On the Buses (1969)

Name: On the Buses
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 7
Cast: Reg Varney, Bob Grant, Stephen Lewis, Doris Hare, Anna Karen

Comedy

On the Buses is a British comedy series created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney, broadcast in the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1973. The writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife were for the BBC, but the corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential in a bus depot as a setting. The comedy partnership turned to a friend, Frank Muir, Head of Entertainment at London Weekend Television, who loved the idea; the show was accepted and despite a poor critical reception became a hit with viewers.

IMDb rating: 7.0 (2,995 votes)
Episode average: 7.4 ↑ +0.4 vs IMDb
Seasons: 7
Language: EN
Type: TV series

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 7 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1969)

7.07 avg 7 episodes 6.9 → 6.8 25 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Early Shift	6.9	123
2	The New Conductor	7.3	104
3	Olive Takes a Trip	6.5	95
4	Bus Drivers' Stomach	7.5	90
5	The New Inspector	7.3	87
6	The Canteen	7.2	92
7	The Darts Match	6.8	89

Season 2 (1969)

7.43 avg 6 episodes 7.5 → 7.4 25 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Family Flu	7.5	84
2	The Used Combination	7.7	82
3	Self Defence	7.8	82
4	Aunt Maud	6.3	78
5	Late Again	7.9	75
6	Bon Voyage	7.4	78

Season 3 (1970)

7.92 avg 13 episodes 7.8 → 7.7 24 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	First Aid	7.8	88
2	The Cistern	8.1	89
3	The Inspector's Niece	7.7	87
4	Brew It Yourself	8.3	101
5	Busmen's Perks	7.9	85
6	The Snake	7.3	81
7	Mum's Last Fling	7.8	88
8	Radio Control	7.4	83
9	Foggy Night	8.9	110
10	The New Uniforms	7.6	82
11	Going Steady	8.2	81
12	The Squeeze	8.2	78
13	On the Make	7.7	76

Season 4 (1970)

7.66 avg 13 episodes 8.3 → 6.6 24 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Nowhere to Go	8.3	81
2	The Canteen Girl	7.4	78
3	Dangerous Driving	7.3	80
4	The Other Woman	7.2	82
5	Christmas Duty	8.4	96
6	The 'L' Bus	8.2	75
7	The Kids' Outing	7.8	78
8	The Anniversary	7.2	69
9	Cover Up	7.9	71
10	Safety First	7.7	73
11	The Lodger	7.6	73
12	The Injury	8.0	77
13	Not Tonight	6.6	75

Season 5 (1971)

7.61 avg 15 episodes 5.8 → 7.8 24 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Nursery	5.8	79
2	Stan's Room	7.5	79
3	The Best Man	7.2	80
4	The Inspector's Pets	7.9	77
5	The Epidemic	8.0	79
6	The Busmen's Ball	7.2	79
7	Canteen Trouble	8.3	85
8	The New Nurse	7.8	80
9	Lost Property	7.5	81
10	Stan's Uniform	7.7	76
11	The Strain	7.7	77
12	The New Telly	8.2	81
13	Vacancy for Inspector	7.7	82
14	A Thin Time	7.9	82
15	Boxing Day Social	7.8	99

Season 6 (1972)

7.11 avg 7 episodes 6.6 → 7.6 25 min avg

Slow burn

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	No Smoke Without Fire	6.6	88
2	Love Is What You Make It	6.8	78
3	Private Hire	6.9	71
4	Stan's Worst Day	6.5	77
5	Union Trouble	7.8	74
6	Bye Bye Blakey	7.6	73
7	The Prize	7.6	76

Season 7 (1973)

6.88 avg 13 episodes 6.3 → 6.6 25 min avg

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Olive's Divorce	6.3	82
2	The Perfect Clippie	6.1	75
3	The Ticket Machine	6.7	74
4	The Poster	7.5	75
5	The Football Match	7.3	80
6	On the Omnibuses	6.5	83
7	Goodbye Stan	7.9	82
8	Hot Water	7.6	80
9	The Visit	6.4	80
10	What the Stars Foretell	5.8	80
11	The Allowance	7.1	76
12	Friends in High Places	7.7	79
13	Gardening Time	6.6	77

On the Buses (1969)

Cast

Seasons

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