Reg Varney

Reginald Alfred Varney (11 July 1916 – 16 November 2008)[1] was an English actor, entertainer and comedian. He is best remembered for having played the lead role of bus driver Stan Butler in the LWT sitcom On the Buses (1969–73) and its three spin-off feature films. Having performed as a music hall entertainer, Varney first came to national recognition as factory foreman Reg Turner in the BBC sitcom The Rag Trade (1961–63). He appeared in further sitcoms including Beggar My Neighbour (1966–1968) and On the Buses stardom facilitated overseas cabaret tours.

Reg Varney
Varney in 1972
Born
Reginald Alfred Varney

(1916-07-11)11 July 1916
Canning Town, England
Died16 November 2008(2008-11-16) (aged 92)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • entertainer
Years active1938–1995
TelevisionOn the Buses
Spouse
Lilian Flavell
(m. 1939; died 2002)
Children1

Early life

Varney was born in Canning Town, Essex (but now part of London),[2] to Sidney Thomas Varney and his wife Annie (née Needham). His father worked in a rubber factory in Silvertown and he was one of five children who grew up in 27 Addington Road, Canning Town. He was educated at the nearby Star Lane Primary School in West Ham and after leaving school at 14, he worked as a messenger boy and a page boy at the Regent Palace Hotel.

Varney took piano lessons as a child and was good enough to find employment as a part-time piano player. His first paid engagement was at Plumstead Radical Club in Woolwich, for which he was paid eight shillings and sixpence (42½p). He also played in working men's clubs, pubs and ABC cinemas with his friend George Shears and later sang with big bands of the time. He and his mother decided that show business was the career for him, and he gave up his day jobs. Varney became a solo pianist at the Windmill Theatre in May 1938.[3] In late 1939, he married Lilian Emma Flavell (1915-2002) at East Ham.

During the Second World War, Varney joined the Royal Engineers, but continued his performing career as an army entertainer, touring in the Far East for a time. After being demobilised in the late 1940s, he starred on stage in a comic revue entitled Gaytime, with Benny Hill as his partner in a double act.[4] He then became an all-round entertainer, working his way around the music halls.

Career

Gold cash dispensing machine (ATM) marking the site of Varney's historic withdrawal

Varney had made only a small number of film and TV appearances prior to being cast in the role of long-suffering factory foreman Reg Turner in the BBC television sitcom The Rag Trade (1961–63), which made him a household name. He was aware that he was the only performer without West End acting experience and worked hard to make up for it. Slightly later, he starred in a children's show for BBC TV called The Valiant Varneys (1964–65), performing multiple characters in front of a live audience. After that followed another comedy role in Beggar My Neighbour (1966–68); this also starred Pat Coombs, June Whitfield, and Peter Jones. Pat Coombs played the wife of Varney's character. Varney featured in The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966) with Frankie Howerd, Dora Bryan and George Cole.

The world's first voucher-based cash dispensing machine (ATM) was installed at the Enfield Town branch of Barclays Bank. Varney was living in Enfield at the time and for publicity purposes he was photographed making the first withdrawal from the machine on Tuesday 27 June 1967.[5]

Varney's most successful lead role was in the LWT sitcom On the Buses (1969–73) as bus driver Stan Butler. Varney took considerable lengths to prepare for the role, even attempting to gain a public service vehicle licence so that he could be filmed driving on the open road. However, Varney was not insured so LWT had to employ professional drivers for these scenes. Three spin-off films were made — On the Buses (1971), Mutiny on the Buses (1972) and Holiday on the Buses (1973). Varney was 52 when the first series was recorded, although his character Stan, who lived with his mother and often tried to attract young women, was implied to be aged around 35. Varney was only eleven years younger than Doris Hare, the main actress who played Stan's mother, and some twenty-one years older than Anna Karen who played his sister.

Varney left the series midway through its last season, hoping to move on to films and other projects. Ultimately, he only appeared in one further non-Buses film, The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1973), and two television series, both made by ATV for the ITV network: an eponymously titled sketch show (1973–74) and another sitcom, Down the 'Gate (1975–76), which was set in Billingsgate Fish Market. However neither series replicated his success with On the Buses, and after Down the Gate was dropped after twelve episodes, Varney did not star in another television series. LWT revived The Rag Trade in 1977 but Varney did not reprise his role.

