(Central TV police drama, 1987-2000)

Iconic crime series. Various City of Oxford, Oxford Bus, Thames Transit and Stagecoach Oxford vehicles, also other local operators, over the life of the series.

Episode 1.2: The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn
Not unusual to see Oxford Bus dual door Bristol VRTSL3s/Eastern Coachworks in 'Inspector Morse'; a couple appear here. What's different is the aerial shot of a South Midland single door VRT in the short-lived maroon and cream livery:


Episode 1.3: Service of All the Dead
A blurred and brief view of Oxford's The High and one of City of Oxford's former Northern General Leyland Atlanteans:


Episode 2.1: The Wolvercote Tongue
Several dual-door Oxford Bus Company Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks appear:

(This one's following two Thames Transit Mellor-bodied Ford Transits)

Later only the roof of a similar bus is seen at Oxford railway station! (How's that for local knowledge?)

A group of tourists arrive at Oxford's Randolph Hotel aboard this superb Bova FHD operating for Berryhurst of London, B220AGK:

Later Sergeant Lewis follows one of the tourists into the street; this is all we see of what appears to be a Leyland Tiger of Oxford Bus Company in 190 Citylink livery:

Another Oxford Bus vehicle passes, this time an ex-London Transport DMS-class Daimler Fleetline:

…..and a 'Snoopy', a Thames Transit Mellor-bodied Ford Transit:


Episode 2.2: Last Seen Wearing
A City of Oxford Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks crosses Magdalen Bridge:

As Morse and Lewis sit in a car, they are passed by a succession of buses barely seen, including a Thames Transit 'Oxford Tube', a City of Oxford Bristol VRTSL and a Park and Ride Leyland Olympian, and several Thames Transit Mellor bodied Ford Transits:



Episode 2.3 : The Settling of the Sun
The episode opens with Morse walking across Magdalen Bridge in Oxford, a favourite location. Blurred but obscuring him as they pass each other are an unidentified dual-door Oxford Bus Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks and Oxford Bus 205, a Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks in an allover advertising livery for a Saab car dealership, then a similar Olympian in Oxford's standard red livery passes.
Two minicoaches of Pearces Coaches of Berinsfield are seen arriving. One is Iveco D470XBW, the other is D366SFC, a Caetano-bodied Talbot BB30R.



Episode 2.4: Last Bus to Woodstock
The last bus is in fact Oxford Bus Company 510 (KJO510W), a 1981 dual-door Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks, seen in heavy rain at night on service 420:


Episode 3.2: The Last Enemy
A City of Oxford MCW Metrobus crosses Oxford's Carfax with a Leyland Atlantean Eastern Coachworks new to Northern General approaching:

In London, a Southend Van Hool double deck coach is glimpsed in traffic alongside London Transport Routemasters:

A London Leyland B20 Fleetline passes close to the camera:

Back in Oxford a City of Oxford Leyland Leopard/Duple Dominant in Citylink livery leads a Bristol VRTSL (both only partially seen), and there's a distant 'Snoopy' Ford Transit/Mellor of Thames Transit:


Episode 3.3: Deceived By Flight
A cricket team's European tour is transported via Dover aboard 697BYU, a short Plaxton-bodied coach with the 'Spirit of London' fleetname - can anyone identify it?.

Episode 3.4: The Secret of Bay 5B
A 1989-shot episode:
As Morse drives Lewis in Oxford we not only see an Oxford Bus Leyland Atlantean/Eastern Coachworks (new to Northern General), but we hear it as well:

Somewhat later there is a scene in the High which features a passing Oxford Bus green City Nipper Ford Transit:

….and in the background of this scene a second Oxford Atlantean jostles with two Oxford Tube coaches, white 10 (PYV277) a Leyland Tiger/Plaxton Paramount and an unidentified Leyland Tiger/Duple Laser.

Lastly another driving scene sees a City Nipper Metrorider passing in the background:


Episode 4.3: Driven to Distraction
An aerial shot of Oxford's High looking towards Carfax shows a busy scene. Visible (starting nearest) are a Thames Transit Mercedes L309D/Reeve Burgess, two City of Oxford Bristol VRTSL/Eastern Coachworks, a green City of Oxford 'City Nipper' Ford Transit/Carlyle, a Thames Transit 'Snoopy' Ford Transit and another L309D/Reeve Burgess, a City of Oxford 'City Nipper' MCW Metrobus and a City of Oxford Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks:

A small number of Thames Transit's Mercedes 709Ds were painted in 'Oxford Tube' livery, and here's one of them:

There's a nice view of City of Oxford 905 (B905XJO), a 1984 MCW Metroliner in Citylink livery:

755 (E755EJO), an MCW Metrorider in City Nipper livery, gets rather close for comfort!

