I love this movie so much

People are voting emotionally.

Admirable film.

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

I know that they show debuted in 1970 but I think that in Scotland we did not get Here Come The Double Deckers until early 1971 when it aired on Friday afternoons- possibly in the classic 5 to 5 Crackerjack slot- though on its reruns it was very much a staple of Saturday mornings. It disappeared for year after the late seventies before it turned up again, on Saturdays and on ITV in the early 1990s.The premise of the show was an appealing one - a gang of children who meet up in a junkyard that is filled with all sorts of , well, junk as well as what remains of a red London bus. The gang of seven has a natural leader, Scooper, ( with Spring as his second -in-command), a mother hen, Billie, a nerdy clever-clogs, Brains, a butt of the jokes called Doughnut, and a mascot figure, the much younger Tiger. There was one other Double Decker, Sticks, whose role was less defined - he was American and that was it for him. The one adult who appeared in almost every episode was Albert who was a street sweeper who seemed to be the kids main contact with the outside world. The children existed in a world that was their own- they seemed to have no parents, siblings or school and many of the episodes are confined to the yard and the street outside. Two of the best episodes were when the gang venture into the wider world - once when they visit a country house that seems to be haunted and another when they enter a go-cart designed by Brains in a race against some young bikers. I was surprised to learn that there were only 17 episodes made although reading the synopsis of each I realise I can remember bits of almost all of them. The two worst episodes were the one when they encounter a protest singer and reinvent him as 'The Cool Cavalier' and another where Tiger befriends a One Man Band who eventually plays the Royal Variety Performance. The good episodes were funny and spirited but the bad ones were cloyingly sentimental.The show was set in London and aside from Sticks - Bruce Clark- the cast and guest actors were all British but at times the show has a distinctly American feel. Confectionery is referred to as 'candy' and not 'sweets' as it would have been in early 70s Britain whilst in one episode Scooper returns to the the lair from a game of football in the park carrying a helmet used in the American version of the game- in 1970 American Football was hardly known in Britain with the round ball game if anything even more popular than it is now. The music and the relentless cheeriness of the actors never quite sat right with me in grey, cynical Britain and the tone was more Southern California than Sarf London.And yet despite the misgivings I had then (and now) it is hard not to think fondly of the show. The cast was often better than the material- Peter Firth (Scooper) became a fine actor in adulthood and Gillian Bailey ( Billie) as the feisty, tomboyish Billie was a decent actress too- and the casting of a black actor- Brinsley Forde as Spring- was a bold move for its time. Here Come the Double Deckers was very much of its time I suppose but it was fun all the same.

'Here Come The Double Deckers!' premiered on B.B.C.-T.V. in 1970 and was repeated virtually every summer for years thereafter. Nobody objected because it was a thumping good show; a high-spirited comic version of Enid Blyton's 'Secret Seven', replete with singing, dancing, and lots of slapstick. If anyone fell over, they'd never be hurt. The gang came in all shapes and sizes, so the viewers could find at least one kid to identify with. I used to wonder how the gang had gotten together, and why we never saw their parents. A show like this could never be made now. With the Government getting tough on obesity amongst children, Doughnut would be out for a start. Secondly, parents would be bound to object to the sight of children in an old bus, clearly in imminent danger from the exhaust fumes. As for Albert the road sweeper, he'd probably be targeted by a 'News Of The World' style witch hunt. 'Double Deckers' is a charming relic from a bygone era when kids were allowed to be kids.

This was one of my favorite shows when I was eight. In fact, the summer I turned 9, my family and I went to London, and at the Bank Holiday Parade, the Double Deckers were IN THE PARADE!!! For an 8-year-old to unexpectedly get to see her favorite TV actors in the flesh, that was quite a moment! They were of course riding in a double decker bus, hanging off the sides and waving and smiling. I was jumping up and down, a complete hysterical screaming mess. My mom fumbled with the camera and able to get one good picture. I wish I could see this show again. I was very tickled to see how most of the actors have gone on to bigger and better things.

This is a part of English TV heritage. For myself it holds a lot of memories especially the theme tune. I was 8/9 at the time the show was on and always made sure that I was able to watch it when on. I wish that one of the satellite stations would repeat it.