Julian Barratt Pettifer (born 4 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor, and musician. As a comedian and comic actor, he is known for his use of surreal humour and black comedy. During the 2000s he was part of the Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside his comedy partner Noel Fielding.
Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Barratt attended the University of Reading and first performed stand up comedy while at university. In 1997 he first met Mighty Boosh collaborator Noel Fielding when he attended one of Barratt's solo stand-up gig's at the Hellfire comedy club. Sometime around 1998 they then performed their first comedy show together in London radio show on BBC London Live, called The Boosh later transferring to BBC Radio 4. where he grew up.
As a teen, Barratt played in a band, Barratt adopted his middle name as his surname to distinguish himself from reporter Julian Pettifer.
thumb|right|220px|The cast of the Mighty Boosh at comic-con; from left to right Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher and Dave Brown. 2009
thumb|right|Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt as Vince Noir and Howard Moon in the stageshow [[The Mighty Boosh (2006 stage show)|The Mighty Boosh Live at the Brighton Dome. February 2006]]
thumb|right|A performance of the stageshow [[The Mighty Boosh (2006 stage show)|The Mighty Boosh Live at the Brighton Dome. From left to right; Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt, Dave Brown. February 2006]]
Career
Stand Up
On his beginnings in stand up Barratt has commented that "I was never like Noel [Fielding] or Lee Mack, who are just funny all the time. No one ever said to me, you should be a comedian mate. But I watched a lot of stand-up at uni – people like Mark Lamarr, Sean Hughes, Eddie Izzard, just standing on a stage doing these phenomenal routines. And I could see how you could do it. So I started doing it myself, and I was so shocked when it worked. I remember one time I completely forgot what I was about to say, and I just ran out of the venue." After Fielding entered The Daily Telegraph open mic award and attended the final at the Edinburgh comedy festival he was signed to Avalon talent agency and through Avalon began performing on the same comedy bills as Barratt. Whilst Barratt and Fielding were on The Jonathan Ross Show, Ross asked them "And did you perform as solo acts ever, did you do like stand up..." with Barratt responding "yeah, yeah, that's how we sort of met really on the circuit, doing stand up, yeah.", with Ross responding "But, but was it similar to the Boosh stuff, 'cos the Boosh stuff it seems to be so much of a partnership I can't imagine it being taken apart and being served up separately.", with Barratt responding that "We were both doing quite surreal stuff, eh...", with Fielding adding "It was quite weird wasn't it, alot weirder than the show in a way...", with Barratt continuing "...but we sort of, when we first met we kind of liked each others comedy but we didn't know that it would work, we didn't know whether it was gonna cancel each other out and make....", with Fielding responding "Yeah, too weird to make sort of, straight...", with Barratt continuing "...might just become geography or something else or... this sort of thing, but it worked for some reason...", with Fielding adding "We had quite a good chemistry straight away."
On the day they met they both went back to Julian's place that night where Barratt played music on his Akai sampler whilst Fielding used a ping-pong ball to make an eye patch.
In 2001 The Mighty Boosh became a six-part In 2006 Fielding and Barratt went on tour with a new theatre show The Mighty Boosh Live. Fielding has commented in relation to touring that "The touring lifestyle is quite hard... ...In The Boosh tour we did a 100 day tour and we had one day off a week to travel and we were playing arenas and we partied every single night and we got up for sound check at six o'clock. So we were like Dracula. I was like Dracula. So I'd wake up at six, do a sound check, wake up, do the show, go to a party, stay up till five in the morning, sleep all day, every day for a hundred... ." and he also commented in 2013 that "I would love to do a Boosh film I really would. I hope we do cos I feel like that's what we started out wanting to do. We really wanted to do a film, really,... ...we wanted to do a film, and then we thought alright we'll do a live show. We didn't really know how to do a live show we thought we'd just learn, and then we sort of... ...we did a radio show, we did a TV show, we never quite got around to doing a film..." and in 2014 it was commented that "The pair have written two film scripts in the past, though neither made it to production. One was a "Rocky Horror Picture Show type thing," according to Fielding, in which Barratt played a character who has woken up believing himself to be the last man on earth. The other was an Arctic adventure – 'because we always liked the Arctic'."
Fielding formed "Secret Peter Productions" with Nigel Coan who, along with Fielding and Zorn, helped to animate series 1 and 2 of the Mighty Boosh TV show, An evening with Noel Fielding and Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy. Dave Brown also contributed to graphics for the Mighty Boosh including the DVD cover art for the Mighty Boosh Live 2006 stage show.
The Mighty Boosh "... almost didn't make it to television. Around 2000, Barratt and Fielding disappeared into development hell. They had done a sketch show for Radio 4, but no one was sure how to translate their act on to TV. That's until Steve Coogan, who had seen them in Edinburgh in 1999 when they were performing as Arctic Boosh, moved things along. His production company... ...sold the concept to the BBC simply by saying: 'If we were young, we'd want to be them.'" From August 2008 to January 2009 they went on tour for a second time with a new stage show of the Mighty Boosh. He appeared as The Padre in the spoof horror series Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. He also starred in (and was a writer for) the 1998 sketch show Unnatural Acts, alongside Fielding. Before this, Barratt was one half of an experimental comedy duo called "The Pod" with friend Tim Hope, in which they billed themselves as a "Cyberdance Collective". During this time he also appeared in the 2001 film Lucky Break.
