Bought 12 episodes of this show now available on tape. This show has never seen the light of day in the U.S. of A.The only person connected here (tho she wasn't in any of these episodes) that I have heard of is Cicely Courtenidge (read about her in a movie actors book; never saw her in a movie. I suspect that book was a British publication), and the only person I recognized in these twelve episodes was Wendy Richard from "Are YOu Being Served?" in one brief appearance.What did I think of the show? First impression is that it was odd. At this same time, we in America were watching Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, All In The Family, Mary Tyler Moore show, Newhart, MASH.I remember odd things that might have compared, such as a short-lived show called "The Corner Bar".But enough of American shows.I let my sister watch an episode and she thought Olive and Arthur were hysterical.I thought ol' Stan was excellent at some zingers.The Inspector didn't seem to really be into it until much later on, in an episode dealing with Stan's health from sitting on the job all day long. Before that, Inspector seemed to strain facial expressions.I'm watching episodes of Hi De Hi now. Pity we didn't see more of these shows back when they first come out.

This is classic sitcom at it's finest. It follows the adventures of a London bus driver [Reg Varney] and his conductor [Bob Grant] on the No. 13 route to the Cemetery Gates. Inspector "Blakey" brought fame to Stephen Lewis who later became a famous face as Smiler in Last of the Summer Wine, but here he is in his most famous role ["Get that bus out"].Three feature films [On the Buses, Mutiny on the Buses, Holiday on the Buses] did the TV series no favours I recently read of Grant's death from suicide [aged 71]. It came as a great shock, as he always appeared to be such a happy person on the programme.

This British comedy realistically portrays the lower-middle class existence. We have Stan, the bus driver, who is approaching middle-age, but still lives at home and helps support his Mum. Living in the same household is Stan's sister, Olive, and her husband, Arthur. Everybody lives together and pools their resources due to economic conditions. The home is a row house, and nothing fancy. This is much more realistic than many comedies of today, where minimum wage earners live in large Manhattan apartments, which only Bill Gates could afford to rent or own.This is definitely one of my favourite television series of all time. There is not one person in the cast who doesn't belong. Each character brings a unique talent and comedic style which makes this series one of the greatest. Who can ever forget poor, homely Olive and all the ridicule she must endure from her layabout husband, Arthur, and brother, Stan. And then there's Inspector Blake, who must endure his bus driver, Stan, and conductor, Jack(Stan's best friend), who call Blake everything from Dracula to Hitler. Of course, Blake's contempt for his workers doesn't make their life any easier either. I must say that I love British comedies and truly feel that this one is one of the best. I see that videos of the three "On the Buses" movies are available now, as are many of the episodes and I strongly recommend them if you want an evening of wit and entertainment. A rare treat indeed.

A truly classic piece of totally un-pc British sit-com. Men approaching 50 'pulling the birds' (Especially Jack!) A genius comedy creation in 'Blakey' and summed up with the much missed Michael Robins' pained smile. Check out the TV series before watching any of the films as they do not do the programme justice.