Basil Chubb was born in Branksome, Poole, Dorset, the second eldest of five children. The family moved to Ludgershall, Wiltshire when he was still a child and he attended Bishop Wordsworth's School. He attended Merton College, Oxford, but his education was interrupted by the onset of World War II. He joined the RAF, but was shot down and captured during a bombing raid over Leipzig on 19 February 1944. He spent 15 months as a prisoner at Stalag Luft III, a German air force prisoner of war camp which is best known for two escapes which took place there. Basil was not one of the escapees, although he had to witness the repercussions of the various escape efforts once discovered.

Before joining the RAF, Basil had met Margaret (Margot) Rafther at Oxford, and she sent him letters and books via the Red Cross to enable him to continue his studies whilst prisoner. They would marry in 1946, following the end of the war. Also in that year, he completed his first degree in Modern History at Oxford, with a Masters from Trinity College, Dublin, Doctorate from Oxford and Doctor of Letters from Trinity College, Dublin to follow. Chubb and Rafther were friends with George Orwell.

Chubb became an Irish citizen in the early 1970s.

His first appointment was as Political Science Lecturer at Trinity College, Dublin. This was the first full time appointment in political science at a time when Irish politics were not openly discussed. When the department of Political Science was founded in 1960 at TCD, Basil Chubb became its first chair, a post which he held until his retirement in 1991.

During his career, he produced a number of texts, including The Government and Politics of Ireland, which the Irish Times described as "the secular equivalent of an Irish political bible". He also held a number of public office posts, including chair of the Employer Labour conference (which played a crucial role in national economic policy) and chair of Comhairle na Ospidal (the Hospitals Council) from 1972 to 1979. He was a frequent broadcaster in the coverage of Irish political campaigns and helped demystify the topic for the general public through his television appearances during the Irish elections.

His wife Margot died in 1984, he subsequently married Orla Sheehan and had a daughter, Katie. He died on 8 May 2002, aged 80.

He was the author of the following publications:

• The control of public expenditure: Financial committees of the House of Commons (1952)
• A Source Book of Irish Government (1964)
• The Government and Politics of Ireland (1970)
• The Constitution and Constitutional Change in Ireland (1978)
• The Politics of the Irish Constitution (1991)
• FIE 50: Federation of Irish Employers, 1942-92 (1992)

He also contributed to the following:

• Economic Development and Planning Readings in Irish Public Administration: Volume 1 (1969), as editor
• Parish Pump: Study of Democratic Efficiency and Local Government in Ireland (with Myles Tierney)

The Political Studies Association of Ireland has established an annual award to recognise the best PhD thesis in honour of Basil's memory.

A Festschrift was assembled to mark the occasion of his retirement. Modern Irish Democracy: Essays in Honour of Basil Chubb by Ronald J Hill and Michael Marsh, was published in 1993.

Basil's uncle, Sir Cecil Chubb, owned Stonehenge and gave it to the nation.