In Deep (BBC crime drama)
First episode of a two-part drama features characters getting on a London United Metrobus on service 73.Second episode has another journey by bus.
The Innes Book of Records (BBC musical series)
Idiosyncratic and brilliant showcase for the talents of singer/pianist/writer Neil Innes, formerly of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, performing parodies of current pop songs. Allan Haynes, who notes the original working title had been Parodies Lost, comments: "Neil also finds himself in some unlikely musical situations throughout the series. Most of the filming was done around Bristol, plus a trip out to Minehead.As the only 'bus man' on the location, producer Ian Keill asked me if I could get an open topper to put the Silver Band on top. I came up with an open top Lodekka from Bristol (NBC) from Weston Super Mare. No record of the vehicle number, but I have somewhere a photo showing the name it had been given - I think there were three at Weston that season. We recorded the band first on the ground then loaded them onto the top deck and filmed the thing driving around the streets of Minehead, the bandsmen then miming to playback. We had to take out one pair of seats at the back to get the tuba player in." Allan adds he believes the bus in question to have been Bristol's 626HFM, named Western Splendour, and is seen at the wheel here.
In Search of Shakespeare (BBC documentary)
Chris Hough comments "This BBC2 documentary had a number of shots of a Motts Coaches of Aylesbury Van Hool bodied coach being used to transport members of the Royal Shakespeare Company around the UK in the manner of acting troupes of the Elizabethan era. Unfortunately it was not identifiable."In Sickness and in Health (BBC comedy series)
An episode featured London Transport Scania Metropolitans/MCW MD98 and MD99 (thanks Graeme Selway). Since both appeared in '2 Point 4 Children' this may give a clue as to the date. any more information?"I remember an episode of In Sickness and in Health where Alf Garnett and his son in law are going to London by train. For a while, through the window in the background is a section of motorway, and the train runs alongside what appears to be a Yelloway Motor Services Plaxton Panorama coach" (thanks Howard Berry)
Inside Out (BBC documentary series)
One show in 2003 had a feature on 'New Age Travellers', featuring a number of buses, one of which was a former London Transport Guy Special/Eastern Coachworks. (thanks Bob Wingrove)Inside Story (BBC documentary series)
Programme: Seeing Red"During the run up and period just after the 1992 General Election, the BBC filmed an episode called 'Seeing Red' about London's bus drivers. It was filmed at Centrewest's Westbourne Park depot near Paddington and featured a selection of employees and the issues they dealt with in the job. The idea was to see how these employees felt about the possible selling off of London Buses depending on who was elected but it covered a lot of issues in bus work, including the suspension of one driver for a number of offences. Featured the types in service at the time including Routemasters, Metrobuses and Wright Handybus Darts in service and at the garage. A range of different staff were interviewed from conductors, fitters and drivers." (thanks John Hammond)
Malcolm Rennie adds: "The interviews with the platform staff were mainly while the buses were in service. The female Metrobus driver was on route 18, the Dart driver was on the 28 and the Routemaster driver and conductor were on the 15. Lest we forget, a union official gives the pay rates of 1992 as £4.31 per hour for a minibus driver and £5.60 for omo double deck drivers. Curiously while the programme was about Centrewest's Westbourne Park depot, the opening frames of the programme shows Leaside MCW Metrobus GBU1V - M1443 (bought second hand from GMPTE) emerging from a bus wash."
A 2003 report had Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe trying to determine whether or not chivalry is dead! Graeme Selway notes: "Filmed in Bournemouth, we saw some general shots including a Yellow Buses East Lancs-bodied Dennis Trident or Volvo B7TL, plus a similarly bodied Dennis Dart SLF and Wilts & Dorset's Optare MetroRider K528 UJT together with several of their Optare Solos. We were also treated to a (obviously staged) trip on a Solo with the aforementioned Ms Widdecombe, which was edited to suggest that the bus in question was V685 FEL.... or one of the V-DFX batch. Of course in reality, it was probably neither!".
The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries (BBC crime series)
Episode 1.05 has a brief appearance by an STL - I believe it's preserved London Transport STL441 (AXM693), a 1934 AEC Regent I with London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) body.Inspector Morse (Central TV crime series) has its own page - CLICK HERE
Inspector Wexford (ITV crime series)
"One episode featured a Southdown National pulling up at Romsey Bus Station, it was former Ribble National 1 CBV 768S - this was around 1988. Another episode featured a Hampshire Bus Iveco Minibus in Stagecoach livery." (thanks Nigel Tarrant) any more information?In Suspicious Circumstances (Granada TV crime series)
Ramsbottom UDC Leyland Tiger PS1/Roe 17 (HTB656) masqueraded as a Darlington bus - supplied by the Museum of Transport, Manchester. In the same series a Lincoln Leyland Tiger TS also appeared (it came from Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society) (thanks Bob Wingrove) any more information?The Interceptor (ITV gameshow)
This shortlived successor to 'Treasure Hunt' included a show shot around Bakewell in Derbyshire, and a glimpsed Silver Service Bristol RE. Made by Chatsworth TV it followed Coronation Street when first broadcast. Seven shows were made. One show centering on Chipping Camden briefly showed a Wallace Arnold Duple Caribbean coach parked in Moreton-in-Marsh. Graeme Selway comments: "I haven't seen this but I'm curious about the sighting of a Wallace Arnold Duple Caribbean. I haven't checked, but I don't think that WA had any. This period (early/mid eighties) was all Plaxton save for a few Setras and Bovas. What they did have, though, was at least one Duple Calypso - which if you remember, was Caribbean styling to Laser height and with Bova running gear. All in all a very neat coach. Anyway, WA had A322 HFP second-hand from Parks (Hamilton).....as far as I can see A322 HFP was the only vehicle from the Laser/Caribbean/Calypso range." The Bakewell show also includes a trip in the grounds of Chatsworth House on a carriage from the Darley Dale Carriage Museum.It'll Be Alright on the Night - Silver Jubilee Edition (ITV blooper series)
Presumably also included in a previous edition of the long-running bloopers show is a clip of an Irish TV reporter talking while three Dublin CitySwift Leyland Olympians pass, also a single decker, finally she is narrowly missed by a passing coach in Eurolines livery.It's Marty (BBC comedy series)
Sketch: Lightning Coach ToursScot Fergie notes the coach used is Birch Brothers ALD29B, an AEC Reliance/Harrington Grenadier. The sketch starts with a shot of the bootlid with (crumpled) fake vinyl on it reading 'Lightning Coach Tours, Margate 09712'. The driver is comedian John Junkin.
"The footage was much speeded up on a whistle-stop package coach tour - hence Marty hanging out of the door in one shot."(thanks Scot)
"Also in the same series was a sketch entitled 'A day in the life of a stuntman' where Marty goes to get the bus and the conductor says room for one more on top so he jumps up to the roof and sits there." The bus is AEC Regent III RT HLW175 (formerly London Transport RT188) operating for Red Rover, Aylesbury (thanks Bob Wingrove):
ITV London Programme Trailer
A gem discovered by Bob Wingrove surfing the TV Ark website:a 1955 program trailer that was shown BEFORE the official start of ITV in London (hence before any official independent television in the UK) to launch ITV shows various RT family vehicles and a London Transport trolleybus.
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