Me: How would you describe 'The Mighty Boosh'?

Noel : It's a documentary on the state of Britain today

I'm grinning already. Having been very warmly greeted by Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, I get the impression I'm going to enjoy this interview with the makers of 'The Mighty Boosh'. Julian, who unpretentiously assumes I do not know the show, gives me a real description - "a modern-day Mr Benn... magical adventures. There's one in Hell, we go to the Artic in another". The show moves from its first home, BBC Three, to its mainstream cousin, BBC Two on 10th November where you'll find Julian and Noel playing zookeepers Howard Moon (described on their official website as "self-deluded and intellectually vain") and Vince Noir ("like.. Mowgli... he squanders this gift (of talking to animals) by talking to them about Gary Numan").

Julian and Noel had started 'The Mighty Boosh' as a live show, which in 1998 won them the Perrier award for 'Best Newcomer'. When I ask if they miss performing 'The Boosh' live, Noel is wistfully enthuasiastic "Yeah! Yeah we do... We'd like to take Naboo [the resident shaman of the 'Zooniverse'] out on tour with us". In the meantime, they're busy writing a new series which so far contains "one with a yeti... one on a boat trip and they end up on a desert island". Julian is insistent though that they're not aiming to be surreal - "we're interested in everything - the look, the music, the costumes, the production". They explain that the gags were always going to be only a part of the series, that they like slightly "dark" programmes such as "The Office" but they wanted "something more to it...something more light-hearted" when it came to developing their own. We chat about the visual aspects of the show, including costumes, which in Noel's case range from spandex catsuits to panda disguises ("It's just whatever's in my wardrobe really") and music ("We have an episode where Noel joins an electro band"). The distinctive hair stylings of both Howard and Vince also come up: " His hair gets paid more than mine" "Is your hair jealous, Julian?" "Yeah, yeah my hair is jealous!" "Yeah but Julian has a moustache". It's an extensive topic - "You'll find Julian's hair in Waterstones probably...my hair prefers biographies - David Bowie".

I ask when the general public might be able to view their hair at leisure on DVD and apparently it's a good question. "We're not sure... after the second series maybe?" However CDs of Boosh radio sketches are "out tomorrow, on the 8th". I point out that today is in fact, the 8th, and they ponder a visit to the shops "I could go down and look at the CD dressed in the same clothes as on the front" muses Julian, provoking much spluttered laughter from us all. After half an hour of wishing I had been more eloquent and articulate, I had to leave the mightily likeable Boosh boys to carry on with a busy day of interviews. "This is the best interview we've had all day!" reassures Noel halfway through our chat, to which I positively glow with pride. Julian remarks dubiously, "the last guy was like "good wholesome fun, guys, good wholesome fun"...he just kept saying it!".