Morse's Jaguar is seen against a background of two City of Oxford buses at The Plain, a Bristol VRTSL/Eastern Coachworks and a Plaxton bodied Leyland Tiger:

We glimpse a Plaxton bodied AEC Reliance of Charlton Services, and also a distant Guide Friday Leyland Atlantean open topper new to Nottingham:


Episode 5.1 : Second Time Around
A Thames Transit Mercedes L709D minibus is briefly seen in traffic behind Morse's Jaguar in Oxford's St Giles:

Episode 5.2: Fat Chance
A scene at Oxford Railway Station has a Guide Friday opentopper in the background, I believe it's ex-Eastbourne KHC817K, a Leyland Atlantean/East Lancs:
An Oxford Bus Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks passes the station in the background on its way under the infamous Station Bridge; a dual door Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks behind it turns onto the station forecourt on the Rail Station-Blackbird Leys service:

Episode 5.3: Who Killed Harry Field?
Morse visits London, and two Routemasters an RML (JJDxxD and an RM (xxxCLT) are seen, also the reflection of a T-class Leyland Titan:

Back on home ground, there's a sighting of an Oxford Bus City Nipper-liveried MCW Metrorider:


Episode 5.4: Greeks Bearing Gifts
A brief scene sees an Oxford Bus Company dual-door Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks cross Carfax in Oxford city. Moments later a City Nipper-liveried Oxford Bus MCW Metrorider follows another VRTSL:


Episode 6.4: Absolute Conviction
Briefly seen is The Oxford Classic Tour's BFS14L, a Leyland Atlantean/Alexander new to Edinburgh Corporation, in Broad Street:


Episode 7.1: Deadly Slumber
There are two distant glimpses of one of Guide Friday's former Nottingham open toppers on the streets of Oxford. This is the closer of the two.


Episode 8.1: The Way Through the Woods
Two distant Oxford Bus buses - a Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks and a Wright bodied single decker:


Episode 9.1: The Daughters of Cain
Not the cycle rickshaw, but the passing Oxford Bus Volvo B10B/Plaxton Verde, followed by a Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks:

We see very little of this coach from Pearce, Berinsfield used on a school trip, but I believe it's Bova M968RWL:


Episode 10.1: Death is Now My Neighbour
Apparently shot from Carfax Tower, an Oxford Bus Volvo B10B/Plaxton Verde leads a Dennis Dart/Marshall and a Thames Transit Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer:
Caught in traffic, Morse's Jaguar is passed by a Thames Transit Mercedes 709D/Reeve Burgess in Oxford Tube livery, while an Oxford Bus Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coachworks in Park and Ride colours, approaches:


Episode 12.1: The Remorseful Day
A newly-released prisoner catches Stagecoach Oxford Mercedes Vario/Alexander 382 (S382SFC) from Bullingdon Prison to Bure Place, Bicester, as a route 28 service:

At Bure Place, he changes to Stagecoach Oxford Volvo B10B 905 (R905XFC) for service X2 Express to Oxford:

Oxford Tube controller Khalid is seen at Bicester giving Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whateley) advice on the bus services. In the background is a white Optare City Pacer of Grayline of Bicester.

905 leaves for Oxford, followed by Lewis in his car; behind is a second Stagecoach Mercedes Vario/Alexander:

“The two buses were both hired by Carlton TV for the production. I saw the X2 as it arrived in George Street and could not make out the X2 route at the time as the correct service should have been service 27. (This may have been to avoid the problems of members of the public trying to hail the bus) About a year after the filming, the 28 was changed to be a direct service from Bullingdon prison via Bicester to Oxford, but no change required, which would have made the story a little less plausible.” (thanks Ralph Adams). 905 arrives in Gloucester Green, Oxford, alongside an Oxford Bus London City Link coach, and Lewis realises his quarry has given him the slip:

There is an unusually large number of street scenes and a number of additional buses are glimpsed. Here an Oxford Bus dual door Volvo B10B/Plaxton Verde passes the camera in the High with one of Oxford's Park and Ride liveried Alexander-bodied Dennis Tridents in the distance.

A 'red-top' Stagecoach Volvo B6/Alexander on the Rosehill Runner branded route 3 is reflected in this window:

Odd Wright-bodied buses from Oxford Bus are glimpsed, but then Stagecoach 940 (S940CFC), a Blackbird Flyer-branded MAN 18.220/Alexander passes Morse's Jaguar:

Then another surprise: Oxford's City Link 50 (L150HUD), a Volvo B10M/Plaxton in a promotional livery for Victoria Coach Station, stops outside this shop window:

Also glimpsed in this sequence are a Stagecoach step-entrance Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer, a standard-liveried MAN 18.220/Alexander, and a Charlton Services Leyland Tiger/Plaxton coach.


Documentary: The Mystery of Morse
A Central ITV documentary about Inspector Morse features a coach party touring Oxfordshire sites shown in the series. The coach in question is G441WFC, a Bova FHD12 of Grayline of Bicester: