This article'slead sectionmay be too short to adequatelysummarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead toprovide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article.(April 2023)

Bob Grant
Bob Grant as Jack Harper inOn the Buses
Born	Robert St Clair Grant (1932-04-14)14 April 1932 Hammersmith,London, England
Died	8 November 2003(2003-11-08) (aged 71) Twyning,Gloucestershire, England
Occupations	Actor comedian writer
Years active	1952–1998
Spouses	Jean Hyett ​ ​ (m. 1954, divorced)​ Christine Sally Wilson (Stage name Sally Kemp) ​ ​ (m. 1962, divorced)​ Kim Benwell ​ (m. 1971)​

Robert St Clair Grant (14 April 1932 – 8 November 2003) was an English actor and writer, best known for playingbus conductor Jack Harper in the television sitcomOn the Buses, as well as its film spin-offs and stage version.

Grant was born inHammersmith,West London, on 14 April 1932, the son of Albert George Grant (1909–1985) and Florence (1909–2001),née Burston. He was educated atAldenham School.^[1]

Grant trained as an actor at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art, working in his spare time as afrozen food salesman and also (coincidentally, in view of his later career) as a bus driver.^[2] After doingnational service in theRoyal Artillery, he made his stage debut in 1952 as Sydney inWorm's Eye View at the Court Royal,Horsham.^[3][1][a]

Grant's firstLondon appearance was inThe Good Soldier Schweik at theDuke of York's Theatre in 1956, and he spent several years at theTheatre Royal Stratford East before getting the lead role in the musicalBlitz! at theAdelphi Theatre in theWest End for two years.^[1][5] In 1964, he appeared at thePiccadilly Theatre inInstant Marriage, a musical farce, for which he wrote the book and lyrics, with music byLaurie Holloway.^[6][7]

Grant had by now started to make film appearances, includingSparrows Can't Sing (1963),^[8][b] and the film version ofTill Death Us Do Part (1969).^[10][c] He returned to the Theatre Royal, Stratford, in 1967, and starred in the satirical playMrs Wilson's Diary asGeorge Brown, theForeign Secretary inHarold Wilson's Labour government; this play later transferred to the West End.^[11] After George Brown's resignation from the Government on 15 March 1968,^[12] the character of George Brown was switched withBarbara Castle, as the plot required a cabinet minister.^[13]

In January of that year, Grant appeared as The Major in a six-part radio comedy dramaThe 17-Jewelled Shockproof Swiss-Made Bomb, featuringPeter Coke. It was written byRoy Clarke and produced byAlan Ayckbourn. The programne was transmitted on theBBC Light Programme.^[14]

Grant played the bus conductor Jack Harper in the television sitcomOn the Buses, which ran for 74 episodes between 1969 and 1973;^[2] he co-wrote 11 episodes, and onespecial, with co-star Stephen Lewis (who played Blakey, the Inspector).^[3] It was an instant success with the viewers, and led to three feature filmsOn the Buses (1971),Mutiny on the Buses (1972) andHoliday on the Buses (1973).^[3] The series was the peak of his career.

WhenOn the Buses finished, Grant found himself heavily typecast as Jack Harper and struggled to get other parts. He touredAustralia in the farceNo Sex Please, We're British, and continued to appear in musicals and pantomimes. In 1975, he wrote and starred in a one-off pilotMilk-O alongside hisOn the Buses co-starAnna Karen, an attempt to reinvigorate his career by means of a similar character, a milkman who spent his time fighting off amorous housewives he was delivering to. However, this did not lead to a series, and Grant never acted for television again. In 1981, he appeared in a touring production of the once-controversial revueOh! Calcutta!, accompanied by a chorus line of naked men and women less than half his age.^[15]

In 1980, Grant played the title role inJohn Arden's BBC radio adaptation ofDon Quixote, withBernard Cribbins asSancho Panza.^[16] In 1986, he played acockney detectiveinspector inThe Red Telephone Box, a comedy thriller byKen Whitmore onBBC Radio 4.^[17][18] On stage he later played Autolycus inShakespeare'sThe Winter's Tale for theBirmingham Repertory Theatre.^[19]

In 1990, it was announced thatOn the Buses would be revived as a new show calledBack on the Buses, and the entire cast, including Grant,Reg Varney, Stephen Lewis,Doris Hare, Michael Robbins and Anna Karen would appear onWogan.Back on the Buses eventually fell through when funding fromSTV was not forthcoming. The project was to have been backed by STV's executive producer Bryan Izzard who had produced seven episodes of the series and the final spin-off film,Holiday on the Buses.^[20][21]

