The London Of The Mighty Boosh

Will Noble
By Will Noble Last edited 86 months ago

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The London Of The Mighty Boosh
Dave Brown (centre) is curating a new Mighty Boosh exhibition this autumn,

The world of The Mighty Boosh is a strange, fantastical and properly effed-up one.

But in our opinion, it's sprinkled throughout with glittery bits of Londony inspiration — some intentional, some definitely not.

And let's not forget that Noel Fielding and Julian Barrett's comedy was debuted in De Hems in Soho, in 1998.

In honour of the Mighty Boosh exhibition currently on at The Book Club in Shoreditch, here's a look at Boosh scenes that have a hint of an otherwordly London about them.

Trendy east London

Though Vince Noir and Howard Moon end up having adventures in far flung dimensions, they always start out in good old London. Bob Fossil's Zooniverse from series one might easily be London Zoo (if London Zoo were run by a madman who calls elephants 'grey leg-face men').

In series three, Vince and Howard inhabit a Dalston boutique (or Nabootique, if you will) that's a dead ringer for The Last Tuesday Society, and its gimcrack. Naturally, when a gentrification argument kicks off with a Cockney, it's Howard who ends up with wee in his face.

The Crack Fox

London's fox population is becoming more badass by the minute, and it's safe to assume some of them have already moved onto hardcore drugs.

Next time you see a particularly mangy looking one in a sweat bandana sticking Biros in his legs, cross the road.

Eels

You don't get to bump into many real life Cockerney geezers these days; fewer still with a pea-green complexion and oversize Polo monocles.

The Boosh's bizarre Eels episode essentially imagines what would happen if you walked into an M. Manze pie and mash shop having had a starter of bad magic mushroom soup. You'll never eat eels again. Not that you were going to anyway.

North London goths

You're on a night out in Angel. You run into a stunning goth girl at Slimelight. You pull out your darkest chat-up line. You tell her you shat on a swan.

You go home alone.

Mirror World

As for Mirror World — the small room inhabited by a dissipated cloth man — we think we've found the portal to this place in Charlton.

Then again, this place has got WAY more than 17 mirrors...

© Google.

Behind The Boosh Exhibition runs at The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH from until 29 January 2017. Entry is free.

Last Updated 06 January 2017