Mighty Boosh-Complete Seasons 1-3

"...not only a truly hilarious comedy, but also a groundbreakingly original one.  TheLine.com

Editor's Note A zoo isn't exactly world-class when the boss has to have a pair of workers dress up as animals to please the visitors. That's the predicament facing Howard and Vince, the hapless leads in this quirky British comedy series that offers a surreal take on the daily workday. This release includes the series? first three seasons.

	Julian Barratt
	Noel Fielding

DVD Times 8 of 10
When Chris Morris put together his six-part exercise in self-loathing, Nathan Barley, he chose to utilise a new burst of comic talent rather than his usual troupe of Kevin Eldon, Rebecca Front, et al. Many could be forgiven for not recognising any of these faces, especially Julian Barratt who occupied the role of Dan Ashcroft, arch nemesis of the eponymous Barley. For whilst he and comic partner Noel Fielding (who played a smaller role for Morris) has established a minor cult with their TV series, The Mighty Boosh, it has only appeared on minority channel BBC3 before receiving a belated, unannounced and slightly trimmed evening showing on BBC2. All the more reason then to celebrate this two-disc DVD release which gathers all eight episodes of the first series, adorns them with a hefty dose of extras and even, for those who welcome such things, features some superbly psychedelic menu designs...The great thing about all this is that the series feels like Barratt's and Fielding's, and as such it's difficult to truly criticise. There's no sense of compromise, just two comedians letting their imaginations run wild and then willingly going wherever that may take them. Of course, given the various absurdities that this produces, The Mighty Boosh is an acquired taste and you do need to be receptive towards it. It's all incredibly indulgent, yet as there's nothing for all of this to hang onto it still feels completely coherent. The plotting and the pacing are never the important aspects of each episode -- it's simply the pair's gags and comic dialogues which truly matter. Of course, what this means is that the series is wholly dependent on the hit-to-miss ratio of the comedy and, as said, that is likely to be down to the individual. Certainly, there are flaws to be had -- Fielding, for example, is clearly a weaker performer than Barratt (hence the smaller role in Nathan Barley?) -- but if you're in the mood for a bit of odd humour, some silliness and a few song and dance numbers, then The Mighty Boosh should prove satisfactory.