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

  • (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 crap ,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