Fabulously off-kilter comedian Joey Page is heading up to Leeds for two gigs on Thursday!
Joey will be performing at The Oak (2 Otley Road, Headingly, Leeds 6) and The Library (Woodhouse Lane, Hyde Park, Leeds 2) as part of The House of Fun Comedy Club. Also on the bill is qualified GP and international stand up comic, Paul Sinha, plus comperes Barry Dodds and Dave Twentyman. For more information about the venues, the acts and how to purchase tickets, click on the relevant link. Please note that tickets for The Library show can only be bought from the bar.
If you’re in the area we thoroughly recommend checking him out. If you do, please come and tell us all about it!
Joey has also promised fans in Manchester that he’ll gigging there soon. To keep on top of his latest live show announcements follow him on twitter.
Currently only available to American Netflix subscribers, Snuff Box in its entirety is available in DVD form as well as in an instant stream.
The series, starring Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher as a hangman and his assistant, and featuring guest appearances from Richard Ayoade, Alice Lowe and more, has gained quite a cult following in the States. This latest addition follows Snuff Box’s initial launch in the U.S., which in addition to the U.S. DVD release included a promotional tour in Los Angeles and New York late last year.
Of course, UK Peelers feeling left out can always pick up a copy for themselves at the TVO Amazon Store.
Rhys Thomas and Tony Way have completed their 5th podcast.
In this one the boys talk about school, sex, Scotland and many other things. If you want to know what Rhys really thinks about Mark Lamarr, here’s your chance.
Their scariest moments in Edinburgh are recounted in graphic detail. Hear the latest on Game of Thrones and there’s even a mention of Noel Fielding!
To listen to this hour-long chat, that proves that women aren’t the only ones who like a natter, click here and if you missed any of the previous ones they are all still available on the site.
Just a little tip, don’t listen while you’re eating and make sure the kids and Grandma are out of hearing range!
Our good friend Hayden Black, takes part in the latest Web of Intrigue’spodcast talking about Goodnight Burbank, his new screenplay Zohmbi and his brand new project Teensy Tweets.
This new project will feature Hayden’s tweets but spoken by real-life birds! Hayden will of course be providing the voices of the birds, but will use footage of real birds. To find out more about this head over to the facebook page.
Don’t forget to keep visiting the Zohmbiblog for the latest updates on the new screenplay.
An exciting new development in the world of Colin Hoult has been announced: a brand new one man play.
Jamie: A Work In Progress tells the story of a lonely security guard working for a company whose name he can no longer recall, who fills his nights solving puzzles and collecting animal facts whilst dreaming of a love lost long ago.
The show is performed for the very first time at Colin’s regular haunt, The Leicester Square Theatre, on February 27th, and tickets can be purchased from the venue’s website for just £5 right here.
Don’t forget, Colin also brings back his New Adventures to the same venue in March, and is set to launch the Ultimate Carnival Of Monsters at the Udderbelly in May. He has also just recorded his own radio pilot alongside Stephen Evans, Dan Snelgrove and Zoe Gardner, and a guest appearance in Red Dwarf, which will air this Autumn. Stay peeled for more info when we get it, Hoult fans!
As we begin to round up our Luxury Comedy Takeover week, and put the finishing touches to our behind the scenes documentary, the worst kept secret in all of Booshdom has finally popped out today – Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy is to return next year.
Following ratings success and the majority of critics loving the show’s surreal aesthetic, E4 have ordered a second run for Noel & Nigel Coan’s madcap sketch show.
News outlets have started to pick up on the story, most notably DigitalSpy, who quoted Noel’s hopes to make the second series “more like a Wednesday morning”. We can’t wait.
Meanwhile you can continue to see the first run of episodes premièring on E4 every Thursday night at 10pm.
One of the most notable aspects of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy is how visually stunning it looks. TVO’s very own art-school Velveteer, Lauren Taylor, has created a mini-guide to some of their artistic inspirations, should any peelers wish to investigate further…
Luxury Comedy is clearly a highly visual affair. Noel and Nigel’s art school background providing a brilliant source for the artistic references weaved into the fabric of the show. Here then, is TVO’s very own mini-guide to a few of the artistic inspirations behind Luxury Comedy, beginning with one of the most obvious references in the show: the pop-art pioneer, Andy Warhol.
Probably most famous for that soup tin, which elbowed his Marilyn Monroe piece into second place in the recognisable images chart, Warhol’s studio – The Factory – was decidedly the most creative place to be in 1960’s America. His visual work was heavily based around consumerism, and how certain branded products are the same regardless of your financial status.
While screenprinting was his medium of choice, as an ideal way to remove evidence of the artist’s involvement, Warhol also had notable success with photography, drawing, sculpture and film.
Though the vibrancy of some of Warhol’s pieces are not a million miles away from the visual look of Luxury Comedy, prehaps a stronger correlation can be drawn between their respective creative environments. Warhol surrounded himself with a range of artists, musicians, writers, and other creatives. Encouraging a level of collaboration not dissimilar from the many levels of creative practice that have gone into Luxury Comedy – music, animation, comedy, illustration…. the list is almost endless.
If you’re in the far south of the UK and want to know more about the Pop Art pioneer, De La Warr Pavillion in East Sussex is hosting ARTIST ROOMS On Tour with the Art Fund’s exhibition – Warhol Is Here – until 26th Feb. For readers across the Atlantic, there’s the dedicated Andy Warhol Museum in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pensylvania. (more…)
Actress Dolly Wells is a welcome new addition to The Velvet Onion family. Last Thursday she burst onto our TV screens as Noel’s enigmatic neighbour in his new series, Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy. We had the good fortune of convincing Dolly to talk to us about her latest role and discuss what else she’s been up to. Velveteer Mog reports.
Dolly Wells gives out the kind of infectious energy that makes you feel like you’re actually vibrating following a conversation with her. She’s blessed with a pair of endless pins that will make her as envied as she is adored by Fielding fans, and she sparkles with an easy sense of fun that can fool you into thinking you’ve known her for years.
Is she prepared to be the new poster girls for the Boosh generation? “I’m not prepared, but I’d be very happy, it would be fantastic!” She laughs. Dolly is just beginning to appreciate the intensity of Noel’s admirers; the number of people following her on twitter recently accelerated with the announcement of her involvement in Luxury Comedy, and she was immediately showered with tweets about working with Noel. “I made the mistake of not really understanding it and answering questions individually, and now I’ve realised that it might take up a few too many hours of the day!”
Her character in the show is a German trendy, loosely based on Nico (vocal collaborator with The Velvet Underground); however Noel insisted that she kept her real name, much to her consternation. “That is completely Noel’s fault,” she says, “I kept saying ‘Can’t I be called something like Jana or another German name?’ and he said ‘No, Dolly is better’ and he and Nigel (Coan, Luxury Comedy director and animator) were absolutely certain that I was going to be called Dolly. I got really self-conscious about it, and in the early days of filming Tom Meeten enjoyed putting my name in every single sentence because I was so embarrassed about it. Now I feel fine, I’m quite happy about it.”
As we’ve mentioned previously, the BAFTAS take place this month and there’s a smattering of TVO faces in the mix for awards… most notably the fabulous Chris O’Dowd who up for a Rising Star BAFTA – and now you can help him win it!
The IT Crowd star and firm TVO favourite is up against Adam Deacon, Chris Hemsworth, Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston to win the coveted prize at the ceremony on February 12th , alongside TVO-linked movies Arthur Christmas, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Bridesmaids and Submarine.
Those films will have to battle it out via the judging panel’s decisions, but Chris’ bid for the Orange-sponsored Rising Star award can be helped by YOU!
This week there’s a weighty chunk of NME-related news to tell you about!
The nominations have now been confirmed for the 2012 NME Awards, and voting is open! The Booshniverse features in several categories this year:
Best TV Programme - Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Best Film - Submarine
Best Book - The Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton
Hero of the Year - Noel Fielding
And if you include Kasabian as honorary Booshniverse members due to Serge Pizzorno’s involvement in Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy, there are a few more!
