''Here Come the Double Deckers!'' is a 17-part British children's television series originally broadcast from 1970 until 1971 on BBC1, revolving around the adventures of seven children whose den was an old red double-decker

London bus Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn ''omnibus'' service from Paddington to the City of London. In the decades since their introduction, the red London b ...

in a scrap yard. The programme made its US debut on 12 September 1970 at 10:30 am ET on ABC. The entire series was released on 1 November 2010 on DVD in the United Kingdom.

The show

A co-production between British independent film company Century Films and

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Co ...

, it is a children's adventure

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

. The shows (without adverts) are about 22 minutes in length. The programme made its US debut on 12 September 1970 at 10:30 am ET on ABC, and in the United Kingdom began at 4.55 pm on 1 January 1971 on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. In the US, the series was repeated on Sunday mornings on ABC from 12 September 1971 to 3 September 1972, in the same time slot. The series was given a repeat in the United Kingdom during the early 1990s by certain ITV companies.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1990-01-01/1999-12-31?basicsearch=%22here%20come%20the%20double%20deckers%22&phrasesearch=here%20come%20the%20double%20deckers&retrievecountrycounts=false Each week saw the gang in a separate adventure including episodes based around a runaway homemade hovercraft, a chocolate factory and invading '

Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pr ...

s' with guns that shoot out chocolate candy, a disastrous camping holiday, collecting tin foil for a

guide dog Guide dogs (colloquially known in the US as seeing-eye dogs) are assistance dogs trained to lead blind or visually impaired people around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are red–green colour blin ...

, becoming pop moguls with their protégé 'The Cool Cavalier', and a haunted stately home. Some of the cast were unknown, though

Melvyn Hayes Melvyn Hayes ('' né'' Hyams; 11 January 1935) is an English actor and voice over performer. He is best known for playing the effeminate Gunner (later Bombardier) "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'', for appea ...

was an established adult actor,

Gillian Bailey Gillian Bailey (born 14 June 1955 in Wimbledon, London), also known as Gilli Bush-Bailey, is a British academic and former actress. She was a child actress and appeared as Billie in '' Here Come the Double Deckers'' (1970–71). Other roles inc ...

was fairly experienced for a child actor and both

Brinsley Forde Brinsley Forde MBE (born 16 October 1953) is a British singer and actor of Guyanese parentage who is best known as the founder member of the reggae band Aswad and as a child actor in the children's television series '' Here Come the Double D ...

and Michael Audreson had appeared in '' The Magnificent Six and a Half'', a series of

Children's Film Foundation The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) was a non-profit organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom originally to be shown as part of childrens' Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 ...

films on which the Double Deckers were based. Hayes also wrote the episode "Man's Best Friend", co-wrote the episode "Get a Movie On!", co-wrote the series' theme music, and acted as a dialogue coach for the series. Bailey is now head of the drama department at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Peter Firth Peter Macintosh Firth (born 27 October 1953) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC One programme '' Spooks''; he is the only actor to have appeared in every episode of the programme's ten-series lif ...

has gone on to a prominent acting career, appearing in '' Equus'', ''

The Hunt for Red October ''The Hunt for Red October'' is the debut novel by American author Tom Clancy, first published on October 1, 1984, by the Naval Institute Press. It depicts Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he seemingly goes rogue with his country's cutt ...

'', ''

Tess Tess or TESS may refer to: Music * Tess (band), a Spanish pop band active from 2000 to 2005 * TESS (musician), a UK musician Film and theatre * ''Tess'' (1979 film), a 1979 film adaptation of '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' * ''Tess'' (2016 film ...

'', ''

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

'' and '' Spooks'' (known in some territories as ''MI-5''). Co-star

later became the lead singer in Aswad. The series was originally scheduled for 26 episodes (as well as a second series of 26 additional episodes), but production ceased after 17 had been completed.

