Ignorant of the show’s original stage and radio incarnations, it was by sheer chance that I stumbled across the first episode of The Mighty Boosh in 2004. It featured a boxing match between a human and a deadly kangaroo, “Santana tracksuits” (a psychedelic dream sequence accompanied by the sound of the didgeridoo) and a man demonstrating his dislike of cricket via the medium of dance. In print it sounds painfully studenty but I found it hilarious – although I assumed it would gain only a cult following at best.

By 2006, however, the stars of the show, Noel Fielding (who plays Vince Noir, an excitable, style-obsessed “indie” youth) and Julian Barratt (who plays Howard Moon, a character with a large elbow-patch collection who fancies himself as a philosopher), had embarked on a major UK tour. The first episode of the third series in 2007 – set in a shop run by Naboo, the shaman best friend of Vince and Howard – attracted 1m viewers. Alongside the success of New Zealand comedy folk duo Flight of the Conchords, such popularity might suggest that comedy is the new rock ’n’ roll – or is at least becoming indistinguishable from it.