To cast your vote visit NME’s awards site by clicking here.
What’s more, tickets for the awards show itself are now on sale. The event takes place on 29th February at the Brixton Academy in London; tickets are £22 plus booking fee, and are only open to over 18s. To book tickets visit See Tickets. And hurry, they’ll go quickly!
Our final helping of NME news for this week is the appearance of Noel Fielding in the current issue. It features the Q&A with Noel that we mentioned a few weeks back (and which some of you have been lucky enough to get your questions into!), and is being billed as “His weirdest interview yet”.
If you can’t lay your hands on a paper copy, to purchase the issue digitally here’s where to go.
There’s also a short video of Noel’s latest NME cover shoot and an interview with the man himself on NME’s website, in which he talks about Luxury Comedy and what’s next for him and Julian. Click here to view it.
The Forgery Club is celebrating it’s 2nd birthday this February and how else to celebrate than with a night out in Londontown with some oh-too familiar names.
Compered by Rachel Stubbings of Jackal Films fame and Luke Mcqueen – the night will also be welcoming the presence of TVO faces Gareth Tunley, Rufus Jones & Dave McNeill. Plus Bob & Jim, Tom Webb, Steve Pretty, Jonni Music, Nathaniel Tapley, Gemma Whelan , Alex Kirk and Jacob Edwards.
The Forgery is always bound to bring a fun-packed night and with this line-up, it’s bursting from the seams to us already!
Tickets are £7 in advance or £10 at the door and for more info you can find it right here! Keep an eye on their Facebook page for a ticket link and why not also have a peel of our review from the last Forgery night we were lucky enough to attend!
You can find Joey Page making some funnies in London this evening!
Page will be performing a new show, Shattered Random Shards of Jokes on stage at the Etcetera Theater tonight. This cosy venue above the The Oxford Arms pub has welcomed many familiar faces from the Booshdom (including Eleanor The Tour Whore), as a popular yet hidden venue in Camden town.
There’s no knowing what to expect from Page this evening so grab your tickets while you can right here. Tickets are £7 and doors are at 9.30pm.
If you want to know more before popping down then have a peel of some of Page in exclusive footage on our YouTube channel, or read our introduction to the kooky-comic here and our review of his last gig from the same venue here yonder!
Tom Meeten is currently entertaining us in roles as diverse as Andy Warhol, Daran Cache and a fruit fly in Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy. TVO’s Afroharold sheds a bit of light on his rich and varied career to date…
Whilst many comedy fans know him best for his work with Steve Oram, for a lot of Velvet Onion readers he will forever be identifiable thanks to his roles in The Mighty Boosh. His first appearance on the series is in Fountain of Youth, as Pepo the artist who kills himself when Vince isn’t impressed with the fringe on his portrait.
He later appeared as the disreputable Lance Dior in the third series’ The Power of the Crimp. A near perfect clone of happy-go-lucky Vince, he and his jazzy Northern sidekick Harold Boon (Simon Farnaby) memorably fought Vince & Howard in an epic Crimp Off. Later, the character reappeared at The Royal Albert Hall, attempting to replace Vince at the opening of Noel Fielding’s Teenage Cancer Trust comedy night.
Casting Tom as Lance Dior was an inspired move as he has a similar take on acting as Noel, an attractive man who is willing to make himself unattractive to the point of grotesque to bring a character to life. No one could call the fruit fly in Luxury Comedy attractive! Tom’s comedy partner is also a bearded bloke from somewhere north of London!
Away from the Boosh, Tom’s most notable collaboration has been with the aforementioned Steve Oram - himself no stranger to Vince Noir, having played Donny the Tramp in The Strange Tale Of The Crack Fox. After a string of successful live shows, including memorable turns at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the pair crafted a television pilot together for Comedy Lab and posted a string of sketches on YouTube including cult classic Porto & Roy.
