The perfect fusion of bus spotting and film trivia.....
Buses on Screen - TV shows R-Rl
Rainbow (ITV children's series)
"I recall that a mid-1970s edition featured the music group singing a song on the rear platform of a London Transport AEC Regent IIIRT. On another edition - or it may have been the same edition - the programme closed with shots of London Transport buses running in service, which I think included an AEC Merlin and an RF.The programme may have been devoted to showing children the work of a bus conductor,or something similar." (thanks Alan Sinclair)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
A show that occasionally opens with stock shots of London traffic:

Episode 8: Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying?
Opens with stock footage of London streets, mostly featuring Routemasters:
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Episode 11: The Ghost Who Saved the Bank at Monte Carlo
More London stock footage at the opening of the episode, including Routemasters and a Red Arrow AEC Merlin:
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Episode 23: The Trouble With Women
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This scene also appears in widescreen format in the documentary 'Little Platform, Big Stage'
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Episode 25: You Can Always Find a Fall Guy
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Interesting in this episode is a passing Bedford VAS/Duple Midland of the Inner London Eucation Authority:
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Episode 26: The Smile Behind the Veil
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The Rat Catchers (Associated Rediffusion spy series)
Only half an hour survives of this drama series, in which a highly secret British Intelligence Unit deals with enemy menaces. Bob wingrove found this screencap of what appears to be a BOAC Leyland Atlantean:
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Rat Trap (ITV documentary)
This programme looked at the use of CCTV to help catch vandals. It featured Stagecoach Manchester's W629RND, a Dennis Trident/Alexander set alight and badly damaged by vandals. Also seen were buses of London's First Centrewest and Stagecoach Selkent.
The Real Country House (Channel 4 documentary series)
Third programme in the series has some footage of London Transport STs before the Second World War, also trams and motorbuses in Moscow.
The Real Cliff Richard (Channel 4 documentary)
Screened in March 2003. "Early shots included RT2394 (KLB773) and a 15T13 (London Transport AEC Regal III/Mann Egerton) which I believe was T790 (HLX460)." (thanks Mike Lloyd)
Real Crime (ITV crime reconstruction series)
One show "included footage of Dennis of Dukinfield's Wright-bodied Dennis Dart J623 KCU. Other footage included GM Buses-liveried Atlanteans, which must have been some sort of reconstruction using archive footage. A Potteries red and yellow Mercedes went by, too." (thanks Graeme Selway)
The Real Hustle (BBC documentary series)
Series illustrating cons and scams includes a sequence in which the team set up a bogus London sightseeing bus operation to separate tourists from their money. Fortunate for them they didn't meet any bus enthusiasts, since the publicity they use features a former Midland BMMO D9, and that might have attracted attention, since it's something like 25 years since Obsolete Fleet ran D9s in London!
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It's not surprising that real tour buses appear in the background:
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Another sequence has the team shortchanging tourists while selling ice cream on the street in London:
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(the last image capturing a now rare sight - a Routemaster in service in London) This show being the last of the series, there is also a recap including footage of the team picking pockets on public transport:
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>Real Rooms (BBC makeover series)
One show has the team 'making over' Leyland Atlantean/Roe SUG591M, a community bus in West Yorkshire originally with Leeds Corporation. (thanks Mark Harrington)
Reborn in the USA (ITV elimination game show)
Motley group of hasbeen UK artistes try to restart their careers travelling across the USA (why?). Every week one act gets kicked off the tour bus. Occasional footage of a Van Hool bodied double deck tour bus.
Rebus (SMG/ITV crime serial)
"The episode aired on Friday 22 September 2006 had several shots of Edinburgh with both Lothian and First vehicles. Two were shown in close up, one was a First Scania Omnidecker/East Lancs on the 27 which runs to West Lothian while the other was a Lothian Alexander bodied Dennis Trident on route 11 to Hyviots Bank" (thanks Chris Hough)
Redcap (BBC army drama series)
"This police series is set in the British Army stationed in Germany. Shots of the German town show a large number of yellow bogie trams - exact location unknown" (thanks Chris Hough)
Red Mist 3 (ITV documentary)
"Had a story about a bus driver losing it with a badly parked car and how he pushed it out of the way with his bus! Several Arriva vehicles were seen, the only one of which that was identifiable was Arriva London LJ51 DCF. Also seen were Red Rose M260 VEJ and Y358 LCK." (thanks Graeme Selway)
The Ren and Stimpy Show (MTV cartoon series)
One episode features an interdimensional cartoon New Look bus!
Renegade (Stephen J Cannell action series)
A prison bus features in at least one episode.... any more information?
The Risk Business (BBC documentary)
Martin Curtis in his book 'Bristol Buses in Camera' describes how the first two Bristol/Leyland B45 prototypes, both bodied by Eastern Coachworks, made their first public appearance in an edition of 'The Risk Business' in May 1980 examining the double deck bus building industry. The first resembled modified Bristol VRT, the second went on to enter the Ribble fleet numbered 2100 (DBV100W). The production B45 was named the Olympian.
A 1982 programme in this series was subtitled 'Battle of The Titans' and discussed which bus would be used by London Transport to replace the Routemaster. It featured the then-new Leyland Titan B15, the MCW Metrobus and the Dennis Dominator. (thanks Trev)
Back to the top of this page - updated 5 September 2009