Noel Fielding Archives

Ask The Expert: Joseph Lynn (Director and Photographer)

July 13, 2016 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

Joseph Lynn is a photographer and filmmaker, perhaps most widely known for his work on Noel Fielding’s recent tour, An Evening With Noel Fielding, where he created a behind the scenes documentary following Noel, fellow cast members Tom Meeten and Mike Fielding and the rest of the crew as they embarked on their nationwide tour. He also produced a photography series entitled All Work No Play to document the tour and is currently working on a documentary entitled Soho George.

To gain further insight into the work of a photographer and filmmaker who works with comedians, I asked Joe a few questions…

What originally attracted you to photography as a means of creative expression?

It happened slowly and without that much consciousness. I always knew I was interested in film, but photography always seemed really complicated to me; very equipment based and intricate to get a good shot I thought. When touring with Noel I was asked to start taking photos for press release and so I had to teach myself on the road. Luckily I had 40 shows in which to practice and so I got to experiment with every different angle possible. Photos can convey an atmosphere, create a mood or capture a memory. It’s a pretty powerful tool.

What aspect of your work is currently most exciting for you?

The variety of it. I’m not entirely sure what it is I do yet. I’ve only just graduated from University and I’m open to any possibility. I like that I don’t have to commit to one profession yet. I’m working on a film, a documentary, another exhibition, and general photography work. All of those things may or may not come to anything but it’s exciting to see what emerges. The project I’m working on at the moment is a short documentary about a man who has lived in Soho all his life. Hopefully that will come out before the end of the year.

Soho George

What was the most difficult aspect of your All Work No Play project?

What not to keep in. I have so many pictures spanning the last few years, so knowing what to inevitably cut or keep was difficult. Also I basically had to start a little business, printing and framing, it was a big task. Was really fun to work physically with your photos though; changes them completely.

What is your role in the production of Brakes?

I became friends with Mercedes Grower (the writer/director) when I moved to London 4 years ago. Since then I started as an assistant, then a camera operator, an editors assistant, and an associate producer. It’s such a lovely project where everyone has had to pull together to get it done.

What would make your career a success, in your own eyes?

Just being able to earn a living off something I enjoy doing. I don’t really have huge aspirations for big budget feature films or wide success. I essentially want the freedom to work with people I’m interested in, and on projects I’m excited about. If I get to do that and afford to pay my way in life I’ll be a happy man.

FOLLOW JOE LYNN ON TWITTER TO HEAR ABOUT HIS UPCOMING DOCUMENTARY ‘SOHO GEORGE’ FIRST

ASK THE EXPERT…

Video Interview with Noel Fielding

November 15, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Noel Fielding has embarked on the second UK leg of his massive stand up comedy tour, An Evening With Noel Fielding, this week and he is celebrating with the release of his tour DVD, which was recorded live in Melbourne.

MoodyComedy was invited by the British Comedy Guide to send a few questions for Noel to answer, and the following BCG article includes the resultant videos of his answers, where he discusses why he enjoys working so much and what he plans to do in the future.

Noel tries to explain his show…

An Evening With Noel Fielding is hard to describe. It’s a tough ask, but we asked him to try and explain what people can expect:

[Read more…]

Top 5 Moments… The Fielding Edition

May 20, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Yes, I am well aware that we all have a birthday every single year, and though it may not seem it sometimes, Noel Fielding is no exception. Tomorrow, May 21st, marks the 42nd birthday of one of my all time favourite comedians and it seemed only fair to dedicate a post to one of the creative minds that inspired this website altogether, so here are my favourite elements of Fielding’s biggest projects…

5) Luxury Comedy

Luxury Comedy has its fair share of insane moments, with particular favourites of mine including human-shell hybrid, Daddy Push, and that cruel piece of French toast. Series two (which was shown in summer 2014) saw the move of the zany group from their tree-house to a coffee shop on the edge of a volcano in Hawaii, and though many characters also made the transition, various new faces appeared too. For examples, audiences were introduced to the show’s biggest (and apparently only) fan, a Brummie called Terry, played by Steve Oram. Fielding has confirmed that he doesn’t intend write a third series of Luxury Comedy, but many characters have found their way into his new live show, so all hope is not lost.

