Great Western Coffee Shop

Tonight I find myself in the Travelodge Derry's Cross, Plymouth.  Pretty much on the site of the former Westward/TSW studios. Those forum members in Devon and Cornwall will know exactly what I'm on about.

I grew up in Taunton. Border country as far as regional telly was concerned. Home was firmly in the HTV West region, but Grandma across town could only get Westward/TSW. I loved Westward as they had better idents, and most importantly Gus Honeybun. From the age of 4 to 11 my Grandma wrote in to Gus to have my birthday read out on air, but it never happened. He was a popular bunny and I suspect those of us in border country were overlooked.

So here I am tonight, in GH's backyard. I've checked the drawers and cupboards - no sign of him. No magic buttons on reception, and the receptionist flat refused to give me 43 bunny hops in advance of my next birthday.

At 42 years and 10 months of age it still hurts that Gus never acknowledged a birthday of mine.

https://youtu.be/CSx_CoTuFtw

Never mind mate things could be worse  your gran could have written to Jimmy Saville !.

I remember a couple of occasions - I had 7 bunny hops on one occasion and he waggled his ears on the other  ;D :-[

A cousin of mine did, and got a ride to her wedding on the back of an elephant as a result of it, with He Who Shall Not Be Named walking alongside. It's a matter of great consolation to me that I missed the entire thing since, although I was invited to the wedding, I was away on a cub camp at the time, which was a great excuse as I never much liked my cousin and cared for elephants even less. Oh and the couple split up not long afterwards as well. Ha.

Gus was released back in to the wild with his family on the last day of the TSW franchise. 
All those rabbits that live beside the A38 are his descendants.  Dirty hopper.

If you venture down to West Hoe Park you'll find a miniature railway and riding up on the front of the loco is none other than GH himself....unfortunately the Street View image shows the attraction under cover! But he's definitely there...

Street view link:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.3641154,-4.1463974,3a,75y,321.02h,85.8t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sJRA5SZHL0STXXWIkHZU7gg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DJRA5SZHL0STXXWIkHZU7gg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D153.78581%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1 (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.3641154,-4.1463974,3a,75y,321.02h,85.8t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sJRA5SZHL0STXXWIkHZU7gg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DJRA5SZHL0STXXWIkHZU7gg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D153.78581%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1)

Gus is at Flambards - http://www.flambards.co.uk/rides/detail/gus-honeybuns-burrow - although there are others including an original one at the South West Film and Television Archive.

Peter Cadbury considered that Westward should extend all the way to Bristol, so I don't think 'border' country would be a problem.

David Fitzgerald was always best with Gus because it was clear he couldn't take it seriously: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4hgedrwsbE

Whereas Roger Shaw gave the impression he couldn't believe he had to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhwaZFP_IZc

He is no longer in person at Flambards- he was until a couple years ago. His burrows full of stuffed animals is still present.

Rather coincidentally I've just passed Flambards on the bus between Falmouth and Penzance.

No sign of Gus. Although I can't see much out of this steamed up fusty old Volvo Olympian.

Maybe appropriately for a rabbit there were quite a number made over the years. One of the 1960s ones  (http://nostalgiacentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/gushoneybun.jpg)look positively sinister to me. Also the only rabbit to change colour.

I'm happy to report that Gus is currently (and has been for several years now) sitting atop the left-hand speaker, next to my screen. If I could figure out how to upload images, I'll gladly provide evidence. Mind you, he could be an impostor.

People come to Cornwall just to see those Olympians. Only a handful left now.

I'd like to have been able to see out of my Olympian. Terrible condensation. Mind you Cornwall was pretty much one shade of grey today.

Rather disappointing that I got the heritage bus after seeing the nicer ones on the 'U' routes lining up outside the Wetherspoon's in Falmouth.

Give the students the clapped out crap. They can manage the steps better.

The 2 has some nice scenery west of Helston. Shame you couldn't see it.

I have the dubious honour of remembering both Gus Honeybun and Jimmy Saville from my childhood in the 70's.

