Letter: Stephen Lewis helped my electioneering by touring Hartlepool in a bus inspector’s uniform

Stephen Lewis, who played Blakey in On the Buses, was a lifelong Labour supporter who was involved in political campaigning for much of his life. Photograph: ITV/Rex Features

I was Labour’s candidate for Cleveland and Yorkshire North in the 1984 European elections. Stephen Lewis offered to help our campaign and it was decided to deploy him to Hartlepool. He toured the town, in bus inspector’s uniform, haranguing the residents from an open-top bus.

His language was not always parliamentary. Whenever he saw a dog, he shouted: “What do you think of life under the Tories? Ruff! Ruff!” It was the high spot of the campaign.