A curious series, made by Yorkshire Television but set somewhere in the Thames Valley, although the majority of the filming locations are very obviously in Yorkshire, and the buses seen reflect that.
Episode 1.2: Not With Kindness
United Automobile Leyland-National 2 3117 (APT117W) appears; there's a certain amount of condensation on the windows inside:
(thanks Mark Harrington and Mike Lloyd)
There's also the fleetingest of glimpses of a Yorkshire Rider double decker through a car window:
Episode 2.2: Widows and Orphans
Features WND600S, a 1978 Volvo B58-61/Plaxton Supreme III new to Finglands of Rusholme. Although it carries the name 'Jackie' there is no indication of the owner here.
Episode 3.1: Appropriate Adults
It would be a challenge to identify this early Leyland-National as it passes rather too close to the camera, obscuring what the photographer was watching:
Episode 3.3: Dead Male One
A selection of coaches taking supporters of the fictional 'Denton Athletic' to a football match.
I've been unable to definitively identify this Plaxton bodied Volvo B10M-62 of Dodsworth Coaches of Boroughbridge:
One of two Wallace Arnold coaches is this, K810HUM, a 1993 Volvo B10M-60 with Van Hool Alizee body:
The other is L945 NWW, a Jonckheere Deauville bodied Volvo B10M-60 new in February 1994:
A fourth coach is GJI8778, a Volvo B10M/Plaxton Paramount with Stanley Gath of Dewsbury - fleetname Glenway Coaches:
No chance of identifying either of these, though:
Episode 4.1:
Ex-London Transport AEC Routemaster RM1414 (414CLT) is in a scene set in Reading; vehicle supplied by the Museum of Transport,Manchester (thanks Bob Wingrove). Guess the livery is an approximation of the Reading Mainline fleet livery:
Episode 4.4: Fun Times For Swingers
Quick view of a Mercedes minibus:
"A West Riding Lynx 2 ( in Caldaire Green livery) is seen through the rear windscreen of Jack Frost's car as he passes it as it pulls up at a bus stop." (thanks Paul Bennett)
Episode 14.1: Mind Games
Rob Sissons notes
"a man is freed from prison and is seen travelling on what was formerly Greater Manchester South 859 (P859GND) (Volvo B10M-55/Alexander)." This is now Stagecoach Manchester 20859; the original fleetnames have been covered with fictitious 'Arrobus' logos. Although there's no fleet number visible on the front of the bus, it can be seen at the rear offside in the third screenshot:
Episode 14.3: Dead End
Rob Sissons drew my attention to the Optare Spectra in this episode, but when I investigated further I found more buses of interest. Initially Arriva Yorkshire 470 (S470GUB), a DAF SB220/Alexander, is the scene of an altercation that ends with the driver being stabbed in the hand.
In the third screenshot it's pulling into a bus station - where is this?
Back at the 'Arrobus' garage we see a number of different Arriva Yorkshire vehicles:
a step entrance Dennis Dart/Plaxton first, then a low floor Dennis Dart MPD/Plaxton, 212 (V212PCX)
Next to it is a step entrance DAF/Optare Spectra, and then a low floor Dennis Dart/Plaxton:
Rob Sissons notes this episode
"features an attack on a bus crew and includes a
shot of Arriva Yorkshire 706 (YG52CFE), a low floor DAF/Optare Spectra. Again, the original fleetnames have been covered with fictitious 'Arrobus' logos."
Paul Bennett identifies the garage:
"The Depot is Arriva Yorkshire Belle Isle (Wakefield) Depot. The bus station was used for filming one Sunday morning and stands 1 to 5 were used. We had to use other stands in the bus station whilst filming was ongoing. The Depot was used for filming earlier in the same week. I remember they were filming in the cashing-in room one lunch time when I had just finished my shift. I was stood about 10 feet away from David Jason!"
"A Touch of Frost is filmed in the Yorkshire TV area which is why there are only rarely sightings of buses on it since it is set in the Thames Valley area. In a very early episode Frost was seen entering a house as a Yorkshire Rider Metrobus passed by going to Leeds Central Bus Station!" (thanks Chris Hough)
A couple of other vehicles seen in the garage - a Leyland-National 2:
.....and an Ikarus bodied DAF SB220:
