Michael Fielding makes a welcome virtue of restraint in comedy that rarely asks anyone to hold back. His Naboo gives The Mighty Boosh a quieter presence, and we value his economy amid its noisier excesses.
Fi1m perspective
In The Mighty Boosh (2004), Michael Fielding's Naboo the Enigma does not compete to be the loudest person present. His deadpan delivery gives us a moment's rest among performances that make rather more effort to announce themselves. We warmed to him because he could be funny without adding to the noise. There is no sense that he needs a bigger response to justify his presence. That restraint is a useful part of why this crowded, peculiar comedy remains good company.
Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding supply the central partnership, with Barratt's solemn Howard Moon set against Noel's casually confident Vince Noir. Michael gives Naboo less emphasis, without making him seem out of place in their company. Matt Berry is emphatic as Dixon Bainbridge, yet precise enough not to tire us; Rich Fulcher's Bob Fossil can feel like one raised voice too many. The differences matter: Fielding's smaller performance is useful in a cast that already has several people willing to be emphatic.
He came to television through the stage version of The Mighty Boosh, and played Naboo across all three series and the live shows. Later came Smooth the butler in Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy (2012) and Benny Turpin in The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (2024). Both kept him in Noel Fielding's comic company, rather than announcing a sharp change of direction. Naboo remains the performance on which we can make the clearest judgement.
The limitation is in the writing around him. The Mighty Boosh sometimes gives a weak joke as much time as a good one, and affection for the performers cannot shorten the wait. Fielding's economy makes that indulgence more noticeable: we can see that the comedy does not always need so much insistence. Start with The Mighty Boosh for Barratt and Noel Fielding together; Michael is another reason to stay, provided the occasional overextended joke is a price worth paying.
Biography
Michael Fielding is a British comedian and actor. Born on 23 January 1982 in Westminster, London, he is the half-brother of comedian Noel Fielding. He is best known for playing Naboo the Enigma, the shaman character, in the surreal comedy series The Mighty Boosh (2003–2007), appearing in all three series and the associated live tours.
Fielding first joined the Mighty Boosh troupe through its early stage shows, including the 2000 Australian production Autoboosh. He has also appeared as Smooth and other characters in Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy (2012–2014) and as Benny Turpin in The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (2024). Additional credits include voice work as Terry in the animated film Merry Little Batman (2023).
