---
name: "Julian Barratt"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/julian-barratt"
fi1m_id: "julian-barratt"
imdb_id: "nm1027986"
tmdb_id: 98104
wikidata_id: "Q936756"
roles: ["Actor","Writer"]
born: "4 May 1968"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 79
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-07T18:27:58.066883+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Julian Barratt

## Identity

Julian Barratt

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/julian-barratt
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** julian-barratt
- **IMDb ID:** nm1027986
- **TMDB ID:** 98104
- **Wikidata ID:** Q936756
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Barratt, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q936756, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1027986/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/98104

Actor and writer. Born 4 May 1968 in Leeds, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Writer
- **Born:** 4 May 1968, Leeds, England, UK
- **Active:** 2002–present
- **Also known as:** Julian Barratt Pettifer, Julian Pettifer, The Mighty Boosh
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 7 acting, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Richard Ayoade](https://film.one/person/richard-ayoade.md), [Julia Davis](https://film.one/person/julia-davis.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 79, as actor, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 80 (4), 2010s 77 (3), 2020s 74 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 75 to 74 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 3 of 5 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 7, Drama 2, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 2, Action & Adventure 1, Mystery 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Barratt, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q936756, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1027986/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/98104

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*The Mighty Boosh*](https://film.one/tv/the-mighty-boosh.md) (80), [*Hunderby*](https://film.one/tv/hunderby.md) (75)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Garth Marenghi's Darkplace*](https://film.one/tv/garth-marenghis-darkplace.md) (83)
- **Apple TV:** [*Flowers*](https://film.one/tv/flowers.md) (78)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Julian Barratt

> Julian Barratt plays men who take themselves seriously in rooms that do not, and he plays them so straight that the seriousness becomes the joke. He is best beside Noel Fielding, whose lightness gives the solemnity something to push against.

Watch Julian Barratt when somebody else has the funny line. In *The Mighty Boosh* (2004) his Howard Moon keeps his solemnity going while Noel Fielding's Vince Noir is being lighter and more casually confident beside him, and the effort of keeping it going is the joke; we laughed at the seriousness before we laughed at any line. In *Nathan Barley* (2005) the same face has given up. His Dan Ashcroft slumps in a coat that looks slept in, his contempt comes out as mumbling, and he plays a man who has been tired for about eight years and has stopped expecting to be less tired.

The career is mostly one partnership. Barratt began in stand-up while at university in Reading, met Fielding on the circuit in 1997, and the two of them built the Boosh slowly: Edinburgh shows from 1998 to 2000, a radio series in 2001, then three television series between 2004 and 2007. The same years gave him his two best jobs for other writers, the Padre in *Garth Marenghi's Darkplace* (2004), which we scored higher than anything he has made himself, and Ashcroft for Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker. Since then he has co-written and led a film, *Mindhorn* (2017), and taken the lead in the series *Flowers* (2016), neither of which we have reviewed.

What he brings that other comic actors do not is music. The music he writes and plays is funny partly because it sounds so confidently played, and the scores he wrote for the Boosh make the nonsense feel considered even when the writing is refusing to make sense. He is also generous in a way that is rare in a double act: neither he nor Fielding needs to win every exchange. The moment of his we keep coming back to is in *Nathan Barley*, when Nathan first quotes Dan's article back to him in admiration. We laughed, then went quiet, because the expression Barratt puts on is not comic at all. It is the face of a man watching his work be enjoyed for exactly the wrong reasons, and anyone who has had that happen will know it.

The complaint against him is fair as far as it goes. He plays the pompous, the pretentious and the mopey, and *Mindhorn*'s Richard Thorncroft, a faded actor who once played a television detective, is another of them; Barratt has said he would like to try work that is not comic before the type sets. The Boosh, whose scripts he shares with Fielding and Richard Ayoade, also lets a weak idea run as long as a good one, and his performance has usually made the point some time before the scene ends. He told the Guardian in 2017 that he loves squalid sadness. That is a fair account of Dan Ashcroft, and a reason to hope somebody writes him a straight part and lets him keep the coat.

## Biography

Julian Barratt is an English comedian, actor and musician. He is best known for his work with Noel Fielding as part of the comedy troupe The Mighty Boosh, in which he played Howard Moon and served as co-creator, writer and composer of the music.

