The Red Lion (British Drinking Culture Documentary) | Real Stories

you have an argument you go to the pub you've had a [ __ ] day at work you go to the pub you want to see you met you go to the folks so it just like kind of every single thing just kind of leads to the pub the red line power year has been a place for our family to meet for at least a hundred years my day is fabulous like a 24-hour cocktail party I just like drinking I like the feeling of being drunk not an alcoholic but I do like my glass of wine in the afternoon this is a part of my life the red lon start on one life that's really what it's about really friendship camaraderie but just one big happy family [Music] welcome to the Red Lion the most popular pub name in Britain every day over 600 red lines open their doors for us to quench our thirst excuse me the pub is a focal point for people and communities everywhere so we set off on a 3,000 mile journey around Britain's red lines to find out who goes there what gets talked about and how much gets drunk our first red line is 20 miles from Cardiff on the Welsh coast it's Wednesday night and pretty quiet inside the pub but all that's about to change these girls are members of the Newport University netball team they say they're very well behaved on the other six nights of the week but tonight their big night out and Josie and Lulu are leading the way the main aim of Wednesday night is to get drunk we drink the equivalent of what most people drink in a week on a Wednesday night we pretty much don't spend money the rest of the week so that we can go out on a Wednesday night and get wasted [Music] about once not the pub golf there's nine holes there's a specific drink for each each pub so when we come into the rabbi and we always always always have Guinness and then like Sarah will say go and we'll down them I like to do it in one I feel like I have something to prove we try and get it all done together because the sooner we get the drink in the sooner we can go and get another one somewhere else so what he's competing for to get the most on my drunk and who's likely to win tonight oh actually is it to get the most drunk is to say you can drink the most and still be standing most drunk I'll probably be me everyone be like jay-z he was so drunk last week I [Music] do not worry about the fact that you you cannot get so drunk you don't know what you do know cuz we we always have each other so if I'm like really really drunk I will always take that I'm actually spend in the course of one night doing pop go he probably probably about 40 50 quid on a pub golf night yeah [Music] and wouldn't you prefer to just do it a bit more gradually I think as a student you can't it seems like such a waste of money to sort of social maybe not feel the effect if I spend like 15 quid on say three large glasses of red wine and then I'm the next day I wake up and I'm not I don't feel it like I just about 15 quid and there's no effect like my body is not suffering what's the point I'm sorry I despair of that money for no reason so part of the thing is spend shed loads of money so that you feel like [ __ ] the next day yeah feeling like [ __ ] is definitely the reason it's definitely what we live for the first day the hangover day makes it all worth it [Music] it's so found upon almost like you don't do these binge drinking things on television and you know don't do it and you lose all respect for yourself well you don't at all because I'm quite in control of the fact that I'm going out to get drunk so and I'm okay with that so as long as I'm okay with it if you don't like it in don't know don't watch I think if you're in control of what you're doing like we are we're fully aware that we go out on a Wednesday to get absolutely yeah and annihilate this ritual isn't it it's you know we do it it's like a schedule thing like if you have a dance class in a week you go through it every week and that's what you do well drinking for us is like a dance class I hope we do it every week comparing drinking to a dance class the netball girls only drink in their red line on a Wednesday night but other people go to the pub much more often and for very different reasons [Music] with over 600 red lines to choose from we continued our journey round Britain to meet of the red line regulars I live on my own obviously it's a bit lonely living on your own sometimes I've been I'm talked to myself you know are me sometimes you go I mean I can't find the keys to me else yes and sometimes tell me self Arthur they you city beggar age what have you done with em keys and I go well I don't know do i reg and you think well hang on a minute am I going mad here or why am I really going mad I used to be called register hedge the reason I was called that was because now and again if I walked home on a Saturday night but perhaps had one too many and it's a very large hedge dare my way in a couple of times I have actually fell in it I fell in it one time and confined me way out that was most disturbing to be honest but I got there in the end go down to any red line and you'll find someone like reg the classic pub regular we've all encountered reg has been coming to this red line just outside Cambridge for 20 years and he seems to have taken up semi permanent residence at the bar I'm a self-employed carpenter alot thing I work very hard 6 days a week always coming normally after work for a couple of beers and to see only mates really yeah it's really home from home I suppose you could say really I live on my own obviously it's a bit lonely living on your own so it's nice to come out for color values have a bit of company alright Dave I'll teach something there I am actually a personal friend of ours showers you don't believe me do you you know we don't want to live in each other's pockets but it's just nice after a hard day's work just come say hey are you might