Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.basingstokegazette.co.uk
From jokes in classic British sitcoms to name-drops from Hollywood actors, global pop stars and even a fictional Star Trek convention, Basingstoke has repeatedly found itself in the spotlight.
These are just a few of the times it has been mentioned in pop culture.
Russell Howard’s Good News
Perhaps one of the funniest Basingstoke references came courtesy of comedian Russell Howard.
During series two, episode seven Russell Howard discussed academics who had attempted to create the perfect football chant using the word “Kabanga”.
There was, however, one slight problem. Kabanga was also the name of a town in Tanzania.
Howard used Basingstoke to demonstrate the absurdity of the situation, imagining African football supporters enthusiastically chanting “BASINGSTOOOKE”.
On a side note, Howard used to play for the town’s football team.
Comedian Russell Howard used to play for Basingstoke (Image: -)
Only Fools and Horses
Perhaps the most well-known mention, Basingstoke famously found its way into one of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms.
In Only Fools and Horses, Rodney Trotter reveals that he was once caught smoking cannabis while attending an art college in Basingstoke.
While an official Basingstoke Art College doesn’t actually exist, many theorise that he actually attended Basingstoke College of Technology, and got the name wrong.
Fans work out who actually sang the Only Fools and Horses theme (Image: PA)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Even intergalactic travel apparently can’t escape the inevitable Basingstoke.
Douglas Adams included the town in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, with Basingstoke’s famous roundabouts making their way into his science-fiction universe.
During an exchange between Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect, a bewildered Arthur struggles with the idea that they have hitchhiked through space by comparing it to being offered a lift as far as a Basingstoke roundabout.
Get Real
While most of the entries on this list amount to fleeting namechecks, Basingstoke had a starring role in the 1998 film Get Real.
The British romantic comedy-drama, directed by Simon Shore, was filmed in Basingstoke in 1997 and tells the story of teenager Steven Carter.
The town doesn’t simply provide the backdrop either, as Basingstoke itself is mentioned by the characters.
Sites around the town were used during filming, making this one of Basingstoke’s most substantial appearances on the big screen.
Iain Stirling (Image: George on a Boat)
Love Island
Of all the places you might expect to receive a shout-out on Love Island, Basingstoke probably isn’t particularly high on the list.
But that’s exactly what happened in 2020.
Narrator Iain Stirling unexpectedly apologised on air to the”Wilson triplets from Basingstoke”.
Emmerdale
Basingstoke made its way into soapland in October 2025, and apparently became a destination for Trekkies in the process.
During an episode of Emmerdale, Marlon Dingle revealed that Granny Mary had gone to a Star Trek convention in Basingstoke.
Viewers later learned she headed off dressed as a Klingon.
There wasn’t actually a Star Trek-specific convention in Basingstoke, although the town has hosted its own comic con events.
Emmerdale fans lodged over 200 complaints to Ofcom over violent scenes shown on the ITV show (Image: PA)
The Gentlemen
Basingstoke has even entered the world of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen.
The Hampshire town receives a thoroughly prominent nod in the Netflix crime series, proving its pop-culture appearances aren’t confined to decades-old sitcoms and books.
It’s another addition to a surprisingly long list of occasions when writers have decided that, of all the towns in Britain they could mention, Basingstoke is the one they need.
Monty Python
Theo James and Kaya Scodelario attend the premiere for season two of The Gentlemen, at the Guildhall Art Gallery in central London (Image: IAN WEST/PA Wire)
Long before many of these references, Basingstoke had already found itself in the surreal world of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
In the Court-martial sketch, a military court hears about an incident said to have happened in a place called Basingstoke.
This immediately causes confusion over whether they mean Basingstoke in Hampshire.
They don’t, apparently. It’s “Basingstoke, Westphalia”.
But the increasingly ridiculous conversation begins incorporating recognisable details of the real Basingstoke, including Basing House, as the sketch descends further into classic Python absurdity.
Harry Styles has curated the 2026 Meltdown festival (Doug Peters/PA)
Harry Styles
Before becoming one of the world’s biggest pop stars, Harry Styles had his own Basingstoke moment.
In September 2010, while he was competing on The X Factor, the future One Direction star posted on Twitter that he was in Basingstoke visiting his cousins.
It came at quite a moment in Styles’ career, shortly before One Direction’s rise turned him into an international star.
Not a bad celebrity endorsement for Basingstoke.
The Young Ones
Basingstoke also pops up during the final episode of cult BBC sitcom The Young Ones.
In the 1984 episode Summer Holiday, Rick, Vyvyan, Neil and Mike embark on a typically chaotic journey aboard a double-decker bus.
During the journey, Neil announces that Basingstoke is 35 miles away.
Things don’t exactly improve for the foursome from there, with their ill-fated bus journey eventually ending rather spectacularly.
James Acaster will appear in Celebrity Traitors. (Image: BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative)
James Acaster
Comedian James Acaster has perhaps one of the strangest Basingstoke stories of them all.
The Celebrity Traitors star revealed that he once slept in a bush outside Basingstoke railway station while wearing a dress after missing a train.
It is certainly one way to spend a night in town.
Jack Black and Paul Rudd taking pictures for their new film, Anaconda (Image: PA Media)
Paul Rudd
And finally, Basingstoke has even been name-dropped by a Hollywood superhero.
Paul Rudd, known around the world for playing Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, mentioned Basingstoke, before delving deeper and name-dropping Tadley during an appearance on BBC Radio 2 in December 2025.
It wasn’t Rudd’s first brush with the area either.
The Hollywood actor had previously surprised locals when he was spotted having lunch at a pub in Baughurst in 2021, an appearance which was also covered by the Gazette.
Ricky Gervais (Image: The Anvil)
Bonus: Tadley Radio in the David Brent film
On the subject of Tadley…
The now defunct Tadley FM appeared in Ricky Gervais’ The Office spin-off film, David Brent: Life on the Road.
The station failed to effectively promote Brent’s band or upcoming gig, which ends up selling only 16 tickets.
Brent also participates in the on-air segment called “Pie or Sausage” (or “Sausage or Pie”), scoring a dismal 1 out of 10.
Not technically Basingstoke, granted, but close enough that we’re claiming it as the bonus round.
