A VETERAN bus driver had his hands full when he was pulled over by one of Oxford’s most famous detectives during filming for the new series of Lewis.

Driver Paul Jennison is more used to ferrying commuters to work, but he found himself face-to-face with actor Laurence Fox during filming of the new series of the ITV drama.

Detective Sergeant James Hathaway will be seen boarding an Oxford Bus Company London espress service in Broad Street to question a suspect.

The 44-year-old Cowley driver had eight takes when he was pulled over by the fictional detective for the new Lewis episodes, to be broadcast next year.

The experience was certainly different for Mr Jennison, who can usually be seen driving the 300 bus between Redbridge and Pear Tree park-and-rides and the city centre.

The father-of-two, a driver for 22 years, said: “I’ve never been pulled over by the police before, so for it to happen eight times in a few hours was something else. Luckily it was not for real.

“The production company went to great lengths to close the road off before each take, but I still needed to really concentrate. Laurence Fox was very friendly and when I had my picture taken with him he needed no encouragement to get in the driver’s seat.

“He told me he’d have loved to have taken the coach for a spin.

“I am looking forward to seeing the finished results and I am sure my colleagues will be pulling my leg again when it appears on screen.”

The firm has donated its £500 fee to East Oxford’s Helen and Douglas House hospice, which cares for terminally ill young people.

Operations director Louisa Weeks said: “We were delighted to help with the filming of the new series of Lewis.

“The programme and indeed Morse before, has done so much to promote Oxford.

“For our Espress London service to star in it was reward enough, so we decided we should donate the filming fee to Helen and Douglas House.”

Helen and Douglas House spokesman Lin Beekar said: “We are so grateful to the Oxford Bus Company for donating this money.

“We are almost entirely reliant on the generosity of local people, businesses, groups, schools to be able to run the two hospice houses.

“This will make a real difference to the young people we look after and their families.”