Gus only because I used to see him on tele when visiting my grandparents in Plymouth. Being Berkshire born and bred he was quite a novelty.

Jimmy because he used to stay about 3 doors down from us (whilst carrying out his "charitable work" at Broadmoor Hospital) during the same era. Even then my mother used to warn my sister and I to stay away from him as she felt he was "odd". I remember the white Rolls, the Winnibago and the Range Rover with the double bed in the back - makes me shudder to think of it now.

Gus became quite a cult hero for some of us in our later teens/early twenties. Always a laugh with Judi Spier's who I think was presenting there at the time as Gus seemed to have a bit of a crush on her!

I have visited Stoke Mandevile Hospital (where Saville was a frequent helper) twice. The first occasion was prior to his death and his portraits we displayed prominently in the reception area. It was the about a year before I returned following his death and for some reason the portraits had been removed. Can't think why!

Well aware of that BB, as until a few years ago my sister worked at the National Spinal Centre at Stoke Mandeville, so had the displeasure of crossing paths with him again.

She always told me that all the nursing staff used to go into hiding when he was around (and this was before the revelations).

There was also a cafe there called "Jimmy's" which had it's named changed so I understand.

Sorry all, we digress!

He would have fixed it for you. Now then, now then, 'ows about that....

Am I alone in not knowing who Gus was? I can almost here the shouts of "what an appealing education" just as I did when my son asked who Mr. M. Python" was :)

Gus was probably Unknown to anyone outside of the Television South West region as he was one of their characters.

He used to moonlight on Channel TV as well - occasional appearances into the 2000s alongside Oscar Puffin.

I remember Gus from my childhood visits to my Grandad in Cornwall and our caravan holidays in West Wales (near Tenby) where all the caravan TV aerials were pointed South West to pick up English TV stations rather than the Welsh versions.

My other Grandparents lived in Cardiff and even though they were Welsh preferred to get their TV from the West Country and get BBC Points West!

It's nice to think I'm not alone in remembering Gus Honeybun  :)

I was living in South Wales when some of the true locals were trying to get their own TV station. The irony is that when S4C came along a lot of people just pointed their aeries towards the Mendips and HTV West/Channel 4. I lived on a hill in direct line of the Mendips transmitted so I was sorted!

Just about everyone did in Cardiff to avoid the Welsh programmes on the main channels. You could look down a street and every aerial would be pointing across the channel. Even my gran in Aberdare, who got "piped tv" (an early form of cable if I understand it) due to the terrain in the valleys got the West Country programming.  

They did long before S4C, not wanting the welsh language opt outs from the main channel schedules.

Gus came as a huge surprise to me when I arrived in Redruth from Blackpool. I can say with absolute conviction that we had nothing quite like him on Granada TV in Lancashire, although whether that was to our cultural detriment or not is a matter for scholarly debate.

No, Stuart Hall was your channel's fave?.....

Ah, had we known then what we know now, eh? There is no vision so clear as 20-20 hindsight.

Talk of aerials and reception.

I'm firmly in Bristol yet cannot get BBC or ITV West through a traditional aerial. The best reception for me is from Wenvoe (BBC/ITV Wales) across the Severn Estuary. I can also pick up Ridge Hill (BBC West Midlands/ITV Central) in Herefordshire.

I cannot pick up Mendip. My location is Lawrence Weston and I haven't even got line of sight of the relay transmitter on Kingsweston Hill.

Just to compound things Sky is not an option either. The wooded hill directly behind my property blocks line of sight to satellite.

Consequently I'm left with Virgin Cable as my only option if I want a broadcast TV package. I choose however to watch my TV online through my Openreach fibre broadband connection. This does limit my choice of live streaming channels, but nearly everything I'd wish to watch can be found online somewhere...

You can watch most channels via iPlayer, 4oD, ITV Player, etc, even live. I have the BT TV box,which gives all these on the TV without having a smart TV, plus some internet channels - which is how all TV will happen soon enough. It uses the aerial for Freeview channels, though, so wouldn't help you.

No sign of Gus Honeybun.