Top 10 Noel Fielding Moments

Noel has featured a few times on American TV, with halo slots on the likes of Conan and Jimmy Fallon. And while on Jimmy’s show, he decided to pay up on a coin flip bet - with the sum of $10. But, for Noel, a conventional $10 bill is a bit dull, so he called upon his artistic skills and painted Jimmy his very own, bespoke note. Weird thing is - Trump wasn't even President at the time. Spooky.

Gothic characters are Fielding's bread and butter; case in point, Richmond from “The IT Crowd”. In this episode, we are first introduced to the posh goth who is secluded behind the IT department’s mysterious red door, instructed to look over the servers and their blinky lights. Emotionally-damaged, Fielding plays the doom and gloom character brilliantly, with a floaty voice that was apparently inspired by Pink Floyd's Roger Waters.

Who needs Hollywood Blockbusters when you’ve got B movie beauties like this? Forming part of the intentionally rubbish Channel 4 show, “Garth Marenghi's Darkplace”, a strange sequence of events leads protagonist Dr. Rick Dagless to chase an ape, played by Fielding, on a motorbike. And Fielding seems strangely at home as the deranged animal. His muttered gibberish, the cack outfit, the green screen, the assault course - it’s utter nonsense at its best.

What do you get if you mix insidious Jazz with a slightly perverse evil voodoo spirit? Well... Hoping to exchange musical prowess for Howard’s soul, The Spirit of Jazz slunks towards him at a bar, sporting a white suit and a fiery top hat. His hoarse voice and the eerie soundtrack, actually make this encounter quite terrifying. But Fielding’s hilarious portrayal offsets the creepiness perfectly. And we tip our hats - sorry stomp our hats - to that genius ending.

This show is all about Richard Ayoade flitting around different countries with a celebrity guest and an array of nifty gadgets. Cue Noel Fielding and a trip to Copenhagen. There are various dry, silly and hilarious moments, but their visit to the Carlsberg Brewery gets our vote. After sampling the aromas at the smelling station, with Fielding critiquing their unusual scents, they take on the taste test. Sarcasm flies, beers are demeaned and the two bounce off each other like nobody's business.

They say it can be dangerous to pick up hitchhikers. Well, if this scene is anything to go by, we're inclined to agree with that. Spotting The Hitcher at the side of the road, Julian Barratt’s Howard decides to give him a lift. Attempting small talk, he asks him about his giant thumb - and what follows is a monologue of monstrous proportions. The tension builds, the cockney accent broadens - and then suddenly - it’s a all quiet again. Erm *cough*.

Noel and Russell Brand have hijacked “The Big Fat Quiz of the Year” several times, but their first outing in 2006 set the tone for future appearances, with general bohemian disruption. Noel’s finest moment in this episode went on to inspire the duo’s shenanigans on later shows, after he coined the team name “Goth Detectives”, following a brief joke from Jonathan Ross. Give Noel inspiration and a platform to perform, and watch him go. We agree with Jimmy, we’d watch it too.

It’s a well-known fact that Fielding doesn't like conventional jokes - and his brand of humour can be difficult to pin down. However, in this episode of “Buzcocks”, host Simon Amstell has had enough, calling out Noel and his use of “funny words”. We then get to watch the two try to outdo each other in a game of randomness. And we’ve got to hand it to Amstell, he does pretty well. But Noel’s final retort is brilliant.

Ah yes, Old Greg, the scaly man fish, a thing of legend. Whilst fishing on Black Lake, Howard inadvertently captures the merman and has a rather awkward encounter with him on his boat. Half man, half fish, a bit promiscuous and certainly a bit menacing, Greg grills Howard on why he is fishing in his waters. He also shows Howard his, er. A pink tutu, red lipstick and seaweed for hair, he’s a classic Mighty Boosh creation.

We finish with a cool song, groovy music video and the inspiration for the film “Baby Driver”. Directed by Edgar Wright, the video sees Fielding as a getaway driver for Julian Barratt, Nick Frost and Michael Smiley. Waiting for his crew to rob a bank, he jams to Mint Royale’s “Blue Song”. Trying to stay covert but unable to resist the urge to elaborately mime and mosh, it’s two minutes and 54 seconds of textbook Fielding (and Wright).