🚌 Bob Grant`s Career
Bob Grant (Robert St Clair Grant, 14 April 1932 – 8 November 2003) was an English actor, comedian and writer, best remembered as Jack Harper, the cheeky bus conductor in On the Buses. His professional career stretched from the early 1950s until 1998.
👦 Early life and training
Before becoming a full-time actor, Grant worked as a frozen-food salesman and, interestingly, also worked as a bus driver—an experience that would later prove remarkably appropriate for On the Buses.
🎭 1950s — Beginning his stage career
Grant began his professional stage career in the early 1950s, working extensively in repertory theatre around Britain.
🎬 1952 — A Worm's Eye View
He is generally credited with making his stage debut playing Sydney.
🏛️ He subsequently worked in repertory in places including York, Horsham, High Wycombe, Leicester, Oxford and Scarborough.
🎭 He also appeared in productions such as Big Soft Nellie and Charley's Aunt.
London theatre
In 1956, Grant made an important London appearance in:
🎭 The Good Soldier Schweik
📍 Duke of York's Theatre, London
He also became associated with the Theatre Royal Stratford East, where he developed considerable experience in comedy and serious theatre.
🎭 1960s — Theatre, comedy and films
The 1960s saw Grant's career expand considerably.
🎬 Blitz!
⭐ Grant landed a leading role in the hugely ambitious musical Blitz! at London's Adelphi Theatre, giving him a major West End opportunity.
🎭 Instant Marriage — 1964
Grant demonstrated that he was more than an actor.
✍️ He wrote the book and lyrics for the musical farce Instant Marriage, with music by Laurie Holloway.
📍 Piccadilly Theatre, London.
🎬 Film work
Grant began appearing in films during this period.
🎥 1963 — Sparrows Can't Sing
He played Perce in the film version of Stephen Lewis's Theatre Workshop play.
🎥 1965 — Help!
Grant also appeared in the Beatles film Help!.
🎭 Theatre Workshop
Grant returned to Theatre Workshop in 1967 and appeared in several productions, including:
🎭 MacBird
🎭 Constant in Intrigues and Amours
🎭 Mrs Wilson's Diary
His portrayal of George Brown, the Labour politician, in Mrs Wilson's Diary became particularly notable. The production transferred to London's West End.
🚌 1969 — The role that changed everything
⭐ On the Buses
In 1969, Bob Grant was cast as:
🎟️ Jack Harper
Bus conductor • Luxton & District Traction Company
Alongside:
🚌 Reg Varney — Stan Butler
👮 Stephen Lewis — Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake
👩 Doris Hare — Mum Butler
👩 Anna Karen — Olive Butler
👨 Michael Robbins — Arthur Rudge
Grant's Jack Harper was a cheeky, womanising bus conductor who frequently joined Stan in schemes against Blakey.
The series ran from 1969 to 1973, with Grant appearing in all 74 episodes according to the commonly cited episode count. He also became a writer on the programme, co-writing 11 episodes and one special with Stephen Lewis.
😂 Jack Harper's importance
Jack became one of Grant's defining characters:
🚌 Bus conductor
😄 Practical joker
🚬 Habitual cigarette smoker
💘 Constantly flirting with the female conductors
😈 Regular tormentor of Blakey
🤝 Stan's closest friend and partner in mischief
On the Buses became an enormous popular success and transformed Grant into a nationally recognised television star.
🎬 The three On the Buses films
Grant transferred Jack Harper from television to the cinema for all three feature films.
🎥 1971 — On the Buses
🚌 Jack Harper
The first film became a major British box-office success.
🎥 1972 — Mutiny on the Buses
🚌 Jack Harper
Grant reunited with Reg Varney and Stephen Lewis for another big-screen adventure.
🎥 1973 — Holiday on the Buses
🏖️ Jack Harper
The third and final film took the characters away from the bus depot and into a holiday-camp setting.
Together, the three films cemented Grant's association with Jack Harper.
✍️ Bob Grant — Writer
Grant wasn't simply an actor.
🖊️ He contributed scripts to On the Buses, working with Stephen Lewis.
He also co-wrote and developed other comedy projects.
📻 The Jugg Brothers — 1970
Grant and Stephen Lewis wrote and starred in the BBC Comedy Playhouse pilot The Jugg Brothers.
🥛 Milk-O — 1975
Grant wrote and starred in this television pilot, alongside Anna Karen, attempting to build another successful comedy character after On the Buses. The proposed series did not develop into a continuing programme.
📺 After On the Buses — The problem of typecasting
When On the Buses ended in 1973, Grant discovered the downside of enormous success.
🎭 Producers increasingly associated him with Jack Harper, making it difficult for him to establish himself in completely different television roles.
This typecasting significantly affected the next stage of his career.
Rather than disappearing from show business, however, Grant concentrated heavily on:
🎭 Theatre
😂 Farce
🎪 Pantomime
🖊️ Writing
Overseas touring
Australian theatre tour Grant toured Australia in the popular farce:
🎭 No Sex Please, We're British
The On the Buses television series had a particularly strong following in Australia, making Grant a recognisable performer there.
🎭 1970s — Stage comedy and writing
Grant continued to write and perform in theatre.
