On The Buses was a British situation comedy created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney. The pair had already had successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife for the BBC. The BBC rejected this offering and so the pair turned to ITV. The show was accepted and although the critics disliked it, the show was a huge hit with the viewers.

In the series Stan Butler (Reg Varney) works as a bus driver for the Luxton & District Traction Company. He lives at home with his bingo-loving, widowed and overbearing mother, his frumpy sister Olive (Anna Karen) and his lazy brother-in-law Arthur. The bane of Stan's life is Inspector "Blakey" Blake (Stephen Lewis) who is often checking up on him and his conductor Jack (Bob Grant), and threatening them with the sack for lateness and untidiness. Not coincidentally, Blakey sports a toothbrush moustache and general appearance very much in the image of Adolf Hitler. His catchphrase is "I 'ate you Butler!". In later years Stan and Arthur left the series, and Olive worked for the bus company and Blakey moved in to board at Mum's house.

74 half-hour episodes were made. Also popular were the spin-off feature films made by Hammer Film Productions (On The Buses, 1971; Mutiny On The Buses, 1972; Holiday On The Buses, 1973). Holiday On The Buses was Britain's top box-office film at the time, surpassing even the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever.

Like several other London-made ITV sitcoms of the era, the format of On The Buses was sold to American television, where it was remade by NBC as Lotsa Luck, starring Dom DeLuise, running for 24 episodes in 1973–74. It failed to succeed and has never been screened in Britain.

Cast

• Cicely Courtneidge — Mum (first series 1969)
• Bob Grant — Jack
• Doris Hare — Mum (1969-73)
• Anna Karen — Olive
• Stephen Lewis — Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake
• Michael Robbins — Arthur
• Reg Varney — Stan Butler
• Henry McGee — Centre Manager

Episode list

• Series 1
  • The Early Shifts
  • The New Conductor
  • Olive Takes A Trip
  • Bus Driver's Stomach
  • The New Inspector
  • The Canteen
  • The Darts Match
• Series 2
  • Family Flu
  • The Used Combination
  • Self Defence
  • Aunt Maud
  • Late Again
  • Bon Voyage
• Series 3
  • First Aid
  • The Cistern
  • The Inspector's Niece
  • Brew It Yourself
  • Busman's Perks
  • The Snake
  • Mum's Last Fling
  • Radio Control
  • Foggy Night
  • The New Uniforms
  • Going Steady
  • The Squeeze
  • On The Make
• Series 4
  • Nowhere To Go
  • The Canteen Girl
  • Dangerous Driving
  • The Other Woman
  • Christmas Duty
  • The 'L' Bus
  • The Kids' Outing
  • The Anniversary
  • The Cover Up
  • Safety First
  • The Lodger
  • The Injury
  • Not Tonight
• Series 5
  • The Nursery
  • Stan's Room
  • The Best Man
  • The Inspector's Pets
  • The Epidemic
  • The Busmen's Ball
  • Canteen Trouble
  • The New Nurse
  • Lost Property
  • Stan's Uniform
  • The Strain
  • The New Telly
  • Vacancy For Inspector
  • A Thin Time
  • Boxing Day Social
• Series 6
  • No Smoke Without Fire
  • Love Is What You Make It
  • Private Hire
  • Stan's Worst Day
  • Union Trouble
  • Bye Bye Blakey
  • The Prize
• Series 7
  • Olive's Divorce
  • The Perfect Clippie
  • The Ticket Machine
  • The Poster
  • The Football Match
  • On The Omnibuses
  • Goodbye Stan
  • Hot Water
  • The Visit
  • What The Stars Foretell
  • The Allowance
  • Friends In High Places
  • Gardening Time

See also

• List of British sitcoms turned into films

External links

• On The Buses Fan Club
• BBC Comedy Guide page

ITV sitcoms | Fictional bus drivers

On The Buses (serie) | Busskisarna