The Early Shift

"The Early Shift"
On the Buses episode
Episode no.	Series 1 Episode 1
Directed by	Stuart Allen
Written by	Chesney and Wolfe
Produced by	Stuart Allen
Original air date	28 February 1969 (1969-02-28)
Guest stars
Fraser Kerr as TV Interviewer Rudolph Walker as George John M. East as Lofty Michael Slater as a TV Newsman Kevin Moore as a TV Newsman
Episode chronology
← Previous — Next → "The New Conductor"
List of On the Buses episodes

"The Early Shift" is the first episode of the British sitcom On the Buses. It was first broadcast on ITV on 28 February 1969.

The early shift

Stan is scheduled into a new early morning service, but when the busmen and conductors decide to do something about the canteen opening too late, they create a strike.

Plot

Stan comes down from his room tired and annoyed, it is very early in the morning and Mum is cooking the breakfast, Arthur then comes down and complains that when Stan left he woke him and Olive up, Arthur has not have any breakfast since most of it has gone to Stan's lunch, and there is no milk for his cornflakes either since the milk has gone for the cat, Olive then comes down with a cough that Arthur mentions had kept him awake for the whole night, Stan then goes to the depot as Blakey approaches and demands that Stan gets on the bus, as Stan and Jack come back from their route, inspector Blake demands to know where they have been since they are 17 minutes late.Stan then gets back into the cab to eat his lunch since it was warm, so he gets back in the cab, but it is cold so he turns the engine on to warm the cab up, inspector Blake, hearing the engine goes to see what is going on, he goes to the bus that Stan is in and demands he turn the engine off and get out but Jack tells him to stay in the cab, but the inspector tells him to get out, that goes on but after it finishes, the inspector goes to see the general manager and then Jack demands Stan to get out of the cab. Jack then calls the workers over to him and Stan and calls a strike. Stan is at home with Rusty(cat) on his lap, Mum then comes home soaking wet and asks what Stan is doing home so early, after he mentions he's on strike, Olive then comes through the door even wetter than Mum is, Mum asks Stan to get the fairy cakes out of the shopping bag but they are all wet, the door then slams and Arthur walks through, he is very wet and cold and annoyed, he then explains that he had been waiting at a bus stop for an hour, Jack then calls and says that they are on picket duty and has to be there at 5:30am so he has to get up at 4:30am. Whilst they are outside the gates of the depot, Jack mentions that they have a 8 hour shift non-stop, Mum then comes over to where they are and has brought an extra pair of warm socks and a thermos full of hot tea, she also has some cherry limptus, some interviewers then come over and ask for a shot for that night's programme, they then hear a bus being started up and run to the entrance where the bus will come out of, it was Blakey's bus, Jack then tells Stan to lay down in front of the bus the bus then stops next to Stan, what seems to be a blood stain is on the other side of Stan's coat, it turns out to be the cherry syrup that Mum gave him, Stan, Mum, Olive and Arthur all watch the strike broadcast, and see that the management have given up and the canteen has been opened at the right time again, but when Stan and Jack arrive at the depot, they see the canteen has gone on strike, so Jack once again tells Stan to get in front of the bus.

Quotes

• Stan: Stand at a bus stop for an hour, nothing comes along, you must of thought something was wrong.
  Arthur: The way you lot run the buses, we thought it was normal service.

• Mum: Eat up your breakfast.
  Stan: I'm not going to eat it in me socks Mum, where's me shoes I put 'em here last night.
  Mum: Yeah they're in the oven to keep warm.
  Stan: (putting on shoes) I don't know what they want you to alter 'em for, they were alright as they were, OWOW! (burning feet on shoes)
  Mum: You alright Stan?
  Stan: next time give em another 5 minutes at number 6 and send the recipe to Jimmy Young.

External links

• "The Early Shift" at TV.com
• "The Early Shift" at the British Comedy Guide
• "The Early Shift" at the Internet Movie Database