# The Basil Brush Show
**The Basil Brush Show** (2002–2007) is a British children's television sitcom starring [Basil Brush](https://www.edgepedia.org/basil-brush), the glove puppet fox who was a fixture of BBC children's television in the 1960s and 1970s. Produced for six series by The Foundation, it aired on CBBC from 4 October 2002 to 21 December 2007 and is a spin-off from the original 1960s and 1970s BBC series, made without any of the original cast.[1](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-basil-brush-show/dTrRI4sMRutIhG66hZlO93/) The BBC billed it as a "modern day sitcom" of half-hour episodes combining comedy, drama and entertainment.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/feb/13/broadcasting2)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Run | Aired on CBBC from 4 October 2002 to 21 December 2007, in six series produced by The Foundation[1](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-basil-brush-show/dTrRI4sMRutIhG66hZlO93/) |
| Format | Half-hour episodes of comedy, drama and entertainment, aimed at CBBC's six to 13-year-old core audience[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/feb/13/broadcasting2) |
| Episode order | BBC children's controller Nigel Pickard ordered 26 episodes; celebrity cameos were planned[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/feb/13/broadcasting2) |
| Basil Brush | Played by Michael Winsor in 78 episodes, who took over the role in 2002 after the death of Ivan Owen, the character's original voice[3](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/) • [4](https://www.voicemag.uk/review/9725/review-basil-brush-unleashed-vol-2) |
| Main cast | Michael Hayes as Dave (77 episodes), Christopher Pizzey as Stephen, Michael Byers as Liam, Georgina Leonidas as Molly, Ajay Chhabra as Anil[3](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/) • [1](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-basil-brush-show/dTrRI4sMRutIhG66hZlO93/) |
| Presentation | Basil appeared as a glove puppet fox rather than a full-size character in the comeback shows[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-boom-times-are-back-for-basil-brush-9185478.html) • [15](https://www.ravensbourne.ac.uk/bbc-motion-graphics-archive/basil-brush-show-1973) |
| Recognition | Nominated for a 2006 BAFTA Children's Award for Best Entertainment (Vanessa Amberleigh, Michael Kerrigan, Ged Allen)[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/awards) |
## Origins of the comeback
Basil Brush was a children's favorite in the 1970s, and the original Basil Brush show ran in a Saturday teatime slot on BBC1 from the late 1960s until 1980.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/feb/13/broadcasting2) The character's distinctive Terry-Thomas-esque voice was provided by Ivan Owen, and Basil starred alongside a series of straight men including [Derek Fowlds](https://www.edgepedia.org/derek-fowlds) and [Rodney Bewes](https://www.edgepedia.org/rodney-bewes), with guests over the years ranging from Abba to Sir Michael Hordern.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/feb/13/broadcasting2)
The character's television history stretched back further still. He first appeared on UK screens in 1964 in Rediffusion's *The Three Scampis*, was later a regular in [David Nixon](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-nixon-magician)'s children's show *Now for Nixon*, and then secured his own show with a variety of straight men, running 60 half-hour episodes.[7](https://www.c21media.net/news/basil-brush-returns-%E2%80%93-at-last/%20/)
The revival was developed over more than a year by Nigel Pickard and the character's owner, Entertainment Rights, whose chief executive Mike Heap described it as Basil's comeback "to a whole new generation of children and parents."[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/feb/13/broadcasting2) The new shows did not feature Derek Fowlds, and Basil appeared as a glove puppet fox rather than a full-size character.[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-boom-times-are-back-for-basil-brush-9185478.html) • [15](https://www.ravensbourne.ac.uk/bbc-motion-graphics-archive/basil-brush-show-1973)
## Cast and production
Michael Winsor, who took over the role in 2002 after the passing of Ivan Owen, played Basil Brush in all 78 episodes of the series' run.[3](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/) • [4](https://www.voicemag.uk/review/9725/review-basil-brush-unleashed-vol-2) Michael Hayes appeared as Dave in 77 episodes.[3](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/) The human cast also included Christopher Pizzey as Stephen, Michael Byers as Liam, Georgina Leonidas as Molly, and Ajay Chhabra as Anil.[1](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-basil-brush-show/dTrRI4sMRutIhG66hZlO93/)
Behind the camera, directors included Michael Kerrigan (32 episodes), Dez McCarthy (23), David McKay and Mark Sendell, with writers including Ben Ward and Ged Allen; Vanessa Amberleigh, David Collier and Bridget Goodman produced.[3](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/fullcredits/)