Cast

Children

* Michael Audreson - Brains, the gang's brightest resident science geek. *

- Billie, the tomboyish girl of the gang. * Bruce Clark (Born on 5 March 1958 in the USA) - Sticks, the sole U.S. member of the gang, so-named because of his drumming skills *

- Scooper, the leader of the gang. *

- Spring, the sole black member of the gang. * Debbie Russ - Tiger, the youngest member of the gang, who has a stuffed animal tiger also called "Tiger". * Douglas Simmonds (18 February 1958 - 15 March 2011) - Doughnut, is overweight and constantly eating

Guest stars

- Albert (all episodes except 4, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17). *

Ivor Salter Ivor Charlie Salter (22 August 1925 – 21 June 1991) was an English actor who appeared in character roles in numerous United Kingdom television productions and films from the early 1950s until the 1980s often appearing as a police constable. H ...

was in many of the episodes, usually as a police officer. *

Julian Orchard Julian Dean Chavasse Orchard (3 March 1930, in Wheatley, Oxfordshire – 21 June 1979, in Westminster, London)GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1979 15 1935 WESTMINSTER – Julian Dean C. Orchard, DoB = 3 March 1930 was an English comedy actor. He ...

, Jack Haig, Roy Evans in episode 2. * Norman Vaughan in episode 3. * David Lodge, Hugh Walters,

Bob Todd Brian Todd (15 December 1921 – 21 October 1992), known professionally as Bob Todd, was an English comedy actor, mostly known for appearing as a straight man in the sketch shows of Benny Hill and Spike Milligan. For many years, he lived in ...

Liz Fraser Elizabeth Joan Winch (14 August 1930 – 6 September 2018), known professionally as Liz Fraser, was a British film actress, best known for being cast in provocative comedy roles. Early life Fraser was born in Southwark, London. Her year of bi ...

in episode 4. *

Clive Dunn Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn (9 January 19206 November 2012) was an English actor. Although he was only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly Lance Corporal Jones in the BBC sitcom ' ...

Frederick Peisley Frederick Walter James Peisley (6 December 1904 – 22 March 1975) was a British stage, film and television actor and theatre director whose career spanned five decades. He is known for ''The Secret of the Loch'' (1934), ''Gentlemen's Agreement' ...

Pat Coombs Patricia Doreen Coombs (27 August 1926 – 25 May 2002) was an English actress. She specialised in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female, comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, ...

in episode 5. *

Betty Marsden Betty Marsden (24 February 1919 – 18 July 1998) was an English comedy actress. She is particularly remembered as a cast member of the radio series '' Beyond Our Ken'' and ''Round the Horne''. Marsden also appeared in two Carry On films, ''Carr ...

Hugh Paddick Hugh William Paddick (22 August 1915 – 9 November 2000) was an English actor. He starred in the 1960s BBC radio show ''Round the Horne'', performing in sketches such as "Charles and Fiona" (as Charles) and " Julian and Sandy" (as Julian). He a ...

, George Woodbridge in episode 6. * Anthony May in episode 7. *

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

Bonnie May ''Bonnie May'' is a lost silent 1920 American comedy-drama film based on the 1916 novel by Louis Dodge. It was directed by Ida May Park and Joseph De Grasse and starred Bessie Love. It was produced by Andrew J. Callaghan Productions and distrib ...

, Tim Barrett,

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

John Barrard John Barrard (12 September 1924 – 13 October 2013) was a British character actor who had a career spanning five decades and who perhaps is best known for playing Dooley, Santa's No. 2, in '' Santa Claus: The Movie'' (1985). Barrard's te ...

, Bob Hornery,

Ruth Kettlewell Ruth Kettlewell (born Ruth Anne Berry, 13 April 1913 – 17 July 2007) was an English actress. She was, by her own admission, a "character bag"; that is, a face recognisable to regular television viewers, but not a household name. Early life Ke ...

in episode 8. *

Frank Thornton Frank Thornton Ball (15 January 192116 March 2013), professionally known as Frank Thornton, was an English actor. He was known for playing Captain Peacock in ''Are You Being Served?'' and its sequel ''Grace & Favour'' (''Are You Being Served? ...

, Michael Sharvell-Martin in episode 9. *

David Hutcheson David Hutcheson (14 June 1905 – 18 February 1976) was a British character actor. He made his film debut in ''Fast and Loose'' in 1930 and played his only lead role in 1934's '' Romance in Rhythm''. He went on to specialise in hooray henrys, sil ...

, Jimmy Gardner,

Robin Askwith Robin Mark Askwith (born 12 October 1950) is an English actor and singer who has appeared in a number of film, television and stage productions. Making his film debut as Keating in the film '' if....'' (1968), a role he would reprise in ''Brita ...

in episode 10. *

Graham Stark Graham William Stark (20 January 1922 – 29 October 2013) was an English comedian, actor, writer and director. Early life The son of a purser on transatlantic liners,

Nora Nicholson Nora Nicholson (7 December 1887 – 18 September 1973) was an English actress. Known for her portrayal of character roles, she achieved her greatest success in the later years of her career. She played in classics by Shakespeare and Chekhov and ...