Barratt made his directing début for Warp Films with theatre director Dan Jemmett. Curtains is set in a Norfolk seaside town. It is a dark comedy about a Punch and Judy man. In 2012, Barratt directed his first music video, for the song "All of Me" by Tanlines. He can be heard as the voiceover on many adverts, such as More Th>n Car, House and Pet insurance, and the Directgov advert. He appeared in the music video for Mint Royale's "Blue Song", alongside Noel Fielding, Nick Frost, and Michael Smiley. In 2010, Barratt took part in Sky Comedy's Little Crackers. He wrote and directed a 15-minute film based on his teen band, Satan's Hoof. On 12 March 2011, he made a brief appearance as Heathcliff in Noel Fielding's "Wuthering Heights" dance on the Let's Dance for Comic Relief finale. He also narrated the 2011 documentary Seven Dwarves.
In 2012, Barratt appeared in the miniseries Treasure Island on Sky1, as well as narrating the BBC Two documentary The Tube. He also had a part as an art teacher in the BBC drama White Heat. In 2013, he appeared in the fifth series of Being Human, playing a werewolf named Larry Chrysler. He also narrated the BBC Two documentaries The Route Masters: Running London's Roads and The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway. In April 2014, he collaborated with Julia Davis and Joe Frank on Frank's radio show "Isolation," which was broadcast as part of KCRW's UnFictional series.
In April 2016, he starred as Maurice Flowers, a children's author battling depression, in the Channel 4 series, Flowers, a 6 part dark comedy mini series which follows the eccentric and dysfunctional members of the Flowers family. He reprised the role for the second series in 2018.
He plays the title character in the film Mindhorn, which he co-wrote with Simon Farnaby. It was released through Netflix on 12 May 2017.
In 2019, Barratt appeared in the Killing Eve episode "Nice and Neat" as a sinister man (also named Julian) who helps an injured Villanelle before attempting to trap her in his home. That same year, he voiced Mr. Swan in an advert for Sipsmith gin.
In 2024, Barratt appeared in series 2 of Extraordinary as a special powers counsellor. The lead character had a crush on him and they shared a kiss after having described him as a DILF to her friend Carrie. He also appeared in the miniseries Knuckles as Jack Sinclair.
Since late 2024, Barratt provides voiceovers for Absolute Radio.
Stage
From 3 June to 9 July 2011, Barratt played the Mayor in a production of Nikolai Gogol's classic comedy The Government Inspector at the Young Vic Theatre. In October 2012, he returned to the stage in Lucy Kirkwood's play NSFW at the Royal Court.
Music
thumb|right|220px|Julian Barratt as Howard Moon sending the audience into "...a jazz trance." at the Mighty Boosh Live stage show. Brighton Dome. February 2006
Barratt has commented that "At 16 I was into jazz fusion. Not even jazz, just jazz fusion. Rock instruments played like jazz. Really not fashionable in any way. People like Weather Report, Jack Pastorius. My dad was bang into it, so I thought it was normal. Until I played some to my mates. Then when I saw their reaction, it became my dirty secret. I could play guitar pretty well. Or pretty fast anyway. Me and my mate had duels, trying to outspeed each other to become the fastest guitarist in Yorkshire. That was all that mattered to me... ...I got into heavy metal because you could legitimately play solos. Van Halen was a big influence... ..And I played a lot of long, fast guitar solos."
In the early 1990s Barratt was in a band called Groove Solution with Dave Westlake. He has also played bass with Chris Corner in IAMX, and played guitar for Little Chief during their European tour.
Personal life
Barratt is in a relationship with comedian and collaborator Julia Davis. The couple have twin sons, born in 2007. In 2010, they performed together in a production of Chekhov's The Bear for Sky Arts 2 and in Sally4Ever, which Davis also wrote and directed. Barratt is known to be shy, quiet, and self-deprecating. Unlike his comedy partner Noel Fielding, he prefers not to appear on comedy quiz shows or make similar public appearances, stating that he would rather "stay at home with a good book".
Filmography
Film
{| class = "wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2000
| Sweet
| Stitch
|
|-
| 2001
| Lucky Break
| Paul Dean
|
|-
| 2002
| Surrealisimo: The Trial of Salvador Dalí
| Rosey
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|2003
| How to Tell when a Relationship is Over
| Him
|
|-
| The Reckoning
| Gravedigger
|
|-
| The Principles of Lust
| Phillip
|
|-
| 2008
| Curtains
|
| Short film; writer, director
|-
| 2009
| Bunny and the Bull
| Atilla
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2013
| The Harry Hill Movie
| Conch
|
|-
| A Field in England
| Commander Trower
|
|-
| 2014
| ABCs of Death 2
| Peter Toland
| Segment "B is for Badger"; also writer, director
|-
| 2015
| Aaaaaaaah!
