35 years after the series closed, it’s hard to imagine that On The Buses would be quite so popular were it screened for the first time today. Then, it reflected the working class mood of the late 1960s, an era when passengers still filled buses for work journeys. People could identify with it, even if (and perhaps because) everyone seemed to shout all the time.
It also reflected the new permissiveness, with lads Stan and Jack continually (and unsuccessfully) chasing miniskirted clippies. Yes, every Luxton & District bus was double crewed, something that in reality was fast disappearing at the time.
On the Buses was an uncomplicated comedy of its time, and its popularity at 22 million viewers each week at its peak was largely thanks to Reg Varney (Stan), who died yesterday, aged 92. No one else on TV ever put buses on the map in such a way.
Monday, 17 November 2008
Luxton & District
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2 comments:
Ah yes. On the Buses. It was old before its time, with half cab, conductor operated double deckers. With embroidered uniforms and peaked caps. What a historic record of the bus scene in the early sixties (even though it was screened in the late sixties and early seventies). Although there were many jibes between supervisory management and the workers, many a true word was said in jest!
I imagine that Reg Varney held a PCV licence for there were some shots of him driving on the highway, including the introductions to the first series. However I never saw him glance in his rear view mirror once, though!
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