How well I remember this show even though it didn't last very long. I was about 9 years old in 1970 and on weekends you'd usually find me in my pajamas on Sunday mornings watching shows like "The Double Deckers" while slurping down a bowl of Cheerios. These kids had great times along with singing some pop songs and a little dancing. They were in the same genre as shows like H.R. Puffinstuff. Pure fluff and pure fun.

I know that they show debuted in 1970 but I think that in Scotland we did not get Here Come The Double Deckers until early 1971 when it aired on Friday afternoons- possibly in the classic 5 to 5 Crackerjack slot- though on its reruns it was very much a staple of Saturday mornings. It disappeared for year after the late seventies before it turned up again, on Saturdays and on ITV in the early 1990s.The premise of the show was an appealing one - a gang of children who meet up in a junkyard that is filled with all sorts of , well, junk as well as what remains of a red London bus. The gang of seven has a natural leader, Scooper, ( with Spring as his second -in-command), a mother hen, Billie, a nerdy clever-clogs, Brains, a butt of the jokes called Doughnut, and a mascot figure, the much younger Tiger. There was one other Double Decker, Sticks, whose role was less defined - he was American and that was it for him. The one adult who appeared in almost every episode was Albert who was a street sweeper who seemed to be the kids main contact with the outside world. The children existed in a world that was their own- they seemed to have no parents, siblings or school and many of the episodes are confined to the yard and the street outside. Two of the best episodes were when the gang venture into the wider world - once when they visit a country house that seems to be haunted and another when they enter a go-cart designed by Brains in a race against some young bikers. I was surprised to learn that there were only 17 episodes made although reading the synopsis of each I realise I can remember bits of almost all of them. The two worst episodes were the one when they encounter a protest singer and reinvent him as 'The Cool Cavalier' and another where Tiger befriends a One Man Band who eventually plays the Royal Variety Performance. The good episodes were funny and spirited but the bad ones were cloyingly sentimental.The show was set in London and aside from Sticks - Bruce Clark- the cast and guest actors were all British but at times the show has a distinctly American feel. Confectionery is referred to as 'candy' and not 'sweets' as it would have been in early 70s Britain whilst in one episode Scooper returns to the the lair from a game of football in the park carrying a helmet used in the American version of the game- in 1970 American Football was hardly known in Britain with the round ball game if anything even more popular than it is now. The music and the relentless cheeriness of the actors never quite sat right with me in grey, cynical Britain and the tone was more Southern California than Sarf London.And yet despite the misgivings I had then (and now) it is hard not to think fondly of the show. The cast was often better than the material- Peter Firth (Scooper) became a fine actor in adulthood and Gillian Bailey ( Billie) as the feisty, tomboyish Billie was a decent actress too- and the casting of a black actor- Brinsley Forde as Spring- was a bold move for its time. Here Come the Double Deckers was very much of its time I suppose but it was fun all the same.

IMDb claims Pat Coombs only appeared in one episode, but she actually appeared in two. "Happy Haunting" where the gang go to a stately home was the first."United We Stand" in which a developer wants to turn their yard into a car park is the second. (I think she was the caretaker's wife or housekeeper in happy haunting and the secretary of the developer in united we stand)I've just seen them all again (after 20 or more years and they're still brilliant. If a little dated now.Bet if you showed them to kids today though, they'd still like it.I agree with the other poster, it's well deserving of a repeat.

"The Double Deckers" was a highly popular comedy series which was televised by the BBC on Saturday mornings. There was the attractive use of good natured banter as a group of friends were able to 'go and do their own thing'. It was outright escapism and for viewers such as myself who were under ten years old in age, it was a welcome delight to meet up with our friends. We used to identify with the characters. The cast were good and individually they still linger in one's memory. The songs and dance routines were light hearted and I guess that with the hindsight of a certain nostalgia, this has become a cult classic. Several of the actors have grown older and have progressed to successful adult acting careers.