'On The Buses' ended with 1973 with Michael Robbins and Reg Varney both having bailed out. Thankfully, they returned for the third ( and best ) spin-off movie - 'Holiday On The Buses'. Reg then did two seasons of a solo show in which he played the piano and performed sketches. In 1975, he came up with the idea for a sitcom about Billingsgate fish porters. Reg was 'Reg Furnell', a very Stan Butler-like character, only not so funny. Dilys Laye played 'Irene', his devoted wife. With scenes divided equally between the fish market and Reg's house, the show was clearly trying to ape the success of 'Buses'. It did not work. The scripts were terrible. Percy Herbert was added to the show to provide an authority character akin to 'Blakey'. Viewers were not amused nor impressed. 'Down The Gate' was scrapped after two seasons. Reg was seen to better comic effect in 'The Rag Trade' a decade earlier.
Review of Down the 'Gate
