Apex Publishing Ltd PO Box 7086, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 5WN, United Kingdom Tel: 01255 428500 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.apexpublishing.co.uk ______BOOK EXTRACT

Title: On The Buses: The Complete Story Author: Craig Walker Forewords by: Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney Publication Date: 3 October 2009 Page Extent: 246 ISBN: 1-906358-69-9 ISBN 13: 978-1-906358-69-3 Book Type: Hardback Classification: Television Price: £12.99 ______

FILMING LOCATIONS

The Films All three spin-off films were filmed at the EMI-MGM Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. This meant that, unlike the television series which were filmed in London, the filming locations would be found in close proximity to the studios on the streets of Borehamwood and the nearby village of Shenley, which is just a couple of miles to the north-east. However, each of the three films did have at least one scene shot away from the Borehamwood area, as will be revealed later. In 1971 came first On the Buses film, which was to use a number of filming locations in Borehamwood and less so in nearby Shenley. The scene where Stan is forced to undergo a test after an accident and has to drive the bus on a skidpan was filmed at London Transport’s facility in Chiswick, West London, which unfortunately closed in 1983 and the site has since been redeveloped. Mutiny on the Buses was also filmed largely in Borehamwood, incorporating locations used in the first film as well as new sites. Shenley was once more chosen as an ideal filming location for certain scenes owing to the quiet, secluded nature of the area. Up until that point, all television and film locations used in On the Buses had been within close proximity to the studios, but Mutiny on the Buses was to buck that trend in 1972 when scenes were shot on location at Windsor Safari Park, meaning a trip of almost forty miles to the south- west of the studios for the cast, crew and equipment. Sadly, Windsor Safari Park finally closed for business in 1992. The final spin-off film Holiday on the Buses (1973) was to venture even further afield for location shots. Aside from the opening scenes of the film, which were filmed in Borehamwood, the film was shot entirely on location in North Wales, the main site being the holiday camp run by Pontins in the seaside town of Prestatyn, although a number of other filming locations were used in the surrounding Welsh resorts and countryside. The pick of the filming locations from the three films will now be revealed, together with photographs of how the locations look today. The Bus Depot In all three spin-off films we can see exterior shots of buses entering and exiting the bus depot, as well as Olive entering the depot aboard Arthur’s motorbike and sidecar. It is also seen at the start of Holiday on the Buses when Stan has an accident, crashing his bus as he exits the depot while ogling a young woman. The building masquerading as the bus depot was none other than Stage 5 at the EMI-MGM Elstree Studios in Borehamwood. This was the same stage where a number of smash hit films including Star Wars were filmed, as well as the hit children’s television series Here Come the Double Deckers. Sadly, however, the stage and other portions of the famous studios have since disappeared and made way for redevelopment. It was in 1991 that Stage 5 was demolished. The site is now occupied by a large Tesco supermarket, car park and petrol station. Aptly enough, a number of buses now use part of the site as either a terminus or bus stop.

The Butler Residence We see several exterior shots of the Butler house, chiefly in the first two spin-off films but also briefly in Holiday on the Buses. The house is first seen in the opening credits sequence of the On the Buses film. We see the exterior of the house again in Mutiny on the Buses when Olive is mounting the motorbike as she prepares to go to the bus depot to check up on Arthur, as she believes he is seeing another woman. In Holiday on the Buses the Butler house exterior is seen again when the family are preparing to depart for the holiday camp. The Butler house in the films is located in central Borehamwood at 2, Malden Road, less than half a mile away from the Elstree Film Studios (formerly EMI-MGM Elstree Studios). Within viewing distance to the right of the property is within viewing distance is the famous set for the hit soap EastEnders. As you can see from a photograph taken recently of the filming location, the house remains much the same. The main differences are that the red-bricked garden wall has been removed, the brickwork is now cream in colour and a satellite dish has been fixed to the front of the house. Also, to the right of the house as we look at it, a new property has been built, replacing a six-foot-high fence and a street sign that were in situ when the films were shot there.

