Gypsies go Fox Hunting
Basil Brush 'racist towards gipsies': Complaint - Telegraph
The children’s television character Basil Brush is at the centre of a police investigation after an allegation that an episode of the programme was racist towards gipsies....The programme, which was aired on the BBC’s digital channel CBBC, centred on Basil’s co-star Mr Stephen, played by actor Christopher Pizzey.
He falls under the spell of a gipsy fortune teller, Dame Rosie Fortune, who moves into the flat above them and greets them at the door with offers of pegs and "lucky" heather.
When she offers to read Basil’s fortune for him, the character tells a joke about previously visiting a gipsy fortune teller who predicts he is about to embark on a long journey.
When Mr Stephen asks what happened, Basil replies: "He stole my wallet and I had to walk all the way home."
A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: "We can confirm we have received a complaint about a TV show featuring Basil Brush from a member of the public.
"The complaint was logged as an incident of a racist nature and we are now investigating."
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