Channel 4 boards 'The Night Bus' for brand new rig documentary series

18 December 2014

Documentaries Commissioning Editor Emma Cooper has commissioned Blast! Films to make a new 3 x 60 series documenting the comings and goings on board London’s night buses

Employing the fixed-rig technology behind hits The Fried Chicken Shop and Educating, the series will capture the wide variety of passengers travelling on some of the capital's night buses. From late night revellers and tourists visiting the West End to shift-workers leaving home at first light, the series will provide an intimate portrait of London at night and the round-the-clock efforts made by drivers and support staff to keep the night bus working for London.

The first bus to have the rig installed before Christmas will be one of the N29s – a route will travels from the north London suburb of Enfield passing through Camden and on to the heart of the capital from Tottenham Court Road to Leicester Square and ending at Trafalgar Square. Further routes will be documented in early 2015.

Emma Cooper says: “London is an incredible global hub - full of life, love and madness which our night buses slice through in the early hours of each day. This series will show the people who call this place home, those who visit and those who make their money here - and will highlight the unlikely friendships and moments that all spring up on the top deck of the number 29.

“We’ll capture the vast scale of the night bus’s operations, and the breadth and number of Londoners that it caters for. With warmth and humour the series will focus on the stories passengers bring on board and their interactions with one another and the drivers in this snapshot of late night London life.” 

 

The bus will be fitted inside and out with 16 cameras covering the driver and passengers on both decks. 

The series is being made with the support of Transport for London. Mike Weston, Transport for London’s Director of Buses, said: “London’s Night Bus network is one of the best in the world, with thousands of staff working around the clock to get Londoners safely to where they need to go at any hour of the day. We’re delighted to be able to showcase the hard work of the women and men, working through the night, to keep London moving.

“Having worked with Blast! Films before we’re sure that those passengers who choose to take part will find that the series paints a life-affirming picture of the diversity of people and experiences that make our city great.”

The series is being produced and directed by Jackie Waldock, and executive produced for Blast! by David Hodgkinson. It will air in 2015.

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