The normal-control Leyland Comet was never common as a PSV chassis in home territory, although a fair number were exported. Most of the home market examples were coaches; indeed the only service buses that I'm aware of were those supplied new to Douglas Corporation on the Isle of Man.
Whilst preparing another version of this image (based on a preserved Douglas Corporation vehicle), the similarity between the Douglas livery and that of Venture Transport struck me, although it wasn't a type of vehicle that Venture actually operated. The immediate post-war fleet being highly standardised on crew-operated Daimler half-cabs. However there could have been a place for a small number of one-person operated buses for lightly trafficked routes such as the Service 14 from Consett to Stanhope.
In this scenario, the Leyland Comet may have been the idea choice for a company which was always a couple of notches up from the typical rural operator of the time. The source image was taken at the 1999 Fleetwood Tram Sunday event. The background was taken on the actual route depicted.
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