🚌❤️ Ron Savage Biography

Ron Savage holds a very special place in On the Buses history. He was not an actor in the series, but he became a close personal friend, driver and minder of Reg Varney, the star of On the Buses who played Stan Butler.

👨 Who was Ron Savage?

Ron Savage is best known to On the Buses fans through his long friendship with Reg Varney.

The Official On the Buses Fan Club describes Ron as Reg Varney's friend, driver and minder during the later part of Reg's life. Ron was subsequently welcomed as an Honorary Member of the fan club.

Unlike the actors who appeared in front of the cameras, Ron worked behind the scenes in Reg's personal life, helping him with everyday matters and accompanying him during his later professional activities.

🏠 Meeting Reg Varney

Ron first met Reg in the early 1990s, when Reg had moved to the area around Dartmouth in South Devon.

Reg's daughter, Jeanne, introduced the two men after she mentioned that her father needed somebody who could help with practical jobs around the house.

🔨 Ron was retired and enjoyed DIY, so he offered to help.

The friendship quickly developed. Ron recalled that he and Reg "hit it off from the start", exchanging jokes and banter almost immediately.

🔨 The famous water-butt story

One of their earliest adventures involved a rather ordinary household problem.

💧 Reg telephoned Ron one Sunday morning because the water butt beside his garage was too low for a watering can to fit underneath the tap.

Ron came up with the obvious solution:

🔧 Drain the tank

🔧 Shorten the downpipe

🔧 Raise the tank on blocks

Job completed!

🍺 Afterwards, Reg suggested that the two men should go to the local pub for a drink.

The following week, Reg called again because the tank was leaning.

🔨 Ron fixed it.

🍺 Then they went to the pub again!

Before long, Sunday morning phone calls from Reg asking Ron if he was "coming out to play" became a regular occurrence.

🎭 Reg Varney's comeback performances

In 1991–92, Reg began performing one-man shows again.

🎹 His group included:

🎹 Ed Welch – keyboard
🎹 Rod Farrel – piano
🥁 A drummer
🚗 Ron Savage – driver and companion

Ron accompanied Reg on journeys to his various performance venues.

Their travels took them to places including:

📍 London

📍 Eastbourne

📍 Plymouth

📍 Yeovil

📍 Bournemouth

📍 Birmingham

📺 BBC Pebble Mill

📺 BBC Bristol

Ron therefore became part of Reg's travelling support team during this later stage of his career.

📖 The Little Clown

During this period, Reg's book ** The Little Clown ** was published.

📚 Copies were sold at his shows, including during intervals and afterwards.

Ron jokingly told Reg that he would wait until he could borrow the book from the library rather than buy a copy!

😂 Reg apparently did not appreciate the joke.

Ron eventually did borrow the book and discovered from it that Reg and his wife Lily were celebrating their wedding anniversary while Ron and his wife were away in France.

💌 Ron and his wife therefore sent them an anniversary card.

When Reg asked how Ron knew the date, Ron replied that he had read it in the book.

Reg then offered to sign the book.

Ron joked that the library probably wouldn't approve!

📖 Eventually, however, Reg gave Ron his own signed copy, inscribing it to his "very good friend and minder."

🚌❤️ Travelling with Reg Varney

Ron witnessed first-hand just how recognisable Reg remained to the public.

When they stopped during their journeys, people would frequently recognise Reg and come over to:

👋 Shake his hand

❤️ Thank him

📺 Tell him how much they had enjoyed his television appearances

This was many years after On the Buses had ended, demonstrating the lasting affection audiences had for Stan Butler and Reg Varney.

😂 The Newport incident

One of Ron's favourite stories occurred while he was driving Reg to the funeral of Reg's older brother in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.

🚗 They were travelling through Newport and were running short of time.

Because they weren't completely sure of the route, they stopped to ask a couple for directions.

As soon as Reg lowered the car window, the man recognised him.

👨 "Look, it's him – you know him on the tele!"

The funny part was that the man couldn't actually remember Reg's name.

😂 Ron and Reg apparently found the whole situation hilarious.

🏡 Moving away from Dartmouth

Ron and his wife moved away from Dartmouth in 1997, returning to their roots in South Gloucestershire.

Reg, Lily and their family subsequently moved away from the Dartmouth area as well.

Reg and his family eventually settled in Budleigh Salterton.

Sadly, Lily Varney died while they were living in the Exmouth area.

Ron and Reg nevertheless remained in contact by telephone.

☎️ They continued to exchange jokes and banter and Ron and his wife would visit whenever they were in the area.

💔 Ron's memories of Reg

Ron clearly regarded his friendship with Reg as something extremely special.

He described Reg as a very private person, which made their friendship particularly meaningful to him.

Ron remembered their:

☕ Sunday mornings

🍺 Weekly drinks

😂 Banter

🚗 Long journeys

🎭 Theatre and television trips

❤️ Years of friendship

His memories provide a rare glimpse into Reg Varney's life away from the television cameras.

🚌⭐ Ron Savage and On the Buses

Ron did not play a character in On the Buses.

Instead, his connection is through its leading star.

