Hammer was struggling financially. Its cash cow of gothic horror monster movies was faltering, so it did what it had done before the rise of its niche. It made adaptations of television (as opposed to radio) shows. On the Buses was the first attempt to return to that well, and it was a huge success for the company, becoming one of the biggest money makers in England at the box office that year. Unfortunately, I don’t think the appeal extends to 55 years later.

Stan (Reg Varney) and Jack (...