The Basil Brush Show facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids The Basil Brush Show

Genre	Children's sitcom
Written by	Ged Allen Danny Robins
Directed by	David McKay
Starring	Michael Byers Christopher Pizzey Michael Hayes Georgina Leonidas Laura Evans Ajay Chabra Janine Vieira Madeline Castrey Tisha Martin
Voices of	Michael Winsor (uncredited) Don Austen Basil Soper
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	78 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	24 minutes
Production company(s)	The Foundation Entertainment Rights BBC
Release
Original network	CBBC
Picture format	(576i)
Original release	27 September 2002 (2002-09-27) – 25 December 2007 (2007-12-25)
Chronology
Preceded by	The Basil Brush Show
Followed by	Basil's Swap Shop

The Basil Brush Show is a fun British TV show for kids. It's a sitcom that stars a puppet fox named Basil Brush. The show was made by a company called The Foundation. It was shown on CBBC from 2002 to 2007. This show is a new version of an older Basil Brush TV series from the 1960s and 1970s.

About the Show

The show takes place in a cool, colorful apartment. Basil Brush lives there with his friend, Stephen (Christopher Pizzey). Stephen's niece, Molly (Georgina Leonidas), and nephew, Dave (Michael Hayes), also live with them. Their parents are traveling the world, so Stephen looks after them.

Other characters include Anil (Ajay Chabra), who owns a cafe called 'Anil's'. The main characters often eat there. Ella (Tisha Martin) is Basil and Stephen's neighbor who loves to sing. Later, Ella is replaced by Maddison (Laura Evans), an American fashion designer. Basil Soper also appeared in many episodes, playing different characters.

The show often breaks the "fourth wall". This means the characters sometimes talk directly to the audience or mention that they are on a TV set. Sometimes, the camera crew even becomes part of the story!

Later in the show's run, new characters joined. Liam (Michael Byers) took over from Stephen as Basil's new friend. Lucy (Janine Vieira in Series 5, Madeline Castrey in Series 6) became Anil's niece.

Main Characters

Basil Brush

Basil Brush is a clever red fox. He is a puppet who loves to make jokes and say "Boom! Boom!".

Stephen

Stephen is Molly and Dave's uncle. He is in charge of them while their parents travel. He was on the show from 2002 to 2006. Basil and other characters often make jokes about Stephen, which he doesn't always like. He sometimes seems a bit silly. For example, in one episode, he didn't know that 2 + 2 = 4! Stephen was played by Christopher Pizzey. He left after series 4 but appeared briefly in series 5.

Liam

Liam is Stephen's distant cousin. He became Basil's new friend and took Stephen's place in series 5 and 6 (2006–2007). Liam is still learning about all the exciting things that happen in the flat. He can be a bit silly sometimes, but he is also very smart. He has even invented things like a time machine! Liam often mentions strange night classes he has taken. His last name is O'Dingleberry. He is played by Michael Byers.

Dave

Dave is one of the original characters from the show. He is 14 years old. Dave is very good at business. During the series, he started his own media company and even his own TV show. He is often called a young multi-billionaire entrepreneur. Michael Hayes plays Dave.

Molly

Molly is Dave's older sister and Stephen's niece. She is 16 years old. Molly is usually the sensible one. She tries to help the others make good choices. She is very smart and witty. From Series 5, Molly appeared in fewer episodes. Lucy partly took over her role. Molly only appeared in two episodes in the final season. She is played by Georgina Leonidas.

Madison

Madison is an American fashion student. She lives in the apartment upstairs. She was on the show from 2004 to 2007. Laura Evans, a singer from Wales, plays Madison. Basil once threw away her fashion designs by mistake. Madison is Stephen's third girlfriend on the show. She says Basil's name as Bay-zull. When things go wrong, she often says she's only in the UK because she lost her passport. Her name comes from Madison Square Garden.

Anil

Anil appears in every series of the show. He owns Anil's Caff, where Basil and his friends often hang out. Like Stephen, he doesn't seem very smart. A running joke is how bad his food is. He is played by Ajay Chabra. In one episode, it was revealed that Anil wears a wig, has a glass eye, false teeth, and a wooden leg!

Lucy

Lucy is Anil's niece. She now lives in Basil's flat. Madison "rescued" Lucy from being Anil's "slave." Lucy can be stubborn but loves being with Basil and the gang. She doesn't like her cousin Mortimer's pranks or Dave's tricks. Lucy replaced Molly after she left the show. Lucy was played by Janine Vieira in Season 5 and Madeline Castrey in Season 6.

Ella

Ella was Stephen's second girlfriend. She only appeared in the second series (2003). She is also a good friend of Molly's. Ella is very good at football. She is played by Tisha Martin.

Other Characters

The Voice-over Man

The Voice-over Man was a character you couldn't see. He often spoke over the show, sometimes annoying the gang. But he also helped fix mistakes Basil and his friends made. He was part of the show from 2002 to 2005. He was played by Basil Soper.

Mortimer Brush

Mortimer is Basil's cousin and often causes trouble. In the first series, he pretended to be nice but secretly stole things and got Basil into trouble. He was released from prison in the second series and kept causing problems. His catchphrase is "Bang! Bang!" followed by a ricochet sound.

In the third series, he and Basil had to get along for 24 hours. He also appeared at Basil's wedding. He was in prison in the fourth series. Don Austen voices Mortimer. His full name is Mortimer Trouble Brush.

Bingo Brush

Bingo is Basil's playful and very energetic nephew. He often says "Bing bing!" Bingo has a twin brother named Bungo, who Basil says is "much, much worse." Bungo only appeared once. Bingo appeared in many episodes starting in 2003. Don Austen also voices Bingo.

Roxy

Roxy is Basil's girlfriend. She is an Arctic fox, which is different from the other foxes in the show. She only appeared in four episodes of the fifth series (2006). She says Basil's name as Ba-Zeal.

Mr Rossiter

Mr Rossiter is the landlord who owns the apartments where the main characters live. He is played by Milton Johns.

India

India is a waitress at Anil's Cafe. She is not a good cook, like her boss. But she has a beautiful singing voice! India was only mentioned briefly in the final season (2007). She is played by India de Beaufort.

Amanda

Amanda first appeared in the very first episode. She is a restaurant critic and Stephen's first girlfriend. In the series 1 finale, Amanda sided with Mortimer when he tried to take over the show. She is played by Jodie Scott.

Episodes

List of The Basil Brush Show episodes

Places in the Show

Stephen's Flat (2002–07): This is where the main characters live and spend most of their time. It has a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and three bedrooms. Basil and Stephen's bedroom is seen at the end of every episode from Series 1–4. Liam moves into the flat for Series 5 and 6.
Anil's Café (2002–07): The gang spends a lot of time here. The food is supposedly bad, but it's the only other set they have! This is where they meet Amanda, India, and Lucy. Anil's Kitchen is seen in one episode. The cafe was updated in Series 5.
Ella's Flat (2003): This flat was only shown twice in 2003. Stephen and Basil fell into it through an air vent once. Molly also visited Ella there.
Madison's Flat (2004–07): This is where Madison lives. It is much smaller than Stephen's flat.
The ally (2005–07): This outdoor area was first used in the episode "Basil's angels."

Other Basil Brush Shows

Basil's Swap Shop/Basil's Game Show

Basil's Swap Shop is a new version of an old children's Saturday morning show. Basil Brush and Barney Harwood hosted it. The same company that made The Basil Brush Show produced it. It was shown live from 2008 to 2010 on BBC Two and the CBBC Channel. Basil's Game Show was a shorter version of the show, focusing on the games and funny parts.