Barratt was born on 4 May 1968 in Leeds and attended the University of Reading. The pair first performed together in the late 1990s, taking shows including The Mighty Boosh to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before the BBC radio and television series. He has also appeared in series including Nathan Barley (2005) and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004), and co-wrote and starred in the film Mindhorn (2016).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

### Performed in (7) — the average rests on these

- *The Great* (2020), Fi1m 74, as Doctor Vinodel — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-great.md)
- *Sally4Ever* (2018), Fi1m 78, as Nigel — [page](https://film.one/tv/sally4ever.md)
- *Flowers* (2016), Fi1m 78, as Maurice Flowers — [page](https://film.one/tv/flowers.md)
- *Nathan Barley* (2005), Fi1m 74, as Dan Ashcroft — [page](https://film.one/tv/nathan-barley.md)
- *Garth Marenghi's Darkplace* (2004), Fi1m 83, as Padre — [page](https://film.one/tv/garth-marenghis-darkplace.md)
- *The Mighty Boosh* (2004), Fi1m 80, as Howard Moon — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mighty-boosh.md)
- *Look Around You* (2002), Fi1m 83, as Man with cigarette — [page](https://film.one/tv/look-around-you.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Hunderby* (2012), Fi1m 75, as Himself - Narrator — [page](https://film.one/tv/hunderby.md)

