Basil Brush in 'racist' gag row

Mon Mar 17 10:58AM by TV Editor

Basil Brush

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Basil Brush is being investigated after a complaint was made about an alleged racist joke in the puppet's BBC series.

A complaint was received by the police following a recent screening of an old episode that features the fox telling jokes about gypsies, reports Metro.

The episode, which was originally shown six years ago, features a sketch where a gypsy woman tries to sell Basil some wooden pegs.

A police spokesperson said: "We can confirm we have received a complaint about a TV show featuring Basil Brush from a member of the public in February. The complaint was logged as an incident of a racist nature."

Joseph Jones, a spokesperson for the Romany, Gipsy and Irish Traveller Network, said: "Racist abuse of black people is quite rightly no longer deemed acceptable, but when a comedian makes a joke on TV about pikeys or gypos, there's no comeback."

Did you see the offending episode? Do you think Basil should be banished from our screens?

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User comments

  • (101)

    I wasn't aware that gypsies are a race, I'm sure there are British gypsies, just the same as there are Romanian gypsies...

    Posted by: matthew_jones_esq on Mon Mar 17 01:30PM | Report abuse
  • (102)

    BOOM BOOM!

    Posted by: eric.taylor3 on Mon Mar 17 01:30PM | Report abuse
  • (103)

    He is just like Blair and Brown just a puppet - It's A Puppet!

    Posted by: sturgis on Mon Mar 17 01:30PM | Report abuse
  • (104)

    no he should not be banished joseph jones comment is right racism only works one way

    Posted by: nolanmargaret57 on Mon Mar 17 01:30PM | Report abuse
  • (105)

    only the white english suffer open racism!

    Posted by: mark.m.worthington on Mon Mar 17 01:30PM | Report abuse
  • (106)

    What a load of rubbish. Basil Brush is a long standing television character and the things said on the show are less offensive than many I can think of, and what about the racist jokes about the white, British (what feels like) minority?

    Posted by: fwharton on Mon Mar 17 01:30PM | Report abuse
  • (107)

    show him a yellow card.. steve mackey.. Dublin

    Posted by: stevemackeyhh on Mon Mar 17 01:30PM | Report abuse
  • (108)

    keep basil brush hes an icon police should fine these people who do nothing but complain about everything! for wasting police time

    Posted by: jenifergilchrist on Mon Mar 17 01:30PM | Report abuse
  • (109)

    No i dont think he should childrens tv whould not be the same. Rachel from Cheshire

    Posted by: philip_rachel47 on Mon Mar 17 01:30PM | Report abuse
  • (110)

    99woip_address

    Posted by: sam_a_dixon on Mon Mar 17 01:31PM | Report abuse