Here Come the Double Deckers!

"The Double Deckers" was a highly popular comedy series which was televised by the BBC on Saturday mornings. There was the attractive use of good natured banter as a group of friends were able to 'go and do their own thing'. It was outright escapism and for viewers such as myself who were under ten years old in age, it was a welcome delight to meet up with our friends. We used to identify with the characters. The cast were good and individually they still linger in one's memory. The songs and dance routines were light hearted and I guess that with the hindsight of a certain nostalgia, this has become a cult classic. Several of the actors have grown older and have progressed to successful adult acting careers.

Seven kids hang out in a junkyard with an abandoned double decker bus; Brains, the brainy one; Doughnut, the obese one; Spring, the Black one; Scooper, the leader (was he?); Sticks, the drummer; and two girls, Billie and the young girl named Tiger, as she carried around that stuffed tiger toy. There seemed to be more adventures with trying to retrieve the tiger toy than anything else. One episode, Doughnut dreamt he ate an invisible formula. Another involved a chocolate factory and a gun that shot out candy pieces. The gun was set on a radiator and later when fired, it spewed chocolate sauce all over the bad guys. My brother and I still can sing the fat ladies song, but I don't for the life of me recall what that one was about. There was a teacher all the boys fell in love with and saw as his ideal woman; Doughnut saw her as a chef, Brains as a scientist and so on. Billie sees her as a witch. One of the wildest adventures for me was that camping mishap when it started to rain and everyone climbed into the car and knocked the car out of gear. The only one who didn't get wet was Albert, who I take it was the adult who usually accompanied the kids on their adventures. Albert was asleep under the wagon. Very similar to what I have seen of the 'Carry On' movies in the UK, Double Deckers must have been a juvenile version. Nevertheless we never missed it when it aired. We loved this show.

For some time now, I have been plagued by vague memories of a kids' TV show with an English double-decker bus, and a clubhouse with a secret entrance, through a fence opening. I could never remember the title, since I saw it when I was very young. Then, lo, I found the answer in a book about the Harlem Globetrotters (of all places). I knew I wasn't imagining things! The book talks about the Globertrotter cartoon, at one point, and mentions the competition, including a show called "Here Come the Double Deckers." That really sounded familiar. After a quick jaunt here and to the fan website, I have confirmed my memories. The show existed! I was only 3 or 4 when the show appeared on US TV, which is part of the reason I had a hard time remembering. I vaguely remembered the bus and the secret fence entrance, although I thought they might be two different shows. I really don't remember the episodes, but I do remember that I never missed the show, if I could help it. It seemed very imaginative and entertaining. The only other live shows of that era, that I can still recall, are The Monkees, HR Puffenstuff, and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp. The American shows had the advantages of repeats, which is why I remember them with more clarity.

I would love to see this again, to see if any more neurons are shaken loose. It had to have been good to leave that much of an impression; nagging images from 35 years ago.

I too am an American with a good memory and I remember this TV show on one or both weekend mornings. I was 6 or 7 years old and I remember having a little crush on Tiger. Their accents were not all that strange to me and had me questioning that awful Boston accent I was afflicted with at birth. I believe this show was my original inspiration to train my own diction toward being less distinguishable from my region. The characters were great and varied and I remember seeing a kid in my school who had a Double Deckers lunch box, which would imply a greater popularity than the show had actually obtained. I would love to see it somewhere again, on DVD or in a Nickelodeon feature...or perhaps even TV Land. I'm sure my kids would enjoy the show, as their Daddy was exactly the age of the characters when it was being shown. I vaguely remember the theme song, can hum the melody but would love to hear it again!

'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.