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

  • (61)

    IT JUST GOES TO SHOW WHY IM A BRIT LIVING IN AUSTRIA, IM SORRY BUT PC HAS GONE TOO FAR, WHY DONT YOU BAN THE MOVIE WITH JOHHNY DEP IN WHICH HE PLAYS A THIEVING MURDERING "PIKEY?" OR DOES THAT TAKE MORE GUTS THAN A FUZZY PUPPET?

    Posted by: eric.taylor3 on Mon Mar 17 01:27PM | Report abuse
  • (62)

    this is another example of political correctness gone mad.. its okay for them to take the mike out of them selves (sorry about the pun).. time this PC was knocked on the head.. its madness..

    Posted by: stephen.buxton on Mon Mar 17 01:27PM | Report abuse
  • (63)

    Political correctness gone mad as usual. Basil gives more to society than any Gipsy so give him a break.

    Posted by: richard.ham on Mon Mar 17 01:27PM | Report abuse
  • (64)

    Who's pulling the strings????

    Posted by: james.buchanan6 on Mon Mar 17 01:27PM | Report abuse
  • (65)

    The puppet should be banned. But not for his opinions on Gypsies, just cos he's @#$%.

    Posted by: aligconnor on Mon Mar 17 01:27PM | Report abuse
  • (66)

    Never heard such a load of rubbish, Had the traveller got a TV licence, I doubt it!! LIVE AND LET LIVE GET A LIFE

    Posted by: k.hepwood on Mon Mar 17 01:27PM | Report abuse
  • (67)

    What ever next??? Even Basil brush is under scrutiny from the politicaly correct brigade. GET A GRIP GUYS. I bet the Pikey that complained about this didn't even have a TV licence. Put some money back into the country's coffers and maybe you'd earn the right to a point of view.

    Posted by: garry.ness on Mon Mar 17 01:28PM | Report abuse
  • (68)

    Keep the brush!

    Posted by: saxo101uk on Mon Mar 17 01:28PM | Report abuse
  • (69)

    I feel that as a PC society we have gone too far. I did not see the episode refered to but have watched Basil since childhood. This is like outlawing BAA BAA Black Sheep utter nonscense. I am a mother in law pehaps I should complain about racism every time a joke is cracked about one off us. Please get a life as the "PC" watchers in our society aremaking mine not worht the living.

    Posted by: gellandcarl on Mon Mar 17 01:28PM | Report abuse
  • (70)

    So what some people are being killed for no reason. We should leave the past behind and move on.

    Posted by: haimi1602 on Mon Mar 17 01:28PM | Report abuse