The Basil Brush Show

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"Boom boom!"

The Basil Brush Show is a CBBC series involving a fox puppet and its human companions. Originally running from 1968 to 1980 on BBC 1, either during Children's Hour or the Saturday early evening slot, it has a tendency toward Breaking the Fourth Wall and using Double Entendre to appeal to adult (presumably parental) viewers as well as children. The BBC cancelled the show before picking it up again in 2002, complete with a Spin-Off, Basil's Swap Shop.

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Tropes:

• Acting for Two: Cousin Mortimer and Bingo were played by the same actor.
• Absentee Actor: Ella is MIA in one season two episode, this was likely done so to have Basil Dragged Into Drag.
• Animal Superheroes
• Aside Glance: Usually accompanied by a low chuckle.
• Be Careful What You Say: Happens when they turns the flat into the best, worst hotel in the world.

Molly: (trying to get Stephen to understand that their problems are over) We can even afford to pay the landlord. Basil: Speak of the Devil and he shall appear. (Sure enough, Mr Rossiter appears at the door, in a devil costume and accompanied by ominous music)

• Breaking the Fourth Wall
• Brick Joke: Plenty. One would often be setup at the start and appear at the end.

Basil: You don't know anyone whose lost any bees do you?

• Broke Episode
• Catch Phrase: Basil's trademark 'Boom! Boom!'. Other members of the Brush family have their own variations (e.g. Cousin Mortimer's 'Bang! Bang!', Nephew Bingo's 'Bing! Bing!', Uncle Maximillion's 'Bank! Bank!' and Sir Lancelot De Brush's 'Ye Boom! Ye Boom!')
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Steven's Love Interest in season one had the excuse of being fired from the show due to joining Mortimer. Ella in season 2 however vanishes for no reason come season 3.
• Clap Your Hands If You Believe: fails hilariously in-universe when it's revealed the show only has four fans.
• Cloudcuckoolander
• Cunning Like a Fox
• Death Course: Basil and Stephen end up going through one of these after discovering the tomb of King Tutenbeck under the flat.
• Evil Twin (in this case, Evil Cousin. Cousin Mortimer to be exact.)
• Flanderization: Mr. Steven alone became much more of a Butt Monkey and got more childish with each season.
• Food Fight: Happens in the very first episode, ending with someone hitting the camera, causing the camera crew to desert them.
• Getting Crap Past the Radar:

Farmer: Oh... bullocks! (cue short clip of young bulls)

• Girls With Moustaches: Molly wears one as part of a throwaway gag.
• Good Angel, Bad Angel: Slightly twisted in Dave's case.
• Killer Rabbit
• Land Down Under Complete with Steve Irwin parody.
• Lava Pit: In this case, a pool of Anil's chilli sauce.
• Lethal Chef (Anil)
• Literal Metaphor: A lot. For example, the check bounced.
  • Walls have ears.
• Living Crashpad
• Medium Awareness
• Mind Screw They keep going back and forth on either or not they're in a show, in real life or in a show about their lives. Often during the same episode
• Mission Impossible Cable Drop: Happens when they encounter the chilli sauce.

Dave: What we need, is someone so dumb they wouldn't know the risk. (Basil pops his head up. Dave and Stephen look at each other. Basil turns to them) Basil: Exchange all the knowing looks you like! I've checked the script, and it's Mr Stephen, who goes over the chilli sauce. Stephen: (looking rather dismayed as the Mission Impossible music starts) What?

• Mistaken for Gay
• Oh Crap
• One I Prepared Earlier: Parodied. Basil finds a muffin recipe from one of his relatives, but they take 45 minutes to make whilst the show is only 25 minutes. Cue a screenwipe where we see a tray of finished muffins and Basil saying, "And here are some I made earlier."
• On the Money: Inverted several times.
• Real After All
• Rule of Funny
• Squashed Flat: Shame the show ended on such a "flat" note.
• Speak of the Devil
• Treasure Map
• Who Writes This Crap?

Stephen: (describing a B-Movie they're watching) A stupid story, with really wooden actors... Basil: (to the audience) Why does the phrase 'business as usual' spring to mind?

• Wingding Eyes: When Dave learns Anil will give anything to give his plumbing fixed.
• Zillion-Dollar Bill: The solution to the first Broke Episode. Unfortunately, it turns out to be made of rubber.