Advent Calendar 2021 Day 8: Basil Brush's Christmas Fantasy

The whole Basil Brush conceit is built on sand, isn't it? A fox in self-hating hunting gear whose schtick is corny rejoiners and a top volume laugh and catchphrase it delivers all the sodding time shouldn't have lasted as long as it has, but there's a weird charisma and a connection to these Seventies shows. This 1974 special, Brush's fourth, starts with Basil and Mr Roy agreeing on the spirit of the season before being introduced to a book of fairy tales. Basil has been promised a Christmas Eve visit to the waxworks museum but his purchase of an Indian carpet from a street market backfires when the Pied Piper appears and makes it fly to the waxworks' festive party, once all the nursery rhyme characters have been brought to life. The Old Woman Who Lives In A Show dances in clogs, Snow White sings Someday My Prince Will Come and Basil's clockwork dog pet Little Ticker plays little part. Given what's clearly a very limited set budget LE veteran director Robin Nash does well, but it all comes down to the essence of the vainglorious virtuistic vulpine.