Co-writer of TV sitcoms On the Buses and The Rag Trade
At the height of his writing partnership with Ronald Chesney, Ronald Wolfe, who has died aged 89 after a fall, enjoyed huge success with the sitcom On the Buses; its bawdy humour was panned by the critics but lapped up by the viewing public. Originally turned down by the BBC, the idea for a comedy based around the antics of a driver and conductor giving their inspector the runaround at the Luxton Bus Company appealed to Frank Muir, head of entertainment at the newly launched ITV company London Weekend Television.
Reg Varney played Stan Butler, at the wheel of the No 11, and Bob Grant was his lothario conductor, Jack. The pair made life hell for the miserable Inspector Blake (Stephen Lewis). Blakey's "Get that bus out" and "I 'ate you, Butler" were two of the most frequent lines that flowed...
At the height of his writing partnership with Ronald Chesney, Ronald Wolfe, who has died aged 89 after a fall, enjoyed huge success with the sitcom On the Buses; its bawdy humour was panned by the critics but lapped up by the viewing public. Originally turned down by the BBC, the idea for a comedy based around the antics of a driver and conductor giving their inspector the runaround at the Luxton Bus Company appealed to Frank Muir, head of entertainment at the newly launched ITV company London Weekend Television.
Reg Varney played Stan Butler, at the wheel of the No 11, and Bob Grant was his lothario conductor, Jack. The pair made life hell for the miserable Inspector Blake (Stephen Lewis). Blakey's "Get that bus out" and "I 'ate you, Butler" were two of the most frequent lines that flowed...
- 12/20/2011
- by Anthony Hayward
- The Guardian - Film News
British TV writer Ronnie Wolfe has died after falling down a flight of stairs at his home in London. He was 89.
Wolfe took a tumble on Thursday, hitting his head, and he lost his fight for life on Sunday, according to his son-in-law Arif Hussein.
The writer is best known for his work on popular 1960s U.K. TV sitcom On The Buses, which ran for four years until 1973.
Wolfe created several other comedies, including 1970s BBC show The Rag Trade, with writing partner Ronald Chesney, who has paid tribute to his pal.
He says, "We were together 50 years - it's like losing my brother."
Wolfe's wife Rose adds, "It has been a really, really sad last few days and a quite horrendous and totally unexpectedly sad end for a guy who was so funny in life. He was the most incredible husband and we had 58 years of superb marriage harmony."...
Wolfe took a tumble on Thursday, hitting his head, and he lost his fight for life on Sunday, according to his son-in-law Arif Hussein.
The writer is best known for his work on popular 1960s U.K. TV sitcom On The Buses, which ran for four years until 1973.
Wolfe created several other comedies, including 1970s BBC show The Rag Trade, with writing partner Ronald Chesney, who has paid tribute to his pal.
He says, "We were together 50 years - it's like losing my brother."
Wolfe's wife Rose adds, "It has been a really, really sad last few days and a quite horrendous and totally unexpectedly sad end for a guy who was so funny in life. He was the most incredible husband and we had 58 years of superb marriage harmony."...
- 12/19/2011
- WENN
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