A later episode, "That Shrinking Feeling" (broadcast 11 November 2007), was entered for the 2008 BAFTA Children's awards. Its synopsis describes Liam inventing a high-tech lamp that accidentally shrinks Dave to a microdot, with Basil's plan to feed him up backfiring when Anil accidentally swallows him; the entry describes the show as aimed at six to ten-year-olds and as showing "the importance of friendship, family and working together."[9](https://static.bafta.org/files/childrensawardssynopses2008-169.pdf)
## Reception and recognition
The show drew one BAFTA nomination: in 2006 it was shortlisted for the BAFTA Children's Award for Best Entertainment, credited to producer Vanessa Amberleigh, director Michael Kerrigan and writer Ged Allen.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/awards) In a 2009 BBC Trust review of children's services, qualitative research listed *Basil Brush* among the comedy programs children named as light entertainment favorites, alongside *[ChuckleVision](https://www.edgepedia.org/chucklevision)* and others.[10](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/service_reviews/childrens/childrens_review_qual.pdf) An Ofcom-commissioned study of children's television similarly grouped *Basil Brush* with comedy programs such as *Dick n Dom* and *Chuckle Vision* in children's light entertainment viewing.[11](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/uncategorised/8505-kidstv/associated-documents/secondary-documents/opinionleader.pdf?v=332239)
The series retains a place in retrospective rankings of British children's television; it was among the comedies selected in a British Comedy Guide roundup of "the 50 greatest children's TV shows of all time."
## Dating discrepancies
Sources disagree on the exact premiere and finale dates. IMDb's episode listing gives the first episode as 4 October 2002, and the Moviefone synopsis states the show aired on CBBC from 4 October 2002 to 21 December 2007; Rotten Tomatoes lists a release date of 27 September 2002, and a Fandom wiki and a Japanese media wiki give the run as 27 September 2002 to 25 December 2007.[3](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/) • [1](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-basil-brush-show/dTrRI4sMRutIhG66hZlO93/) • [12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_basil_brush_show) • [13](https://universalstudios.fandom.com/wiki/The_Basil_Brush_Show) The 2002 Guardian report announced the return for the autumn of that year.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/feb/13/broadcasting2)
## Afterlife
Michael Winsor has continued performing Basil Brush after the series ended, with appearances on comedy shows such as *The Last Leg* and *Celebrity Juice*, and later live shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, including the adult-oriented *Basil Brush: Unleashed* with sidekick Mr Martin (Martin Cabble-Reid).[4](https://www.voicemag.uk/review/9725/review-basil-brush-unleashed-vol-2) • [14](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2019/08/07/43891/basil-brush-unleashed)
## References
1. [The Basil Brush Show (2002-2007), Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-basil-brush-show/dTrRI4sMRutIhG66hZlO93/)
2. [Basil Brush to star in CBBC sitcom, The Guardian, 13 February 2002](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/feb/13/broadcasting2)
3. [The Basil Brush Show (2002–2007), IMDbPro](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/)
4. [Review: Basil Brush Unleashed Vol 2, Voice Magazine](https://www.voicemag.uk/review/9725/review-basil-brush-unleashed-vol-2)
5. [The boom times are back for Basil Brush, The Independent, 14 February 2002](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-boom-times-are-back-for-basil-brush-9185478.html)
6. [The Basil Brush Show (2002–2007) - Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/awards)
7. [Basil Brush returns – at last!, C21Media, 14 February 2002](https://www.c21media.net/news/basil-brush-returns-%E2%80%93-at-last/%20/)
8. [The Basil Brush Show - Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354271/fullcredits/)
9. [BAFTA Children's Awards 2008 synopses](https://static.bafta.org/files/childrensawardssynopses2008-169.pdf)
10. [BBC Trust - Review of children's services and content, qualitative research, February 2009](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/service_reviews/childrens/childrens_review_qual.pdf)
11. [Future of children's television, Ofcom commissioned research (Opinion Leader)](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/uncategorised/8505-kidstv/associated-documents/secondary-documents/opinionleader.pdf?v=332239)
12. [The Basil Brush Show, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_basil_brush_show)
13. [The Basil Brush Show, Universal Studios Wiki (Fandom)](https://universalstudios.fandom.com/wiki/The_Basil_Brush_Show)
14. [Basil Brush: Unleashed, Chortle, 7 August 2019](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2019/08/07/43891/basil-brush-unleashed)
15. [The Basil Brush Show (1973)](https://www.ravensbourne.ac.uk/bbc-motion-graphics-archive/basil-brush-show-1973)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › British sitcoms and comedy series › British sitcoms (1990s–2000s)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license