and all that and that that's basically what this pumps are there you can walk in the pub and there's always some would say would you like a drink if you always say yes well yes let's be rude not to then fool you know you've got eight points my rounds on yourself quite roads not quite through really is it you have not bought one today you come in this pub every single day yes you talk to more or less the same people every single day for at least two possibly three four even more hours yeah the weekend yes we what an earth do you find to talk about few people who would walk in here would realize he's on the forefront of DNA research it's basically three things we talk about us men one is sport the other one is winning well that's that's probably we talk better more than probably other things the third one is shopping really yes we all like shopping I don't know why I mean everyone thinks women do but men I think we would any discuss more what we have to take every night than women ever do one with a pulse what do you say about women um what type of women we fancy I mean my my eel weighs fancies women with how are your boots on I like women with short dresses on I mean that's just and sex then cuz that's what women think men talk about football women and sex yes well well I do certainly I'm sure most of my mates do no yes we do talk quite a bit bad sex in in a nice car underway in a very nice car and away movie a pull it off or something really wrapped it's always there I was married and I'm got divorced and now live on my own on the top offer me several years to get over the divorce and then after that you do have you do have foo through girlfriends where it's not really love it's just probably bit if you want to put it like that a little bit of sex on the side which just nothing to boast about but now I'm looking for the real the real thing true life and romance oh yes oh yes definitely what made you decide you wanted that because I'm getting old and lonely right into a young lady at the moment actually she she lives in America which is pen pals at the moment and I'm writing to her and say that that's quite exciting but I have a little bit of trouble with me reading and writing so I'm afraid I have to have a couple of people help me write the letters with me now one person who does help me is Mark the landlord beyond the bar and because he's he's very good at writing letters and EE he wrote my very first letter for me when we first started am writing she's go boy near at the end of each letter I put love from Reggie and she always puts love letters now and the nice little heart so it's getting quite exciting to be honest you pending a lot in this Ridge well I decided yes I'm a little bit yeah what's your friends see in the pub to be honest I think my something I'm barking up the wrong tree to be honest entitled waste of time but hopefully who knows who knows who knows [Music] best friends Joan and Irene have lived in Billericay for 40 years they were both married to journalists called Bob and were both widowed a decade ago now every Tuesday and every Thursday Joan 85 and Irene 80 when their way to the red line in the High Street well we chose the red line because we like the look of lace we like the people you need they're friendly I'll go get the wine now Julius okay we come up at 11:30 so that we can have the table in the window well because we see everybody going by and we see people we know give them away if you know they wave back nice and bright yeah oh this lots of seagulls out there looking yeah I mean when your husband's died you started this new little routine didn't you yes why did you do that well we just we said one day why don't we go out for lunch and it started from how long have we been coming in a cafe like 10 10 years yes it was after the bobster sure it wasn't your Bob passed away before when Bob died it was terrible awful we couldn't get over it and you just wonder how how you can go on but eventually you do you get over it and takes a while we just decided and we said all right well you know we've got to have lunch in there and that's how it happened and he's just got into a routine now Tuesday we come up to the Red Lion and have a bottle of wine then when we've finished shopping we go back to mine and we have a couple more then John goes off staggering back up then Wednesday she comes around to mine and we have a couple of wines and then we go on to the rum and coke thursday we've come to the red line and we have another bottle wine Friday she comes round to me and it's wine and rum and coke Saturday the same and Sunday wine rum and coke I know if of any Bailey's we might have a Bailey's that special treat this year it's too expensive and when do you have off Monday I have often oh I can sit with my feet up then and just have a glass of wine on my own so which is nice it's nice to do that occasionally isn't it just to be on your own yeah that snows nearly gone from there look yes I know I was only gonna go into summer field today but I'm not gonna bother now you don't want any drink today no I've got I've got enough I'll get I'll get someone Thursday some-some problem the only thing is I haven't got any ramen I see the best friends you've got oh yeah it's just the only one I've got yeah she looks after me very well I've been lost without her yeah what day is it today Tuesday oh it's EastEnders tonight can you imagine a div and without a drink well I wouldn't like it because I've got used to it you know but I don't think it does any harm not just three little glasses that's nothing is it [Music] and I mean I didn't drink when I was younger not like some of the youngsters now was in my forties before I started drinking right I just took another sip and then what our age you doesn't matter too sir we can drink what we want added joy yes yes yes that's wrong it keeps you going doesn't it [Music] yes