, Nicholas Phipps,

Jennifer Daniel Jennifer Daniel (born Jennifer Ruth Williams; 23 May 1936 – 16 August 2017) was a Welsh actress. Her film appearances included assorted roles in the ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' film series, ''Gideon's Way'' and the Hammer horror films '' ...

in episode 11. *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He als ...

, Dervis Ward, John Horsley, Michael Brennan in episode 12. *

Julian Chagrin Julian Chagrin (born 22 February 1940) is a British-Israeli comedy actor. He is the husband of actress and comedian Rolanda Chagrin. Biography Chagrin was born in London. His father was the composer and conductor Francis Chagrin, who was born t ...

in episode 13. *

Derek Royle Derek Royle (7 September 1928 – 23 January 1990) was a British actor born in London, England. He graduated from RADA in 1950. His face was probably better known than his name to British viewers, but he acted in films and TV from the early 196 ...

, Jack Haig,

in episode 15. *

Timothy Bateson Timothy Dingwall Bateson (3 April 1926 – 15 September 2009) was an English actor. Life and career Born in London, the son of solicitor Dingwall Latham Bateson and the great-nephew of rugby player Harold Dingwall Bateson, he was educated at ...

Ann Lancaster Ann A Lancaster (5 May 1920 – 31 October 1970) was a well-known character actress who appeared in many British films, television shows and in theatre. Lancaster specialised in comic roles and had a talent for voices which she often used on ra ...

in episode 16. * Georgina Simpson, Brian Hayes, Damaris Hayman,

John Clive John Clive (6 January 1933 – 14 October 2012) was an English actor and author, known internationally for his historical and social fiction, such as ''KG200'' and ''Barossa''. Clive was also an established British television and film actor. ...

, Lucy Griffiths, Bryan Hunt in episode 17.

Episodes

#"Tiger Takes Off" (Tiger accidentally goes for a trip on a hovercraft Brains created - and chaos ensues!) #"The Case of the Missing Doughnut" (Doughnut eats an invisibility formula Brains invented.) #"Get a Movie On" (The gang make a film to enter a contest, and Brains is left to somehow edit the footage - what will he come up with?) #"Starstruck" (The gang are chased by security around

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

, as they look for a movie star's runaway dog.) #"Happy Haunting" (Albert takes the gang to a stately home for a day out.) #"Summer Camp" (The gang camp in a field with a middle-aged couple who get the worst of it.) #"The Pop Singer" (Sidney, a never-was musician, is discovered hiding in the gang's bus. They attempt to reinvent him as 'The Cool Cavalier' with a performance and disco in the yard.) #"Scooper Strikes Out" (Scooper is knocked out by a baseball and dreams he is with Alice in Wonderland (played by

).) #"Robbie the Robot" (Brains invents a robot which is sent to rescue Tiger's tiger from a neighbour's garden, and later becomes the hit of the television show "Inventors' Club".) #"The Go-Karters" (A biker sabotages the gang's

go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance racing ...

, as a result of which Spring ends up in court after a high-speed police chase.) #"A Helping Hound" (The gang unsuccessfully try to help a woman threatened with eviction to decorate her house, but help comes when Tiger receives a large cash reward for finding a lost dog.) #"Invaders from Space" (Men in spacesuits are advertising a new sweet called Planet 7, but the gang think it is an alien invasion.) #"Barney" (The gang befriend Barney, a

one-man band A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical or electronic contraptions. One-man bands also often sing while they perform. The simplest type of "one-man ban ...

who keeps getting moved on by the police. When he suddenly hits the big time with a special gig, they decide they have to be there to see him.) #"Man's Best Friend" (Inspired by Albert, the gang put on a show - based on 'Laugh-In' - with aluminium foil as an entry fee to buy a

for the blind.) #"United We Stand" (The owner of the yard that the gang use wants to turn it into a car park, but the kids sabotage his meeting with the Mayor.) #"Up to Scratch" (Billie has to look after a dog named Scratch which runs off after a man with a flea circus turns up.) #"A Hit for a Miss" (The boys fall for substitute teacher Miss Petit, which makes Billie jealous, and help her put on a show for an old folks home.)

