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This was a series that was almost a perfect parody of working-class London. Reg Varney et al fitted their characters so well they could have walked into a bus terminal and never been questioned.
I at first loathed the series. There was a bawdy, gross-out thread that seemed to just go beyond that of the 'Carry-On' franchise and smacked of simple bad-taste. And yet the plots were so believable, the characters so life-like, that I found myself enjoying it against my better judgement. A show that can overcome innate prejudice has to have something going for it.
The series employed a great deal of location work with real buses on real (otherwise deserted) streets, which lifted it beyond the simple tedium of studio sitcom and added to its stamp of authenticity. A real bus garage was employed in the shooting.
Thirty years on, we still have buses, but sadly no longer conductors. The operators are often (though not always) rude, sullen and defensive. Passengers are course, ignorant and badly-behaved. It would be hard work to remake the series today and still find any good humour.
But this is still very watchable, if a bit nostalgic. it's a lot funnier than plenty of current 'comedy'.
Even the spin-off movies are worth a look.
score 8/10
screenman 19 September 2010
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2312526/ |
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12-10-2020 21:50:05