4)The Mighty Boosh

I think everyone’s favourite Mighty Boosh character has to be Old Gregg (played by Fielding), and it’s not surprising. With his creepy mannerisms (did you see what happened to Curly Jefferson?), yet prevalent sense of neediness (“do you love me?”), its only natural to be wary of this guy, but maybe we all relate to him a bit. Other magical Boosh moments included the arrival of the Crack Fox, Howard Moon’s coconut friend named Milky Joe, and Nanageddon, a pensioner from hell. The Boosh crowd always talk about creating a film, and releasing an album, so we can all cling on to the hope that we haven’t seen the last of this whimsical universe either.

3) Never Mind The Buzzcocks

One of the funniest moments from the whole 28 series of Never Mind The Buzzcocks so far was undoubtedly that time Noel Fielding ripped apart Dappy from N-Dubz. The rap singer apparently seemed to confuse a lampshade with a hair style. Easy to do, I suppose. As it was pointed out by Noel, it’s “not very difficult” to outsmart Dappy, it seems. This may have happened years ago, and I’m sure he’s a reformed character now, but I still reminisce of that encounter on a regular basis. However, the teams on Buzzcocks usually get along very well, particularly when slightly strange guests are present, such as the likes of comedians Adam Buxton, Tony Law, Paul Foot and James Acaster.

2) A Fielding Phonecall

In October of last year, I was given the opportunity to interview my idol for the British Comedy Guide. Noel and I talked about the first few shows of his first live tour in five years, An Evening With Noel Fielding, as well as the reaction to both series of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy. I also found time to ask the question that not enough people have been asking: what on earth happened to Daddy Push? As it stands, I am a very inexperienced interviewer, but Noel made our chat stress-free and we had a laugh, as well as giving lots of insight into the workings behind the comedy and his plans for the future.

1) An Evening With Noel Fielding

I went to see An Evening With Noel Fielding in November 2014 at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. This show is unlike any other; it’s a remarkable spectacle. It’s strange to look back over events and realise the vast expanse between the show’s humble, low-key beginnings with just Fielding on stage, to a mission in a plasticine world with a couple of deluded nitwits riding on a unicorn. I even got to meet Noel, Mike and Tom after the show, which topped off the whole fantastical dream that was this insane evening.

Feel free to join me in wishing Noel Fielding a very happy birthday; here’s to another year of absurdity and childishness, we look forward to it.

This Year In Comedy, Part 1

December 27, 2014 by Becca Moody 2 Comments

2014 has been a massive year for comedy in Britain;

There have been countless brand new television programmes broadcast this year, with some of my favourites including Uncle, House of Fools, Doll & Em, The Walshes, Inside No.9, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled and Siblings. In this sense, 2014 has certainly proven itself to be twelve months of creativity and innovation in comedy, which will pave the way for televised comedy in the future.

As well as new projects, there have been many top-quality programmes that returned to our screens this year. Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales From Painted Hawaii was a special one for me, as Noel Fielding is my comedy hero, and considering the fact that the first series was broadcast all the way back in January 2012. Ricky Gervais’ Derek, Toast of London (Matt Berry) and Big School (David Walliams and Catherine Tate) returned for a second series and the brilliantly funny Friday Night Dinner came back with a third.

Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy

At the beginning of the year, the BBC announced that they were to make a conscious effort to include at least one woman on every episode of every panel show broadcast by the corporation, and it inspired me to write this post. It’s fair to say that to begin with, I was disheartened. I felt embarrassed that female comedians were being made to look like poor little lambs that can’t fend for themselves as it is absolute nonsense. However, the situation improved later on in the year (which I also documented here) as the thirteenth series of Mock The Week aired and so many talented female comics were given the screen time they deserve. It is my hope from here on in that people forget about the publicised rule and appreciate that these women have earned their right to be on these programmes, and acknowledge their immense talent.

Another shock announcement was that there are plans for the channel BBC3 to be axed in order to fund other projects within the BBC. Amongst other things, the broadcaster wants to create a BBC1+1 which seems pointless as we already have iPlayer, and the decision has, understandably, not been well received. We are told that when BBC3 disappears from our TV screens, it will still be available via BBC iPlayer. Maybe we are just reluctant to give in to the age of the computers, but it definitely feels like the space for new comedy on television is being made smaller by moving its main platform online. “We know those +1 channels are very important to people”, well, Mr Cohen, so is our comedy.

Winner of this year’s Fosters Comedy Award: John Kearns

The Edinburgh Festival this year saw a new winner of the Fosters Comedy Award crowned. John Kearns’ show Shtick is the first Free Fringe show to have ever won the award. There have also been some HUGE live comedy tours this year from the likes of Russell Howard, Miranda Hart, Sarah Millican and Noel Fielding, as well as the return of Monty Python for five nights of nostalgic silliness at the O2 Arena.

