ON THE BUSES OFFICIAL FAN CLUB
Celebrating the classic sitcom and movies of on the buses Fan club
Welcome on-board all our fellow passengers
Welcome to the home of the
ON THE BUSES website & fan club
(established 1999)
Last updated on 7/19/2026
Passengers to date over 1 million — it is great to have you all on-board DING DING!
HONORARY MEMBERS of the official ON THE BUSES fan-club
- Co-creators and writers of ON THE BUSES:
- Kathryn & Deborah Wolfe (daughters of the late Ronnie & Rose Wolfe)
- Ronald Chesney's son and daughter
- Jeanne Varney (Reg's daughter)
- Sarah Cliffe (Michael Robbins' daughter)
- Andria Lawrence (Turnaround Betty)
- Annette Long (Betty in Holiday On The Buses)
- Ann Allen & Lucy (wife and daughter of Stuart Allen, Director/Producer)
- Linda Regan (actress and crime writer)
- Geoff Unwin (music composer), Roger Ferris (musician and songwriter)
- Dean Sullivan (owner of Sullivan Buses), Paul Welsh MBE
For the official fan club Facebook page click here ★
★ ON THE BUSES at the movies. Click here ★
The new ON THE BUSES AT THE MOVIES documentary is now available to download for only £2.50. Click the link above to view a trailer and download option.
TO CONTACT THE FAN CLUB
Email admin@onthebusesfanclub.com
NOW OPEN! The ON THE BUSES official fan club shop — beach towels, face masks, T-shirts, badges and more.
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To find out more about each star, just click on their cast photo.
Reg Varney
Bob Grant — watch a sad interview
Stephen Lewis
Anna Karen
Michael Robbins
Doris Hare
Way back in 1969 a TV comedy series began with an episode called The Early Shift. That show was called On The Buses. It was about the life of a driver and his conductor working on the No.11 bus that ran to the Cemetery Gates. They were employed by Luxton and District Bus Depot and answerable to an Inspector who was the bane of their lives.
The series was created and written by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney. The main cast were the happy-go-lucky bus driver Stan (Reg Varney), Stan's best pal, the lecherous conductor Jack (Bob Grant), and Inspector Blake (Stephen Lewis).
Driver Stan lived at home with his sister, the delectable Olive (Anna Karen), her lay-about husband Arthur (Michael Robbins), and of course dear old Mum (Cicely Courtneidge in series 1, Doris Hare from series 2 onwards). The series followed Stan and Jack's day-to-day lives, how they dealt with authority, and the all-important job of chasing the opposite sex.
The cast won the ITV Personality of the Year award in 1970. By 1971 the show was a firm favourite across the nation, watched globally by audiences of 22 million. It was exported to 38 countries and is still given re-runs on TV to this day.
There were also three spin-off feature films: On The Buses, Mutiny On The Buses, and Holiday On The Buses.
LWT's On The Buses was a hit with viewers but not with critics, who didn't see the charm that audiences did. Still, the comedy's success spawned three spin-off movies.
The series was created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney, who had also created The Rag Trade for the BBC. The BBC declined On The Buses, so the pair took it to ITV's LWT instead, and the show ran from 1969 to 1973.
In 1971 the first film, On The Buses, became the top box-office film of the year in Britain, beating the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. Mutiny on the Buses followed in 1972, and Holiday on the Buses in 1973, all produced by Hammer Film Productions.
In all, 74 episodes were made between 1969 and 1973, plus two Christmas specials, recorded first at LWT's Wembley studios and later at South Bank. A short-lived spin-off, Don't Drink the Water, ran 1974–75, with Stephen Lewis reprising Blakey.
Originally published in 2008, in memory of Reg Varney, for ATV. Written by Doug Lambert — UK Editor.
Fellow passengers hopping on-board, not just from here in the UK but around the world — thanks for dropping by, DING DING!
The ON THE BUSES WINTER 09 fanzine THE DEPOT is out now!
HONORARY MEMBERS
- Ronald Wolfe · Ronald Chesney · Jeanne Varney (Reg's daughter)
- Stephen Lewis · Anna Karen · Hal Dyer (wife of Michael Robbins)
- Stuart Allen (Director/Producer) · Linda Regan · Geoff Unwin
- Harry Fielder 'Aitch' · Ron Savage · JP Trevor
Email admin@onthebusesfanclub.com
Thanks to Stuart Allen
Remembering the classic British situation comedy,
On The Buses
In this the 40th year since the first bus left Luxton Bus Depot
Way back in 1969 a TV comedy series began with an episode called The Early Shift. The show was On The Buses — the life of a driver and his conductor working the No.11 bus to the cemetery gates, employed by Luxton and District Bus Depot and answerable to an Inspector who was the bane of their lives.
ON THE BUSES average viewing figures: 7.72 million (1968–1973)
Thanks to Arthur at the approved fan club forum
The series was created and written by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney. The main cast were the happy-go-lucky bus driver Stan (Reg Varney), Stan's best pal, the lecherous conductor Jack (Bob Grant), and Inspector Blake (Stephen Lewis).
Driver Stan lived at home with his sister, the delectable Olive (Anna Karen), her lay-about husband Arthur (Michael Robbins), and dear old Mum (Cicely Courtneidge in series 1, Doris Hare from series 2).
The series followed Stan and Jack's day-to-day lives, how they dealt with authority, and the all-important job of chasing the opposite sex, known as 'birds'.
The cast won ITV Personality of the Year in 1970. By 1971 the show was a firm favourite across the nation, watched globally by audiences of 22 million.
The series reflected the lives of the working classes of the time, part of the formula for its success. It was exported to 38 countries and is still given re-runs on TV to this day.
There were also three spin-off feature films: 'On The Buses', 'Mutiny On The Buses' and 'Holiday On The Buses.'
So why not hop back onboard for a trip down memory lane here at the ON THE BUSES fan club.
As you visit pages there may well be other links to take you further into the site. Not all links are shown on the menu, enjoy your trip down memory lane.