Rich: The Versatile Renius

As it’s Fulcher Fortnight here at The Velvet Onion, we couldn’t reminisce about Rich’s colourful career without touching upon his many memorable characters on the Boosh. During the remainder of our Fulcher takeover, we’re going to take you back through his plethora of performances in the show! Whether it be speaking or no speaking, big or small, he still manages to deliver a performance to remember. So lets start the journey right at the beginning with Series one…

Bob Fossil
What can we say about Bobby Bob Bob? A man born in the US of A, battled in Vietnam, then took up the job of Manager at the Zooniverse and spent many days swooning over his horse-shoe-tached boss, Dixon Bainbridge.

He is now running things at the brilliantly named music club The Velvet Onion.
His trademark being the oh-so famous, snug-fitting, sky blue safari suit – still donning it after leaving the Zoo – his big hair and even bigger voice. Never too far from Rich Fulcher as a character himself most would say.

Vince’s Boxing Trainer Uncle
A conventional South London brute who runs a Boxing ring, an uncle of Vince’s who takes Howard under his wing to train him for his big fight against the Killeroo. After blood, sweat, tears and sandwiches are shed by the bucket load by Howard, he comes to the conclusion, that he is retard. Nothing is known of the Cockney Noir after Vince discovers that he has another Uncle who is a French Duke.

Trademark: South London brute, doesn’t like to be hugged.

Mutant
With the head of a squid and the hands of an ape, this unfortunate soul(s) was snatched from the comfort of the Zoo to Bainbridge’s Secret Lab, beside Naboo’s gift shop. He’s been hacked and stitched and confined in a cage, unaware of the wonders of the outside world, such as freedom …and bacon.

Trademark: Has the head of an Octopus and a Primates hands. Also wears a hat.

Cockney Reaper
Working in Limbo between Monkey Hell and Earth, can often be a depressing “life”, however the Reapers that work in the Taxi rank are never one to turn down a good joke and a game of pool. Overly proud of their cockney heritage and all with wives, aptly named Pauline, this certain Reaper manages the desk and radio in the Limbo offices.

Trademark: Black hood, skeleton hands and fleshy wrists.

Ape of Death
No one wants to feel the wrath of the frizzy mess that is The Ape of Death, especially if you’re human. This Satanic beast decides the fate of all misbehaving primates, overlooked by his minions Davey and Nemo. Even with his high profile job he still manages to hide his slight insecurities about his unmanageable hair, until Vince gets his mitts on him.

Trademark: He’s the monkey with the lovely hair.

Tommy Nooka
A hero of Howard Moon’s. Former Head-Keeper of the Zooniverse before he vanished without a word and after 10 years, was presumed dead. A man with big dreams and a head to suit, Tommy was a Rocker who gorged himself on cheese and travelled the world with the power of his mind…and cheese.

Howard, being the only one in denial of course about his death, and after Bainbridge threatened to shut down the zoo, they find Tommy hidden away in the jungle room – unfortunataly, his marbles still lost without a trace.
“Never stop questioning the nature of reality” was his motto, and even after his tradgic demise by Howard and a kitchen implement, he still managed to save the Zoo from it’s demolition.
Trademark: A petite stature and may be mistaken for suffering from Jaundice.

Jazz club Barman
Owner of a Jazz club with Howard as one of his regulars. Even though he works in the dreary atmosphere of a desaturated 1950′s club, he still hasn’t lost his sense of humour and often finds entertainment in Howard at the end of stressful night.

Trademark: Often mistaken for a Flintstones character.

Piper Twin
One of two minions of The Bethnal Green demon, The Hitcher. Jackie Piper, along with his brother Jimmy, accompany their boss on the streets of London causing havock. After their first encounter with Vince and Howard, Jimmy mysteriously went missing, no one has dared to mention his absence. Following their second encounter, The Hitcher is left to his own devices and the piper twins remain missing still to this day, with no clues of their whereabouts so far…

Trademark: The look of a man who has passed out after getting drugged.

