Jane Hall (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Jane Hall was a six-part British
television comedy drama on ITV
, written by Sally Wainwright
and starring Sarah Smart
and Stephen Mangan
, revolving around Jane Hall's job training to be a bus driver and her home life in Hounslow
, "the arsehole of London".
The series was originally to be titled Jane Hall's Big Bad Bus Ride, but was renamed after the London
bus bombings of 7 July 2005
. It first aired in New Zealand
in April 2006 on TV One (under the original title) achieving good viewing figures. It is produced by the independent Red Production Company
, and was produced some two years before it eventually received its first UK broadcast in the summer of 2006.
It was reported in September 2006 that no further episodes would be commissioned.
bus depot in west London
. Shots of the outside of the depot appear in the series. Buses included the following types: Leyland Olympian
, Volvo Citybus and an East Lancs Greenway
rebuild of a Leyland National
. In the final episode when Jane returns home to Huddersfield
, there is a Mercedes-Benz Vario
minibus
in Stagecoach Group
livery with vinyls covering the Stagecoach names. This pre-empts the real-life sale of Stagecoach Yorkshire
selling its Huddersfield operations to Centrebus
. Some of the acquired buses ran in Huddersfield Bus Company service still in Stagecoach livery.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television comedy drama on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, written by Sally Wainwright
Sally Wainwright
Sally Wainwright is a British BAFTA nominated television writer and playwright. She won 2009 Writer of the Year Award given by the RTS in 2009 for Unforgiven.She was born in Halifax.Original television productions include:*Scott & Bailey...
and starring Sarah Smart
Sarah Smart
Sarah Smart is an English actress.Smart was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. Her career started as a child, notably in the television series Woof!. She is best known for a series of well-regarded television roles including Virginia Braithwaite, daughter of a lottery winning family in...
and Stephen Mangan
Stephen Mangan
Stephen Mangan is an English actor, best known for his roles as Guy Secretan in the television series Green Wing, Dan Moody in I'm Alan Partridge and as Holistic Detective Dirk Gently in the 2010 BBC adaptation of Douglas Adams' book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, as well as Sean Lincoln...
, revolving around Jane Hall's job training to be a bus driver and her home life in Hounslow
Hounslow
Hounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development situated 10.6 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area.-Etymology:...
, "the arsehole of London".
The series was originally to be titled Jane Hall's Big Bad Bus Ride, but was renamed after the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
bus bombings of 7 July 2005
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
. It first aired in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in April 2006 on TV One (under the original title) achieving good viewing figures. It is produced by the independent Red Production Company
Red Production Company
Red Production Company is a British independent television production company, formed in 1998 by Nicola Shindler, an experienced television producer who had worked on such prestige dramas as Our Friends in the North and Cracker...
, and was produced some two years before it eventually received its first UK broadcast in the summer of 2006.
It was reported in September 2006 that no further episodes would be commissioned.
Buses
The buses used in the series were painted in the London United livery. Jane Hall was a driver at HounslowHounslow
Hounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development situated 10.6 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area.-Etymology:...
bus depot in west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Shots of the outside of the depot appear in the series. Buses included the following types: Leyland Olympian
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
, Volvo Citybus and an East Lancs Greenway
East Lancs Greenway
The East Lancs Greenway, or National Greenway, is a type of bus which is rebuilt by East Lancashire Coachbuilders from a Leyland National single-deck bus.-History:...
rebuild of a Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
. In the final episode when Jane returns home to Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, there is a Mercedes-Benz Vario
Mercedes-Benz Vario
The Mercedes-Benz Vario is a heavy van manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. Originally launched as the T2 in 1986, the Vario gained its current name when it was facelifted in 1996. The T2 van itself succeeded the Mercedes-Benz L van series.The bodyshell remained relatively unchanged since production...
minibus
Minibus
A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...
in Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
livery with vinyls covering the Stagecoach names. This pre-empts the real-life sale of Stagecoach Yorkshire
Stagecoach Yorkshire
Stagecoach Yorkshire is an operating division of Stagecoach UK Bus.It was formed in 2005 to take over the former Traction Group fleets in Yorkshire by Stagecoach Group, which took over Traction from Frank Carter on 14 December 2005; Yorkshire Traction, Yorkshire Terrier and Barnsley & District....
selling its Huddersfield operations to Centrebus
Centrebus
Centrebus is a privately owned company that operate a number of services around Leicester and Leicestershire, Grantham, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, mainly in areas where Arriva has scaled down its bus operations. Centrebus also competes with Arriva on some routes in Leicester, Luton and Stevenage...
. Some of the acquired buses ran in Huddersfield Bus Company service still in Stagecoach livery.