Fielding's early confidence...

Noel Fielding was so convinced he’d have a successful career in comedy, that is he introduced himself at art school.

The comic began writing sketches when he was about 13, having watched Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie on TV.

And he tells The Times today: ‘On my first day at Croydon Art College, I confidently introduced myself to everyone by saying: "Hi, I’m Noel, I’m going to be a famous comedian."’

He recalls his first gig in Cambridge going well as there was a crash on the motorway, which meant a lot of comedians didn’t turn up and he ended up doing 15 minutes rather than five. ‘I somehow caught a miracle energy and it went really well,’ he said in his Q&A to promote the return of the Great British Bake-Off.

But he also recalled a couple of bad gigs. ‘A much lower point was getting a bottle thrown at me during a Welsh ball in Aberystwyth,’ he recalled. ‘I completely died on my arse and then Keith Harris and Orville came on and smashed it.’

Published: 16 Sep 2026