The Launderette One of the best-loved and memorable scenes from the three spin-off films came in On the Buses, the original film in 1971. We see Stan rushing out of a launderette with what he thinks is his mum’s laundry and he is caught by a waiting Inspector Blake, who takes the laundry bag from him. Two housewives (played by Wendy Richard and the late Reg Varney’s daughter, Jeanne Varney) come rushing out of the launderette and set about the Inspector, accusing him of stealing their washing. A policeman is quickly on scene to hear poor Blakey being accused of being a ‘knicker snatcher’. The scene was filmed at 120, Manor Way in Borehamwood. This filming location was just over a mile to the south-east of the studios and was also used in a couple of lesser scenes of the spin-off films. Photographs of the location taken recently show that the launderette is still in business some thirty-eight years on. Although the signs above have changed (now called Manor Laundry and Dry Cleaner Centre), the shop remains very much the same. The road directly outside has been narrowed, but opposite the row of shops the flats seen briefly in the film remain unchanged.

Turnaround Betty’s House Another much-loved scene from the first spin-off film shows Stan almost caught in Turnaround Betty’s house by her husband. He manages to get away only to demolish a bus shelter in his desperation to make a quick exit. The location is seen in other scenes throughout the film, such as when Jack emerges from the house in the process of getting dressed, with Blakey waiting outside for an explanation. These scenes were filmed at 20, Whitehouse Avenue in Borehamwood. This is located no more than a quarter of a mile to the south-west of the studios, and although it is a narrow street its quiet neighbourhood would have made it an ideal filming location. Today the house remains much the same aside from a new door and windows and cream-coloured paint on the brickwork. The low wall seen outside the house in the film has gone and the small lawn has been dug up and cemented over. These are the only changes to the property and even the famous washing line is still present.

Opening Credits Sequence During the opening credits sequence of On the Buses we see Stan’s bus race past a bus stop at which a queue of people are waiting. The bus comes to a halt where Stan’s mum is waiting outside a row of shops and we see Arthur standing outside a grocery shop and opening the door for Olive, who comes out holding a bagful of shopping. By the time the family have boarded the bus the people who had been queuing at the bus stop have run along the street and almost reach the bus before it leaves without them, much to their disgust. This filming location has only been discovered in the past year and it has now been confirmed that the row of shops is situated in Rossington Avenue, Borehamwood, just under a mile-and-a-half to the north-west of the studios. In terms of the surrounding houses and street layout, very little has changed at this filming location. The pavement has seen its paving slabs replaced by a layer of tarmac and some of the shopfronts are adorned by satellite dishes. On closer inspection I would say that the shop from which Olive appears is now a hairdressing salon (seen on the extreme right in the photograph).

The Runaway Sidecar In the first spin-off film we see Stan and Arthur aboard the motorcycle with a pregnant Olive in the sidecar. While they are en route for her check-up at the hospital she begins to go into labour, and in a rush to get to their destination we see the motorcycle airborne as it speeds over a hump-backed bridge. Then, on taking a tight turn, the sidecar splits from the motorcycle and can be seen running into a grass verge on a quiet country lane with a farm in the background. This filming location can be found on Mimms Lane in the village of Shenley to the north-east of Borehamwood. It was just three-and-a-half miles away from the studios and in very close proximity to another filming location used in Mutiny on the Buses. As you can see from the photographs of the location as it looks today, there are a few subtle differences. When the sidecar comes to rest in the film we see a different fence to the one that exists today and now a hedge and trees run along behind that fence. The building a few yards down the lane has been renovated somewhat, and trees and hedges have grown on the other side of the lane, giving it a more enclosed feeling.

Arthur’s Driving Lessons A particular location is seen on a number of occasions in Mutiny on the Buses when Stan is giving Arthur driving lessons. In one of the scenes Arthur knocks over the bus stop, and later in the film we see Stan and Jack playing darts with a dartboard perched on the bonnet when Inspector Blake arrives in his new company car. I can now reveal that this filming location is in Rectory Lane in the village of Shenley on the outskirts of Borehamwood and to the north-east of the studios. The location would have meant a journey of almost three-and-a-half miles for the cast, crew and equipment. Just a hundred yards further down the lane is the location of the runaway sidecar scene. Photographs taken of the filming location as it looks today show that very little has changed in this quiet country lane location. A wooden building seen to the left of the bus stop has been demolished and replaced by a house. The lawn on which the bus shelter (a temporary structure for filming) was situated remains, as do the trees and hedges, although they have of course grown somewhat.