BBC News Online: Entertainment

Boom time for Basil Brush

The puppet fox will be given his own sitcom by Entertainment Rights and Talent Television, who bought the rights to his character in a £2.3m deal.

They plan to make six half-hour episodes of Foxed, with a pilot to be screened at a TV market in Cannes this autumn.

The series will include Basil's "Boom! Boom!" catchphrase and legendary laugh.

'Basil' was quoted as saying: "When the producers approached me with this fantastic idea for a sitcom, I had to ensure they appreciated my true standing as an international megastar.

"'I'm not working for peanuts,' I said, so they offered me jelly babies - it was an offer I just could not refuse."

Basil Brush was the brainchild of BBC floor manager Ivan Owen, who created the character in 1963.

Sidekick

He was invented for the show The Three Scampies, as a sidekick for puppet hedgehog Spike McPike.

He proved to be such a hit that five years later he was given his own TV show on BBC One.

The series was broadcast in 14 countries and regularly attracted audiences of up to 13 million.

Basil was dropped by the BBC in 1981, but made a special guest appearance at May's Loaded magazine awards picking up a lifetime achievement prize.

Mike Heap, of Entertainment Rights said: "Basil is a institution - it is great to bring him back for both his loyal fans and a whole new generation."