Either Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt are having a mid-career crisis and can’t decide which direction they want to take their comedy or they’ve simply become lazy. Their latest show just left me thinking, “sure it’s theatre, but is it comedy?”.

So for the record I saw this tour at its smallest venue, the Harrogate Theatre, with damn good seats - sixth row centre for those that care - and the whole thing was just a farce, completely ridiculous. For starters the platform and the stairs took up most of the room on stage leaving it very hard to see the projections at the back of the stage so clearly you can tell they’re already thinking about playing to a larger audience than this. Then there’s the fact it didn’t feel too intimate despite the fact it was. This was due to a lack of actually addressing the members of the audience one-to-one as well as the main pitfall of the night; the fans.

Don’t get me wrong, I am very much a Mighty Boosh fan. I’ve liked them since series one was shown on BBC Three because they were funny. Ok so I’m not the oldest fan around but certainly not one of the newer ones who are only into them because “OMG Noel is so fitt!!!1!”

It seemed to me that the majority of people there were only there to see things they’ve seen on the telly, rather than any actual comedy as every time a new character was wheeled out there’d be rapturous applause despite the fact no one had done anything apart from step foot on stage. I mean when I think of the Mighty Boosh I think of well told, surreal stories with slightly shambolic props firstly and then the unique, slightly bizarre characters second and so consequently this is what I was expecting to see yet it was so far from what I got.

The first half is a disjointed mess of a variety show with characters from the first two series (please note: not the the third, either because it was a bit crap or because they introduced no decent new characters) trundled out one after another to do set pieces. And let’s not forget the old jokes, also trundled out one after another like Bob Fossil’s ridiculous dancing and Howard’s inner monologues that Vince can hear.

I’m in two minds about the second half. I enjoyed it more than the first half because there was a story in the form of a play wot Howard had wrote so it was more like what I had come to expect of them but it was performed in pretty much next to nothing so that the fangirls could fawn over them cos ohmigosh it’s so sexy!!1! I can see their underwear and everything!1!!

Also, the ending really irked me simply because it seemed uncalled for and getting people to stand up and be uncomfortable seems unnecessary just so that they can pretend to be rock stars, especially considering that’s exactly what they’re not. Comedy may be the new rock and roll but that’s no reason for any comedian to start a rock and roll band. I’m well aware that music is a part of the Mighty Boosh but by tagging on a few songs performed with a full band at the end it makes you wonder if they know what they’re doing. If they hadn’t have done that it’d have had the perfect ending in my opinion but now I can’t help but wonder what it is they’re trying to achieve as the combination of variety, character comedy, comedy plays and music they performed did not work at all.

In my eyes they just seem to be pandering to what they think the fans want to see much like The Wildhearts did, however, when it came down to it the Wildhearts fans said they’d be happy to see them play whatever. I’m sure there’s a moral in there for Noel and Julian somewhere and maybe it’s to stop being lazy and write some jokes, rather than relying on old ones for quick laughs. Either that or make sure you know what your fans want by asking them first because this fan and many others it seems are less than impressed.

As a footnote I’d quite like to address some points that seem to have been made on their forum towards people who have openly said to not liking the new show. The first one is that they, “don’t ‘get it,’” which couldn’t be further from the truth for me considering how I’ve liked it some four years now. I’m pretty sure that means I ‘get it’. Secondly, apparently it grows on you. Erm, excuse me but I shouldn’t have to see a show, which costs £25 a pop, several times just so that I can enjoy it. I should be able to enjoy it the first and only time I go to see it.

Series three was a bit shit but I only thought it fair to give them another chance - I’m not entirely sure I made the right decision.