can't praise Messrs Barret and Fielding enough for producing one of the finest comedies of the decade so far. It seems to have gone largely ignored by the masses, but I'm sure it won't be long before the rest of the nation catch-up and they'll all pretend they watched from the start! Like all excellent work you are constantly asking yourself "How did they come up with that?!" This for me is the beauty of this programme, it's completely original, imaginative and sometimes it seems completely spontaneous. It may take you one or two episodes before you are hooked but once you are you'll find yourself searching on your Sky remote through BBC2 and BBC3's listings trying to find out if it is on. If its on at 2 or 3 in the morning, so what, stay up, watch it, go into work tired the next morning it's well worth it. If your the kind of person who gets angry if you don't get enough sleep, then simply go into work wearing a poncho! It's impossible not to be happy in a poncho, but of course, you all know that! Boosh Forever!!!!!!!

It takes a certain type of person to appreciate this type of comedy, and I'm glad to say I'm one of them! This show is cool, its British, it's laid back and it's trippy, much like Naboo I guess. I only just started watching it at episode six, but as soon as I saw Naboo holding up a picture of two kittens I was hooked. "Look at the cat on the left. His name is Phillip." Classic.

It's a great show, something really different and really funny. Vince and Howard are a great couple, their styles compliment each other well, but I have to say I like Vince the best. He has really cool hair.

I hope this show gets another series. I love it. I just went out and brought a poncho!

Its a hubba bubba nightmare!

The Mighty Boosh has always been one of my favourite programmes, sitcoms and beyond. It is nothing like the traditional sitcom - it is far more surreal and outlandish (in a positive sense), with plenty of strange characters that are a lot of fun.

The plots for each episode are almost highly unbelievable and silly, but that just adds to how lovable the series is. There are only 20 episodes at the current time, with no signs of another series being produced anytime soon, but each episode differs completely in terms of the plot with new characters introduced in pretty much every episode - be it a green-skinned hitchhiker with a Polo sweet for an eyepatch, a half-fish deep sea transsexual, or the legendary Yeti on heat, you never really know what to expect in any episode.

If you have a strict sense of humour, requiring the jokes and comical situations to be direct, rather than subtle, the chances are you will not like Boosh. There is no laughter track and the jokes/gags are generally deadpan, or at least low key. This is why the series often puts off American audiences. What they may not realise is that one character (as well as a variety of minor characters portrayed by the same actor), Bob Fossil, usually defies this sense of humour. Fossil, incidentally, is portrayed by an American (Rich Fulcher). He tends to be very direct with his humour, rather than the subtleness as depicted, by the main characters, Howard and Vince, as well as recurring supporting character Naboo the Enigma.

This is definitely a TV show you must not judge based on one viewing. It may take a few episodes to get used to the humour. And in all seriousness, you will often start with the first episode, 'Killeroo', which is the weakest episode of the whole 20 in my opinion. There is no explaining this to my beloved girlfriend who hated the show when I showed her the first episode. On reflection from this, I'd suggest starting with an episode like the 'Nanageddon' episode, one of the best of the bunch. This episode features an army of Satanic old ladies killing people across London using weapons such as OAP free bus passes and knitting material. No, seriously.

It's not to everyone's tastes, but I advise giving it a try. For me, it's a perfect 10. I imagine this show is like Marmite - love or hate. I don't know anyone who thinks the show is "all right", "okay", or "pretty good". It's either "brilliant" or "a load of rubbish/trash/garbage. Give it a try.