Noel Fielding

Noel Fielding, born on 21 May 1973, is an English comedian, actor, writer, television personality, and visual artist known for his surreal comedic style. He first gained national prominence in the late 1990s as a co-creator and member of the comedy troupe The Mighty Boosh alongside Julian Barratt. Over his career, Fielding has established himself through television comedy, stand-up tours, hosting positions, and international art exhibitions.

Fielding was born in the Westminster area of London to Ray Fielding, a Royal Mail manager, and Yvonne Fagan, growing up in Mitcham, Southwest London. After his parents separated and his father remarried when Fielding was three, he was primarily raised by his paternal grandmother, with his father and stepmother later playing an active parenting role. He attended Croydon Art College before studying graphic design and advertising at the Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education, where he shared a flat with future collaborators Dave Brown and Nigel Coan and graduated in 1995.

After graduating in 1995, Fielding began performing stand-up comedy. In 1997, he met Julian Barratt at a London comedy venue, and the duo soon began writing and performing together as The Mighty Boosh. They brought stage shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, including their debut show in 1998, Arctic Boosh in 1999, and Autoboosh in 2000. Their work expanded into a six-part BBC radio series in 2001, which transferred to BBC Radio 4.

In 2004, The Mighty Boosh was adapted into a television series on BBC Three, running for three series and 20 episodes through 2007. Featuring fantastical storytelling, animation, and original music, the series developed a cult following. Fielding co-animated and designed characters for the show alongside Nigel Coan and Ivana Zorn through their production venture Secret Peter Productions. The troupe's stage and broadcast projects received notable recognition, including the Perrier Award, the Barry Award in Melbourne, a Douglas Adams Award, and three Shockwaves NME Best TV Awards.

Parallel to his work with The Mighty Boosh, Fielding played Richmond in the sitcom The IT Crowd between 2006 and 2013. He also wrote and starred in his own sketch and animation series, Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy, which aired on Channel 4's E4 network from 2012 to 2014. In 2017, Fielding joined Channel 4's baking competition series The Great British Bake Off as a co-presenter. In 2024, he starred as Dick Turpin in the Apple TV+ comedy series The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin.

Fielding has appeared regularly on UK panel and entertainment shows. He served as a guest team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2007 before becoming a regular team captain from 2009 to 2015 and again from 2021 to 2025. In 2017, he competed in and won the fourth series of the panel game Taskmaster. Outside television and stand-up comedy, Fielding has exhibited his artwork internationally and performed music as a member of the band Loose Tapestries.