Names on the buses

 713 Jack Tripp

Connections with Brighton and Hove : Jack Tripp, widely regarded as the greatest ever pantomime dame, lived for many years in Brighton and Hove. Born in Plymouth, he began his career as a singer and dancer with the Fol de Rols concert party. During his military service in the Second World War, he joined the entertainment corps, Stars in Battledress. He was spotted by an agent and soon became an understudy to the veteran comedian Sid Field after the war. Tripp learned some of the classic Dame routines in the Fifties and often appeared in comedy with Douglas Byng, another Brighton resident. In the Sixties and Seventies he starred in his own summer show, Take a Tripp, at resorts throughout the UK, often sharing the stage with his partner, singer Allen Christie. But it was as a pantomime dame that Tripp was supreme. He appeared in more than 50 pantomimes, believed to be a record. His most memorable performances were playing the lead role in Mother Goose, often with Roy Hudd. He appeared in 1982 in a TV documentary about panto and talked about his art with Byng, Arthur Askey and Terry Scott. Tripp was awarded the MBE for his contribution to the pantomime. His last performance was in his favourite role as Mother Goose in Plymouth in 1996 He retired from the stage in 2000 but was often a guest at show business functions. His final appearance was at a British Music Hall Society luncheon in April 2005, three months before he died in Brighton aged 83.

713 Scania Omnicity - carried name since delivery in January 2009. Repainted into standard livery June 2013. Bus sold in May 2018.