Buses on Screen - TV shows L-Ll

Landmarks (BBC schools series)

A programme contrasting life on the Isle of Skye with life in London shows Stagecoach Leyland Tiger/Eastern Coachworks RRM637X taking children to school on Skye. Also seen (in London) are two Gold Arrow Dennis Dart/Wright Handybus, an Atlas TN-class Leyland Titan, an AEC Routemaster and a London Line coach.

Last of the Blonde Bombshells (BBC drama)

Mervyns Coaches 1949 Bedford OB/Duple HOD75 appears briefly....

....but you see more of the inside than the outside!

Last of the Summer Wine (BBC comedy show) has its own page - CLICK HERE

Last Man in Hammersmith Palais (BBC documentary)

Dave Windaybank reports a brief glimpse of a London ST, with an LT in the background - and provided this screencap:

Law and Order (NBC police drama)

Episode 184 (from season 9): Flight
A scare over the release of a contagious bug leads to a New York RTS being decontaminated. Fleet number is PA4199.
4199 is apparently owned by the TV company and has appeared in several episodes of 'Law and Order'.

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC police drama)

Episode 4.6: Angels A young boy's body is found in the luggage locker of a Trans Bridge Lines three axle airport transfer coach. Later the detectives visit the depot where two more of these beasts are seen. (thanks Ian Hardie)

Episode 4.19: Appearances A group of school children board a transit bus in a blue and white livery one of the children finds a suitcase under a seat. The bus is evacuated and the bomb squad x-ray the suitcase only to find a murdered child's body. The only time any id is visible is fleet number 1576. Both interior and exterior shots of the vehicle. (thanks Ian Hardie)

The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS chat show)

A New York RTS passes in the opening credits.
I vaguely recall a show featuring a New York Apple Tours open top double decker somebody please help!

The League of Gentlemen (BBC comedy series)

"There are a couple of buses seen on The League of Gentlemen - a Metrorider which is seen being pushed around the streets of Royston Vesey, and a Plaxton bodied Leyland Tiger in the livery of Premier Albanian of Watford (but not necesarily current) used as the tour coach bringing Herr Lipp's group of Germans to the town in the second series."
"Coincidentally, I have just seen a SGM B10M parked on Portland Street (alighting stop for Piccadilly Gardens) showing "13 Royston Vasey". I understand this is programmed for all HE & GP based buses, given that Hadfield (where League of Gentlemen is filmed) is on their network." (thanks Philip Longdon) any more information?

Legends: Matt Munro (BBC documentary)

Tribute to this much loved singer refers to his work as a bus driver. There's a brief shot of Hong Kong trams, and footage of London RTs in traffic, also this view of RTL360 (KGU436):

....and this cryptic rear view:

Lexx (sci fi serial)

Episode: 4.04 Stan Down
Two touring coaches seen in Washington - unfortunately we only see "....Charters and Tours"

Lewis (Carlton police series)

Episode: Old School Ties
This spinoff from the long-running Inspector Morse series has brief views of several Oxford-based buses. There's a Stagecoach MAN 18.22/Alexander ALX300 route branded for route 7, and another for route 3:

Oxford Bus 829 (X29OXF), a 2003 Mercedes Citaro, has route branding for the Oxford-Abingdon X3/X13 service; it's seen following another Stagecoach MAN 18.22:

A City Sightseeing Leyland Atlantean open topper is seen in Broad Street; there's also a view of City Sightseeing 54 (MUI7854), a former Dublin Bus Leyland Olympian/Alexander:

There's an aerial shot of the High, which includes a Brookes Bus Dennis Trident eastbound and a westbound Stagecoach Leyland Olympian followed by an Oxford Bus Volvo B10B.

Episode: Expiation
As Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway cross Oxford's Magdalen Bridge, they're passed by City Sightseeing 52 (MUI7852), another ex Dublin Bus Leyland Olympian/Alexander, followed by a Stagecoach Oxford MAN 18.22/Alexander and an Oxford Bus Volvo B10BLE:

A Life For a Life: The Stefan Kiszko Story (Picture Palace/ITV drama)

Chris Lonergan reports the use of the Manchester Museum of Transport's preserved SELNEC PTE Leyland National EX30 (TXJ 507K).

Life of Grime (BBC documentary series)

Follows the work of Environmental Health Officers. Stephen Bunce noted a programme (end of October 2003) which showed a dog warden trying to locate a dog in a bus scrapyard. Did anyone else see this?

Life on Mars (BBC police/time travel/fantasy drama)

Episode 1.1
Time travelling police drama not only is hugely entertaining but also features large numbers of vehicles from 1973 and earler. One such is a SELNEC PTE double decker, EX1 (PNF941J), a 1971 Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 with Northern Counties bodywork, preserved by the SELNEC Preservation Society, seen passing in a street scene (thanks Bob Wingrove)

There's also a glimpse in Episode 1.3......

Episode 1.8
An odd appearance by another SELNEC vehicle, a Leyland Titan PD2 - in a photograph, which has unfortunately been printed wrong way round:

Episode 2.1
Opening episode of season 2 has another appearance by EX1 (PNF941J)

This time we see the interior, since a murder has been committed on the upper deck:.

