Inside No 9 — On the Buses

Inside No. 9 goes On the Buses

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Inside No.9 cast details for series 8 as well as a first look image… On the Buses anyone?

The BBC has revealed cast details for Inside No. 9 series 8. Our curiosity was more aroused by the first look image: for fans of a certain vintage (including some of us at CultBox) the red bus and characters means just one thing — cult TV series On the Buses.

Inside No. 9 cast news

The next series consists of five more episodes and stars: Amanda Abbington (Sherlock, Mr Selfridge), Anita Dobson (EastEnders), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Phil Daniels (House of the Dragon, Quadrophenia), Claire Rushbrook (My Mad Fat Diary, Secrets & Lies), Frances Barber (Camille, Uncle Vanya), Leon Herbert (Salome’s Last Dance, Batman), Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey, Bad Education) Menyee Lai (Stay Close, The Tower), Moyo Akandé (Guilt, The Cry), Robin Askwith (Bless This House, The Madame Blanc Mysteries), Samantha Spiro (Sex Education, Game of Thrones), Sheila Reid (Benidorm) and Ayda Kiiza.

As to the series contents, we’re promised:

episodes will stay true to the show’s popular anthology format, each delivering an original story and a cast of new characters that bring a mix of horror, thriller, drama, comedy and surprising twists

What about On the Buses?

Running on ITV from 1969-73 in 7 series and 74 episodes, On the Buses was rejected by the BBC, panned by critics and became a massive hit for ITV, spawning three films and a stage version. It starred Reg Varney as Stan Butler (work shy bus driver), Jack Harper as Bob Grant (Stan’s best friend, neighbour and bus conductor), Stephen Lewis as Inspector Blake (aka Blakey) and others. If you want to know more, the official fan site seems up to date (the Twitter is very quiet).

Trivia fact of the day

Living in Enfield in 1967, and already a celebrity, Reg Varney became the first person in the world to use an ATM.