Names on the buses

 913 Pete McCarthy

Connections with Brighton and Hove : The comedian and author Pete McCarthy died tragically young at 51 in 2004 from cancer when he was at the height of his powers. Although he was Brighton based and frequently poked fun at the area, Hove in particular, he had an international reputation. His books McCarthy’s Bar and The Road to McCarthy sold hugely and he was planning a new one at the time of his death. McCarthy started his career in the Seventies in cabaret in Brighton soon after graduating with a first class degree from Leicester University, founding the group Cliffhanger. Quickly acquiring a wider audience, he made his mark at the Edinburgh Festival and through travel-related programmes on TV such as Travelog, Breakaway and X marks the spot. People liked his Irish wit, his clever observations and his easy manner which came across well both in books and on TV. He lived with his family near Lewes but wrote in a flat at Brighton where there were no distractions. Married with three children, he was born in Warrington but had strong Irish ancestry. He changed his name from Robinson to avoid confusion with another performer. In McCarthy’s Bar, he explored his Irish roots, travelling from Cork to Donegal. He said you should never give up the opportunity of drinking in a bar that shares your name. The book sold a million copies, not bad for a novice, and he won the Newcomer of the Year award at the British Book awards in 1992. In The Road to McCarthy, he went on a journey across four continents to find distant Irish connections.

913 Scania Omnidekka - carried name since delivery in September 2006 in Metro 25 livery. Changed to Coaster 12 livery March 2008. Repainted into revised Coaster livery October 2011. Coaster branding removed February 2015. Bus sold in October 2019.