COME BACK NEXT WEEK TO READ PART TWO OF THIS YEAR IN COMEDY

TV Review: Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Series 28

December 16, 2014 by Becca Moody 2 Comments

Never Mind The Buzzcocks has entered it’s 28th series and what could possibly make this all-inclusive and sharp-witted musical-based panel show any better? Rhod Gilbert, that’s what.

There are an array of valid reasons as to why my love Buzzcocks never falters, with Noel Fielding being pretty high up on that list, of course. Not only does this panel show exhibit a rare trait, being that it welcomes those people, mostly comedians and musicians, who aren’t necessarily the most popular in their field, but also because it is timeless: Buzzcocks gives us a break from politics and satire and focuses purely on music and funny things.

And Rhod Gilbert truly is the icing on the cake, with his deadpan sarcasm and astute comic timing. He makes the tasking job of hosting such a programme look effortless whilst inviting his contestants to get involved and partaking in hilarious small talk that is obviously unscripted.

It is easiest to observe Gilbert’s talent when we compare it to the countless other celebrities who have sat in the hosting chair over the past five series since Simon Amstell’s departure in 2008. Think back to the episodes of Dizzee Rascal, Peter Andre, Jack Whitehall and James Corden, just to name a few, for name’s sake. Everyone did well; they had the correct level of control over the teams whilst maintaining a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere, they successfully read their lines, they earned quite a few laughs.

Though many guest hosts have simply got the job done and little more, a rare few have shown great skill and ease whilst sat in the hosting chair, such as Adam Buxton, Sir Terry Wogan, Alice Cooper and musical comedian Alex Horne. I am a firm believer that a great host, with a firm hold over contestants and audience alike, can really make a panel show brilliant.

This new series of Buzzcocks has also welcomed many excellent comedic talents, with Roisin Conaty, Sara Pascoe, Katherine Ryan, Aisling Bea, Joe Lycett, James Acaster, Paul Foot, Romesh Ranganathan and Bobby Mair being amongst some of my favourites.

The Never Mind The Buzzcocks Christmas special is on Monday on BBC2. You can catch up with the rest of the series on iPlayer.

Review: Noel Fielding – An Evening With Noel Fielding

November 22, 2014 by Becca Moody 2 Comments

Symphony Hall is a beautiful venue in itself, but walking into the room last Thursday evening meant stepping into a fantastical world that I never wanted to leave.

An Evening With Noel Fielding is an incredibly diverse spectacle, beginning with an announcement from The Moon, quickly followed by around forty minutes of intelligent yet ridiculous stand up from the secret king of observation himself. Noel is a natural performer; confident enough to be comfortable doing an impression of a herbal teabag in front of 2000 people. In other words: when this man starts a sentence with “I had a dream I was a teabag,” you know it’s going to be an interesting night.

The stories were far-fetched to say the least, but it was surprisingly easy for the audience to get on board with any zany idea that the group presented to us and the atmosphere was remarkable. Both Tom Meeten and Mike Fielding had multiple hysterically funny roles that were all superbly acted (give or take a few giggles here and there, but I think they made the show even better).

Judging by the shouts and cheers, the crowd was clearly delighted to see the abundance of plenty of well-loved Luxury Comedy favourites, particularly Fantasy Man, Joey Ramone and New York Cop. We were also introduced to many new characters, played by Tom and Mike, that are already so intricately well-developed and brilliant that they may as well have been around since the The Mighty Boosh.

A striking aspect of this variety-style show was the impressive animation and fluency of its integration into the evening, to the point where I began to believe that a giant plasticine Joey Ramone could actually walk straight out of his plasticine world and onto the stage. I guess a horrifically creepy and violent human version would have to suffice. Everything about An Evening With Noel Fielding has been made with stunning quality, from the efficiency of New York Cop’s audience interrogation (minus a nearly broken toe) to the fantastic music and choreography throughout the proceedings.

Noel Fielding

Thanks to Noel’s lovely managers, Anna and Sean, I was reserved a backstage pass which meant I actually got to meet Noel, Tom and Mike after the show, and it was truly an honour to be able to speak to these lovely people. Anyone who knows me will know that Noel is my absolute hero, so this was a massive deal for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

It’s strange to look back over events and realise the vast expanse between the show’s humble, low-key beginnings with just Fielding on stage, to a mission in a plasticine world with a couple of deluded nitwits riding on a unicorn. But we didn’t even notice the transformation as it happened; that is how skilled these comedians, and everyone working behind the scenes, have been in creating this absolutely wonderful evening of quality entertainment and madness.