🎭 Reg Varney

Stan Butler

❤️ Ron Savage

Reg's friend

🚗 Ron's role

Driver

🛡️ Ron's role

Minder and companion

📅 Ron Savage – Timeline

📅 Period 🚌 Event

🏡 Early 1990s Met Reg Varney in South Devon

🔨 Early friendship Helped Reg with DIY and household jobs

🍺 1990s Regular Sunday meetings and drinks

🎭 1991–92 Began accompanying Reg on his one-man shows

🚗 1990s Drove Reg to venues around Britain

📖 1990s Friendship continued around publication of The Little Clown

🏡 1997 Ron moved from Dartmouth to South Gloucestershire

☎️ Later years Kept in regular telephone contact with Reg

📸 2008 Photographed visiting Reg at home

🏆 Later Became an Honorary Member of the On the Buses Fan Club

🌟 Ron Savage's place in On the Buses history

Ron Savage is an important behind-the-scenes figure rather than a cast member.

His importance comes from the fact that he knew Reg Varney personally during the final decades of Varney's life.

🚌 Millions knew Reg as Stan Butler.

🎭 Ron knew the man behind the character.

🚗 He drove him to shows.

🛠️ He helped him around his home.

🍺 He shared regular drinks and jokes with him.

❤️ And, most importantly, he became a trusted friend.

Ron later described how much he treasured that friendship and how much he missed their weekly drinks and their special rapport.

🚌❤️ In memory

For On the Buses fans, Ron Savage's story is a wonderful reminder that Reg Varney's life continued long after Stan Butler left the Luxton buses.

Ron was there during those later years — not as an actor, but as Reg's friend, driver, companion and minder. His personal memories help preserve the human story behind one of Britain's most beloved comedy stars. 🚌❤️🎭

Ron visiting Reg at his home earlier in 2008

Delighted to have Ron Savage onboard as an Honorary Member. Ron was Reg's friend, driver and minder in the later part of Reg's life.

I first met Reg. in the early part of 1990 when he came to live near Dartmouth in South Devon. Jeanne, his daughter, and her husband ran a business in Dartmouth and it was through them that I was introduced to Reg. Jeanne told me that her dad was looking for someone to give him a hand fixing cupboards to walls etc., and was I interested. Since I was retired and enjoyed a bit of D.I.Y., I agreed to offer my services.

Reg. and I hit it off from the start and we were soon exchanging banter.

One Sunday morning he rang me saying that the water butt at the side of his garage was too low to get a watering can under the tap, could I suggest something. Well the obvious thing was to raise the tank, so off I went, we drained the tank , shortened the down pipe and raised the tank on blocks.

It was then suggested that perhaps a little liquid refreshment would now be in order, so we adjourned to the local hostelry. The following Sunday I received a telephone call to say that the tank was leaning,

could I give a hand to adjust it. Job done, we again adjourned to the pub for an hour. There after it was a normal thing to receive a call on Sunday morning asking if I was ‘coming out to play’.

Reg. began doing one man shows again in 1991/2 and got together a group comprising, Ed Welch on keyboard, Rod Farrel, piano and a drummer whose name escapes me. Ed Welch is a music arranger, one of his pieces is the introduction music for ‘One Foot in the Grave’. Rod Farrel, (since deceased), was a retired Royal Marine Bandmaster, who at some stage in his career, was

Bandmaster of the Royal Yacht band. All lived in and around the Dartmouth area.

Reg. invited me to keep him company on journeys to the various venues and I drove his car for him. During this time we traveled to London, Eastbourne, Plymouth, Yeovil, Bournmouth, Birmingham as well as to BBC studios at Pebble Mill and Bristol. About this time Reg’s book ‘The Little Clown’ was published. These were sold during the interval and after his shows. On one occasion Reg. asked if I had read his book. I jokingly told him I would wait until I could get it from the library. I will not tell you his reply! Later I did in fact borrow the book from

the library just before going on holiday to France. I found that Reg. and wife Lily, were celebrating their wedding anniversary whilst we were away, so my wife and I sent a suitable card. When we returned home Reg. asked, ”How did you know

it was our anniversary?” “ I read it in your book”, I replied. “Bring it down and I’ll sign it for you”, said Reg. “No, I don’t think the library would like that “, I said. His reply is unprintable! Some time later however, Reg. gave me a copy in which he wrote,’To a very good friend and minder, Ron’.

On a number of occasions during our travels, when stopping off for refreshment, people would often come up and shake Reg’s hand and thank him for the pleasure he had given them in his television appearances.

An amusing incident happened whilst I was driving him to his older brother’s funeral in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. We were passing through Newport and were getting pushed for time, and not being too sure of the route stopped to ask a lady and gentleman for directions. Immediately Reg. lowered his window the man exclaimed to his wife,”Look, it’s him – you know him on the tele. – it is you isn’t it?” We fell about laughing, as the poor chap couldn’t remember Reg’s name.

My wife and I moved from Dartmouth in 1997, and returned to our roots in South Gloucestershire. Reg. and his wife, together with Jeanne, her husband and family, moved from Dartmouth area to Exmouth soon afterwards and later moved again to Budeigh Salterton. Sadly Lily died whilst they were living in Exmouth, and when the family moved to Budleigh Salterton, Reg. moved too.

We kept in touch by telephone, ringing each other occasionally and exchanging banter. We always called to see Reg. whenever we were in the area.

I treasure the friendship I shared with Reg., and still miss our weekly drink together and the rapport. Reg. was a very private person, which made his friendship even more special.