Here Come the Double Deckers!

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.

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!

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.

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.