The Ronald Wolfe Collection - On The Buses And Beyond!

A collection of over one thousand scripts, photographs and documents from writer Ronald Wolfe – who co-wrote On The Buses, The Rag Trade and other sitcoms – is set to sell for thousands of pounds later this month at auction in Bristol

Ronald Wolfe was a British television, radio and cinema screenwriter, and one half of the Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney writing partnership, affectionately known in the comedy industry as ‘the other Two Ronnies’.  Wolfe wrote for some of the biggest stars in Britain from the 1950s to the 1990s including Beryl Reid, Sid James, Reg Varney, Thora Hird, Sheila Hancock and Barbara Windsor. Wolfe and Chesney’s most popular sitcom, On The Buses, ran for seven series between 1969 and 1973, and spawned three spin-off feature films. The series regularly topped the viewing figure polls, and the 1971 On The Buses movie out-performed that year’s James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever.

His collection, which includes over one thousand scripts, photographs and documents is expected to sell for thousands of pounds later this month.

‘It’s a complete honour to handle this collection,’ says auctioneer Andrew Stowe. ‘Ronald Wolfe’s work brought laughter to millions of people and spanned several generations. Particularly On The Buses which is still repeated today, all around the world. To be able hold items that have brought so much joy to people is very special.’

Wolfe’s first major television project, along with his co-writer Ronald Chesney, was the sitcom The Rag Trade. Starring Peter Jones, Miriam Karlin and Reg Varney it ran for three series in 1961 by the BBC, and was remade in 1973 by ITV. It was Britain’s most popular sitcom of the sixties and made household names of its cast. Based in a small East-End women’s dress-making workshop, the show dealt with class struggles, topical issues and political views. The series was ground-breaking in as much as the best lines all went to the female members who made up a majority of the cast. But, due to the BBC’s policy of re-using expensive film, many of the show’s episodes were wiped after broadcast, and are still missing from the archives today.

‘We have scripts for every missing episode of The Rag Trade,’ adds Andrew. ‘These are so rare. The lines in these scripts haven’t been heard or seen since their original broadcast in the 1960s, and are probably the only surviving items from production. They are not only very funny scripts, but vitally important pieces of British comedy history.’

Another of the duo’s sitcom outings – Meet The Wife – which starred Thora Hird alongside Freddie Frinton playing a middle-aged married couple. The show was so popular, that it was even referenced by The Beatles in their song Good Morning Good Morning with the line “It's time for tea and Meet the Wife."

‘We have the actual script for the episode that John Lennon watched on December 12^th, giving him the inspiration for including the show in his lyrics,’ says Andrew. ‘This Christmas – Shop Early!’ was broadcast as a Christmas episode in 1966, but was wiped after production. This script is not only a rare piece of sitcom memorabilia, but an important piece of Beatles history too!’

Over seventy documents relating to On The Buses feature within the auction. ‘My favourite items relating to the show actually concern the three feature films,’ tells Andrew. ‘Wolfe was a prolific note-taker, and would carry small notebooks around with him and jot down any funny lines or ideas that he thought of. Within his collection were some of his notebooks that he used in the run-up to writing the three On The Buses films. To be able to see his small handwritten notes – often just one word – that would go on to inspire whole scenes or plot points is just magical. It’s a physical reminder that these films were carefully crafted, but master writers who really knew their audience.’

Also of interest to fans is a rare document written before the series was made, which lists the writer’s preferred actors for each role. For Stan, eventually played by Reg Varney; the writer’s first choice was actor Ronald Frasier, followed by a young Ronnie Barker. Varney is listed third.

‘In his autobiography, Ronald Wolfe explains that Varney was always their first choice – but that casting directors and producers never went for the first name on the list. It was a clever tactic by the writers to ensure they got their leading man. Mind you, they could have quite easily chosen Ronnie Barker and the whole of British comedy would suddenly have looked very different!’ laughs Andrew.

Ronald Wolfe passed away in 2011 and his collection is offered for auction direct from his estate.

‘The Ronald Wolfe Collection – On The Buses & Beyond’ goes to auction on Tuesday 30^th September at our Bristol saleroom. It features over one thousand items from Ronald Wolfe’s archives, covering his entire career from the late 1940s to the early 2000s.