Holiday On The Buses (4 Stars)

The first two On The Buses films captured everything that made the television series so popular. "Holiday On The Buses" has its moments, but by taking the characters away from the bus depot it loses much of the identity that made the franchise unique.

The film opens brilliantly. Stan crashes his bus after being distracted by a woman who accidentally bares her breasts while running along the road. It's exactly the sort of cheeky humour fans expect, and for a couple of minutes it feels as though we're in for another classic. Unfortunately, the action soon moves to a Pontin's Holiday Camp, where it remains for most of the film.

There are still plenty of laughs. Stan's hopeless attempts to seduce every attractive woman he meets are as funny as ever, and the chemistry between Reg Varney, Bob Grant and Stephen Lewis remains the film's greatest strength. Stan, Jack and Blakey are such entertaining characters that they can raise a laugh almost regardless of the situation.

The problem isn't the familiar jokes. Stan has always been an unsuccessful womaniser, and that's part of the series' charm. The problem is the setting. With so little time spent on the buses, the comedy often feels closer to a Carry On film than On The Buses. The holiday bus appears only occasionally, and the depot, which was the heart of the first two films, is almost forgotten.

Worst of all, there isn't a single clippy. The conductresses were central to the television series and the earlier films, providing many of Stan's funniest encounters. Their complete absence leaves a noticeable gap, making the film feel less like On The Buses and more like a generic British holiday comedy.

Holiday on the Buses is still an enjoyable farewell to the series thanks to its wonderful central trio, but it's also the weakest of the three films. The laughs are still there, yet by abandoning the buses it also abandons much of what made On The Buses so special.

So why were these girls left out of the film? I'd ride their bus all the way to the depot.