I'm not a writer. I don't have the discipline to give an idea enough oomph to end up as a thing with a beginning, middle and satisfying end.
Reece Shearsmith while talking to Richard Herring (RHLSTP episode 406) about 'Inside No.9' last year, bemoaned fans giving him ideas for episodes.
"Do one on a bus! A No.9 bus!" "Okay, what happens then?"
Eventually they did a fake build up to an 'On The Buses' episode, only to replace it with a "quiz show" hosted by Lee Mack.
I travel on buses a lot during the week, so have plenty of time to think of plots for short stories set on a No.9 (actually 295, 70, 452, 52, 28, 228...) bus. So here goes...
On a double decker (let's say a 295 from Clapham Junction to the big Sainsbury's at the end of Ladbroke Grove) and sat downstairs, our character (let's say 'Bill') has a good view of the screen showing CCTV pictures of the interior. Bill is a bit zany (I know, but perhaps we shouldn't like him - haven't decided yet) so waves at himself when he appears on the screen. The idiot. Bill notices he's the only passenger...
We're now at a crossroads; not a literal one in the story, but in the writing of the story. We could now find there's not even a driver of the bus. We could have a menacing character appear upstairs, and every time the camera finds him he's getting closer to Bill. Bill could also appear upstairs: his double, or Bill from a different time in his life, or a Jekyll/Hyde-type situation...
So that's three possible plots, or we use all three to pad out the half hour needed for an 'Inside No.9'. There's minimal dialogue whichever way it goes, although I reckon Bill might talk us through it with an internal monologue or the odd "WTF" or similar.
If you have any thoughts on what should happen, let me know. These blogs don't get a lot of views, so chances are I'll just pick this up when another window arrives. If you've read this, thanks. Ed