Among his later theatrical writing credits were:
🎭 1970s 'Stop It Nurse!' 'The Windmill Theatre', Great Yarmouth it also featured Anna Karen, Stephen Lewis and Anna's real life husband Terry Duggan! PACKAGE HONEYMOON Eastbourne CINDERELLA Aldershot
🎭 NO SEX PLEASE WERE BRITISH Australia 1973
🎭 Package Honeymoon — 1974
🎭 GRAND THEATRE WOLVERHAMPTON hilarious WHITEHALL farce -"ONE FOR THE POT."-Staring BOB GRANT (From ON THE BUSES.), DAVID BARRY (From "THE FENN ST. GANG) & PAMELA VEZEY (From TV'S BILLY LIAR.) 1975
🎭 1975 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Lewisham Concert Hall
🎭 Darling Mr London — 1975
🎭PYJAMA TOPS New Theatre Hull 1976
🎭KISS ME KATE Birmingham Rep 1976
🎭DICK WHITINGTON Cliffs Pavilion 1977
🎭 No Room for Love — 1977
🎭KISS ME KATE Birmingham Rep 1978
🎭'DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE' AT WEYMOUTH'S PAVILLION THEATRE IN AUGUST 1979
🎭TOMMY Queen's Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, opened on Tuesday February 6th Starring Allan Love in the lead role as Tommy, Sue Bond as the Nurse/Dancer, Peter Straker as the Narrator, Steve Deveraux as the Lover and Bob Grant as Uncle Ernie/The Doctor 1979
📻 1980s — Radio and theatre
Grant found opportunities in radio when television work became scarce.
⚔️ Don Quixote — 1980
📻 BBC radio adaptation of Don Quixote
Grant played Don Quixote, with Bernard Cribbins as Sancho Panza.
📺 Hordes of the Things — 1980
Grant also appeared in the BBC radio comedy Hordes of the Things, continuing his work in radio comedy during the post-On the Buses period.
🎭1980 March Darling Mr London starring David Jason and Bob Grant (On the Buses)
🎭1980 Bob Grant in Hands Off My Crumpet! By Michael Bennett and David Taggart. 1980
This hilarious farce is set in a crumpet factory under the management of womanising Godfrey Croker (Bob Grant) Croker’s trials and tribulations are complicated by the arrival of his new secretary and a threatened visit from a Government Health Inspector.
🎭1983 CINDERELLA Alexandra Theatre Birmingham
🎭1984 TREASURE ISLAND Birmingham Rep
🎭1984 TOAD OF TOAD HALL Birmingham Rep
🎭1988 - GUYS & DOLLS Leicester Haymarket Theatre
☎️ The Red Telephone Box — 1986
📻 BBC Radio 4 comedy thriller
👮 Grant played a Cockney detective inspector.
🎭 Shakespeare
Grant also returned to serious/classical theatre, playing:
🎭 Autolycus in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale
🏛️ Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
🚌 Attempted On the Buses revival — 1990
There was an attempt to bring the characters back.
📺 Back on the Buses
The proposed revival would have reunited:
🚌 Bob Grant
🚌 Reg Varney
👮 Stephen Lewis
👩 Doris Hare
👨 Michael Robbins
👩 Anna Karen
The cast even appeared together on Wogan to promote the proposed project.
Unfortunately, the revival ultimately fell through when the necessary funding was not secured.
🎭 1990s — Continuing theatre career
Although television opportunities became increasingly limited, Grant continued working on stage.
🎭 He appeared in theatre productions, revivals and his own plays.
🎭 SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS Leicester Haymarket Theatre 1991
🎭 WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR TROUSERS? Leicester Haymarket Theatre 1991
🎭HOBSONS CHOICE Lyric Theatre 1996
His stage work demonstrated that his talents extended well beyond Jack Harper.
His professional theatre work continued into the mid-1990s, demonstrating that he remained active in acting despite the difficulties caused by his association with Jack Harper.
🎭 1998 — Final acting roles
Grant's final professional acting work came at:
🏛️ Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne
He appeared in two productions during the 1998 summer season:
🔎 Agatha Christie's Murder Is Easy
😂 Ray Cooney's Funny Money
These became his final professional acting roles.
🕯️ 2003 — Death
Bob Grant died on 8 November 2003, aged 71, in Gloucestershire.
His later years were affected by serious personal difficulties, including struggles with work and depression. His death was ruled suicide.
⭐ Bob Grant's career at a glance
📅 Period🎭 Career 1932
👶 Born in Hammersmith Early 1950
🎓 RADA training 1952
🎭 Begins professional stage career 1952
🎭 First London theatre appearance 1960s
🎭 West End, repertory and Theatre Workshop 1963
🎬 Sparrows Can't Sing 1965
🎬 Help! 1969
🚌 Becomes Jack Harper in On the Buses 1971
🎬 On the Buses film1972
🎬 Mutiny on the Buses1973
🎬 Holiday on the Buses1973–80s
🎭 Theatre, farce, pantomime and touring1975
🥛 Milk-O1980
📻 Don Quixote1986
📻 The Red Telephone Box1990
🚌 Proposed Back on the Buses revival1998
🎭 Final professional stage roles2003
🕯️ Dies aged 71