He later worked as an entertainer on cruise ships and toured Australia with his one-man show. He told an interviewer, "Whatever I did after On the Buses, nobody wanted to know about it. But I can't knock the programme because it brought me offers to do concert tours in Australia, New Zealand and Canada."[6]

At the height of his fame he was a subject of the television programme This Is Your Life on 20 May 1970 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews, making further appearances in programmes featuring Doris Hare, Douglas Bader, June Whitfield and Anthony Newley.

Varney released several LP albums during his career – see Discography, below.

Retirement and death

Varney had a heart attack in 1965, and in 1981 he suffered a more serious one.[7] He then contracted a severe viral infection, which for three years made working difficult for him. In 1989, he suffered a stroke, which left him with an uneven heartbeat.[6] Subsequently, he divided his time between his home in a small village (Stoke Fleming) near Dartmouth and a villa in Malta.

Varney moved to Devon in the late 1980s and lived alone after his wife died in East Devon in 2002.

In his retirement years, Varney painted local landscapes in oil, with many to professional standard; some of his works were exhibited in London.[8]

Varney died aged 92 in a nursing home in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, on 16 November 2008, following a chest infection.[1]

In 2016, 100 years after Varney was born, an exhibition called "Before the Buses" was commissioned by his only child, his daughter Jeanne.[3][9]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleType
1952Miss Robin HoodDennisFeature film
1965Joey BoyRabbit MaloneFeature film
1966The Great St Trinian's Train RobberyGilbertFeature film
1971 Too Close For Comfort (short) The Motorist Public Information Film[10]
1971On the BusesStan ButlerFeature film
1972Mutiny on the BusesStan ButlerFeature film
1972Go for a Take a.k.a. Double TakeWilfred StoneFeature film
1973The Best Pair of Legs in the BusinessSherry SheridanFeature film
1973Holiday on the BusesStan ButlerFeature film

Television

YearTitleRoleType
1947 Variety Performer Series (BBC)
1948 The Boltons Review Performer Variety special (BBC)
1948 Crock Of Gold Harry Pickering Movie (BBC)
1953 Showcase Performer Series (BBC)
1954 Stars at Blackpool Performer Series (BBC)
1955 Easter Spree Performer Variety special (BBC)
1956 Here's to the Next Time Performer Series (BBC)
1956 It's Magic Performer Series (BBC)
1958 The Saturday Show Performer Series (BBC)
1960 The Good Old Days Performer Series (BBC)
1961–1963 The Rag Trade Reg Turner Movie (BBC)
1961 Puss in Boots Jolly the Jester Movie (BBC)
1962 It's a Square World Performer Series (BBC)
1963 Dick Whittington Capt. Reginald Fitzwarren Movie (BBC)
1966 Ninety Years On Performer Variety special (BBC)
1964, 1966 Juke Box Jury (two episodes) Self Series (BBC)
1966 Emergency Ward 10, Episodes 1.880 and 1.882 Harry Binns Series (ATV)
1966 Comedy Playhouse, "Beggar My Neighbour" (pilot) Harry Butt Play (BBC)
1967–1968Beggar My NeighbourHarry ButtSeries (BBC)
1964–1965The Valiant VarneysVarious charactersChildren's series (BBC)
1966 The Good Old Days Performer Series (BBC)
1966 David Nixon's Comedy Bandbox Performer Series (ABC)
1967 Hooray for Laughter (pilot) Performer Sketch show (ABC)
1968 Humpty Dumpty Simple Simon Play (BBC)
1968 The Wakey Wakey Tavern Performer Series (ABC)
1968 Lulu's Back in Town, Episode 5 Performer Series (BBC)
1968 ITV Playhouse, "The Best Pair of Legs in the Business" Sherry Sheridan Play (ITV)
1969–1973 On the Buses Stan Butler Series (LWT)
1969The Rovers, "The Odyssey of Reginald Peck"Reginald PeckSeries (0-10 Network, Australia)
1968 The Rose and Crown Performer Series (Air Media, Australia)
1969 All Star Comedy Carnival, On the Buses segment Stan Butler Special (ITV)
1970 The Other Reg Varney a.k.a. The Reg Varney Comedy Hour Self, performer Special (LWT)
1970 Holiday Startime Special Performer Variety special (LWT)
1970This is Your Life, Series 10 Episode 5Subject of showSeries (Thames)
1972 The Reg Varney Revue Self, performer Series (LWT)
1973–1974 Reg Varney Self, performer Series (ATV)
1973 Whose Baby? Self, guest Series (Thames)
1974 Look Who's Talking Self, interviewee Series (Border TV)
1974 Looks Familiar Self, guest Series (Thames)
1975–1976Down the 'GateReg FurnellSeries (ATV)
1976 Summer Night Out Self, performer Variety special (ATV)
1977 Tell Me Another Self, guest Series (Southern TV)
1978 Capriccio! Self, performer Series (Australian Broadcasting Commission)
1979 The Plank Window cleaner Movie (Thames)
1980 The Mike Walsh Show Self, guest Series (Nine Network Australia)
1980 Night of One Hundred Stars Self, performer Variety special (LWT)
1985 Super Troupers Self, guest Series (Tyne-Tees)
1990 Wogan Self, guest Series (BBC)
1990 This Morning Self, guest Series (ITV)
1991 Tonight at 8.30, "Red Peppers" Bert Bentley Play (BBC)
1995 Paul Merton's Life of Comedy, "Marital Bliss" Bingo caller Series (BBC)
1996 Noel's Telly Years, 1969 Self, guest Series (BBC)
1998 Heroes of Comedy, "Benny Hill" Self, guest Series (Thames)
1998 Biography, "Benny Hill" Self, guest Series (ITN)
2003 Living Famously, "Benny Hill" Self, guest Series (BBC)