Information and tickets are available here

NOEL FIELDING’S MOODYCOMEDY INTERVIEW

: Tom

: Mike

: Noel

Noel Fielding Interview, Part Two: Luxury Comedy

November 10, 2014 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

In the first part of my interview with Noel Fielding, we talked about how he has found performing the first few dates of his tour, An Evening With Noel Fielding. But that’s not all we talked about… During our chat, Noel gave me great insight into the workings behind the second series of Luxury Comedy and how he feels about how people reacted to the show.

Were you pleased with how the second series of Luxury Comedy was received?

It’s difficult because you want to be free and experiment but a part of you still wants to be accepted. The response to the first series was shocking: people either loved it or hated it and the people that didn’t like it were really hostile. But when you think about it, the Internet didn’t really exist when I did the Boosh and me and Julian weren’t really into that sort of stuff, so we didn’t really get involved in it. But now, the Internet is difficult to ignore and I like to be a bit more involved, a bit more a part of society…

Someone called Luxury Comedy ‘the second 9/11’ which I thought was amazing; I wanted to put that on the DVD cover. But we were never really coming at it from anything other than just an experiment and trying some stuff out.

Some elements I thought were really good, like Serge, from Kasabian, doing the music with me, and we had characters, a story and I thought the animation was amazing. We had loads of people working on the show who were doing an amazing job and I just felt it had potential, so had it set in one place, made the main four characters a family and made it a bit more like a sitcom.

For Series 2, I just used the most successful characters: Fantasy Man, New York Cop, Joey Ramone and we just worked very hard to make the second one more accessible and people seemed to like it.

We loved all the characters in different ways, but it’s just that there was too many for that first series, it was like a bombardment of characters. Those shows are quite concentrated, even I can only watch about two of them and I have to go “alright, I’ve had enough now”. They’re like undiluted orange juice.

We wanted to make something very different and to try and do something that no one had done before. I think we managed that, but people just want to get the idea and move on; they don’t want to have to watch it two or three times. I think that first series was a bit like a difficult album. You have to watch it two or three times to get into it as it’s quite layered. And television’s quite a disposable medium so it doesn’t get repeated very much so it’s tricky to make television like that. But we did it and I’m proud of it.

Is there still space for the show to change again?

Yeah, but I don’t know, I’d like to do another series. I could just do another one of those, or I could do something different. I’d quite like to do a Fantasy Man series. That could work really well with the juxtaposition between real life, somewhere urban and gritty like Hackney or something, and then this pink fantasy world.

I always talk of a Boosh film too but I sort of got to a point where I really wanted to do something live again and connect with an audience. I’m really enjoying this and I just want to take this as far as I can now.

Important question here, is Daddy Push ever coming back?

Ah Daddy Push, I love Daddy Push! Do you know what, he was really difficult to get into the series because he’s set in real life. We almost got him in though, we had a joke where we tried to leave the show for a bit because nobody watches this show anyway, and Andy Warhol was going to say ‘but what about the people watching at home?’ and I would say to him ‘what people?’ and then we were going to cut to a family watching our show and it was going be Daddy Push’s family…

Daddy Push and his wife, she was going to have a shell for a head, and the kids, and they had shells for heads, then the dog would have a shell for it’s head. So Daddy Push would be watching our show but it was just for that one moment, and it was too difficult. We’d have had to make a whole like a set; it would have been a nightmare so in the end we didn’t make it but we so wanted to do it.

Me and Nigel love him as well. He was a one off, he’s like Mr Bean, really frightening, horrifying. I’ll have to make a Daddy Push film with him just milling about. I love the fact that you like Daddy Push.

Information regarding Noel’s recently added tour dates for 2015 are here.

CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE OF MY INTERVIEW WITH NOEL, WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT HIS 2014-15 TOUR.

Noel Fielding Interview, Part One: An Evening With Noel Fielding

November 3, 2014 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

Noel Fielding has recently embarked on his first live tour since the second Mighty Boosh tour over five years ago, and this time he’s got a whole new agenda. Noel is my comedy hero, and I was honoured to be invited to talk to him about his tour, An Evening With Noel Fielding.

How’s the tour going so far?

It’s going well. Well, it’s alright. It started off well and then I got a bug so I was really sick… but you can’t really stop, that’s the problem. You’ve got to keep going; got to keep doing the gigs! The tour won’t stop so you just have to sort of get on with it.

