‘Noel can usually spot a camera 500 yards away so it’s unusual to capture him unposed. And Rich Fulcher’s bellybutton was an essential part of his act – if it wasn’t out, the comedy wasn’t as good’

I met Noel Fielding at Croydon art college, then we lived together when we were at Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education, along with Nigel Coan who went on to do all the Boosh animation. Noel and Julian Barratt did an improv night at the Hen and Chickens, in the lead-up to writing their first Edinburgh fringe show. In 1998, they won best newcomer at the city and subsequently brought the Boosh to radio and TV.

The first series was on late on BBC Three. I played various characters including an Australian zookeeper called Joey Moose, a monster called Black Frost, and a fire and a naan bread as part of a running gag. I’d do all the choreography and dance routines. The reviews for the first series were pretty poor, so we assumed no one was watching, but we decided to take it on tour anyway. All the while, I’d been doing graphic design and a bit of photography. I ditched my job and joined the cast with Noel, Julian, Rich Fulcher and Noel’s little brother, Mike. We had been used to our little London and Edinburgh comedy bubbles. Suddenly, we were in these beautiful Victorian theatres and weird sports halls and community centres. It was a real mixture.