The Basil Brush Show

1 9 6 8 - 1 9 8 0 (UK)
152 x 30 minute episodes

Basil Brush (a mischievous upper-class fox) made his television debut in 1964 and became a regular guest on the David Nixon Magic Show from 1965, accompanied by Mr Rodney (Rodney Bewes from The Likely Lads) as his first straight man. Basil got his own show in 1968, now accompanied by Mr Derek (Derek Fowlds from Yes, Minister and Heartbeat) whose chunky sweaters and comparatively stern demeanour seemed to keep the Deerstalkered One in check to some degree.

Basil was also accompanied at different times by Mr Roy (Roy North), Mr Billy and Mr Howard. Derek managed to exert some control over Basil and on occasion even managed to read more than a page of the story (such as 'Buccaneering Basil' and 'Blast off Basil'). 

Basil's disrespect for authority appealed to kids, while innuendo and topical gags at the expense of British Rail, Margaret Thatcher and 'Mrs Lighthouse' (Mary Whitehouse) kept parents amused.

The song at the end of the story at the end of each show (with the same melody every time with different words) reunited Basil and the current Mr. after the inevitable fallings out each week caused by: Basil rustling the bag of jelly babies and offering one during a particularly exciting moment of the tale; Basil unwrapping a toffee noisily and then getting his jaws locked together by it; Basil's nose literally out of joint after getting it tweaked at the end of one more interruption; Basil going "Yes, yes, yes" every ten seconds and; the inevitable appearance of his toy dog that could do back flips. 

Basil's interruptions were probably the main reason for the short tenure of each of the successive Misters. The Roy North pairing was a mismatch from the start - Basil was in complete control by now and Roy (looking like a soppy black-haired Peter Noone) let him run riot. No guest was safe from insult during this period and we only ever got about two lines of the story per show. 

Mr Billy was no better (despite his excellent showing as Danny Taurus on EastEnders) . . . and the less said about Mr. Howard the better. 

Basil was the brainchild of Ivan Owen, who had previously been the man behind Yoo-Hoo the Cuckoo on Billy Bean and His Funny Machine and Fred Barker on shows like Tuesday Rendezvous. It was while doing the latter that Owen dreamed up the idea of a fox with a voice resembling Terry Thomas. Basil only cost £20 to make, and his programs have been sold all over the world, reputedly earning his creator over a million pounds.

Basil reappeared in schools program Let's Read... With Basil Brush (ITV, 1982-83) and Crackerjack (BBC), with his last TV engagement Basil's Joke Machine (ITV, 1986). A stroke in the late 1980s left Ivan Owen (the voice of Basil) listless and depressed, meaning retirement for the cheeky fox. 

Owen died in 2000 - having never once been photographed with his puppet friend, so preserving Basil's 'reality'. Boom Boom!

HISTORICAL NOTE
In 2002, a new BBC series, with a slick children's sitcom format, a new voice artist and a fatter, furrier new puppet, lost the spontaneity that had made a flea-ridden puppet seem so alive. Guest appearances on Blue Peter in early 2003 were more in keeping with the Basil of old.