Two months after 'On The Buses' notched up its sixth successful season on television, the gang were back, this time in the second of their big screen offerings. With the first being the most popular film release of 1971 ( had 'Diamonds Are Forever' opened earlier, I suspect this might not have been the case ),there just had to be one.

Director Harry Booth returned to oversee the proceedings, once again scripted and produced by the Two Ronalds - Wolfe and Chesney. The title 'Mutiny On The Buses' was chosen by the winner of a competition in 'The News Of The World'. Pity the writers were not aware of it when they started work on the script. The idea of Blakey as 'Captain Bligh' and Stan Butler as 'Fletcher Christian' is most appealing.

The plot ( such as it is ) revolves around Stan's accidental engagement to clippie Suzy. Stan cannot afford a place of his own, and Suzy is not keen on moving into the Butler household ( can you blame her? ),so the wedding is deferred. When Arthur loses his job, Stan gets him into the bus depot as a driver.

As the slapstick comedy went over well in the first film, 'Mutiny' offered more of the same - hence Blakey breaks a light fitting as he plays darts ( he is distracted by a sexy clippie ),the depot catches fire, Olive races around on Arthur's motorcycle, a sewer worker is hit by a dartboard which falls off Stan's bus, Arthur reverses into a stop, the depot is engulfed by fire-extinguisher foam, and there's the hilarious finale in which a lion menaces Blakey and Stan drives through Windsor Safari Park with an excited chimpanzee on the wheel.

One of the more unfortunate aspects of the 'Buses' movies was the broadening of the humour, here we are treated to topless clippies exposing themselves to Blakey, Little Arthur taking a dump in his father's cap, and Big Arthur stepping in his son's wee-filled potty. 'On The Buses' on television was a family show, but the movies were targeted at the young and dirty-minded. I saw 'Carry On Matron' in 1972 and the house was full of sniggering teenagers, the sort who went to see 'Mutiny On The Buses' and later, the 'Confessions' movies.

'Mutiny' also offers one of the first examples of 'product placement' in a movie - Stan's bus is festooned with ads for Pontins holiday camp and the Ladbrookes betting shop chain. The next film 'Holiday On The Buses' would mainly be set in one of Sir Fred's establishments.

Brassy blonde Pat Ashton, who played 'Sally' in the first film, returns as a different character - 'Nymphie Norah'. She also appeared in two episodes of the series - as 'Doreen'. 'Suzy' was played by Janet Mahoney, also to be found in 'Carry On Loving' and as 'Dawn Dailey' the dancer in 'Doctor In Trouble'.

Released in the summer of 1972, 'Mutiny' was another big hit, though not on the same scale as its predecessor. Personally, I think its a better film, though 'Holiday On The Buses' was the best of the trio. Ron Grainer's musical score boasted a catchy accordion and saxophone title theme - a big improvement over the dreadful 'Its A Great Life On The Buses' by QuinceHarmon.

Where do the three movies fit into the chronology of the show? They don't. Arthur and Olive were childless on television, the buses were green instead of red, and the name of the company was 'Luxton & District' not 'Town & District'. So some time after the 'Gardening Time' episode, we must assume that Stan returned home from the Midlands, Arthur remarried Olive, and the Luxton bus company underwent a makeover. Blakey was to eventually retire ( but that's another story ).

The Second of the movies, and Stan's got himself engaged, and is struggling to make ends meet. The Bus company is under new management and the've got a chance to do some Safari Tours and they need a driver for the job. Stan needs the job of driving on this tour but after making a poor impression on the new boss, he has no chance. That is until hes caught being inappropriate with a clippy by Stan and Jack, who successfully blackmail Stans way onto the Tour to Blakeys dismay.

With some good laughs and still the original cast, this is a must see for On the Buses Fans.

7/10

Watched this last weekend as part of ITV 3's British Comedy Weekend and for all Mutiny isn't quite as funny as the first film, the jokes about Olive's baby breaking wind are a bit tiresome and crass, it's still a very amusing and totally politically incorrect film( the female clippies are all big busted and sexually easy and Stan and Jack are constantly making the kind of wisecracks that would give Ben Elton a heart attack).

Basically the film concerns Blakey's schemes to get at the drivers by installing radios in their cabs to monitor their workshy behaviour- with some justification as Stan and Jack in one scene are seen playing darts against a side of a bus- but as ever Stan and Jack get the better of him by tuning the radios to police and airport frequencies with very amusing results. Also Stan is engaged to a female clippy and as money is to be tight at home when he moves out, he teaches his brother in law to drive a bus rather ineptly as it turns out. Yet to me the highlight of the film is when Stan and Blakey take a trip bus to Windsor Safari Park and a chimp takes control of the bus with demented results and a lion climbs on the bus and bites both men in the nether regions.

Obviously the film is corny and rather dated now and the PC brigade and the film snobs loathe these films with a passion, but Mutiny is still hilarious in places and I must admit having a thing for the tarty clippies that Jack and Stan lust after. Also if Mutiny on the Buses is so awful, how come it's always repeated and the television series still has a devoted following.