Ronald Chesney dead: On The Buses comedy writer dies aged 98
CELEBRATED TV sitcom writer, Ronald Chesney, who co-created The Rag Trade and On The Buses has died at the age 98.
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His daughter, Marianne Cadier, said he died peacefully surrounded by his family on April 12 at Kingston Hospital, Surrey.
Elstree studios boss Morris Bright, who broke the news of his death on social media yesterday, described Chesney as a "lovely modest chap".
Born Rene Cadier in 1920 to French parents, he became a harmonica soloist before he quit in the early 1960s after setting his sights on a career in television.
He co-created workplace comedy The Rag Trade with his writing partner Ronald Wolfe in 1961. It ran for two years on the BBC.
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Their 1969 smash hit On The Buses assured them of a place in British sitcom history. The series, which was rejected by the BBC before finding a home on ITV, ran for 73 episodes.
Set in a bus garage in the fictional town of Luxton, the TV sitcom had three successful spin-off films and produced a short-lived American remake.
Other hit shows they created included Meet The Wife, starring Thora Hird and Freddie Frinton as a married couple.