Q - First of all, Stephen, could you tell me how you started in the acting profession?

I started with Joan Littlewood, the famous Joan Littlewood, in the East London Theatre Workshop Company. I was a merchant seaman at the time but I was a great fan of the theatre, and my mates were as well. I was home at the time and a mate said "Come and see this Company that are down from the East End - they're great." We went and were very impressed. They had this thing of asking the audience if they would like to stay after the show and ask the actors what they thought of it. The curtain came up again and we all sat on the stage and talked to them. Afterwards we went to be bar with them and had a drink and got to know them better. The next week that we came back they did another show and we went to see that, and eventually got to know them. When they came back a couple of years later a mate of mine said "That company are back." We went down to see them and we were chatting away as if we know them. Joan Littlewood was talking to me in the bar. She said I'd said something about what was happening on the stage, so she said "You're so blooming clever, why not do it yourself." So I said "Alright" and she said "We're doing auditions." Just for a laugh I turned up and did a little thing for them and I thought "There's no way." Anyway, afterward in the bar, Joan said she'd let me come in the play. The show got very good notices and afterwards she said "Are you going to be in the next thing?" I replied that I didn't know as I was going off to sea. She was angry with me at the time you know, but I had no intention of becoming an actor.  At that time, I just liked enjoying myself. When I came back again the manager came round and said to me "We're doing a show. Would you like to come and be in it?" I went back with them and stayed. It really got into me. We went into town with The Hostage" and and "Mrs Wilson's Diary". That's how I got into the business and stayed.

Q - Years later you became popular as Blakey in the long running comedy series "On the Buses". What was it like working with the cast?

It wasn't like work at all. It was great fun you know. The scripts were good and it was always worthwhile working on it. It was just easy, something the public knew about - buses.  Everyone used to know about buses. We used to film in the street so we were always with the public, not like in a studio. We went to a real bus station in London to work, and London Transport wouldn't have us. They got a letter from London Transport at the beginning of the series saying that they felt it might damage their image. The director framed this letter and hung it in his office. We had to use Eastern National Bus Company (much laughter) which went out of Wood Green. We had a lot of fun there because they'd had a sort of running strike for three months before we started, so manager/worker relations were not too good, and we got loads of angles from that which I was to embody and put in to the part.

Q - I understand they made three feature films for the cinema after the series. Can you recall any funny or unusual incidents while filming these?

They were all funny. Some of them were quite dangerous. In "Mutiny on the Buses" there's a scene in the bus garage with foam used and I slipped in the foam and went into the pit under the bus. It was real foam we used to make it look good, you know, and I went completely under the foam. While I was down there waiting for the signal to come up I realised suddenly, how dangerous it was, because as I breathed in, the foam went into my throat, and I suddenly rose up and started to choke. I tried to get out of the pit but it was all slippery, and I kept slipping back. It was one of the guys on the crew who realised how dangerous it might be and he started reaching down into the pit and grabbed me. It was him pulling me and more people pulling me up, but I had to be given respiration. It was very, very dangerous. The scene itself looked very, very funny. The director said that it was well worthwhile. There's the one with the lion in the bus in the same film. The favourite is the skid pan from "On the Buses", lavatories blowing up - they're all very dangerous.

Q - Which character do you get most recognised for - Blakey or Smiler?

Its Smiler now, because the series is so recent. You know it's really great that all the people who recognise you are complementary. Its nice to know its something they liked so much, and, of course, I'm doing panto now. As I come on stage in different scenes, when I have some sad news to tell the audience I go "Aww Aww"  and the whole audience goes "Aww Aww " with me.