But it’s going well. The best one, so far, was Halifax.

You’ve added more dates recently as well.

Yeah, tonnes more, I think there may be another thirty or forty, and then twenty after Christmas. I think we’re going to Australia and maybe America, even some parts of Europe or New Zealand, we don’t know yet.

I’d love to do something in America at some point; something completely different. But this is going to be quite a big tour. We’re only at the beginning of it really.

Artistically speaking, what were your aims for this tour?

Well, I wanted to try and make something good, and have it be interactive and have animation so I could make a show that showed all aspects of what I do. But something you’d still be able to enjoy without you having to have seen the Boosh or Luxury Comedy or my stand-up.

I wanted it to be funny for people that hadn’t seen me before and have some audience interaction as well as stand-up, some music and a narrative. We’ve been working on it religiously all year. My brother’s in it, Mike, from The Mighty Boosh and Tom Meeten, who’s a really great comedian.

What kind of ages have your audience members been this time?

I think it was pretty broad even with the Boosh. There were lots of young screaming teenagers but that’s okay, and there were lots of older people in the audience as well. This tour has been quite mixed. There’s a bit where I go into the crowd as a character called New York Cop and I have to interrogate the audience and I chat to them. It’s much more mixed than I thought it would be, which really pleases me.

How have you found the process of writing for a tour compared to writing for television?

It’s a different thing really to writing a TV show; I wrote TV shows back to back so I was getting stir crazy.

I like working with an audience and I love the energy of live gigs so when you’re making TV shows, you don’t really get much feedback other than on the Internet and a few reviews. It’s a bit like working in the dark or in a tunnel so when you come out and do live stuff it’s great to get a reaction straight away.

I had a lot of ideas for the tour show already because I hadn’t toured for a while and I just sort of brought them all together to make one show and made sure it wasn’t too lumpy or too much like a collage of different ideas. I wanted to try and make it flow.

Are there any comedians that you’d like to work with in the future?

I love Tony Law, Paul Foot and James Acaster. Being on Buzzcocks means you get to work with them, but, yeah, I’d love to do stuff with Paul Foot. He’s brilliant and so underrated. He should be a household name.

Russell Brand’s just written a book and I’d quite like to do something with him as well; an improvised show, something unplanned. I like working with Russell. He’s very brave.

What else would you like to do?

I’ve fallen in love with stand-up again whilst doing this tour. There’s about forty minutes of stand-up in the show, and I was very scared because I hadn’t done stand-up for a while, but I managed to do it and I was really enjoying it much more than I thought I would be.

I would like to do a pure stand-up show now as well. And with the Loose Tapestries, Serge and I are always talking about going on tour so that would be fun. I’d like to write children’s books too, so maybe I could do that. I want to do everything!

Information regarding Noel’s recently added tour dates for 2015 are here.

COME BACK NEXT WEEK TO READ PART TWO OF MY INTERVIEW WITH NOEL, FOR EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT INTO THE WRITING AND RECEPTION OF LUXURY COMEDY SERIES TWO.

Top 5 Moments… The IT Crowd

September 14, 2014 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

The IT Crowd ran between the years 2006 and 2010 for four series (with one special finale episode in September 2013). With it being such a well-known and loved British sitcom, jam-packed with such immense comedy talent, I thought it would be a nice idea to present to you my top five moments from all of the twenty five episodes.

5) A Suicide at Reynholm Industries (Series 2, Episode 2)

Denholm Reynholm, played by the infamous Chris Morris, was the original head of Reynholm industries until one fateful day during series two of the show. Everybody already knew that Denholm was prone to getting a bit hot under the collar, with frequent moody stares and bellowing fits, so we shouldn’t really have been too surprised to see his latest smart move. Upon being interrupted in a meeting to be told that the police want to look into some “financial irregularities” in the industry’s accounts, he promptly gets up and jumps out of the window, falling quickly to his death. The promptness and simplicity of this will always make this funny for me, and it was the perfect way for the talent that is Morris to leave the show (though it’s a shame he had to).

