I always find the domestic scenes in the Butler household to be the funniest, with many of the family disputes taking place around the kitchen table at breakfast or dinner time - no wonder I'm always so damn hungry after each episode! As you would expect from a long running series (seven series, 74 episodes) you do get the odd weak episode now & then. For me, the first series feels essentially like a 'feet-finding' exercise before the series really gets into it's stride. The later departure from the series of Reg Varney & Michael Robbins was a blow, offset to a certain extent by Blakey taking up lodgings at the Butler household. Only the weaker episodes prevent me from awarding 5 stars. 9/10. The first five series (of the seven) are pretty flawless, where the writers, Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney, effortlessly appeared to write brilliantly conceived situations, which in turn created many wonderfully memorable comedy moments. Incidents involving attempting to date clippies became a consistent theme for Stan, alongside many a domestic drama, involving a motor bike, a toilet, some do it yourself decorating, to name just a few. The humour is always very immediate, and laughs are plentiful. Wolfe and Chesney displayed a wonderfully light touch to their writing, where, whatever the circumstance, the show always maintained that wonderful feelgood factor. It was never really crude, or overtly sexual, unlike today. There was always a warmth, and a homeliness, whatever the situation. If anything, series three to five, shows the show at its absolute peak, which was around the time that Blakey's comedy credentials began to be utilised more fully. In many ways as Blakey actor Stephen Lewis grew into his part, and he became known for his many catchphrases ('i 'ate you Butler' being perhaps the most popular) and pained facial expressions, so he became the catalyst for so much of the show's greatest moments.

Despite Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, comedy still needs to risk giving offence" Daily Telegraph, 1 November 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2014. Filmed external shots were part of the series. LWT arranged with the now defunct Eastern National Omnibus Company to use its buses at Wood Green bus garage in North London. They were shown as belonging to Luxton and District. Luxton is supposed to be in Essex, and actual Essex towns including Southend-on-Sea, Basildon, Braintree and Tilbury are all mentioned. One of the bus route termini was "Cemetery Gates", for which LWT used the entrance to Lavender Hill Cemetery. A different Lavender Hill in Battersea also features in the last episode of the last series, featuring the town hall (now the Battersea Arts Centre). Walker, Craig (2009). On the Buses: The Complete Story. Apex Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-906358-69-3. Anna Karen as Olive Rudge, Stan's sister. Olive is always being criticised by her husband Arthur, even though she helps her mum with household jobs and frequently helps Stan with the decorating. Olive has twice been a clippie at the bus depot, both times being unsuccessful. She is always wanting "an early night" with Arthur, much to his displeasure.

Holiday On The Buses

In addition, two five-minute Christmas specials were made by LWT as part of an All Star Comedy Carnival in 1969 and 1972, ITV's answer to the BBC's Christmas Night with the Stars programme. The 1969 edition has been lost, but the 1972 edition – featuring a goose that the cast are chasing for Christmas dinner – exists in the Thames Television archive, which is now owned by FremantleMedia. On the Buses is a British television sitcom that was broadcast on ITV from 1969 to 1973. It was created by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, who wrote most of the episodes. It spawned three spin-off feature films and a stage version. Despite the writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife with the BBC, the corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential in a bus depot as a setting. The comedy partnership turned to Frank Muir, Head of Entertainment at London Weekend Television (LWT), who loved the idea; the show was accepted, and despite a poor critical reception became a hit with viewers. The original series was repeated on Granada Plus in 1996 and until the channel closed in 2004, and was later repeated on UK Gold and then from 2004 onward on ITV3, where it was still seen as of November 2023. [5] Fox Classics on the Australian Fox cable network and New Zealand's Jones channel on Sky regularly show the series. As of August 2018, the series is broadcast by Dutch 'oldies' cable channel ONS. [ needs update] Home media [ edit ] Region 1 [ edit ]

A total of 74 episodes of On the Buses were broadcast over seven series. Three spin-off films were also released. Get that bus out! - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. 6 September 2011 . Retrieved 1 June 2018. The films were set in a different canon to the series – in the films, Arthur and Olive manage to have a child despite their apparently sexless marriage and Arthur's 'operation' – the exact nature of which was never explicitly revealed. Arthur's operation is mentioned in the first film, but later Olive gives birth to their baby son. The three films follow a loose story arc which shows their son (Little Arthur) growing up. Olive is pregnant with a second child at the end of Mutiny, but no mention of this was made in the third film, Holiday, set mainly in a holiday camp. The bus depot becomes that of The Town & District Bus Company instead of The Luxton & District Traction Company. The buses in the films are mostly red ones, with one green one (not including the Windsor Safari Park tour bus in Mutiny On The Buses).

On The Buses

The theme music for the series, entitled "Happy Harry", was written by Tony Russell. [3] Featured buses [ edit ] Characters from On The Buses appeared in two other series. A spin-off, Don't Drink the Water (1974–75), ran for thirteen episodes, featuring Blake retiring to Spain with his sister Dorothy ( Pat Coombs - who also played one of the female bus drivers in the first On The Buses film). Anna Karen reprised her role as Olive in LWT's revival of The Rag Trade, which ran for two series in 1977–78. Visual Entertainment released On the Buses: The Ultimate Collection, an 11-disc box set featuring the complete series on DVD on 12 September 2006. Of course every time Blakey (Lewis) opens his mouth it is pure gold. Far and away the character that makes this show for me. Additionally the characters of Arthur (Michael Robbins) and Olive (Anna Karen). Olive is funny straight away in the first episode and the interaction between the two gets better the longer the show is on. Arthur's obvious contempt for his wife who clearly adores him is simply well played and always funny.

Having the complete series on DVD is a treasure trove of laughter. The box set contains all the episodes and specials, allowing me to binge-watch the entire series at my leisure. It's a wonderful way to unwind and escape into a world of humor and amusement. It seems a pretty true statement to say that it's widely considered that the BBC has been primarily the broadcaster who has produced the much greater share of sitcom classics. Their interpretation of comedy often seemed that little more sophisticated, and perhaps more eloquently written, than their nearest rivals, ITV, yet there are occasional exceptions. LWTs 'On The Buses' isn't especially sophisticated, true, and it's fair to say the politically correct brigade may find a few things to disapprove of in terms of social attitude on show here, yet when the show was at its peak, it seriously took some beating, such was the effectiveness of its humour. Everything seemed to fit into place most perfectly, not forgetting also the most wonderful casting. At the beginning of the seventh series Arthur, who is not seen, has left Olive and they are divorced. Olive again gets a job as a clippie on the buses as they are short of money. Stan takes a job in the north of England in a car factory in the "Goodbye Stan" episode, and the inspector takes Stan's old room as a lodger. Reg Varney reaches the end of the line David Stubbs, The Guardian 17 November 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2014. a b The Guinness Book of Classic British TV, by Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping, second edition. Guinness Publishing Ltd., 1996 (p.66).I was torn between 3 or 4 stars for this show, but in the end, it makes me happy and makes the characters seem like old friends rendering it both watchable and re-watchable. So I give 4. I would not give it 5 stars because it pales when compared to shows like The Good Life, To The Manor Born or Dad's Army where the writing and character development and even acting is far more sophisticated. This show views much more like a filmed play than a polished show. There are a lot of fluffed lines, but there is also genuine live audience reaction. Stan's usual buses, AVW399F and AEV811F, are both still extant; one is in Lille, France, the other in Los Angeles, California. [4]