Last Bus Gone - Being Here

Last Bus Gone
Or, not on the buses
17/11/08

Reg Varney died yesterday aged 92. Now, while many people would try and spin this into a joke about him being naff and making fun of On The Buses, I wont, I loved it.
I think it would be best to salute the man who made me laugh alot when I was a nipper.
I loved On The Buses when I was young, especially the films, Mutiny was my favourite as they went through Windsor Safari Park and got attacked my monkeys and a lion.
For those unfamiliar with On The Buses I attempt to explain through the medium of Wikipedia.

Stan Butler (Reg Varney) works as a bus driver for the Luxton & District Traction Company. He lives at home with his bingo-loving, widowed and overbearing mother (Cicely Courtneidge, later Doris Hare), his frumpy sister, Olive (Anna Karen), and his lazy brother-in-law, Arthur (Michael Robbins). The bane of Stan's life is Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake (Stephen Lewis), who is often checking up on him and his conductor and best friend, the cheerful, bucktoothed Jack Harper (Bob Grant). Blakey often threatens them with the sack for lateness and untidiness; not coincidentally, he sports a toothbrush moustache and general appearance very much in the image of Adolf Hitler. His catchphrases are "I 'ate you Butler!" and "You've made my day." In later years Arthur and then Stan left the series, Olive worked for the bus company and Blakey moved in to board at Mum's house.
I remember the On The Buses episode that my parents had on tape that we ended up seeing a lot when we were kids. Stan needed to fit a new toilet, oh, you can imagine the hilarity.

It is interesting to see that Stan and Arthur later left the series, yet they still carried on. They used to do that alot on old sit coms, even when people died. I seem to remember about 10 people playing LeClerc in Allo Allo and two different people played Heir Flick. I think now they would just stop once the best people leave, but then, they must have felt the brand was so strong.

But, back to On The Buses, it is only Blackey and Olive left now, Jack committed suicide a few years ago, sadly.

Reg Varney was in his 50's during the run of On The Buses, which makes him a sex machine of epic proportions. It also explains why he would always wear those roll-necks. At least now he and Jack can meet up at that giant bus depot in the sky and ogle birds all day long.

Boring fact, but Reg Varney was the first man to use a cash point in 1967. Another boring fact, Ernie Wise had the first mobile phone.

It is also interesting to note that when the film On The Buses was released in 1971, it out grossed Diamonds are Forever in the UK, take that Bond, owned by Blakey.

Comments about This Article

Another interesting fact: You are a bell-end! Comment By: Olive, 18 Nov 2008, Rating: 2/5

Go to agree with you, when I was young On The Buses was the first "Sitcom" I can really remember laughing at...RIP Reg Comment By: Smokey Earl, 17 Nov 2008, Rating: 3/5

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