On The Buses

[Buzz]

Been watching the repeats of On The Buses on Sky Men and Motors.

Just realised how rubbish it actually was . Dreadful acting and plots etc.,

At the time I used the think it was the dogs "doo dahs !!!"

Still a million times better than most of the comedies today though.

Buzz

[Heather74]

Re: On The Buses

I loved it too ,me and my brother use to pretend our cabin beds were buses at night, after watching it, fun times though Still smile at the thought of the baby using Daddys new hat as a potty.

[HG]

Re: On The Buses

I've been watching it too it is actually quite good if you take into account the time period it was made. It wouldnt work now but times have changed.

[Mulletino]

Re: On The Buses

I used to love the show as a kid, I even had the board game!

[sixtyten]

Re: On The Buses

It was of its time, thus making it cringeworthy today

[Mulletino]

Re: On The Buses

Aye, back when ugly old men (Stan, Jack, Sid James et al) could score with young "dolly birds" without getting told to "F off you dirty old bugger".

[sixtyten]

Re: On The Buses

To be fair..even some of the "Dolly Birds" in On The Buses were not that young either

[onthebusesfan]

On the buses

On the Buses was a British situation comedy created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney which was broadcast in the UK from 1969 to 1973. The writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife were for the BBC, but the Corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential in a bus depot as a setting, and the comedy partnership turned to a friend, Frank Muir, Head of Entertainment at London Weekend Television. He loved the idea, the show was accepted and despite a poor critical reception became a hit with viewers.


Stan Butler (Reg Varney) works as a bus driver for the Luxton & District Traction Company. He lives with his widowed mother (Stan's Mum/Mrs Butler), his sister Olive and her husband Arthur.


Stan Butler
Played by Reg Varney. The main, central character for the show, Stan is often happy though frequently broke and constantly unlucky in love. Stan left the show halfway through the final series.
Stan's Mum/Mrs Butler

Played in series one by Cicely Courtneidge and the later series by Doris Hare. She is a smothering, fatuously sentimental, caring, polite, motherly figure who rules the house and will not put up with any nonsense. She loves having the children around her, and strives to keep peace between everyone. She rarely uses her first name of Mabel, even those close to the family call her Mrs Butler.
Olive Rudge

Played by Anna Karen. Stan's frumpy, whining sister. In all but the last series and a few individual episodes in other series, Olive hangs around the home all day helping her mum with the housework.
Arthur Rudge

Played by Michael Robbins. Olive's lazy, hypocritical husband, he is a railway employee and fervent unionist. When he joins the Butler household as a lodger, he accidentally gets into bed with Olive, so Mum makes them marry. At the end of series six Arthur left the show by divorcing Olive when Robbins returned to the London stage to star with Tom Courtenay in Time and Time Again.
Jack Harper

Played by Bob Grant. Stan's best friend, neighbour and usual conductor. Jack is a cheerful, cheeky, bucktoothed conman who teaches Stan all the tricks of the trade. In later series Grant and Stephen Lewis wrote a number of episodes together.
Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake

Played by Stephen Lewis. He is the bane of Stan's life, often checking up on Stan and Jack and often threatening them with the sack for lateness. He has a toothbrush moustache and a long black mac style. After Stan left to go live up North, Blake moved in to the Butler household as a boarder.


Seventy-four twenty five minute episodes were made. Also popular were the spin-off films by Hammer Film Productions: On the Buses, 1971; Mutiny on the Buses, 1972; and Holiday on the Buses, 1973, set on a Pontin's holiday camp. On the Buses became Britain's top box office film

[darren]

Re: On The Buses

Must say its a show i coud never get into.
i never really found it fuinny.

I know its massively popular but for me i could never get the humour of it.

But for sure its areal classic that i cannot deny.
and it had a really good cast.

[moonvisage]

Re: On The Buses

I loved watching On The Buses.I would never miss an episode when i was a child.One of the beautiful dolly birds i always remember seeing,and thinking '' WOW! What a woman!!! '' was the heavenly Andrea Lawrence.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0492619/

A link to On the Buses tribute site

http://www.t0ester.co.uk/otb/otbindex.html


... and a picture of the beautiful Andrea Lawrence.

[sf1378]

Re: On The Buses

Anna Karen's employed as a 'mystery shopper' by London Transport to go on buses for real and then tell them about the good and bad....ironic. lol.

I've seen the show, repeated on ITV 3 late at night....its something I'll have on in the background....I'm surprised it ended in 1973, as its been repeated so many times I thought it went on til the late 70s....

I've only ever found ONE moment funny in it, the bit in Holiday on the Buses when the toilet blows up due to white spirit fumes....Incidentally, theres a neighbour of mine whose wife looks like Olive down to a tee....poor bloke.

[80sChav]

Re: On The Buses

I liked On The buses or tried to as a tansport Fanatic (Buses, more) but I struggled to like it I don't know why. Perhaps it is I always thought of it (not to say it was), but I seem to often think of it being on on a Sunday Afternoon or something that was on in trhe middle of the Summer Holidays as a kid.

Fundamently it should of been even better than it was with the concept in place (as the potiential) was all there for plots etc. If this had worked out as so it could easily of ran until the early 80s I think without any doubt.

[Richard1978]

Re: On The Buses

I was surprised how many episodes (& 3 films) were made in 4 years, there must have been 2 series per year for some of the run.

[Trickyvee]

Re: On The Buses

Like most old TV shows, I enjoy On The Buses because of the era it was made in. I especially like the outdoor shots where you can see old cars, shop fronts, dreadful 70's fashions etc. The show itself is pretty mediocre but OK to watch for a bit carry on-esque humour and nostalgic escapism.

[HG]

Re: On The Buses

Like most old TV shows, I enjoy On The Buses because of the era it was made in. I especially like the outdoor shots where you can see old cars, shop fronts, dreadful 70's fashions etc. The show itself is pretty mediocre but OK to watch for a bit carry on-esque humour and nostalgic escapism.

This, I love watching the 70s and 80s stuff now and taking in all the street scenes etc, it certainly takes me back and makes me realise it was a long long time ago now. I do like the series though, corny as it is, sums the 70s attitudes up quite well