Basil Exposition is a fictional character portrayed by Michael York in the Austin Powers series of 1960s spy-film parodies. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Michael York (born March 27, 1942, Fulmer, England) is a prolific actor now resident in California. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ... Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, directed by Jay Roach, is the first film of the Austin Powers series. ... Austin Powers in Goldmember, released in 2002, is the third film of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. ... For the American hockey player, see Mike York. ... For the American hockey player, see Mike York. ... The Austin Powers series is a series of comedy films beginning in 1997 and ending in 2002 that was written and star Mike Myers as the title character, directed by Jay Roach and distributed by New Line Cinema. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ...

Basil works for British Intelligence in an indeterminate role as Austin Powers controller. A flashback in the movie Austin Powers in Goldmember shows Basil as attending the Intelligence Academy at the same time as Austin Powers, Dr. Evil and Number 2. Even as a schoolboy Basil wore a carnation in his button-hole. Austin Powers in Goldmember, released in 2002, is the third film of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. ... Binomial name L. The carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) is a flowering plant native to the Near East and has been cultivated for the last 2,000 years. ...

His name is a pun on 'basal exposition', referring to a common literary technique, i.e. the conveyance of critical (basal) elements of plot through dialogue. This parodies the character of M early on in the James Bond series who establishes the nature of the villain near the beginning of each movie, but has no other relevant character traits. Exposition is a literary technique by which information is conveyed about events that have occurred prior to the beginning of a novel, play, movie or other work of fiction. ...