we left John and Irene and traveled 250 miles north to find a much younger and very different type of friendship that's the system for swing yeah do that you got to get your chance you can win this game all right after three [Music] just outside Rochdale the red line here is horn to the Whitworth Spartans rugby league team founder members Rob and Louie have known each other since school communicator bill because underdamped if you flare will be go any other court bias and therefore laughter words you get back yeah yeah you get back it's that the drinking games with your own team it's all about a social thing and keeping together as it seemed on and off the pitch cuz it is it seems like all your stresses and all your and that makes you angry or anything you can save it all for a Saturday and just check it out on there you feel you're right afterwards I remember the lads were playing rugby league well not Nancy boys soccer players anybody comes up to me chomping waving their arms around acting like a prima donna I'm gonna come down there like a toll bridge Billy you've got a really think fast and think on your feet brilliant game L really really can't beat Lee just go out and start smashing people and stuff [Applause] it's a sty drinkin about far in a song fella over 15 we're going in pubs I mean if yer was like straight from school and go home and like get your best jeans on in your best shirt and walk into a pub on a Wednesday night when there's a lot of blokes who just finished work having a pint you're looking the dog's bollocks like walking in yeah I'm old enough a bit of a sideburns on and stuff well that's when we started 15 seven a few beers and started going out at weekends and then just carried on and on and on enough when you were younger you just like just drinking just to get piss it's just so you could walk around on Friday night yeah good to school the next day it's just a British thing that we all like it it seems I'm sorry I think it seems it seems that way it city boys drink as much the less addictive overclock a little bit more my Rob's drug drinking it includes Monday night Tuesday night Wednesday night Thursday night Friday night absolutely ruined on a Saturday night their governance on their recovering on a Sunday morning afternoon and there may be turnout if there's an Everton game and get pissed again on a Sunday night and then recovers at work on Monday and then is out again in the game do you take quite a lot Rob I look a well time yes sir not much else to do when you work you know where yeah do you think you drink too much oh I probably drink a lot a drink true if you taught it how many units I don't cup over the week yeah probably do drink over book I come out when I quite during the week I probably like see more than three or four pies which is our Vice the week and when you do binge drink you know right he said he'll fit for anybody is it really so if you drink twenty fires on a Sat that he's not good for anybody I wouldn't have thought have you ever drunk twenty point well think so yeah tonight Mathilde [Music] [Applause] [Music] you spent quite a lot one drink then probably yeah so woman burned awake at least yeah do you drink at home no never really yeah we spend seven nights in the pub you never know him anyway needs to drink so [Music] like being pushed um yeah that's right I don't I don't like being absolutely hammered I like being in that stage were nothing bothers you and you can just tell them laughs II just laughing all the time and giggling and check the pizza or something and you know get your confidence boost and you you were volume it's and you can all you know loving and laugh and you know I'll do anything it just it seems to be like the catalyst to make a good time no you can have like a place friends and in between it you get the beer involved and then it just hours and it all clicks together [Applause] most of the people we met said they went to the pub for company because they didn't like drinking at home or on their own so red lines everywhere are replaced not just to go for a drink but to meet old friends or to make new ones in a small market town in the windswept death coast of England we found a red line where an outsider had come in and been made welcomed by the regulars every other day at 11:55 precisely 72 year old wealth now makes the short journey from his flat to the Red Lion his new home from home came back to his be about four and a half years ago having spent 42 years in London working for two French banks and as I knew this pub and it's a two minute walk from my flat this was the first place to come up as where I was preached as a stranger at first for obvious reasons or country talents have a certain call most wars foreigners in 30 commas and was accepted into the fold as it were yes people here turned out to be very nice friends not overwhelming at the beginning there's a very slow process with the cold weather where you go into town every day that on average four times a week lunches only I don't like eating his out usually twelve o'clock until about two to half-past two when they close it's quite happy I talk to Beverly lady who serves she's ex London to have a lot in common there and she looks off me well and we have a code for the drinks for example mr. blues a Bombay gin Sir Georges méliès dark rum and coke number one is a running Martin number two is a corpus if that's right yes sir it sings you're at the end are we going to hold firm I understand sir down the a1 when I came back in 2004 I heard a rumor about something called a kipper ah with the original reason was to buy this fish and incidentally go to one or two pubs because since then it seems to be more of a upmarket pub crawl on the Norfolk coast and the kid was incidental pack I just thought of the Bloody Mary exception I'll never drink before 12 o'clock normally but that day I do have