Life on Mars (USA) (ABC police/time travel/fantasy drama)

Maybe this is what's meant by 'car crash television'. The American interpretation of the hugely successful UK series suffered a number of indignities in its progress onto the small screen: affected by the timing of a writers' strike, the pilot was thought so poor it was reshot with an almost completely new cast and reset in a new city; the writers also sought the creators' permission to rework the storyline. This screencap from the first pilot, shown on Entertainment Tonight, shows the US Sam Tyler with a GM New Look passing behind:

Life With Derek ( Canadian Family Channel TV Series)

Daniel Dey notes a still frame of a 1987-2002 model International 3800 school bus often appears between scenes:

Lift Off with Ayshea (Granada pop show)

Episode: At Last It's Christmas
Scot Fergie found this gem from Christmas 1968 in the Granada Visual Archive, featuring Manchester Corporation:
"The cast of the studio show 'At last it's Friday' hold a party on a double decker bus. The bus - a brand-new red-and-white, sixpence-in-the-slot Mancunian model drives around Manchester picking up guest stars and passengers for a Christmas Eve party on wheels. Kenny Lynch has his finger on the bell as a musical bus conductor, and Manchester's Freddie Garritty is among the pop people on board. The Derek Hilton bandsmen are also on the bus, as well as some surprise guests."

The Likely Lads (BBC sitcom)

Allan Haynes recalls, "two or three shows before the end of the original black and white series: James Bolam and Rodney Bowes take a coach tour to the seaside (actually Littlehampton, but not named as it is rather a long way from Newcastle ...) No idea what the coach was now, but bearing in mind the period I imagine it would have been a Bedford or a Ford." The BBC's policy of wiping recordings in the 1960s and 1970s claimed many episodes of 'The Likely Lads', so it's now unlikely we'll be able to make much more of this sighting.

Lion Country (BBC documentary series)

Bedford OB/Duple GWV101 in Leathers Coaches livery features in this 1998/9 series depicting Longleat House in Witshire, and the nearby village.

Little Bill (Nick Junior cartoon series)

In this Bill Cosby-devised children's cartoon series, Little Bill lives in New York, on a street served by the occasional NYC RTS.

Little Britain (BBC sitcom)

Chris Palmer reports an October 2004 episode features "a blink-and-you-miss-it visual gag featuring a photo of a Potteries Bristol VRT on the front cover of the 'Llandewi Brefi Gazette'"

Little Platform, Big Stage (BBC documentary)

The BBC marked the ending of regular Routemaster operation in London with 'Bus Night' - an evening of programmes devoted to buses. Centrepiece of the evening was Zimena Percival's wonderful look at the lives of some of London's bus conductors, combining storytelling, archive footage and dramatisation.

Of course other buses besides Routemasters appear, for example XA12 (CUV12C), a 1965 Leyland Atlantean/Park Royal, one of London's first one person operated buses.....

...also two different Red Arrow AEC Merlins (one bodied by Strachan, the other by Metro-Cammell) at Victoria Bus Station....

....but the star of the show is RM9 (VLT9), seen travelling London's streets.

I don't know of another show that includes the bus in the credits.....

I believe I identified the following buses during the show: RM9 (VLT9)
RM329 (WLT329)
RM403 (WLT403)
RM1064 (64CLT)
RM1192 (192CLT)
RM1246 (246CLT)
RM1279 (279CLT)
RM1571 (571CLT)
RM1627 (627DYE) (in a clip from 'Sykes and a Following')
RM1723? (723DYE)
RM1846 (846DYE)
RM2019 (ALM19B)
RML2394 (JJD394D)
XA12 (CUV12C)
RT1378 (KXW477)
RT1480 (KGK739)
RT1768? (KYY606)
RT2275? (LYR709) (in the Cadburys Double Decker advert)
The unidentified RT in Spike Milligan's 'Q'
RTL358 (KGU434) (in a clip from Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em)
RTL1602 (OLD831)
XMS5 (JLA55D)
XMS8 (JLA59D)
XMS9 (JLA60D)
All corrections and additions welcomed!

The Liver Birds (BBC sitcom)

Opening credits show the girls running to catch a bus at Liverpool's Pier Head bus station. A line of Liverpool Corporation buses is seen, mostly Metro-Cammell bodied Leyland Atlanteans; the bus they get onto is rear-entrance and not seen clearly, although it is viewed from directly overhead as it leaves the station.

Later, Merseyside PTE Scania Metropolitan/MCW 4040 (RKA 440N) appeared regularly. One such episode is 'Somewhere to Live....Somewhere to Love', which also has a brief glimpse of a Leyland Atlantean/MCW of Merseyside. Elizabeth Estenson played a character whose father was a bus driver (Mr Boswell, played by Ray Dunbobbin). He was often to be seen following his daughter and her date, in his bus complete with passengers......in one later episode he decides to give his passengers a break from the boring routine. The episode also features Michael Angelis as 'Lucien' who later narrated the Thomas the Tank Engine videos. Carla Lane used the same plot for 'Bread' but this time it was a hand cart (the father was a road sweeper). (thanks Stuart P and Jim Gorman) CCR confirms a Leyland Titan PD2 in the earlier Liver Birds series when Polly James co-starred, adding "The MPTE uniform = worn by Mr Boswell reputedly reappeared as a costume in a BBC wartime drama where the old 'barbed wire' MPTE logo on the lapel took had a more sinister interpretation!"
Episode 2.02:
A Polly James-era episode has the girls trying to board Liverpool Corporation A262 (VKB895), a 1957 AEC Regent V/Metro-Cammell in heavy rain. There's the briefest of sightings of a Leyland Panther passing in the other direction as eventually the bus is full and pulls away without them:

Episode 2.03:
In this episode involving an auction and a chamber pot the girls succeed in boarding A262 (VKB895), brandishing said chamber pot!

Live With Chris Moyles (Channel 5 magazine show)

The 25 September 2002 show featured a group of people at a London bus stop, with a number of (mainly First London) buses going past. First London TN880 (T880KLF), a Dennis Trident/Plaxton President stopped and picked them up.

Living For Kicks (ITV documentary)

Brighton Hove & District Bristol Ks are seen in the distance in this 1960 documentary (thanks Bob Wingrove)

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