ON THE BUSES

'On the Buses' was one of the most popular British sitcoms of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In its time, 'On The Buses' was as popular as 'Dad's Army' and 'Steptoe And Son'.

Beginning in 1969, 'On the Buses' was the brainchild of Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney, and was set in a bus depot. Made for ITV, by London Weekend Television, the series ran until 1973. As well as 74 TV episodes, the half hour series was so popular that three 'On the Buses' movies were also made.

Two Jack the Lads

The three main stars of the series were bus driver Stan Butler (played by Reg Varney), his conductor friend Jack (Bob Grant), and their nemesis, the permanently miserable Inspector Blake, better known as 'Blakey' (Stephen Lewis). 'Blakey' loathed Stan and Jack, as they only seemed interested in chasing after young women, and he considered that they didn't take their job seriously enough. 'On the Buses' was really of its time, and some of its humour would probably be considered too sexist for modern audiences.

Whereas Stan and Jack were mischievous, the other male characters in the series were more lugubrious. As well as 'Blakey', another important male character was Stan's brother-in-law, Arthur, who was played by Michael Robbins. Arthur was in a loveless marriage with Olive (Anna Karen), who he plainly felt no longer attracted to. Olive knew this, and was prone to emotional outbursts as a result.

Stan is middle-aged and lives at home with his mother (Cicely Courtneidge/Doris Hare), and the oddball pair of frumpy sister Olive (Anna Karen) and her miserable husband, Arthur (Michael Robbins). The latter three were also an important ingredient to the success of the show.

The Legendary 'Blakey'

Though it seems dated now, 'On the Buses' produced one of the most famous characters in British sitcom history in Inspector 'Blakey'. He was in the British comedy tradition of grumpy men who made fools of themselves. Like Alf Garnett from 'Till Death Us Do Part', Basil Fawlty from 'Fawlty Towers', and Victor Meldrew from 'One Foot in the Grave', 'Blakey' would get increasingly more exasperated when things went wrong. He was also made to look a little like Adolf Hitler to make the character seem even more ridiculous. But 'Blakey' did end up with a catchphrase that became legendary, namely, "I 'ate you, Butler."

There were seven series of 'On the Buses', and the final episode was 'Gardening Time', which was broadcast on May 20th, 1973. Stuart Allen produced and directed the first four series, and Derrick Goodwin and Bryan Izzard produced and directed the later series. The films are often repeated on British television, and the series itself has been repeated on ITV3 in 2011.

- Paul Rance/booksmusicfilmstv.com.

On The Buses Cast List

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

On The Buses 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

Films
On The Buses, 1971
Mutiny On The Buses, 1972
Holiday On The Buses, 1973

On The Buses DVDs available from booksmusicfilmstv.com - in association with Amazon.co.uk

On The Buses/Mutiny On The Buses/Holiday On The Buses [1971] ~ Reg Varney, Doris Hare

On the Buses - The Complete Series [Repackaged] [11dvd] ~ On the Buses

On The Buses Star Reg Varney Obituary
Written by Paul Rance
Monday, 17 November 2008

Reg Varney, one of Britain's most popular comedy actors of the 1970s, died after a short illness on November 16th, 2008. He had been admitted to a nursing home in Budleigh Salterton, Devon with a chest infection. Reg was best-known for his role as Stan Butler in the massively popular ITV '70s sitcom, 'On The Buses', and he also starred in the popular '60s sitcom, 'The Rag Trade'.

Born on July 11th, 1916, in Canning Town, East London, Reg Varney was one of five children, and at a young age had piano lessons. He was talented enough to use his playing skills in pubs and clubs, and also sang with Big Bands. Encouraged by his mother, Varney gave up his job to go into showbusiness full time. He performed as an army entertainer during his stint with the Royal Engineers in World War II, and in the late 1940s was in the revue, 'Gaytime' - with an unknown comedian called Benny Hill playing his stooge. Reg Varney appeared in music hall venues, before landing his first big TV role as foreman Reg Turner in 'The Rag Trade', which began in 1961. Later in the decade, Varney appeared in another comedy, 'Beggar My Neighbour', before landing the role of his career as cheeky bus driver Stan Butler in 'On The Buses', which began in 1969. As recently as 1988, Reg Varney reprised the role of Stan for an 'On The Buses' tour of Australia. Another notable role for Varney was as a drag artist in 'The Best Pair Of Legs In The Business', which was a TV play and then a film.

An unlikely claim to fame for Reg was when on June 27th, 1967, he became the first man in the world to use a cashpoint machine. Recruited by his local Barclays Bank in Enfield, Middlesex, as a local celebrity, and to publicise their new dispensing machine, Reg Varney pulled out the first cash from these often derided machines.

Reg Varney's wife Lilian died in 2002, and he is survived by daughter Jeanne Marley, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Reg Varney Filmography (films in bold, and most recent TV and film appearances listed first)
Paul Merton's Life Of Comedy (1995)
- Marital Bliss (1995) Character - Bingo Caller
Red Peppers (1991)
Tonight At 8.30 Character - Bert Bentley (1 episode, 1991)
The Plank (1979) Character - Window Cleaner
Down The 'Gate Character - Reg Furnell (12 episodes, 1975-1976)
Holiday On The Buses (1973) Character - Stan Butler
Reg Varney (1973) Various Characters
On The Buses Character - Stan Butler (63 episodes, 1969-1973)
Go For A Take (1972) Character - Wilfred Stone
The Reg Varney Revue (1972)
Mutiny On The Buses (1972) Character - Stan Butler
The Best Pair Of Legs In The Business (1972) Character - Sherry Sheridan
On The Buses (1971) Character - Stan Butler
The Other Reg Varney (1970) Various Characters
The Rovers (1 episode, 1969)
- The Odyssey Of Reginald Peck (1969) Character - Reginald Peck
ITV Playhouse (1 episode, 1968)
- The Best Pair Of Legs In The Business (1968) Character - Sherry
Beggar My Neighbour Character - Harry Butt (23 episodes, 1966-1968)
Hooray For Laughter (1967)
Comedy Playhouse (1 episode, 1966)
- Beggar My Neighbour (1966) Character - Harry Butt
The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery (1966) Character - Gilbert
Joey Boy (1965) Character - Rabbit Malone
The Valiant Varneys (1964) Various Characters
The Rag Trade Character - Reg Turner (2 episodes, 1961)