by Patrick Astill
The cheeky fox himself answered the phone when I called Basil Brush to find out more about his show at the Theatre Royal later this month.
With a string of dreadful, quickfire one-liners and terrible puns, it was soon clear that he’d lost none of his sharpness in 40 years of entertaining.
Resting in a “rather splendid foxhole” in deepest Surrey while on tour, he confessed that he didn’t have to share digs with his long-suffering TV partner, Mr Stephen, who’s also in the show.
“I wouldn’t share anything with him,” said Basil. “It was bad enough sharing a flat with him. He went to Broadway you know, before we got back on the road - Ealing Broadway, Boom Boom!”
For those who can remember, Basil retired in the late 1980s for 20 years, but returned to showbiz because, he says, “Auntie Beeb begged me to come back. You can’t keep a good fox down!”
I told Basil that I was almost as old as he is - and remember his first spell on our screens, when he became famous the world over and even performed in the Royal Variety Show.
“You saw me in flares then?” he asks. “I had to stop wearing them as it was attracting rescue teams.”
Of course, the little fella moves with the times and now dresses slightly differently to appeal to the youngsters.
“I’ve taken the lead in a modern world. Yo! Brother, it’s cos I is orange geezer,” he said, before confiding that he actually owns a couple of hoodies.
Still on the topic of clothes, he asks if I’ve seen him presenting the new Swap Shop on Saturday mornings. I had to confess that I hadn’t, but remembered the Noel Edmonds version.
Quick as a flash, he replied: “Yes, they asked me to do it because I’m furry and had bad taste in clothes too!”
He’s glad to be visiting to Lincoln again, to see the mums, dads and children, ending a tour of live shows.
“On television you don’t get to hear the laughs,” he said. “I love the fact that on stage I can hear the boys and girls laughing their heads off.
“We’ve always come to the Theatre Royal on tour, it’s just the one show this time so we want to get it full up!”
There will be the chance for children to give Mr Stephen a cream pie in the face, and lots of singing and joining in.
A full supporting cast includes Gameshow Charlie, who will give the audience a chance to win big prizes in some crazy games, award-winning circus star The Amazing Jeni – as well as some monkey business from Cheryl Chimp.
SAMPLE JOKE: Why do the Teletubbies always go to the toilet together? Because they've only got one tinkie winkie. Boom Boom!!”
First published in the Lincolnshire Echo.
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