one and then following his breakfast and his very four plus coffees and we leave here about half 10 years this is Wilfs 11th kept a run in the last four years he is the frail elder statesman in the midst of 15 increasingly noisy men on a minibus all men together can't be awkward sometimes it isn't all they do that day the humor can be revelation from time to time in the bus especially they're quite funny Horace don't fire bombs cos mum mum my waters are broke but there's way you're bringing in from stress really [ __ ] [ __ ] them angles we not the quiet post by the end of it we start off a whole tour the feathers I believe we had three pints each maybe meet me halfway boy a [ __ ] ticket lemme went to salt house don't care and we have two possibly three up not quite sure never went to the smokehouse took a long time to buy the fish [Music] [Laughter] [Music] 3:20 p.m. and that we've just arrived in stiffly so how many more clubs have you got to go to next one is forum the lifeboat where hot toddies will be orders does this what meant together a life yeah I'm afraid so yes new dress with boats all down their front every time I touch the ball she's more I just call me a chaise all around bread and cheese for supper if another man goes with another man's voice is there for every dozen so what time do you think they'll be finished today Ravi it was vision roughly eight o'clock half-hour stayed with the land only wolf prepared an advance steak and kidney pies and of course my dad a little picture me in de vivre today's point says hey joy today hey that's my hat after 14 hours of drinking 72 year old wolf reluctantly called it a day two of his friends from the public ordered him back to make sure he and his fish made it safely home [Music] our next red line is in the Scottish Borders in a village with only twelve hundred inhabitants Tuesday night at the pub is a much-needed escape from domesticity and two young children for Natalie youngest member of the red line ladies darts team it's pretty hectic in my house on a Tuesday night I'll try get the tea organised the dish is done before akkanee escape Italy his store the kids are well Liam's running to the door mommy mommy will meet me but no no I just like like a greened running along a street it's freedom for a couple hours yeah it's nice to get out denise is our captain she's a mobile here Jay sir McArdle she's in a little coffee shop at daddy's Elspeth she's a classroom assistant at panic Amanda she's a teacher at Balak but on a car she's one it's driving really early in the morning taking in school kids Tracy's a cater I mean here there are young mummies Alison works at a local factory it tuns don't think of lifting one out and if you know all these women all your life yeah I've known them all my life yep yeah Nathalie grew up just down the road from the pub she started drinking here aged 14 tucked away in a corner she even found her husband in the pub so for Natalie and most everyone in the village the red line has been an important part of all their lives translates very very small everybody came in news everybody oran was a friend of the years or a relation of there's that quite life is quite nice but in sometimes she gets it's a bit too nosy are you quite serious about oh yay we love to win we love to bend yep it's Tuesday night do you drink a lot no none of us really drink we can t save up for the weekend most of us in drink diet coke or diet improve that's know very exciting on a Tuesday night nobody can afford to lose her license because everybody tries next day as well so and I can't get out per hangover movie no big drinkers through the week really you know but that sort of defines the image people have the Scottish people I know know if you get the right group of people you can have a great life mmm didn't need to the pub can be many things to many people and it's not always just about drinking for newly retired Dagmar Thursday nights at the Red Lion give her a chance for a new beginning well as long as health and legs ooh you know Harry is backwards and forwards so long this club doesn't close down nothing happens quitting out will always be quitting out on the thirsty forest good evening welcome to the cryptic letters of the alphabet I've given you the first one I'm the bossy bill chefs unfortunately I'm the one that went knocking on the doors and asked them if they wanted to join 18 because it meant act they'll go out one night a week so bad going to the quiz night with the girls I'll get both my friendship my food the quiz night and a good night out question number one according to legend which dog watched over his monsters heading for a career for 14 years Aspen Del Close we decided to call ourselves the Aspen Dale girls general knowledge I'm pretty good a little bit of music film entertainment ashley is spot-on with sports Jean knows quite a lot about Australia where she used to live sue is very good on dingbats anagrams so that's the four of us our biggest competitors are three policemen and they when nearly every week I don't know where their knowledge comes from but is where they are better than ours and would you cheat absolutely [Laughter] [Music] British monarch is popular breed of dog I got married was on a farm I had three sons we had horses chickens goats but things didn't work out and unfortunately when you get divorced one of the main things that girls is the house so I bought this little house two up two down and I got a job and I met a lovely monk O'Brien and I had that lovely time for ten years but then unfortunately brain collapsed and died and he was only 53 yeah at a heart attack so I wanted to come back to family and friends it's tough when you're honest it's very tough but you've got to be tough person to deal with it and I say this is what I'm going to do so I got on with it well we tried hard which I doubt we're not that far behind