His last acting role was inFunny Money atDevonshire Park Theatre from July 1998.^[22]

In 1954, he married Jean Hyett;^[23] the marriage would end in divorce.^{[citation needed]}

In 1962, he married for the second time, to Christine Sally Kemp; they later divorced.^{[citation needed]}

He was in a relationship withOn the Buses guest star Gaye Brown, until he broke up with her to date (and eventually marry) Kim Benwell. When Grant married for the third time in 1971, with hisOn the Buses co-star Stephen Lewis asBest Man,^[24] there were huge crowds outside theregister office. Consequently the couple had to abandon their hiredRolls-Royce and walk to the reception.^[2] A double-decker bus had been provided for the guests, but they had to walk as well.^[3]

In the 1980s, he suffered fromdepression,bipolar disorder and othermental health problems, because of a lack of work and his considerable debts. This eventually led to a suicide attempt. In 1987, he disappeared from his home inLeicestershire for five days; it later emerged that he had taken the ferry toDublin intending to kill himself. "I was in a horrible state", Grant said during an interview withPamela Armstrong after the event, "I just had to get out of the house. I left the house and thumbed a lift toMelton Mowbray, and then got a train toBirmingham New Street where I sat sobbing in a stationbuffet. Everyone ignored me. Normally I get asked in the street something like 'When you back on telly then?', but not this time".^[20][21]

Grant started to write his first note to his wife Kim, intending her to receive it after he had killed himself. "Tears streamed down my face as I wrote", he recalled. After hours of pounding the streets ofBirmingham, Grant instead caught theferry to Dublin, "It was a horrible night on that boat", he continued. "I'd been to Dublin before and it seemed such a nice place. I wanted to end it all, either by jumping in theRiver Liffey or ironically under a bus." Grant stayed at a guesthouse in Dublin to think things over. He called Kim, but there was no answer; she was at the time filming an appeal to find him. On the strength of the appeal, Grant eventually returned to England, where his absence had caused a small stir, which allowed him to gain a few more acting jobs.^[20][21]

A further long gap in employment led to another suicide attempt in 1995, this time bycarbon monoxide poisoning. Grant was discovered just in time, slumped over the steering wheel of his car, which was filled with exhaust fumes, and admitted to hospital for treatment. He and Kim took a holiday toGoa inIndia to recover and on their return, it seemed things were finally going right again. They moved to a small cottage in Church End Twyning, about a mile south ofTwyning, nearTewkesbury inGloucestershire with the ambition of making a fresh start. Grant lived very reclusively and neighbours would only see him when he was trimming his hedge.^[25]

His "new life" did not last, as once more substantial bills continued to arrive and work did not. In despair, Grant made a third and final suicide attempt in 2003. This time he succeeded, dying in his fume-filled car in his garage with a hose attached to the exhaust pipe, and was found dead soon after.^[3]

The following is a list of television programmes in which Grant was involved.

• Marriott, Anthony; Grant, Bob (1978).Darling Mr. London: a farce. London:Samuel French.ISBN 978-0-573-11113-6.OCLC 1038431648.
• Marriott, Anthony; Grant, Bob (1978).No room for love: a farce. London: Samuel French.ISBN 978-0-573-11310-9.OCLC 5379828.
• Marriott, Anthony; Grant, Bob (1991).Home is where your clothes are: a comedy in two acts. London: Samuel French.ISBN 978-0-573-01789-6.OCLC 26310819.

• Rankin, Peter (2014).Joan Littlewood: Dreams and Realities. The Official Biography. London:Oberon Books.ISBN 978-1-78319-583-1.OCLC 1039537894. Retrieved5 April 2021.

• Bob Grant atBritish Comedy Guide.
• Bob Grant atIMDb

• 1932 births
• 2003 deaths
• Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
• English male film actors
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• Male actors from London
• People from Hammersmith
• 2003 suicides
• Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning
• Suicides in England
• 20th-century British Army personnel
• Royal Artillery personnel
• Military personnel from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
• Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
• English male comedians
• Comedians from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Wikipedia introduction cleanup from April 2023
• All pages needing cleanup
• Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from April 2023
• All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify
• Use dmy dates from April 2020
• Use British English from June 2012
• Articles with hCards
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from April 2021