The Mighty Boosh

"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!

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.

Utterly, shamelessly, relentlessly surreal, funny, and unique in every way. Two deeply contrasting comedians using the full breadth of their imaginations to create a marvellous tapestry of joyous hilarity that ended well before it's time.

Truly, a special moment in the world of entertainment, and our hearts.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion and comedy is a matter of personal taste. However, don't be misled by most of the negative comments about the Boosch. It is NOT just humour for adolescents. I'm nearing retirement age and I remember Hancock in the early sixties but I think this programme is excellent. I think American sitcoms are generally grossly overrated (I despair at the popularity of that awful smug tripe known as Friends) and have been concerned at the recent trend to try and imitate this style in British sitcoms. The Boosch has no truck with that approach. It is wonderfully uncompromising in following the British tradition of not writing to a ratings-chasing formula (which nearly all US sitcoms do) but says "if you like this - fine but we're not going to water it down just to try and make it more acceptable to a mass audience". Whether you like it will depend on your personal taste in humour but it is right up there with the Goons, Python, the Young Ones, Father Ted and the rest. Future series may not be up to the standard of the first two but so what? There are only two series of Fawlty Towers but that's not exactly branded it a failure. Incidentally, I'm not totally anti US sitcoms. The Simpsons was great at first (well beyond its sell-by date now though) and one of the greatest of all time was, of course, Bilko.

I'm late to the game & I'm upset I wasn't aware of it when it was current. Late 40's American here, whose brother suggested the show & my wife knew of Noel Fielding from the "British Baking Show."

Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding have great chemistry, the classic straight man & eccentric guy bit mixed with oddball characters that you grow to love. Rich Fulcher brings an over the top, American brand of comedy and Richard Ayoade as one of the shamans kills it. Shamans and gorillas are mainstays and various reoccurring characters bring out Barratt's sense of humor and Fielding's art school creativity.

In my opinion, the show improves as it goes on as the creative team really finds their groove towards the end of the first season. Part of the fun of "The Mighty Boosh" is all of the stuff you miss when you first see an episode which leads to watching it over and over. I highly suggest Season 3, episode 3's "The Power of the Crimp;" hysterical. If you liked punk growing up and were aware of British music & pop culture from the 80s & 90s, you'll love this show. It's a great blend of British and American senses of humor. Highly recommended.