This is from yesterday's Mighty Boosh event at the ICA in London, which I was delighted to be asked to host. (There's a whole set of photos here, taken by a Boosh fan from the forums called "Momus", who's such a fan, clearly he/she had no interest in getting me in the frame!) It was tied in to the release of Series 3 on DVD. Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt, Michael Fielding (aka Naboo and Noel's brother, he's the one in the hat with the beard) and Dave Brown (the man inside the Bollo suit) spent about three hours at HMV in Oxford Street doing a signing. The idea for the ICA event was to show two episodes from the series on a big screen in Cinema 1 (Eels and Punk, for the record), followed by a Q&A. It being half-term, they felt confident enough to hold the event at 3pm, although I was surprised how many of the 180-odd audience were old enough to have jobs! (In my opening address, I actually quoted Des Lynam's famous line from the 1998 World Cup before the England-Tunisia game, which kicked off at 2pm: "Shouldn't you be at work?") I divided the audience up into "Young" and "Old" asking for a show of hands - always good to do a bit of panto at these things, I find - based on their reaction to the new ads for Skins on Channel 4. If you see the writhing bodies and think, "Hmmm, I must watch that," you are Young. If you see it and think, "Yeah, wait until you've got a mortage," you are officially Old. (A lot more hands went up for Old when I had explained my criterian.)

Inevitably, the Boosh were late getting away from the screaming hordes at HMV and hadn't arrived at the prescribed 4pm, so I had to go back out in front of the audience in Cinema 1 and urge them to be patient. We showed another episode, Crimp. (When the lady from the ICA asked me to go back out and explain what was going on to the audience, she actually used this phrase: "Can you go out and talk some more shit?" I took this as a compliment.) I have met Noel before, albeit briefly, and in HMV two Christmases ago, when Lee Mack introduced us. I knew then, and I was right, that he is a very sweet individual, and incredibly relaxing to be around. It was great to meet the whole gang. Apart from the genial Dave Brown, whom we don't normally see outside of his gorilla suit, I felt as if I knew them already, which is presumably how the other fans feel. (I am a fan, and I don't mind anyone knowing it. When you host this type of event, it's pointless to try and maintain any kind of intellectual distance. They want to know that you love the people they love. I explained to the audience that I was a latecomer and that the Boosh didn't actually come into my life until May 2006, when I gorged on the DVDs, and I hope they appreciated my honesty. At one point, I accidentally said the name "Balloo" instead of "Bollo". It was a slip of the tongue, but the reaction was a massed "Ohhhhhhh!" as if I had blasphemed. That's how sacred the Boosh are.)

We eventually got the stars of the show onto the stage at about 4.45 and the crowd acted accordingly. Having conducted a number of Q&As at Bafta screenings and the NFT with proper filmmakers like Michael Moore and Terry Gilliam and Ridley Scott, it was nice not to have to get too formal. In fact, aside from my role as the man who decided which audience member with their hand up got to ask to next question, I was just the bloke on the end of the stage with a rolled-up sheet of paper in his hand. It's difficult to keep order when you have four mates who are also creative people, and even harder when ... Bob Fossil arrives! And milks it! Rich Fulcher came late and unbilled and was suitably uncompromising and quick-witted. He certainly wins the prize for making the other members of the Boosh laugh the most. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Julian took the questions most seriously, but was soon shouted down by the others.

Anyway, we wrapped up at about 5.30, I think, and retired to the green room, accompanied by half the audience. The Boosh are like that. They are appreciative of their audience, just like a rock band ought to be, and their fans repay them with rock-style loyalty. The Boosh play Wembley later in the year. Of course they do. It was enjoyable for me to breathe their air if not as an equal, certainly as a contemporary, and they let me see which free DVDs they'd stuffed into bags after the HMV signing: Naboo had the entire Laurel & Hardy box set; Julian had a couple of Robert Altmans, The Twilight Zone and The Clangers ("for the kids", he said, who I think aren't yet one year old, so we'll take that with a pinch of salt); I didn't see in Noel's bag. And yes, that was a cape he was wearing. He lives it. And I talk shit for a living.

STOP PRESS! Just found a decent pic on the Boosh Forum (you have to join to read them though) which actually has me in it, looking almost authoritative, so for the record, I'm posting it. It was taken by "SpaceKat".