IF YOU come from Basingstoke, you will no doubt be familiar with having to explain to those who don’t live in the town where it is.

However, whilst Basingstoke might not be that well-known, it has been referenced numerous times in television shows, books, and even a film.

Here we look at some of those.

Only Fools and Horses

Perhaps one of the most known references to Basingstoke is during an episode of Only Fools and Horses, when Rodney Trotter, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst, said he was ‘busted’ for smoking a joint while attending Basingstoke Art College.

The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

If you’ve read Douglas Adams’ book The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you may already recall the reference to Basingstoke.

The comedy science fiction series was originally a 1978 radio show, which was later adapted to other formats including a novel.

The book refers to Basingstoke when character Arthur asks: “How did we get here?”

We hitched a lift,” said Ford.

“Excuse me?” said Arthur. “Are you trying to tell me that we just stuck out our thumbs and some green bug-eyed monster stuck his head out and said, Hi fellas, hop right in. I can take you as far as the Basingstoke roundabout?”.

Get Real

Believe it or not, Basingstoke was chosen as a filming location in the 1990s.

The romantic comedy-drama Get Real, directed by Simon Shore, was based on the play What’s Wrong with Angry and was shot in Basingstoke in 1997.

The plot is about gay teenager Steven Carter’s coming out to the world, and Basingstoke is mentioned with the lines: “I want to go back to Basingstoke”, with the reply: “But nobody wants to go back to Basingstoke.”

The town was reportedly chosen for several reasons including its similarity to US towns to make it viewable by a US audience and because the director at one time was apparently in a relationship with someone from Basingstoke.

Love Island

As far as we know, no one from Basingstoke has ever appeared in Love Island. But the town did get the recognition it deserves when the reality show’s narrator gave a shout out to Basingstoke during the last series.

Iain Stirling said: “Apologies to the Wilson triplets from Basingstoke.”

His mention of the town pleased viewers who took to Twitter to express their delight.

However, the Gazette has never managed to uncover the mystery of who exactly the Wilson triplets are.

We promise to keep investigating.

Have you ever heard Basingstoke mentioned anywhere else in popular culture? Let us know by commenting below.