Two Favorites Get a Nod at Royal Television Society Awards

Huzzahs are in order for HBO's charming comedy series -- and Flaming Nose favorite -- Flight of the Conchords, which just won the International Award at the prestigious Royal Television Society Programme Awards in London. FotC, which airs on BBC 4 in Britain, was up against Ugly Betty and Heroes. Flight of the Conchords is, the RTS said, “…warm, fabulous, and one of the most surprising, fresh and original TV comedies to arrive in a long time.” We couldn't agree more.

It's sort of interesting because just this week, as HBO Entertainment prez Carolyn Strauss stepped down from her post, presumably because of lackluster ratings for HBO series post-Sopranos, Flight of the Conchords was mentioned in the litany of not-quite-spectacular performers for the network. Don't lose this gem, HBO. If the Brits think it's great, trust me...it definitely is. (FoTC is still airing here and there around the various HBO channels and OnDemand, of course.)

Also coming away with a big prize was probably the most amazing comedy show you've never watched, The Mighty Boosh, which I posted about here a while ago. The Boosh just finished up its third season across the pond, and won in the Situation Comedy and Comedy Drama category. As the RTS said about this completely unique show -- “…beautifully constructed and layered… and oozes originality on so many levels. It is a fresh and invigorating piece of high-concept comedy that has captured the imagination of its target [audience].” Indeed.

Of course, you won't find the brilliant Boosh airing on U.S. TV anywhere. It's obviously much more crucial for BBC America to run replays of the very American Dancing with the Stars show and endless reality programs. I guess we should be grateful that they stuck to their mandate closely enough to bring Torchwood over here.

I don't know how you're going to see much of Boosh around these parts, since the available DVDs are non-US format (which isn't an insurmountable problem, of course) and the usual reliable slightly off-the-radar sources seem to be dropping like flies lately. However, YouTube still has a few things up, including (and you better pounce on this one fast) my very favorite episode of the show entitled Tundra. Part one is here, and part two can be found here, and part three here. Watch it while you can -- I wouldn't expect this will be up there long! (You might also be able to find some material from their live stage show which toured last year and is also out on DVD. Can you imagine any U.S. sitcom troupe touring? Gotta love those brilliant Brits!) Of course, if we were in Britain now, tomorrow night March 22nd we'd be watching a whole night of Boosh on BBC 3 with The Mighty Boosh - A Journey Through Time and Space, where they're running a new documentary, six of the favorite episodes of creators/stars Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding (including Tundra), plus a live Boosh party with the stars of the show. Oh, to be in England....

I'm embedding here the terrific "Tundra Rap" song from the episode, which captures some of the energy and charisma of this tremendous show.




Again, congratulations to two shows which make me so happy to be in love with television!

The Boosh is Back!

Okay, I may have been a little hasty with my BBC America rant the other day. It happens that they have been running some episodes of The Mighty Boosh, but strangely enough, they don't give TMB its own page in the list of programs they air. They used to have a page for it, and it's a shame that it's gone. The only way to you could find it is to scan the listings which is asking a lot from viewers. In any case, looks like Boosh has a Friday night at 1am airtime, but I don't know if that's Eastern or Pacific or what. You'll have to figure that out for yourself....

But may I recommend The Mighty Boosh to you? If you hate insane British comedy, say -- like if you detest Monty Python and wouldn't watch it if your life depended on it -- then skip this one, too. You'd hate it. But if you think you could enjoy the comedy adventures of sort of a post-modern Hope and Crosby duo, a couple of best friends who (at least in Season One) work in a run-down zoo, then The Mighty Boosh is for you!

I discovered it several years and just love it. The creation of Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, who formally introduced their world of The Mighty Boosh at the famed Edinburgh Festival in the late ‘90s, TMB has since seen life as a BBC Radio series, two seasons on BBC TV, a touring stage show in the UK, and rumors are there may be a movie in the future.

It couldn’t happen to a more talented, insane and original duo. Barratt and Fielding’s comedic vision must be seen to be appreciated, and probably seen more than once; there’s a lot to absorb, and the show’s pace takes no prisoners, but it’s worth the effort. Barratt plays Howard Moon, jazz-lover, frustrated thespian, and zookeeper at the rundown animal park Zoo-Niverse; his partner-in-comedy is Fielding, as Vince Noir, fellow zoo employee, a Cockney clotheshorse who never has a bad hair day, a music-loving boy-toy, and a self-described “Mowgli in flares” for his uncanny ability to communicate with the animals. Together with their boss, the definitely nuts Bob Fossil, who knows nothing about running a zoo -- not even what the animals are called -- and who only has eyes for the Zoo-Niverse’s owner, the dashing and pompous explorer/mad scientist Dixon Bainbridge, and with a little help from Naboo the hip shaman, Howard and Vince embark upon fantastical adventures, meet weird characters, and sing catchy original pop ditties.

It’s not a sketch show, like Little Britain, that other Brit import that’s caught on big over here, and parts of it are a bit of a throwback (in a really good way) -- you’ll find Vince and Howard (at least during the first season of the show) introing the show in front of a curtain –- though it certainly doesn’t quite fit into any one category. The tone has been likened to Monty Python, but aside from the obvious absurdist similarities, The Mighty Boosh is a totally unique and essentially obsessed comic animal, and so will no doubt confuse as many folks as it charms. It’s definitely charmed me and I hope you’ll fall for it, too.

Visit the Official Boosh Website here, and here's Wikipedia's quick overview of the show. There are lots of great Boosh clips and entire shows on YouTube, including this promo for their brand new eagerly awaited Season Three which starts next week on the BBC. Check 'em out!