Buses on Screen - Inspector Morse

Inspector Morse (Central TV crime series)

Various City of Oxford, Oxford Bus, Thames Transit and Stagecoach Oxford vehicles over the life of the series.

Episode: Deceived By Flight
Clearly seen are Oxford Bus Company 905 (B905XJO), a 1984 MCW Metroliner in Citylink livery, and 755 (E755EJO), an MCW Metrorider in City Nipper livery. A view of The High in Oxford includes a good cross-section of the two competing operators in the city at the time: A Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks and a Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks of Oxford Bus in red NBC-style livery, also a Ford Transit/Carlyle and a MCW Metrorider in Oxford Bus City Nipper livery, plus two Mercedes 709D/Reeve Burgess and a Ford Transit/Mellor 'Snoopy' in the blue and cream of Thames Transit (thanks for the screencaps to stronghold) Episode: The Wolvercote Tongue
Several dual-door Oxford Bus Company Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks appear:

(This one's following two Thames Transit Mellor-bodied Ford Transits)

Later only the roof of a similar bus is seen at Oxford railway station! (How's that for local knowledge?)

A group of tourists arrive at Oxford's Randolph Hotel aboard this superb Bova FHD operating for Berryhurst of London B220AGK:

Later Sergeant Lewis follows one of the tourists into the street; this is all we see of what appears to be a Leyland Tiger of Oxford Bus Company in 190 Citylink livery.

Another Oxford Bus vehicle passes, this time an ex-London Transport DMS-class Daimler Fleetline:

.....and a 'Snoopy', a Thames Transit Mellor-bodied Ford Transit.

Episode: The Settling of the Sun
The episode opens with Morse walking across Magdalen Bridge in Oxford, a favourite location. Blurred but obscuring him as they pass eachother are an unidentified dual-door Oxford Bus Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks and Oxford Bus 205, a Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks in an allover advertising livery for a Saab car dealership, then a similar Olympian in Oxford's standard red livery passes.
Two minicoaches of Pearces Coaches of Berinsfield are seen arriving. One is Iveco D470XBW, the other is D366SFC, a Caetano-bodied Talbot BB30R.

Episode: The Remorseful Day
A newly-released prisoner catches Stagecoach Oxford Mercedes Vario/Alexander 382 (S382SFC) from Bullingdon Prison to Bure Place, Bicester, as a route 28 service.

At Bure Place, he changes to Stagecoach Oxford Volvo B10 905 (R905XFC) for service X2 Express to Oxford.

Oxford Tube controller Khalid is seen at Bicester giving Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whateley) advice on the bus services. In the background is a white Optare City Pacer of Grayline of Bicester.

905 leaves for Oxford, followed by Lewis in his car; behind is a second Stagecoach Mercedes Vario/Alexander:

"The two buses were both hired by Carlton TV for the production. I saw the X2 as it arrived in George Street and could not make out the X2 route at the time as the correct service should have been service 27. (This may have been to avoid the problems of members of the public trying to hail the bus) About a year after the filming, the 28 was changed to be a direct service from Bullingdon prison via Bicester to Oxford, but no change required, which would have made the story a little less plausible." (thanks Ralph Adams) 905 arrives in Gloucester Green, Oxford, alongside an Oxford Bus London City Link coach, and Lewis realises his quarry has given him the slip:

There are an unusually large number of street scenes and a number of additional buses are glimpsed. Here an Oxford Bus dual door Volvo B10B/Plaxton Verde passes the camera in the High with one of Oxford's Park and Ride liveried Alexander-bodied Dennis Tridents in the distance.

A 'red-top' Stagecoach Volvo B6/Alexander on the Rosehill Runner branded route 3 is reflected in this window:

Odd Wright-bodied buses from Oxford Bus are glimpsed, but then Stagecoach 940 (S940CFC), a Blackbird Flyer-branded MAN 18.220/Alexander passes Morse's Jaguar:

Then another surprise: Oxford's City Link 50 (L150HUD), a Volvo B10M/Plaxton in a promotional livery for Victoria Coach Station, stops outside this shop window:

Also glimpsed in this sequence are a Stagecoach step-entrance Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer, a standard-liveried MAN 18.220/Alexander, and a Charlton Services Leyland Tiger/Plaxton coach.

Episode: Last Bus to Woodstock
The last bus is in fact Oxford Bus Company 510 (KJO510W), a 1981 dual-door Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks, seen in heavy rain at night on service 420.

Episode: Last Seen Wearing
In one early scene a Thames Transit Leyland Tiger/Duple in Oxford Tube livery passes outside the window, pursued by an Oxford Bus dual-door Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks.

Episode: Second Time Around
Briefly seen in St Giles, Oxford, are two Reeve Burgess bodied Mercedes 709Ds in the original blue/cream livery of Thames Transit.

Episode: The Secret of Bay 5B
A number of buses appear in the background of this 1989-shot episode: As Morse drives Lewis in Oxford we not only see an Oxford Bus Leyland Atlantean/Eastern Coachworks (new to Northern General), but we hear it as well.

Somewhat later there is a scene in the High which features a passing Oxford Bus green City Nipper Ford Transit:

....and in the background of this scene a second Oxford Atlantean jostles with two Oxford Tube coaches, white 10 (PYV277) a Leyland Tiger/Plaxton Paramount and an unidentified Leyland Tiger/Duple Laser.

Lastly another driving scene sees a City Nipper Metrorider passing in the background.

Episode: Fat Chance
A scene at Oxford Railway Station has a Guide Friday opentopper in the background, I believe it's ex-Eastbourne KHC817K, a Leyland Atlantean/East Lancs:

An Oxford Bus Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks passes the station in the background on its way under the infamous Station Bridge; a dual door Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks behind it turns onto the station forecourt on the Rail Station-Blackbird Leys service.

Episode: Deceived By Flight
A cricket team's European tour is transported via Dover aboard 697BYU, a short Plaxton-bodied coach with the 'Spirit of London' fleetname - can anyone identify it?.

Episode: Greeks Bearing Gifts
A brief scene sees an Oxford Bus Company dual-door Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks cross Carfax in Oxford city. Moments later a City Nipper-liveried Oxford Bus MCW Metrorider follows another VRTSL:

Episode: Second Time Around
A Thames Transit Mercedes L709D minibus is briefly seen in traffic behind Morse's Jaguar in Oxford's St Giles:

Episode: Who Killed Harry Field?
Morse visits London, and two Routemasters an RML (JJD___D and an RM (___CLT) are seen, also the reflection of a T-class Leyland Titan:

Back on home ground, there's a sighting of an Oxford Bus City Nipper-liveried MCW Metrobus:

Episode: The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn
Not unusual to see Oxford Bus dual door Bristol VRTSL3s/Eastern Coachworks in 'Inspector Morse'; a couple appear here. What's different is the aerial shot of a South Midland single door VRT in the short-lived maroon and cream livery.

Episode: Deadly Slumber
There are two distant glimpses of one of Guide Friday's former Nottingham open toppers on the streets of Oxford. This is the closer of the two.

Documentary: The Mystery of Morse
A Central ITV documentary about Inspector Morse features a coach party touring Oxfordshire sites shown in the series. The coach in question is G441WFC, a Bova FHD12 of Grayline of Bicester:

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