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Killeroo

Howardtraining Killeroo_Trailer Directed by  Paul King
Written by    Julian Barratt
                       Noel Fielding
Air Date         18 May, 2004

Series One Episodes:

  1. Killeroo
  2. Mutants
  3. Bollo
  4. Tundra
  5. Jungle
  6. Charlie
  7. Electro
  8. Hitcher

All episodes: 123


Killeroo is the first episode of Series One, originally broadcast on 18 May, 2004, on BBC Three. The episode is also notable as the first appearance in The Mighty Boosh canon of Naboo, the shaman, played by Michael Fielding. The episode was followed by Mutants. In a reference to this episode, Howard Moon's introduction to The Mighty Book Of Boosh describes him as a 'marsupugilist'- a marsupial being an animal with a pouch and a pugilist being an unarmed fighter.

Synopsis[]

Howard Moon is depressed about his inability to attract the head keeper of the Reptile House, Mrs Gideon. Meanwhile, Bob Fossil has organised a boxing match between Howard and a kangaroo. Howard unsurprisingly refuses to take part, but Fossil uses nude pictures of the zookeeper to blackmail him into fighting.

Seeing his friend in trouble, Vince Noir decides to help Howard train for the match by enlisting the help of his uncle, a boxing instructor (played by Rich Fulcher). Vince's uncle suggests Howard fights a weak opponent to build his confidence. Agreeing with his uncle, Vince allows Howard to face and defeat a small boy dressed as a kangaroo.

With his new found confidence, Howard asks Mrs Gideon to come to watch his fight. Meanwhile, Vince realises Howard still has no hope of defeating the animal, so he asks Naboo for his help. The shaman blows magic dust in Vince's face, which causes him to have a surreal dream that night. The imagery in the dream clearly suggests testicles, but Vince fails to spot this.

The fight itself is dominated by the kangaroo, whose name is revealed in its introduction as the Killeroo. Despite the beating he is given, Howard is resilient. Eventually though, the Killeroo dominates Howard to the point where he is about to eat Howard's face. Here, the testicle imagery reappears to Vince, and, with him still not understanding, a character from his dream appears and tells him to grab the kangaroo's "flaming balls".

Vince dives into the ring and grabs the animal's testicles, allowing Howard to hit it with an uppercut, and knock it to the ground. Howard is declared the winner just as Mrs Gideon arrives at the fight. In a parody of Rocky, Howard shouts Mrs Gideon's name repeatedly and uncontrollably. Mrs Gideon is looking impressed, until Howard rips his vest off to show a previously mentioned growth on his chest(which is never seen by the audience). The whole arena falls silent with everyone having disgusted reactions and Mrs Gideon rushes out retching, meaning that it wasn't appropriate for the viewers to see.

Minor characters featured[]

The Killeroo[]

The Killeroo is Howard's opponent in the boxing match. It weighs 380 pounds, has killed 212 people, disemboweled 147, and is wanted in 18 countries for eating a man's face. It is an aggressive and powerful fighter, and only defeated by Howard when Vince grabs its testicles.

Vince's Uncle[]

Vince's uncle owns a boxing gym with a number of surreal clients. He helps Vince to train Howard for the fight, but knows that Howard still has no hope. He yearns for a pocket cup, which Bob Fossil happened to invent. During the fight, Vince tells Howard that he is actually a French duke, and that the gym owner is not actually his uncle. He then shows Howard his real uncle, who also appears to be a French duke.

Jimmy the Reach[]

Jmmy the Reach (played by Ollie Ralfe) is a member of Vince's uncle's gym with extraordinarily long arms. He always gets his man. After victory against a small child boosts Howard's confidence, he makes the mistake of insulting Jimmy, and walking away. During the curtain dialogue at the end of the episode, Jimmy the reach gets his man and punches Howard.

Others[]

  • The Koi Carp - played by Noel Fielding, the digruntled Carp is interviewed regarding Howard Moon's weeping into the fish pond.
  • Mickey the Fist - Mickey the Fist is a member of Vince's uncle's gym. His face consists of 4 fists.
  • Vince's real uncle - Vince's actual uncle appears during the boxing match, and seems to be a French duke, like Vince.

Music featured[]

Original songs[]

  • "Freak" – Howard's mournful lament for the disfigurement on his chest.
  • "The Shaman" – performed by Naboo and another shaman during Vince's dream.

Published music[]

  • Dreadlock Holiday by 10CC – Bob Fossil performs a dance to this song in order to express his dislike of cricket to Howard.
  • "Requiem Mass in D minor" by Mozart – the opening part of the Dies Irae plays when Howard falls to the floor during the boxing match.

External links[]

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