In 2011, Oram & Meeten developed a new pilot show for So Television, entitled The Forgotten Picture Show, joined by a huge cast of TVO favourites in a pitch perfect homage to 50s rock-n-roll movies. The pilot is currently under development with plans to make a full series, and we at TVO can’t wait to see the results.
Collaborations with other names at TVO are frequent – from appearances in Jackal Films with Alice Lowe, such as the stupendously silly Birdhandler to his work with James Bachman and recently Arnab Chanda on sketches for BBC Nought – including a truly inspired turn as Jools Holland!
He has also appeared in a number of other notable shows from the TVO stables, including The IT Crowd, How not to Live Your Life, Saxondale, Lifespam and Beehive. He also made an everlasting impression in Blunder on Channel 4 as the surreal evil known as The Baron and the stupendously rude Karate Johnson. Although studio executives were impressed with his work on Blunder, he still hasn’t been given the opportunities his talents deserve to showcase them to a wider television audience.
Last year, following cameo appearances in Magicians and Burke & Hare, he played his first major leading role in a film via lo-budget Manchester rave scene flick Weekender, and he is set to appear in Oram & Lowe’s forthcoming film The Sightseers too.
As you can see Tom is a very talented actor, singer, writer and comedian, who has appeared in a variety of roles and is not afraid to wear outrageous costumes to complete a character. So if you were watching Luxury Comedy and wondering where you’ve seen him before, now you know!
Just been paid? We reckon the first pay-day of 2012 deserves a celebration! And what better way to celebrate than spending some of that pay cheque on yourself? If you’re after some inspiration, look no further than the Booshniverse-related DVDs that are due for release during 2012 and beyond.
Charlie Brooker’s acclaimed techno-thriller trilogy Black Mirror is released on 27th February. The second part, entitled ’15 Million Merits’ features the wonderful Julia Davis in super-glam form. As yet there’s no news about DVD extras, but for more information about the release, to read reviews and to pre-order click here.
Life’s Too Short, the latest sitcom from the pens of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, about the exaggerated life of Warwick Davis – the world-famous cult actor with dwarfism, is released on DVD in October 2012. While it’s still some way off, you can pre-order it now by clicking here. The series features three Booshniverse-related artists: Matthew Holness, who plays Ian Wald – the lawyer in Warwick’s divorce case, and Steve Brody, who starred in Angelo‘sand Lifespam, plays Eric – the worst accountant in the world. The series also features cameos from Colin Hoult and Tony Way.
Anonymous is a historical melodrama which offers a bosom-heaving alternative view of Shakespeare’s world. It also stars Edward Hogg (Bunny & The Bull) and Tony Way, so deserves a mention here. Anonymous is released on 5th March and you can pre-order it on DVD and Blu-ray at the Velvet Onion Amazon store by clicking on the relevant links.
You can also purchase a DVD of the Ab Fab three-part special which aired over Christmas. You’d better be patient though, because the release date is 13th August 2013! However, for all the Ab Fab obsessives out there you can pre-order the show that features Mongrels‘ Lucy Montgomeryhere.
Finally, for those of you who have already pre-ordered the DVD of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy (or for those of you who are planning to do so) please note that the release has moved back from its original optimistic date of 19th March 2012 to a more realistic 28th January 2013. Given the team are still finishing off the TV series this is hardly surprising, but it means we’ll have to be super-patient. You can pre-oder Luxury Comedy here.
We’ll be letting you know about further TVO-relevant DVD releases as they happen. Time to start counting the days until the second pay-day of 2012!…
If you like new shiny things as much as we do, you will love Paul Foot‘s new website.
The comedian’s website has undergone a complete redesign and connoisseurs can now feast their eyes on a site that looks as whimsical as Foot’s comedy is. While the website still has the usual components and gives fans access to the tour schedule, press about Paul and the always appreciated merchandise shop, we can now also read about various characters made up by Mr. Foot himself.
Visit Skeleton Johnson, a figure who is half skeleton and half Mr. Johnson and a character that “used to be a brilliant graveyard jockey before he changed.” You can also pop by Penny’s page, Foot’s “bi-sexual hairdresser” who is in charge of the complete inventory of his comedy and who looks suspiciously like the man himself…
All that and more can be found over at the official Paul Foot website, where you also can gain entrance to the highly acclaimed Guild of Connoisseurs members only area (and get information about secret shows, videos and various super secret things!).