4) Roy and his Disabled Legs (Series 2, Episode 1)

During a work outing to the theatre with Moss, Jen and Jen’s new boyfriend, Roy and Moss encounter a dreaded toilet attendant so are forced to visit the disabled toilets instead. Roy quickly regrets this decision when he mistakingly pulls the emergency cord rather than the toilet chain and is bombarded with theatre staff thinking he is in a crisis. In typical IT Crowd style, of course Roy pretends he is disabled and has, in fact, had his wheelchair stolen. He informs the staff that he is disabled “in the legs” and the reason for this is “acid”, and of course, that makes perfect sense to them and they try to help him in every way they can…

3) That’s Right, We’re Looking at You (Series 3, Episode 6)

Roy is sent to do something that a man from IT is very rarely sent to do: go and fix something IT-related. While he is there, he notices a framed picture on a girl’s desk. The picture shows a young man looking “absolutely mental” in Roy’s opinion. This is because the man is boss-eyed. In a rapid string of strange events, Roy ends up directing a “geek” calendar in order to raise money for the charity and he rakes in all of his nerd friends in to help.

2) Goth 2 Boss (Series 4, Episode 6)

When Douglas Reynholm’s wife, Victoria, returns and demands a divorce, with significant monetary payouts, he realises that he is going to need a lawyer. And who better to represent Douglas than IT Relationship Manager, Jen? (She knows about relationships, right?). So Jen is stuck trying to form some kind of defence for Douglas and is rapidly running out of ideas; that is until Richmond, renowned socially-rejected goth at Reynholm Industries, steps up with his fantastic “Goth 2 Boss” related reason for why Victoria is a fraud. Unfortunately, and typically, Richmond turns out to be mistaken but we still get remarkable insight into his new business venture.

1) She’s Dead! (Series 1, Episode 5)

When Moss is left to tell a little white lie to Jen’s new boyfriend, Bill Crouse (Adam Buxton), regarding why Jen wasn’t at the office at that present time, he accidentally blurts out that she has, in fact, died. As the lies spiral out of control, Bill continues to see Jen walking around the building (because, believe it or not, she isn’t actually dead). The circumstances are painfully poised to convince the poor man that he is being haunted by the ghost of his past lover, and he becomes increasingly terrified throughout the episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZowBasLBFk

What is your favourite IT Crowd moment of all time? Let me know in the comments, or by tweeting me at @moodycomedy.

TV Review: Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy, Series 2

September 11, 2014 by Becca Moody 5 Comments

I wrote a post towards the end of July reflecting on the first episode of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales from Painted Hawaii (series two) but this series has been so dense with artistic talent and clear passion, that I couldn’t possibly not revisit it after all five episodes.

It’s no secret that I am a massive fan of Noel Fielding and his work, so was obviously hugely excited that the long-anticipated second series had finally arrived. These episodes have taken a long time to produce because they are one of a kind; the process of making them seems to be more rigorous than that of various other Sitcom style shows. Love Luxury Comedy or hate it, it is impossible to deny that the makers of this show have presented their audience with great innovation: with the bright and complex animation from Nigel Coan; an eccentric soundtrack from Fielding and Kasabian‘s Serge Pizzorno; along with brilliantly intricate set and costume design from James Dillon and Ameena Kara Callender.

As well as the obvious beauty and detail involved in the visuals of Luxury Comedy, the stories are also packed full of references to art and literary culture such as Andy Warhol (of course), George Orwell and Yoko Ono. This alone is proof for me that the makers of Luxury Comedy have not been lazy during the creative process: every scene is punchy, a little bit mad, but also intelligent.

Watchers of series one who weren’t impressed may be pleased to know that this series is a lot more relatable for audiences, with occasional cynical statements that can catch you off guard.

Smooth: “What do you do to escape?”

Reality Man: “Panel shows. What’s funnier than five men in shiny shirts taking a side-ways look at the week’s news?”

In this way, I think this series is a lot more self-aware, in fact, one episode even focuses on the idea of the show only having one viewer (a Brummie named Terry, played by Steve Oram) and the fact that they must save him from certain death.

In addition to the lovely Noel, the show is full of immense comedic talents such as his Mighty Boosh co-stars (Dave Brown, Rich Fulcher, Richard Ayoade, Simon Farnaby and Tom Meeten) and of course, the delightful star of Doll & Em: Dolly Wells and Tom Meeten’s partner-in-crime: Steve Oram (Sightseers).

I would have to say that this programme is probably one of my favourites to ever appear on television, particularly this new series. It appeals to all of my interests: comedy, music and art (and Noel Fielding of course) but most importantly of all: Luxury Comedy is a source of inspiration to me. Every aspect screams quality and I sincerely hope the show and its creators flourish in the coming months as a result.

The whole of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy: Tales From Painted Hawaii is available on 4OD.