Here we bring to you the best of Rich from Series Two of The Mighty Boosh. He’s been on his knees, humped by Fielding and stabbed by a satanic nana.  Whatever he’s doing he never fails to crack a smile on our faces, so let’s carry on with our remembrance of the renius doing what he does best…

Kodiak Jack
Most famous for his passing comment about tiny animal penises. Even out of context, from that one line Kodiak Jack could become a favourite with most people.
He’s a hairy wildlife explorer who lives deep in the heart of the forest. Jack is the encyclopedia of survival and always has many-a-tale of his life-threatening adventures! He’s faced a wilderbeast, been bitten my a moose – and has only his own First Aid skills to deal with the wounds.

Kodiak rents out his cabin for holidaymakers and begins swooning over Vince at first sight. Their relationship ends where it started, unfortunately, at the hands of the Nikki Clarke straighteners. However, being the true romantic, Jack sacrifices his body to the forest Yeti so that Little Vincey can escape from their grubby mitts. It is only to be assumed that Kodiak still resides in the forest with the horny beasts.

Betamax Bandit
He’s the local villain in the female-populated town somewhere in the desert amongst the new sound. Betamax is 120 minutes of pure evil and ruthlessness and will attempt everything he can to cause havoc on all, winding people in with his vinyl tendrils. His anger, spurred on by his adulterous wife, causes him to cross paths with Rudi and Spider, and find out that it was, in fact, Spider that slept with Betamax’s wife (this part also taken on by the multi-talented Mr Fulcher). Eventually defeated by the psychedelic duo – by what lay behind Spider’s newly grown door – Betamax has now been re-used and is amongst the BBC Snooker Masters of 1978.

Bingo Caller
A man of many words and an eye for the ladies, especially the ladies with Vicks in their purse and a bus pass in their pocket. This smooth-talking tangoed flirt announces the numbers at the local Bingo club, supposedly loosing his virginity at the tender age of 42 and possessing a suspicious bingo ball with the number 666 on it.  If this minx is around you’re never to far from an innuendo. He was tragically taken at the hands of Nanatoo, getting a chest full of knitting needles!

King Nomad
The blue berk who, what he lacks in height, makes up with forehead. The King of the Nomads leads his blue minions in the Desert of Nightmares on the planet Xooberon. He is one of many to fawn over the confuser Vince, and worships him whilst he is in possession of the Kings Amulet. Howard is ordered to become a slave and gifts are thrown at Vince’s lap, including a portrait of himself painted for him and King Nomad’s very own hand! Always wanting to express his feelings for Vince, he chants a song about his love for the chosen one, about him being number one and how fun it is to love him. We never do find out where he wants to stick his fist though….

Evil Tree
Just when we thought Fountain of Youth was jammed packed enough with villains – what with The Boosh duo coming face-to-face (face-to-crotch?) with King Nomad, then Vince having to defeat the sexually deprived Sandstorm and later on The Hitcher coming into the mix – we’re then introduced to the terrifying menace that is Evil Tree. It’s so petrifying in fact that Howard flees from the monstrosity and his friends! Luckily for them though Sandstorm intervenes, and the Evil Tree meets his demise at the hand of the sandpapered support. He can now be found in your nearest Ikea under the name BJÖRKUDDEN for £79.

Ramsey
When Howard and Vince take a much needed break from London life away from the angry crowd of an unsuccessful gig, they decide on a fishing trip to Black Lake. As is the true English way, their first stop is the nearest pub where they meet the slurring, bumbling, maggot-cider-downing Ramsey. He is the local artist who’s unfortunately not so successful in his trade, but expresses his passion however and wherever he can by sticking shells on things. And that even includes his wife, Matilda!
Not the sharpest knife in the drawer as he directs Howard and Vince to Black Lake to fish during the full moon; this in fact turning out to be the worst time to…

Boat Captain
Just when we thought we’d been sucked into the Fulcher-less hallucinations of Howard and Vince in The Nightmare of Milky Joe, they are awoken from their coconut nightmare by the tanned Capitan who comes to sweep the boys off the island and back home.
Even though he only appears briefly for the series finale, and with just a few lines to serve, Fulcher still caused a debate in the edit over which of his improvised lines would work best: the long laugh? Or ‘Primo!’?, which ended up being the one used. Cast your votes now!

As Fulcher Fortnight continues here at The Velvet Onion, keep peeling for more goodies as well as the final instalment of this feature, whilst Rich charms the pants of his audiences in Eleanorburgh!