Buses on Screen - TV shows Cm-Cz

College Girls (Channel 4 documentary series)

Episode: May Day
A glimpse of one of Stagecoach Oxford's 'Oxford Tube' MAN 18.22/Jonckheere double deck coaches. As one of the Oxford students featured travels on a bus, an Oxford Bus Wright-bodied single decker is glimpsed, while a Guide Friday ex-Nottingham Leyland Atlantean open topper passes, also an Oxford Bus Volvo B10B/Plaxton Verde.

Penultimate episode has brief Oxford views of a Wright-bodied Oxford Bus singledecker, a Stagecoach Oxford Volvo B6/Alexander and an Oxford Tube MAN/Jonckheere Monaco, and a Tappin/Lothian Leyland Atlantean/Alexander opentopper, also an unidentified bus in open country in Pakistan

Columbo (Universal crime series)

Episode: Dagger of the Mind
Set in London. Noel Baxendale observes, "The external scenes are a mixture of genuine London locations and Hollywood backlot with a red halfcab that certainly isn't from London. It may be the same one that appears in a McCloud episode in another (non) London street scene." (that episode would it seems be 7.5: 'London Bridges') Screen captures reveal it as a real find, an ex-Midland Red BMMO D7. Colin Read notes "Two BMMO (Midland Red) D7s 4110 and 4111 were sold to Universal Studios in the mid-60s." - sadly the registration isn't clear enough to read, and if the other vehicles are any indication it could anyway be fake. The route number is X69, and the BMMO radiator badge can clearly be seen.

The London scenes portray red AEC Routemasters going about their business, also two orange/white BEA coaches linking Central London with Heathrow Airport. One's a front entrance Routemaster, the other's an AEC Regal IV:

An introductory shot at Heathrow somewhat clumsily includes this AEC RT:

Coaches glimpsed include this Plaxton-bodied AEC Reliance, and an older Plaxton coach, also a white Duple-bodied coach and what appears to be a European left hand drive coach:

The Combination (BBC drama)

1981 BBC drama set in 1951; Terry Jones notes the last few minutes feature Bedford OB JAB 661, then owned by the late Geoff Howard of Ludlow.

Come Outside (BBC childrens' series)

Episode: Buses
Opens with a view of three buses, a London and Country Leyland Olympian/Roe, a London Centrewest Mercedes 811D/Alexander and a Daimler Fleetline DMS of the Original London Sightseeing Tour. brum

However, the true star is the Mercedes, London Centrewest MA76 (F676XMS) operating from Uxbridge garage in Uxbridge Buses livery. Aunt Mabel has to return her books to the library, and she takes Pippin the dog with her. come outside

She's in such a hurry to get to the library that Pippin is left on the bus and ends up at Uxbridge garage.(thanks Ewood Eddie):

There is footage of the bus being refuelled:

Scot Fergie adds "Pippin also watches the driver reload his ticket machine, and the date of the programme is 1994" Seen passing through the bus washer is Centrewest M374 (GYE374W), a MCW Metrobus in Uxbridge Buses livery:

As the driver sets off to return Pippin to a worried Aunt Mabel, one of Centrewest's surviving BL-class Bristol LH6L/Eastern Coachworks is glimpsed in the background:

Cops (BBC police drama series)

A scene takes place across the road from Bolton Moor Lane Bus station. First Manchester, Timeline, Blue Bus and Stagecoach Manchester buses can be seen in the background. (thanks Ewood Eddie)

Coronation Street (Granada TV soap)

In 'Weatherfield Wayfarer' livery, Renault/Alexander E275 BRG, new to Go-Ahead Northern but latterly Red and White 30 appeared. I recall that it was acquired specifically by Granada Studios for this purpose. - noted by Ian Kirby on uk-bus-fleetnews discussion group.
Ex-London Transport AEC Routemaster/Park Royal RM1414 (414CLT) was supplied by the Museum of Transport, Manchester; was the scene set in Croydon? (thanks Bob Wingrove) Other appearances have included a Greater Manchester Buses Renault/Northern Counties, a Stagecoach Manchester Mercedes Vario and a Dennis's Mercedes minibus.
The episode Monday 26 November 2001 featured Dennis, Dukinfield Mercedes/Plaxton M728 MBU. Thurs 13 Dec 2001 featured Arriva Manchester Mercedes/Alexander Belfast M366 KVR. (thanks Graeme Selway).
Graeme also recalls an episode probably around 1999/2000 "with scenes that were supposedly set in Liverpool. All very well, except for the Stagecoach liveried Olympians visible in the background - Liverpool, of course, being one of the biggest Stagecoach-free zones in the country! No doubt, all expense was spared and the scenes were (I guess) filmed in Manchester."
Mike Lloyd notes another appearance by the 'Weatherfield Wayfarer' Renault/Alexander E275 BRG in April 2003. Meantime Bob Wingrove reminds me of the episode (broadcast 8 December 1989) in which Alan Bradley catches up with Rita Fairclough in Blackpool. The climax of the scene has him saying 'I'm taking you back to Weatherfield' just as he is hit by a Blackpool tram! The tram is confirmed by both Graeme Selway and Stephen Osman as Balloon car 710.
Stephen also adds: "During the animated introductions for Coronation Street (advertising Cadbury's), one scene features a character called Graham playing a saxophone (badly). Through the window behind him, a double decker bus (also animated and carrying Cadbury advertising) is seen passing."
Martin notes GM Buses Dodge S56 1889 has appeared.