If you want even more Paul Foot goodies, take a look at his latest video. Foot turns to Food as he does a cookery video in which he prepares a dish called “Isle of White”. As the name suggests, the dish is white. See Foot in the kitchen and maybe get a little bit inspired yourself, all in the video below.
It seems that Sky1 are drastically becoming the new place to be for the latest hits in the comedy world – we all completely fell for the colorful wonderment that was This Is Jinsy, and now some familiar names from the Booshdom are still cropping up left right and center!
Firstly Julia Davis is said to be working on a new sitcom for the channel according to Chortle. Julia, who will never be too far from her dark roots, will be writing and starring in Hunderby, which revolves around Helene the survivor of a shipwreck in 19th Century. As you may remember, Davis has already made an appearance on Sky Atlantic (alongside Julian Barratt, dare we forget) in the short film of Chekhov’s The Bear.
The show will also (not-so-surprisingly) be produced by Baby Cow, who you will all know as a popular name for us at The Velvet Onion.
As if Steve Coogan wasn’t busy enough, he is also working on Starlings, another new comedy to come out of Sky1! Along with this, Chris O’Dowd has landed himself a series based on his short film from the Little Crackers series in 2010. The seriesMooneBoy, tells the tale of a young boy and his imaginary friend.
Colin Hoult is in for a whirlwind 2012, with new projects on radio, television, stage and an appearance in revived sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf!
The comedian and actor, fresh from his performances in shows as varied as Life’s Too Short, House Of Rooms and Pixelface, has been cast in an unknown part in the tenth series of the cult classic, which airs on Dave later this year.
The show is part of Dave’s new drive for original comedy, following its enormous success with their initial Red Dwarf mini-series in 2009, ten years after the show last aired on BBC2. Hoult, of course, made his own pilot for Dave, Zimbani back in 2010, alongside Dave McNeill and Julian Barratt, which you can catch again here.
Elsewhere, it has been confirmed by Colin’s management that he has sold two television ideas to be developed in 2012, of which we’ll no doubt hear more about in due course. Hoult has also been granted his own radio pilot, and if the result are half as good as his live shows, we’ll have one of the most impressive half hours of radio in some time!
Katy Wix & Anna Crilly are to feature in their own series on Channel 4.
The duo, who made a pilot as part of the channel’s Comedy Lab range last Summer, have been granted a full six-episode run after the initial episode received a warm welcome. It is set to air later this year.
Channel 4′s head of comedy, Shane Allen – a key supporter of Luxury Comedy and the kind of funny business we at TVO like to shout about – commented: ”Right from the start of 2012 we’re delivering back to back series with daring and hugely distinct comedy voices as an anti-dote to the safe, broad comedy drama you might find elsewhere.
“Channel 4 is the place to take risks and give opportunities to comedy’s mavericks and lunatics. Katy & Anna are both and we’re so thrilled they wanted to make their break with us”.
Meanwhile, Crilly can be seen alongside Gareth Tunley, David Armand and occasionally, Colin Hoult in CBBC sitcom Pixelface - and the pair continue to appear in adverts for Harvey’s Furniture, including sponsorship tags around ITV’s flagship soap opera Coronation Street!
After months of eager anticipation, Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy has just aired on E4. If you’ve seen it, we’d love to know what you think.
Given that a number of the people behind the show read The Velvet Onion we thought it’d be nice to offer ourselves up as a place where people could leave their comments about the show. So tell us, what did you think? What were your favourite bits? Your favourite characters? Which sketches are still making you giggle now? Have you Series Linked Luxury Comedy for all eternity?
But what if some of it passed you by? While the majority of our readers are fans it doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to hold a negative opinion, so do tell us what you think. But please keep your comments constructive; remember, even if you don’t like something a lot of hard work and dedication has gone into making it so please respect that.