Discography

This list is partially sourced from.[11]

YearTitleFormatLabel
1962The Rag Trade (TV cast, spoken word)LPParlophone, PMC 1188
1968Jingling Rag b/w Reg's Rag7" singleCBS, 3742
1972This Is Reg Varney On The 88's At Abbey RoadLPColumbia, SCX 6518
1973Best Pair Of Legs In The Business b/w Come On And Tickle My Fancy7" single

Columbia, DB 8977

1973Reg's Party – Reg Varney Plays And SingsLPEMI, OU 2029
1976A Variety Of Varney (reissued in 1985 as Reg Varney Orchestra Conducted By Harry Robinson – A Variety Of Varney, Flash Backs, FBLP 8100)LPPye, PKL 5544
1998 The Very Best Of On the Buses (TV cast, spoken word)CassetteMCI Spoken Word, GAGDMC 063

Further reading

  • Downs, Michael (2016). Our Little Clown: A Centenary Tribute to Entertainer Reg Varney. Fairlynch Museum.[12]
  • Varney, Reg (1990). The Little Clown: An Autobiography. Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN 0-340-52077-9, which covers his life up to his Army call-up in 1942.

References

  1. "On The Buses' Varney dies at 92". BBC News. 16 November 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  2. "Reg Varney". 4 July 2015.
  3. "Reg Varney". Telegraph.co.uk. 16 November 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  4. Hudd, Roy; Hindin, Philip (1997). Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts. Robson Books. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-86-105115-8.
  5. Milligan, Brian (25 June 2007). "The man who invented the cash machine". BBC News. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  6. "Reg Varney: Comic actor and entertainer who found fame in 'On The Buses'". The Independent. London. 18 November 2008.
  7. "Obituaries: Reg Varney". The Stage. 1 December 2008.
  8. Barker, Dennis (17 November 2008). "Obituary: Reg Varney". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  9. "Reg Varney tribute show at Budleigh Football Club". Eastdevon24.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  10. "Too Close For Comfort". BFI. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  11. "Reg Varney". Discogs. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  12. Downes, Michael. "Our Little Clown". Devon Museums. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
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