Noel Fielding feels like he’s part of ‘British culture’

Noel Fielding feels like he’s part of “British culture”.

The stand-up comic turned TV presenter is about to start co-hosting ‘The Great British Bake Off’ this week for his eighth time after he started helping front the show in 2017, and has said it is now deeply ingrained into the UK consciousness.

He told The Guardian about moving from his surreal TV comedy shows to the family series: “When (‘The Mighty Boosh’) ended, because it had been a cult hit, I wanted to make something more avant-garde to satisfy my art school side. “So I did ‘Luxury Comedy’ (on Channel 4.) After that, I didn’t know what to do with myself, then ‘Bake Off’ came along.

“It was a huge curveball for me. I love that it’s old-fashioned TV. Millions watch it weekly. It feels like being part of British culture.”

He added about ‘The Mighty Boosh’, the sketch show he created with Julian Barratt, 56, in the late-1990s marking its 20th anniversary this year: “Oh wow. Me and Julian were proud of everything the ‘Boosh’ did.

“We probably should have made a film. People wanted more and that would’ve been a nice way to finish.

“Julian’s the funniest person I’ve ever worked with.”

He added when asked if he and Julian would ever reform: “What we had together was so special.

“Comedy double acts are such rare beasts, like unicorns. I’ll probably never meet anyone like that again but I loved it while it lasted.

“We stopped at the right time, before the quality dipped.

“As much as I’d love to get back together, I wouldn’t want to do something that wasn’t as good.”

Noel also described his ‘Bake Off’ co-hosts as feeling like a new family after his “feral” upbringing in south London.

He said about the judges on the show: “Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood are mum and dad.

“I’m the cat. Paul would say I’m the teenage son who is secretly a vampire.”