## Complete filmography (78)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Regular Show: The Lost Tapes* (2026), series, as VHS Man (voice)
- *Engineering Europe* (2025), series, as Narrator
- *Lost Treasures of the Bible* (2024), series, as Narrator
- *Super Happy Magic Forest* (2024), series, as Hoofius (voice)
- *Knuckles* (2024), series, as Jack Sinclair
- *The Following Events Are Based on a Pack of Lies* (2023), series, as Benjy Dhillon
- *Rogue Agent* (2022), as Phil
- *Lost Treasures of Rome* (2022), series, as Narrator (voice) · Creator
- *The Witchfinder* (2022), series, as Fake Hopkins
- *We Baby Bears* (2022), series, as Monkey (voice)
- *The Electrical Life of Louis Wain* (2021), as Dr Elphick
- *New York Super Airport* (2021), series, as Narrator (voice)
- *The Clearing* (2021), as Bill
- *Ultra City Smiths* (2021), series, as The Most Dangerous Man in the World (voice)
- *Bloods* (2021), series, as Lawrence
- *Truth Seekers* (2020), series, as Dr. Peter Toynbee
- *Europe from Above* (2020), series, as Narrador
- *The Great* (2020), series, as Doctor Vinodel — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-great.md)
- *Building the Channel Tunnel* (2019), as Narrator (voice)
- *Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart* (2019), series, as Rufus (voice)
- *Egypt From Above* (2019), series, as Narrator (voice)
- *Moominvalley* (2019), series, as Mr Brisk
- *Building the Channel Tunnel: 25 Years On* (2019), Actor
- *In Fabric* (2018), as Stash
- *Sally4Ever* (2018), series, as Nigel · Creator — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/sally4ever.md)
- *Dick & Stewart: I Spy with My Little Eye* (2018), as Narrator
- *Summer Camp Island* (2018), series, as Sandwich Monk (voice), Poppawoppa (voice)
- *Killing Eve* (2018), series, as Julian — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/killing-eve.md)
- *Miriam’s Big American Adventure* (2018), series, as Narrator
- *Brakes* (2017), as Elliot
- *Mindhorn* (2016), as Richard Thorncroft · Screenplay, Associate Producer
- *Flowers* (2016), series, as Maurice Flowers — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/flowers.md)
- *Long Live the Royals* (2015), series, as Harold the Guard, Ace
- *Aaaaaaaah!* (2015), as Jupiter
- *ABCs of Death 2* (2014), as Peter Toland (Segment "Badger") · Director, Editor
- *The Harry Hill Movie* (2013), as Conch
- *The Tube: An Underground History* (2013), as Voiceover
- *A Field in England* (2013), as Trower
- *Uncle Wormsley's Christmas* (2012), as Uncle Wormsley
- *White Heat* (2012), series, as Derek Bowden
- *Treasure Island* (2012), series, as Thomas Redruth
- *Treasure Island* (2012), as Redruth
- *Bob's Burgers* (2011), series, as Ian (voice)
- *Behind the Scenes - Bunny and the Bull* (2011), Actor
- *The Mighty Boosh: Journey of the Childmen* (2010), Executive Producer
- *Chekhov Comedy Shorts* (2010), series, as Smirnoff
- *Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge* (2010), series, as Blackbird Goodbrooke
- *The Savage Canvas* (2010), as Danny Drake
- *The External World* (2010), as (voice)
- *Bunny and the Bull* (2009), as Atilla
- *The Mighty Boosh Live: Future Sailors Tour* (2009), as Howard · Writer
- *HIV: The Musical* (2009), as Myles Davies
- *Curtains* (2009), as Waiter · Director, Writer
- *Being Human* (2009), series, as Larry Chrysler
- *How Not to Live Your Life* (2008), series, as Jackson
- *The Mighty Boosh: A Journey Through Time and Space* (2008), Original Music Composer, Associate Producer
- *The Mighty Boosh: Making Boosh 3* (2008), Writer
- *Hell Bent for Leather* (2007), as The Real Seb Hunter
- *The Mighty Boosh Live* (2006), as Howard Moon · Writer
- *The Mighty Boosh: In Search of the Porcelain Fox* (2006), as Original Music Composer
- *The Mighty Boosh: The Making of Series 2* (2006), Writer
- *The Mighty Boosh: Inside the Zooniverse* (2005), Writer
- *Nathan Barley* (2005), series, as Dan Ashcroft — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/nathan-barley.md)
- *AD/BC: A Rock Opera* (2004), as Tony Iscariot
- *The Mighty Boosh* (2004), series, as Howard Moon · Writer, Music, Associate Producer, Creator — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mighty-boosh.md)
- *The Reckoning* (2004), as Gravedigger
- *Garth Marenghi's Darkplace* (2004), series, as Padre — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/garth-marenghis-darkplace.md)
- *The Principles of Lust* (2003), as Phillip
- *Mint Royale: Blue Song* (2003), as Bank Robber
- *Look Around You* (2002), series, as Man with cigarette — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/look-around-you.md)
- *Surrealissimo: The Trial of Salvador Dali* (2002), as Rosey
- *The Boosh* (2001), series, as Howard Moon · Creator
- *Sweet* (2001), as Stitch
- *Lucky Break* (2001), as Paul Dean
- *Unnatural Acts* (1998), series, Actor
- *Cluub Zarathustra* (1996), as Various (Scenes Deleted)
- *Asylum* (1996), series, as Victor Munro · Writer
- *The Mighty Boosh Unseen: Boosh in the USA*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Victoria Wicks - Mighty Boosh](https://film.one/media/person/101544/gallery-d11105e1f4c7.jpg) Victoria Wicks - Mighty Boosh — Chricks, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/BB28712%40THE_MIGHTY_BOOSH.jpg/1280px-BB28712%40THE_MIGHTY_BOOSH.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Howard Moon. Played by Julian Barratt at the The Mighty Boosh Live Stageshow. Caption from Flicker: "Howard Moon sends us into a jazz trance" Performed at the B (2006)](https://film.one/media/person/101544/gallery-27e7704a2fec.jpg) Howard Moon. Played by Julian Barratt at the The Mighty Boosh Live Stageshow. Caption from Flicker: "Howard Moon sends us into a jazz trance" Performed at the B (2006) — Mike Mantin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Howard_Moon_-_The_Mighty_Boosh_Live_-_Stageshow_-_Brighton_Dome_-_11_February_2006.jpg/1280px-Howard_Moon_-_The_Mighty_Boosh_Live_-_Stageshow_-_Brighton_Dome_-_11_February_2006.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Julian Barret and Noel Fielding as Howard Moon and Old Gregg in the stageshow "The Mighty Boosh Live" at the Brighton Dome. Date: 11 February 2006](https://film.one/media/person/101544/gallery-422c796caa5e.jpg) Julian Barret and Noel Fielding as Howard Moon and Old Gregg in the stageshow "The Mighty Boosh Live" at the Brighton Dome. Date: 11 February 2006 — Mike Mantin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Howard_Moon_and_Old_Gregg_-_The_Mighty_Boosh_Live_-_Stageshow_-_Brighton_Dome_-_11_February_2006.jpg/1280px-Howard_Moon_and_Old_Gregg_-_The_Mighty_Boosh_Live_-_Stageshow_-_Brighton_Dome_-_11_February_2006.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![The Mighty Boosh at Comic-Con 2009, from left to right: Julian Barrat, Noel Fielding and Michael Fielding.](https://film.one/media/person/101544/gallery-2d39b363a70a.jpg) The Mighty Boosh at Comic-Con 2009, from left to right: Julian Barrat, Noel Fielding and Michael Fielding. — Splashing, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Julian_Barrat%2C_Noel_Fielding_and_Michael_Fielding.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Julian Barratt](https://film.one/media/person/101544/gallery-f0a1224534f4.jpg) Julian Barratt — Image via TMDB
- ![Julian Barratt](https://film.one/media/person/101544/gallery-f2c71fef76b6.jpg) Julian Barratt — Image via TMDB
- ![Julian Barratt](https://film.one/media/person/101544/gallery-a00354b87521.jpg) Julian Barratt — Ella Mullins, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Julian_Barratt.jpeg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/julian-barratt