Basil Brush in 'racist' gag row

Mon Mar 17 10:58AM by TV Editor

Basil Brush

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

  • (1951)

    ZW

    Posted by: hayward857 on Tue Mar 18 04:46PM | Report abuse
  • (1952)

    sad sad person. the person has NO LIFE if he takes affence by a stuffed fox telling a joke

    Posted by: hayward857 on Tue Mar 18 04:47PM | Report abuse
  • (1953)

    Did Greg Dyke have a hand in it?

    Posted by: jahgc on Tue Mar 18 04:54PM | Report abuse
  • (1954)

    keep basil

    Posted by: gavin.davies11 on Tue Mar 18 05:17PM | Report abuse
  • (1955)

    It's about time that people got a grip of reality, I have never heard anything so daft but nothing suprises me will they lock the puppet up or shall we have community service!!!!!!!

    Posted by: andrewtompkins on Tue Mar 18 05:20PM | Report abuse
  • (1956)

    basil brush should be recyeld into a coat and scarf he, nobody has the right to make fun of any way of life ,good on the travelling community for standing up to this sort of @#$% ,basil brush should be swept off our screens .even if it was six years or sixty years ago , ignorance is always ignorance .

    Posted by: alex.white87 on Tue Mar 18 05:20PM | Report abuse
  • (1957)

    they should get a life

    Posted by: har_hen on Tue Mar 18 05:21PM | Report abuse
  • (1958)

    Who ever came up with the word "Racist " is a joke, this political society that we live in is becoming a joke what happended to freedom of speach - Get a life

    Posted by: tg44 on Tue Mar 18 05:41PM | Report abuse
  • (1959)

    It'll be gingers next!!!!!!!!!!

    Posted by: aliappleton563 on Tue Mar 18 05:42PM | Report abuse
  • (1960)

    What the hell, this is so stupid. Its just a joke. Not even that many kids know what a pikey is. And what are grown men doing watching basil brush anyway?

    Posted by: ashley.mulcahy on Tue Mar 18 05:55PM | Report abuse