To get things going, here’s what a couple of our Velveteers have to say about the show:
Paulyne If any show deserves the word ‘Luxury’ in the title more than this one then I am yet to find it. It’s such a magnificent treat for your eyes it’ll leave you with an adrenaline crash a few hours later. Noel Fielding and Nigel Coan have taken the word ‘surreal’ – originally given to Boosh as a description – and turned it on its head, and added more colour and more jokes than you can imagine.
Noel exists in a tree house that looks like what I would imagine the world under a rainbow to look like. There are few and far comparisons between Fielding’s former show and I see this as his ‘Unleashed: for all the family’!
Each sketch is beautifully formed, making you look forward to each and every character’s return in the next episode. It feels like an honour to be able to take a glimpse into the minds of the creators and of course, the creators have minds to envy! It’s a show takes everything comedy and luxury to new heights.
Mog Several consistent themes weave through Noel Fielding’s creative output like golden threads; they’re what binds together his stand-up and his art, and what makes it recognisably and uniquely his: It’s daft and yet clever, imaginative and other-worldly, beautiful in both thought and image, and it packs a big comedy punch while offering up lovely little moments of whimsy. All of this is packed into Luxury Comedy.
Channel 4/Secret Peter
Whatever the doubters may say, there are several things that stop the show being a random hotch-potch of empty silliness: Firstly, there’s a delightfully clever logic at work here, much the same as you would find in the Boosh, only more submerged (but it’s there). Secondly, it’s simply stunning to look at; the care and attention that has gone into every detail is astonishing, and sets it apart from the tosh that’s currently cluttering up our screens. And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, it’s a TV show with heart; it’s been created with love, care and joy – and it shows. At its core sits genuine warmth and human spirit. It’s not a show that’s up itself.
And now it’s over to you, dear Peelers. Let us know what you think about Luxury Comedy in the Comments box below…
Right now there’s no shortage of information about Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy. Noel himself is currently in the midst of a pretty comprehensive TV, radio and press tour, providing further fascinating slices of insight in every interview. But what does the show look like to someone who sees it from a different angle? We were lucky enough to spend some time with Luxury Comedy director and animator, Nigel Coan, who gave us glimpse through a different window. Velveteer Mog reports:
Talking to Nigel Coan about Luxury Comedy feels a bit like finding the missing piece of a jigsaw and finally being able to tell what the picture is. Nigel is the link between Noel Fielding and his Luxury Comedy, the one who made it possible. But what does that actually mean – how do they work together? “I guess I’m his interpreter in way,” Nigel explains. “The way Noel writes is like performance, so he’ll wander around and while he’s talking I’m visualising it, literally, as a real time image. Anything I can’t see in my head I can’t make; I have to be able to see it. It’s a very immediate process – although we haven’t really made it by the time we’ve finished writing it, it’s sort of already made in a way, because it’s already there, visually. Then the storyboard, filming and edit are all the same thing, in different forms.”
Nigel and Noel’s friendship was formed years ago when they met at art college. Later, he often accompanied Noel to his early stand-up shows when they would discuss his material on train journeys home. In fact, one of Nigel’s first forays into animation was for Noel’s Voodoo Hedgehog show. He explains, “I think it had the Jellyfox in it, and Noel said ‘Can we film it?’ but it would have looked rubbish because we would have been trying to do too much. So I said to him ‘Why don’t we try to animate it, sort of in the style of King Rollo? You do the paintings and I’ll animate them.’ It was the best solution for filming what Noel imagined in his head.”
Pop quiz: Answer being... a horse with a Cornetto on it's head! peeled 5 hours ago
Pop quiz: What in the Luxury Comedy hut is also popularly mentioned in Fielding's regular stand-up? Answers on an origami postcard... peeled 7 hours ago
So many great things going on in the Booshniverse right now... Have you peeled the Onion today? http://t.co/DDOrZNoN peeled 2 days ago
While on the subject of Facebook... The lovely Sue Denim now has an official FB page. Go like her if you like her! https://t.co/pXSwGsfn peeled 2 days ago