| Jupiter
|
|-
| 2016
| Brakes
| Ray
|
|-
| 2017
| Mindhorn
| Richard Thorncroft / Mindhorn
| Co-writer
|-
| 2018
| In Fabric
| Stash
|
|-
| 2021
| The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
| Dr. Elphik
|
|-
| 2022
| Rogue Agent
| Phil
|
|}
Television
{| class = "wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1996
| Asylum
| Victor / Julian
| 6 episodes; also writer
|-
| 1998
| Unnatural Acts
| Various
| 6 episodes; also writer and composer
|-
| rowspan="2"|2004
| Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
| The Padre
| 3 episodes
|-
| AD/BC: A Rock Opera
| Tony Iscariot
| Television special
|-
| 20042007
| The Mighty Boosh
| Howard Moon / Various
| 20 episodes; also co-creator, composer and writer
|-
| 2005
| Nathan Barley
| Dan Ashcroft
| 6 episodes
|-
| 2009
| How Not to Live Your Life
| Jackson
| Episode "Don the Singer"
|-
| rowspan="2"|2010
| Little Crackers
| Himself
| Episode: "Satan's Hoof"; also writer, director
|-
| Comedy Shorts
| Smirnoff
| Episode: "The Bear"
|-
| rowspan="3"|2012
| White Heat
| Derek Bowden
| 2 episodes
|-
| Treasure Island
| Thomas Redruth
| Miniseries
|-
| Being Human
| Larry Chrysler
| Episode: "Pie and Prejudice"
|-
| 2013
| NTSF:SD:SUV::
| Lockheed
| Episode: "U-KO'ed"
|-
| 2015
| Prison Night
| Narrator
|
|-
| 2016
| Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge
| Blackbird Goodbrooke
| Episode: "Blackbird + Gangster"
|-
| 2016–2018
| Flowers
| Maurice
| 12 episodes
|-
| 2018
| Sally4Ever
| Nigel
| 7 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3"|2019
| Killing Eve
| Julian
| Episode: "Nice and Neat"
|-
| Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart
| Rufus (voice)
| Episode: "Outfoxed"
|-
| Moominvalley
| Mr. Brisk (voice)
| Episode: "Moomin's Winter Follies"
|-
| 2020
| Truth Seekers
| Dr. Peter Toynbee
| 5 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|2021
| Ultra City Smiths
| The Most Dangerous Man in the World (voice)
| 6 episodes
|-
| Summer Camp Island
| Poppa Woppa McCallister (voice)
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2021–2022
| Bloods
| Lawrence
| 16 episodes
|-
| 2021–2023
| The Great
| Dr. Vinodel
| 9 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|2022
| The Witchfinder
| Dennis
| 1 episode
|-
| Dodger
| M
| 1 episode
|-
| 2023
| The Following Events Are Based on a Pack of Lies
| Benjy Dhillon
| 5 episodes
|-
| 2023
| Bob's Burgers
| Ian
| Episode: "The (Raccoon) King and I"
|-
| rowspan="2"|2024
| Knuckles
| Jack Sinclair
| 2 episodes
|-
| Extraordinary
| George
| 6 episodes
|-
| 2024
| Super Happy Magic Forest
| Hoofius
| 1 season
|-
| 2025
| We Baby Bears
| Monkey
| 1 episode
|}
Stage
{| class = "wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1998
| The Mighty Boosh
| Howard Moon / Various
| Edinburgh Fringe Festival
|-
| 1999
| Arctic Boosh
| Howard Moon / Various
| Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival
|-
| 2000
| Autoboosh
| Howard Moon / Various
| Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival
|-
| 2006
| The Mighty Boosh
| Howard Moon / Various
| Tour; 55 shows
|-
| 2008–2009
| The Mighty Boosh Live: Future Sailors Tour
| Howard Moon / Various
| Tour; 91 shows
|-
| 2011
| The Government Inspector
| The Mayor
| Young Vic Theatre
|-
| 2012
| NSFW
| Aidan
| Royal Court
|}
Awards
- 2022 The Great nominated Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Comedy Series 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
- 2019 Killing Eve nominated Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series Online Film and Television Awards, Killing Eve 2018.
- 2016 Mindhorn nominated Best Debut Screenwriter British Independent Film Awards 2016.
- 2014 ABCs of Death 2 nominated Audience Choice Award Chicago International Film Festival.
- 2010 The Mighty Boosh won Best Live Show with Future Sailors at the Shockwaves NME Awards 2010.
- 2009 The Mighty Boosh won Best TV Show at the Shockwaves NME Awards 2009
- 2008 The Mighty Boosh won Best TV Show at the Shockwaves NME Awards 2008.
- 2007 The Mighty Boosh won Best TV Show at the Shockwaves NME Awards 2007.
- 2001 The Boosh, first on London Live, then on Radio 4.
- 2000 Arctic Boosh won the Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
- 1999 Perrier nominee with Noel Fielding as Arctic Boosh
- 1998 Perrier Best Newcomer winner with Noel Fielding as the double act The Mighty Boosh
- 1995 Won BBC New Comedy Award
- 1995 Won Open Mic Award, Edinburgh
References
External links
- PBJ Artist Page
- The Guardian interviews Julian Barratt