The story of a Yorkshire lass who comes south to London and becomes a bus driver. Originally intended for broadcast in 2005 as 'Jane Hall's Big Bus Ride', but renamed and shelved for a year in the light of the 7/7 terrorist attack.
The series was filmed partly using London United's Hounslow garage, although the buses used directly for filming carried fictional 'London Buses' fleetnames.
James notes
"Much of the garage interior filming was done in Warrington (around April 2004), in an old building near to Central Station. The building used was the old Rylands truck dealership in olden days I believe, a covered building that backed on to Winwick Street, but now demolished."
The film company acquired a motley collection of vehicles for the series, none of which was strictly appropriate for London services of the time.
F116PHM and F121PHM (Volvo B10M-50 Citybus/Alexander) were new to Grey-Green as 116/21 in 1988 for use on Route 24 in London.
A133SMA (Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks) was new in 1983 as Crosville DOG133:
A511EJF (Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks) was new in 1983 as Midland Fox 511:
TIB4873 (Leyland National Greenway/East Lancs) was new in 1979 as Crosville SNL671 (MCA671T), a Leyland National B. It was rebuilt in 1993 by East Lancashire Coachbuilders as a Leyland National Greenway and operated for Crosville Wales in this guise.
G56TGW (Dennis Dart/Duple Dartline) was the only genuine London United bus and had even worked from Hounslow garage before. It was new as London Buses DT56 in 1990 and was part of the privatised London United fleet in 1994. Sold in 2000, it had several owners (and two other registrations) before being acquired for filming. Sadly its distinctive lines only appear in background:
A number of other buses make cameo appearances.
London United Dennis Darts/Plaxton Pointer and Volvo B7TLs/Alexander:
Tellings Golden Miller 416 (RX51FGK), a 2001 Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton:
London United VP111, (W457BCW), a Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President, displays the fictional 'London Buses' fleetnames, but two similar buses seen over the wall
retain London United fleetnames:
......while a Stagecoach Manchester Dennis Trident/Alexander, 18021 (MX53FLA), is a giveaway that some of the filming took place on Wilmslow Road, Manchester!
Another Stagecoach Manchester bus is this Mercedes Vario, 42006 (R506YWC), thinly disguised as a York local bus, but retaining legal lettering
for Greater Manchester Buses South:
I haven't traced this Vario (P28GHC), which leads me to wonder whether this is 42006 with a fake registration plate:
Overall this isn't a great drama, but the six episodes are worth seeing for the buses!