Countryfile (BBC1 rural current affairs show)

Sunday 7th March edition had reporter Ben Fogle taking a trip out on Southern Vectis route 42 on the Isle of Wight, culminating in a visit to Alum Bay. Star of the show was orange-liveried open-top Bristol VRTSL/Eastern Coachworks 682 (VDL744, formerly FDL682V), although another VRT may have been featured, and two red-liveried Olympians also appeared briefly.
This was the third report in a series by Ben Fogle. In the first he travelled by open-topper from Brighton to Devil's Dyke, and in the second he took the circular open-top tour from Penzance in Cornwall. Did anyone see either of these?

Country House (BBC documentary series)

One edition of this portrait of Woburn Abbey shows a society wedding; an AEC Regent III RT is one of the vehicles used to transport guests. (thanks Chris Hough)

Crash Test Dummies (Sky One magazine show)

Feeble-minded show about destroying things includes a stunt in which a Bristol VRT is wrapped in bubble wrap and driven off a cliff. This is probably LBD921V, a series 3 new to United Counties, according to information from Rob Sly.

Crimewatch (BBC crime reconstruction series)

"The edition of 28 March 2002 included a reconstruction which involved London United Dennis Dart/Plaxton T424 KAG.
Seeing this, I was reminded that a couple of years ago another reconstruction featured Brighton & Hove's well-known preserved Bristol K HAP895."
A June 2002 programme had a reconstruction featuring London route 36. "I think that this was actually a repeat from a show from last autumn, but anyway, as it was route 36, there were shots of London Central Routemasters. RM928 and RM967 were both identifiable."

"'Crimewatch' (26 February 2003) had a couple of reconstructions featuring buses - one had London United W127EON and N131YRW, which was edited so that it suggested one bus on one journey... oops! Another reconstruction featured London General PVL266 (PN02 XBP), a Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL."
A reconstruction screened in July 2003 featured Arriva London North VLW131 (LJ03MHA), a Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini.
(all these thanks to Graeme Selway)

Crossing Jordan (NBC medical drama)

Geoff Cook notes "From the opening portion of Crossing Jordan a Boston (MBTA) bus 0005 appears, with a second of the same type behind it."

Crossroads (ATV/Central/Carlton soap opera)

Much-derided but much-loved Birmingham-set soap opera: Mike Lloyd notes that on 22 and 25 April 2003, scenes featured brief glimpses of Travel West Midlands 319, an Optare Solo.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS forensic series)

Episode 1:10 Sex Lies and Larvae
A woman apparently abandons her car and disappears at a Las Vegas bus station. There is a brief sighting of two buses at the station.
Episode 2:18: Chasing the Bus

Set in Las Vegas; an MCI tour coach (bearing the number 65326) of the fictional Mojave Express line crashes on the way to Las Vegas. During the investigation two identical vehicles are seen at the operator's maintenance facility. Another MCI (I'd guess one of these two) undergoes testing at the lab. In the last scene at a truck stop a motorcoach of Antelope Lines is seen leaving, and an unidentified Setra coach arrives. (put together from observations by Carlos Wallberg and myself!)

Cutting It (BBC drama series)

Season 4 Episode 1 features former SELNEC 7077 (WBN955L), an opentop Leyland Atlantean/Park Royal (thanks Anthony at SELNEC Preservation Society)

Cyber Girl (10 Network-TVS children's sci fi serial)

The alien Cyber Girl arrives on Earth and is befriended by a boy and his father who live in a silver bus converted to an RV. Unfortunately the bus is scrapped early in the serial. can anyone identify?

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