The Hour

Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding is currently directing a new show at The Edinburgh Fringe festival. Ash In the Attic stars his old friend Paul Foot who has been described as a ‘mad genius.’ Before Noel shot to fame in cult comedy series The Mighty Boosh, he was a regular gigging comedian and would often put on shows with Paul due to the similarities in their style of off-beat, surreal humour.

Paul cryptically explains that the show contains mainly jokes about shire horses.

‘There’s no rudeness in the show really at all or swear words…. I am a horse at one point and the horse is a little saucy but no swearing. Teenagers could probably go… a lot of the humour needs a grown up mind to get it. I have seen kids at the show though and I think they do find it funny without really getting it.’

Noel describes the experience of directing Paul as being akin to ‘directing a cloud with a stick or trying to pick up a Genie while wearing oven gloves.’

Paul Foot originally studied mathematics at Oxford University until taking to the comedy stage,

‘People said I was funny and one night I decided I’d just give it a go. There was a cellar with an open mic style night and I decided to give it a bash. From that moment I knew the only career that would make me happy was comedy.’

Gigging on the London comedy scene, Paul and Noel became firm friends and have at last found the chance to work together. However, Noel admits to feeling strange not being the guy in the spotlight.

‘I get quite jealous actually. Sometimes I just want to run onto the stage and push him out the way.’

Noel is currently working on a Mighty Boosh album with his partner in crime Julian Barrett and until recently was a regular guest on music quiz ‘Nevermind the Buzzcocks.’

Ash In The Attic runs from 5^th to the 29^th August at the Underbelly in Edinburgh.