Backstage at the Theatre Royal, I caught up with Basil Brush in his dressing room, inbetween performances of Aladdin...
Now then, Basil - how are you finding your stay in sunny Nottingham?
It’s tremendous, you know. Going around Nottingham I can’t get to do my shopping because of autograph hunters.
Really?
No matter how hard I try I can’t find any!! Ha Haa! Boom Boom!! No it’s not true, it’s not true. I keep getting stopped in the street you know. It’s tremendous. Tremendous! I love Nottingham! Great shopping.
So you’re finding the Nottingham shopping hordes OK to deal with?
Well the thing is you see, because I’m so little, down at the bottom around the knee caps there is more space you know!
Tell us Basil, what drew you to Nottingham for the panto season?
Well funnily enough it’s because I work with Chris Biggins (playing Widow Twanky). Last year, we did The Weakest Link together you know. And I stuffed him in the final! We had such fun together doing that he said "I’d love to do a show with you, dear boy" and he invited me here to play the Chief of Police, alongside him you see.
After 30 years in show business…
Is it that many?
..what's your secret to looking so youthful and er.. foxy?
While l moisturise every day. I put tuna fish on my face, cucumber on my eyes. It doesn’t do me much good but it don’t half taste nice you know! I have a keep fat diet, you know. Yes, and I work out everyday. I work out what I’m gonna have for m’lunch. Haaa Haa! Boom Boom!
When you’re not working hard on the Theatre Royal stage what do you like to do of an evening? Gentleman’s club perhaps? Foxy dancers?
Well, No. Actually while I’m here in Nottingham I like to go back to the Hilton Hotel and lie in the bath. Sometimes I put water in it. What I do is I like to have those natural baths, because we’re all saving the climate now aren’t we? I like to have a natural jacuzzi bath. I just eat baked beans and let nature take it’s course. Rzzzzz. Like that! you should try it.
Sounds rather continental to me. Surely you just like to relax in the bath with a tipple?
I like a pokey cola. Specially made just for me you know, along with m’ jelly babies. Veery Nice. I have a nice cup of tea and a Ginger Nut.
You don’t endorse Speckled Hen, perchance?
What’s a Speckled Hen? I’d like to eat one of them! I’m going to have one of those for me dinner I think! Ha ha haa! Got to catch it first.
Now there are a lot of urban foxes in Nottingham, it being a big city..
Yes there are!!
..are you out of an evening chasing vixens round the streets?
Well you see. People say they’re going to ban fox hunting you see? but I chase my little urbane foxes around Nottingham all the time! And sometime I even catch ‘em! But there is a differnce between an urban fox and an urbane fox. You see I’m a posh urbane fox. some people like to go back to the Hotel, I prefer to go back to the countryside and then the Hotel. But the urban foxes, they know the best dustbins, and the Hilton dustbins are very nice. I rummage through them most evenings.
With your massive celebrity status, do you have any stalkers?
I’m very good at keeping incognito. I just leg it out, down me little fox hole, straight up into m’hotel. Nobody sees me come out of the Stage door. I’m often chased by people. People like Sam Fox, Kylie Minogue, her brother Danni. I mean they’re all after me, but I could never tie m’self to one girl you know. I can’t do knots.
I expect you have to me careful with Nottingham surrounded by fox-hunting land...
You said the F-word!!
Well, over the border in Leicestershire they’re obsessed with it.
Ooooh, you said the F word! The only time I’ve been chased by men in red coats is when I didn’t pay my bill in Butlins! Haa Ha Haa! Boom Boom! Do you get it? Do you get that? Red Coats?! Butlins? Eh! Eh?
Who would win in a fight between you and Roland Rat?
I would win because I’ve got more friends! And they fight my fights for me you see. I don’t like to be seen fighting in public, you know.
Ever considered more serious stuff on stage? King Lear perhaps? A stint at Stratford?
Well I’ve often wanted to be in A Midsummers Night Dream and give you my Bottom, but then I thought people wouldn’t want to look at my Bottom as it might be a bit furry you see?!
Where you will see me is in Los Angeles or in the movies sometime, where I’ve asked to be in Locks, Fox and Two Smoking Basils, the remake. Verminator 2 - there’s another one! The Desert Fox, you name it!
Any Basil films in the pipeline?
Well of course, the series you’re watching on the television, I always think they’re like little short films. Half an hour, all self contained. Every Friday 4.30, BBC1, they’re like really great little minature films in themselves. And we often make spoof films. We’ve done a spoof of Charlies Angels, It’s a Wonderful Life, James Bond, so keep an eye out for those.
Good plug. Do you have any messages for the LeftLion readers?
Yeah. Just remember laughter is the best medicine! And if you’re really sick, call an Ambulance. Boom! Boom!
New year’s resolution?
I’m probably going to eat less jelly babies. Yeah, I’m rather partial to the odd jelly baby or million!
What’s your favourite jelly baby?
It’s the yellow jelly babies. I like the boy ones because there’s more to them.
What was the last book you read?
The last book I read was my autobiography in fact!
You’ve got an autobiography?! Is it by any chance available in the shops at present?
Course it’s available in the shops! Basil Brush by Basil Brush, an autobiography.
What was the last thing which made you cry?
Last thing that made me cry? My pay cheque.
Basil Brush is performing in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal until the 21st January 2007.
All photos by Dom Henry (c)
Basil Brush's website
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