On The Buses Television Series And Film Appreciation Thread
![[Deleted User]](https://wd.vanillicon.com/v2/dd8551997bf76d739d3c8ba4e5ef4cbd.svg)
[Deleted User]
Posts: 6,568 Forum Member
✭
Welcome to the the On The Buses television series and On The Buses film Appreciation thread.
This thread is for fans of the hugely popular On The Buses television series and films.
Whenever I read or hear about an On The Buses film being shown on television I will post to this thread with details of the broadcast date and time and what channel the film will be on.
I will also post here when I read or hear that the On The Buses television series is back on television (as many readers know it has recently been shown frequently on ITV 3).
If you are an On The Buses fan please post here and visit this thread regularly. Thank you.
If you are a fan of the brilliant Carry On films please also visit and post to the following thread:
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1480648&highlight=carry+on+appreciation+thread
This thread is for fans of the hugely popular On The Buses television series and films.
Whenever I read or hear about an On The Buses film being shown on television I will post to this thread with details of the broadcast date and time and what channel the film will be on.
I will also post here when I read or hear that the On The Buses television series is back on television (as many readers know it has recently been shown frequently on ITV 3).
If you are an On The Buses fan please post here and visit this thread regularly. Thank you.
If you are a fan of the brilliant Carry On films please also visit and post to the following thread:
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1480648&highlight=carry+on+appreciation+thread
0
Comments
The film On The Buses is to be shown this coming Saturday – 18th June, 2011 – on ITV 1 and on ITV 1 HD from 1.45 pm to 3.25 pm (and on ITV 1 +1 from 2.45 pm to 4.25 pm the same day). It might be the first time it has been broadcast in HD on UK terrestrial television. The film On The Buses was last shown on UK television on ITV 3 during Easter on St. George’s Day (23.4.2011).
On The Buses was the first of three films based on the hugely popular television series of the same name. It was made in 1971. The film Mutiny On The Buses followed in 1972 with Holiday On The Buses appearing in cinemas in 1973. (source of the dates quoted in this paragraph: Wikipedia).
Reg Varney was the first person in the world to publicly use which modern everyday item?
I did not google the answer - but wasn't it a bank money dispensing machine? I seem to recall seeing a newspaper article somewhere a few years ago with a black-and-white picture of a huge crowd watching as Reg used the new machine - perhaps in Enfield, Middlesex or near there.
http://th436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/cornershop15/British%20Actors/th_PatrickConnor4.jpg
Thank you
An interesting fact of which I was not previously aware. Thank you for posting the above, DemonDan.
I had thought that the fictional town of Luxton might have been based on Luton given the similarities to the names and the closeness of Luton to London (given that On The Buses was obviously based somewhere in or near the capital).
Yes, I remember Tilbury, Basildon and Southend-On-Sea being mentioned in On The Buses and, like you, I can recall the Cliffs Pavilion Theatre (Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend) advertisement you refer to above, DemonDan.
I remember your Dad in that episode. How wonderful that your father was in On The Buses - one of the most popular comedy programmes ever on British television (seen around the world).
And the interior of their house looks completely different too! Could never understand why this was done!
I have always wondered why there are green buses in the television version of On The Buses but red ones in the films based on the television series.
London Transport were approached for their red buses when the show started (even though it was B&W) but they felt the series would show a negative view of the bus service so they refused.
By the time the movie came along they seemed to have changed their mind .
All movie spinoffs of sitcoms change things .
On the Buses is fortunate that it didn't change things too much and it was fairly close to the tv series which is why I think it was a success and had 2 sequels.
Most sitcom spinoffs take the cast on holiday , or at the very least away from the regular series setting that makes it popular.
Its hard to do that and keep the cosy tv feeling for the audience.
I think they all failed apart from the first 2 buses films and I think Man About the House also did a reasonable job even though some basic parts of the tv show were ignored for artistic licence.
In the tv show the Ropers are merely landlords of the house but in the film and indeed for he George and Mildred series they became owners .
What was the reason given for Blakey moving in with Mum and Olive also did Michael Robbins choose to leave or was his character just written out?
Thanks in advance.
I was up at Durham Regatta at the weekend, and when the Butler College VIII raced past I couldn't resist an "I hate you Butler........."
Yes - On The Buses :cool: is a brilliant comedy. It is currently being shown in Australia.
On The Buses should have a permanent place on British terrestrial television. ITV 3 showed it recently and hopefully will start doing so again soon.
I think that Inspector Blakey (Stephen Lewis in On The Buses) is one of the most memorable characters ever played on British television.
It is possible that when Stan left they decided to give Inspector Blakey a more prominent role in On The Buses with him moving in as a lodger where Stan's mum and sister lived.
Thank you for your prompt reply potatoman1. I cannot imagine the On The Buses films with green buses.
The films were made in 1971, 1972 and 1973 (as I mentioned in posting number two to this thread) and the television series was in production from 1969 to 1973. So, red buses appeared in all three On The Buses films including the first On The Buses film in 1971 but green buses were still used for two more years after that in the On The Buses television series until it ended in 1973.
I wonder why the decision to use red buses in the films was not extended to the television series.
Its been reported that Michael Robbins (who left at the end of series 6) and Reg Varney (who left partway through the final series 7) left because they were disappointed with the quality of the scripts.
And if you watch those episodes you can't help but agree with them.
IIRC it was around series 5/6 that the creators and writers of the show went off to the USA to try and get an American version of the series off the ground.
While they were away Bob Grant (Jack) and Stephen Lewis (Blakey) started contributing scripts.
Unsurprisingly many of their scripts gave more prominence to their own characters at the expense of the main stars.
I think this went some way toward the decisions of both actors to leave.
And with Varney gone moving Blakey in with Mum was pretty much all that was left to do without scrapping the series altogether.
The loss of the 2 best characters and the drop in the quality of the scripts ensured that series 7 was the end anyway.
When the 3rd movie (Holiday) was made Michael Robbins had already quit the show but apparently he returned for the movie as a favour to someone inside the production.
I am glad he did - I thought it was an excellent film.
1) Make fun of blakey
2) Stan and Jack get their leg over.
3) Olive and Arthur argue and have no sex life.
4) A bus has to catch fire, breakdown or get damaged.
Hardly top notch script writing needed.
He wrote "Sparrers can't sing" which launched Barbara Windsors career - pre Carry Ons.