Why Britain's most popular sitcom was once dismissed as a symbol of mediocrity
In short: Running from 1969 to 1973, On the Buses was a massive hit with viewers despite being rejected by the BBC and panned by critics. It captured a specific, bawdy working-class spirit, yet today it serves as a polarizing artifact of the era's shifting social norms and evolving comedic sensibilities.
Created by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, On the Buses centered on the daily lives of bus driver Stan Butler and his conductor Jack Harper at the Luxton and District Motor Traction Company. While the BBC initially dismissed the concept as lacking comedy potential, London Weekend Television head Frank Muir championed the show. It became a cultural phenomenon, spawning three spin-off films—the first of which was Britain's top box office film of 1971—and a stage version.
The series was defined by its bawdy, postcard-style humor and a resolutely working-class setting. However, this same style drew sharp criticism from reviewers and historians. The Guinness Book of Classic British TV labeled it the longest-running and most self-consciously unfunny series, while other critics cited it as a byword for 1970s sitcom mediocrity. The show is now frequently analyzed as a product of its time, reflecting the sexism prevalent between the waves of sexual liberation and the rise of modern feminism.
Production challenges were as colorful as the show itself. When LWT moved to new studios in 1972, the doors were too small for the double-decker buses, forcing the crew to use single-deckers with plywood mock-ups for upper-deck scenes. The show also faced the 1970 ITV Colour Strike, which forced seven episodes to be filmed in black and white. Despite its controversial legacy, the series remains a fixture of British television history, with its characters and catchphrases—like Inspector Blakey’s frequent run-ins with his crew—continuing to be referenced in later media, from comic strips to modern sketch comedy.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: On the Buses
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