ronmccullock
I Ate You Butler! Get That Bus Out!
In 1959, Ribble Motor Services of Preston caused a stir when they introduced a prototype Weymann (CH34/16Ft) bodied Leyland PDR1/1 Atlantean double-deck coach, registered MCK 812 fleet number 1251.. This would form the ''Gay Hostess'' class of Leyland Atlanteans double-deck coaches, with 50 Chapman reclining seats, and a toilet at the rear of the lower-deck. They were powered by the Leyland 0.680 engine to give a top speed of 65mph. The word gay meant happy in the fifties, all the Gay Hostess Atlanteans would carry a Hostess or Steward who would serve light refreshments and cigarettes. MCK 812 would be the first PSV to use the new M1 motorway when it opened at 9:30am on Monday 2nd November 1959. Production Gay Hostess Atlanteans would enter service in 1960 and 1961, 15 entered service with Ribble, and 22 with its Blackpool subsididiary W.C. Standerwick, eventually all 38 Atlanteans were in the Standerwick fleet.
The prototype ECW Bristol VRL No.50 entered service in December 1968, with the production examples entering service between 1970-1972. The Gay Hostess Atlanteans were withdrawn having covered high mileages. City Sightseeing of London who became Ensign Bus purchased ex Ribble Gay Hostess NRN 607 fleet number 1258 new in June 1960, and painted into this striking Union Jack livery for use on sightseeing services around London. In 1972 production of the second spin off film of the popular ITV sitcom On the Buses commenced this was Mutiny On the Buses. The three spin off films were produced by Hammer/EMI using the same cast as the television series, but the name of the bus company was changed to Town & District, the television series used the name Luxton & District Traction Company which London Weekend Television who produced On the Buses for ITV had registered the name, so nobody could use it, LWT did not get any money from the films, so would not allow the film makers to use the Luxton & District Traction Company name. In the Mutiny On the Buses film, Town & District decide to run a service to Winsor Safari Park, using a double-deck coach, NRN 607 was hired from City Sightseeing for use in the film. This view shows NRN 607 in central London in the summer of 1972, I won the slide on eBay with full copyright, photographer Cliff Essex.
Ribble Vehicle Preservation Trust (RVPT) own former Standerwick Gay Hostess No.26.
Trivia about On the Buses: It was created and written by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe and produced by London Weekend Television (LWT) between 1969 and 1973, 74 episodes in total. LWT was formed in August 1968 and was the weekend franchise holder for the London area, ATV had the weekend franchise in London, but was awarded the 7 day franchise for the Midlands. Associated Rediffusion and ABC both holders of franchise in the London area were forced to join together to form Thames Television who took on the Monday to Friday franchised in London, this happened at the same time as LWT were formed. Thames would take over the former ABC studio complex at Teddington, while LWT took over the former Rediffusion studio complex at Wembley.
The Eastern National depot at Wood Green was used as the bus depot for the television series. Eastern National also proved the buses used, Bristol FLF Lodekka double-deck buses. Reg Varney who played bus driver Stan Butler passed his PSV test with Eastern National so he could really drive the buses. Bob Grant who played Jack Harper the conductor had worked as a bus driver before going into acting. Stephen Lewis who played inspector Cyril Blake (Blakey) came up with the catch phases ''I ate you Butler'' and ''Get that bus out'' himself. Before the first episode was made, Reg, Bob and Stephen spent two weeks at the Wood Green depot watching the people that they would be portraying, Reg once said even down to how a bus driver climbed in and out of the cab of the bus.
Gay Hostess technical details
Chassis: Leyland PDR1/1 Atlantean
Engine: 11.1-litre Leyland 0.680 diesel engine producing 150bhp
Gearbox: 'Self Changing Gears' 4-speed semi-automatic
Suspension: front air, and rear leaf springs
Bodywork: Weymann CH34/16Ft
I Ate You Butler! Get That Bus Out!
In 1959, Ribble Motor Services of Preston caused a stir when they introduced a prototype Weymann (CH34/16Ft) bodied Leyland PDR1/1 Atlantean double-deck coach, registered MCK 812 fleet number 1251.. This would form the ''Gay Hostess'' class of Leyland Atlanteans double-deck coaches, with 50 Chapman reclining seats, and a toilet at the rear of the lower-deck. They were powered by the Leyland 0.680 engine to give a top speed of 65mph. The word gay meant happy in the fifties, all the Gay Hostess Atlanteans would carry a Hostess or Steward who would serve light refreshments and cigarettes. MCK 812 would be the first PSV to use the new M1 motorway when it opened at 9:30am on Monday 2nd November 1959. Production Gay Hostess Atlanteans would enter service in 1960 and 1961, 15 entered service with Ribble, and 22 with its Blackpool subsididiary W.C. Standerwick, eventually all 38 Atlanteans were in the Standerwick fleet.
The prototype ECW Bristol VRL No.50 entered service in December 1968, with the production examples entering service between 1970-1972. The Gay Hostess Atlanteans were withdrawn having covered high mileages. City Sightseeing of London who became Ensign Bus purchased ex Ribble Gay Hostess NRN 607 fleet number 1258 new in June 1960, and painted into this striking Union Jack livery for use on sightseeing services around London. In 1972 production of the second spin off film of the popular ITV sitcom On the Buses commenced this was Mutiny On the Buses. The three spin off films were produced by Hammer/EMI using the same cast as the television series, but the name of the bus company was changed to Town & District, the television series used the name Luxton & District Traction Company which London Weekend Television who produced On the Buses for ITV had registered the name, so nobody could use it, LWT did not get any money from the films, so would not allow the film makers to use the Luxton & District Traction Company name. In the Mutiny On the Buses film, Town & District decide to run a service to Winsor Safari Park, using a double-deck coach, NRN 607 was hired from City Sightseeing for use in the film. This view shows NRN 607 in central London in the summer of 1972, I won the slide on eBay with full copyright, photographer Cliff Essex.
Ribble Vehicle Preservation Trust (RVPT) own former Standerwick Gay Hostess No.26.
Trivia about On the Buses: It was created and written by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe and produced by London Weekend Television (LWT) between 1969 and 1973, 74 episodes in total. LWT was formed in August 1968 and was the weekend franchise holder for the London area, ATV had the weekend franchise in London, but was awarded the 7 day franchise for the Midlands. Associated Rediffusion and ABC both holders of franchise in the London area were forced to join together to form Thames Television who took on the Monday to Friday franchised in London, this happened at the same time as LWT were formed. Thames would take over the former ABC studio complex at Teddington, while LWT took over the former Rediffusion studio complex at Wembley.
The Eastern National depot at Wood Green was used as the bus depot for the television series. Eastern National also proved the buses used, Bristol FLF Lodekka double-deck buses. Reg Varney who played bus driver Stan Butler passed his PSV test with Eastern National so he could really drive the buses. Bob Grant who played Jack Harper the conductor had worked as a bus driver before going into acting. Stephen Lewis who played inspector Cyril Blake (Blakey) came up with the catch phases ''I ate you Butler'' and ''Get that bus out'' himself. Before the first episode was made, Reg, Bob and Stephen spent two weeks at the Wood Green depot watching the people that they would be portraying, Reg once said even down to how a bus driver climbed in and out of the cab of the bus.
Gay Hostess technical details
Chassis: Leyland PDR1/1 Atlantean
Engine: 11.1-litre Leyland 0.680 diesel engine producing 150bhp
Gearbox: 'Self Changing Gears' 4-speed semi-automatic
Suspension: front air, and rear leaf springs
Bodywork: Weymann CH34/16Ft