Original soundtrack

Music played a prominent part in the programme, with an original soundtrack sung by the cast and written by Harry Booth, Melvyn Hayes and Johnny Arthey. The music was composed and directed by

Ivor Slaney Ivor Ernst Slaney (born 27 May 1921 in West Bromwich, United Kingdom, d. 20 March 1998, Southampton, United Kingdom) was a prolific musical composer and conductor, notable for his work in film, television and radio. Slaney was educated at the R ...

. An 11-track album of this was issued on Capitol Records in 1970 and re-issued as a CD in 2007 with liners notes by David Noades. # ''It's a Day and a Half'' (from episode 5) # ''To the Countryside'' (from episode 6) # ''Good Day at Yellow Rock'' (from episode 3) # ''With a Little Bit of Love'' (from episode 17) # ''I Gotta Get Through'' (from episode 7, sung by Anthony May) # ''Get on Board'' (Title song) # ''Life Is a Wonderful Thing'' (from episode 7) # ''Grannie's Rocking Chair'' (from episode 6) # ''One Man Band'' (from episode 13) # ''Welcome to the Party'' (from episode 8. Peter Firth cooperwas the only one of the gang singing in this. Jane Seymour, Melvyn Hayes and others cast members sang too.) # ''Fat Ladies'' (from episode 17)

Telecast and home media

The programme made its US debut on 12 September 1970 at 10:30 am ET on ABC, and in the United Kingdom began at 4.55 pm on 1 January 1971 on

. In the US, the series was repeated on Sunday mornings on ABC from 12 September 1971 to 3 September 1972, in the same time slot. The series was given a repeat in the United Kingdom during the early 1990s by certain ITV companies. In the United Kingdom, ''Here Come the Double Deckers'' was released in November 2010 by Second Sight as a two-disc Region 2 DVD set containing all 17 episodes. All the episodes are presented as originally aired. The set also includes a special feature, ''Double Decker Memories'', featuring interviews with Brinsley Forde and Michael Audreson.

Comic strip

Children's comic ''

Whizzer and Chips ''Whizzer and Chips'' was a British comics magazine that ran from 18 October 1969 to 27 October 1990, when it merged with the comic '' Buster''. As with most comics of the time, ''Whizzer and Chips'' was dated one week ahead of the day it actu ...

'' ran a "Double Deckers" cartoon strip from 22 May 1971 until 13 May 1972.

''Go for a Take''

Debbie Russ appears as herself/Tiger in the comedy film ''

Go for a Take ''Go for a Take'' is a 1972 British comedy film, directed by Harry Booth and featuring Dennis Price, Bob Todd, Reg Varney, Norman Rossington, Sue Lloyd and Anouska Hempel. Debbie Russ reprises her role as the character "Tiger" from the televi ...

'' (1972), which was directed and co-written by Harry Booth. The film stars

Reg Varney Reginald Alfred Varney (11 July 1916 – 16 November 2008) was an English actor, entertainer and comedian. He is best remembered for having played the lead role of bus driver Stan Butler in the LWT sitcom ''On the Buses'' (1969–73) and its th ...

and is set in a film studio. Evidently, ''Here Come the Double Deckers'' is one of the shows in production within the fiction of the film. Unfortunately the original stuffed tiger prop had been lost shortly after filming had been completed on the series, so a lookalike had to be used. Tiger makes the reference of the character "Brains". Production was at Pinewood Studios and on location.

''The Magnificent Six and 1/2''

Prior to ''Here Come the Double Deckers'', Century Films produced a film serial for the

called '' The Magnificent Six and 1/2''. The series was very similar to the ''Double Deckers'', and essentially acted as a blueprint for the latter. Like the ''Double Deckers'', ''Six and a Half'' centred on the adventures of seven children, who had similar personalities to the characters in ''Double Deckers''. Many of the crew members from the ''Six and a Half'' series also worked on the ''Double Deckers'', including producer Roy Simpson, director and writer Harry Booth, writer Glyn Jones, and choreographer Arnold Taraborrelli (who designed the title cards for ''Six and a Half''). In addition, future ''Double Deckers'' cast members

and Michael Audreson were among the stars of ''Six and a Half'', and

appeared in a few episodes. ''Six and a Half'' also featured several gags and plotlines that would later be reused in ''Double Deckers''.

References

External links

Double Deckers fan siteIMDb page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Here Come The Double Deckers 1970 British television series debuts 1972 British television series endings BBC children's television shows American Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by 20th Century Fox Television 1970s British children's television series Television shows shot at EMI-Elstree Studios