obviously I didn't want to sit at home every night get at four walls but it's not easy for a lady to go out in a pub on her own and sit there because you do get locked up so I like to do the quiz I'm competitive so it's doing that and having a drink and socializing it's a good night out [Music] am i bit me I think we could have done a bit better than that you know there was just one or two questions that were a bit wrong [Music] in the Home Counties commuter belt this village pub is just 30 miles from the centre of London every Friday afternoon whatever the weather the red line becomes the clubhouse and 19th hole for the local golfing fraternity accountant John Basel and his wife Mel live in the same village as the pub John can usually be found here most days when he's not working for out in the golf course it's your husband a golf born yes I think yes I think they all are a lot of the time yes I'm a golf ball I'm also an allotment or I'm a bore [Music] why is it men like about golf so much exercise fresh air now you can laugh yes we do if you like the exercise it's the only exercise I personally get it is an escape where we all get together and boys will be boys some of the bands are and the fun that we have amongst each other a lot of people would call juvenile but no one takes offence and we are quite rude to each other that's children probably all he likes to think he's a good girl he knows all the rules he knows all the books or techniques and everything's and he'll sit for hours after was talking about it round ago it's quite good for men to have their own space and let off steam much like little boys being sent out to play view night he's out from under my feet I've got the day to do what I want to do go shopping whatever and I know he's having a good time and I'm having a good time too Friday's is total mail preserve last we're on the golf course and for the first three quarters of an hour to an hour when we get back to the pub how much do I drink in an ordinary week I suppose Monday to Thursday lunch times if I'll have a couple of points evenings two or three and then Fridays nothing at lunchtime because we're on the golf course but for five in the evening over weekend probably nine ten points I think it's too late in life to worry about how much I drink it's not our entire social life that the main nucleus is definitely based around the pump I can't imagine life without the red line it's superb that's why I say I'm gonna be taken out in my box [Music] many of us like spending time in the pub and some of us probably spend rather longer there than we should but no one puts in more hours at the bar the Milan Lord and the risk is that the pub can take over their life completely [Music] hello robot would you describe yourself and what you do mr. innkeeper very much very much saved the I had bought this in for a purpose and in in my life maybe to give something back maybe to make somebody happy and to enjoy myself [Music] good morning Roberts been running his award-winning red line in the depths of the Kent countryside for 15 years inside is like an Old Curiosity Shop and the pop attracts customers from miles around [Music] and at the heart of this successful business is Robert the archetypal eccentric landlord supping his be around the clock I'm happy excuse me they're making everyone else enjoy themselves have a quick one on me I've always been a lovable drink it's not arduous it is absolutely such fun be nice yeah being here when people all laughing and happy does me a lot of a psyche taking not I've ever done it but like taking marriage you are twice a day but my marriage you aren't is the people who walk through the door and a quick shop quite a lot of pub owners and landlords and barmaids that we've met they say they won't drink when they're working this is obviously not a principle that you've embraced [Music] but you do drink quite a lot in moderation and I probably do yes [Music] how many sharp residues do you have quite a leading question I would say I probably consume 15 pints of beer yeah so you're talking about one and a quarter pipes and are when do you have your first one then o´clock basic look not who'd say that BSC I can't I can't tell a lie you can't get much fresher than that always look at his bottom normally Robert works at the pub from 7:30 in the morning till midnight seven days a week but a month earlier he'd been admitted to hospital with a collapsed lung that three-week stint in hospital with a collapsed lung did it not make you stop and think just for a minute maybe I should drink less smoke less when I don't drink an awful lot I don't smoke an awful lot and so did didn't make me even think for a minute you might be in denial slightly avidly avidly without sores dude what would you like to eat squid as a mare say what a good choice it's rather like a little kid of one being brought up with my contending in happiness today but the dummy in its mouth so I want to be Peter Pan still with my dummy let's have another shortener [Music] landlords like Robert and pubs like the red line are uniquely British institutions but the pub is under threat and six are closing every day if the local pub closes we stand to lose not just somewhere to have a drink but a cornerstone of British life what's it's just been part of our life our marriage it's we've lived here and it's it's just been the focal point of the area and of our lives why do you feel devastated really it's it's gone and we haven't got anywhere to go no really tell me what life is like without the Red Lion dirty boring at the moment we've nowhere to go our Saturday nights are really finished as far as that goes that's the end of life is you knew it well yes well it is yes because we've done it for you gosh 4050 years Emily yes well we've got to the stage in our where we sit at home at night and we've come to miserable old and we stay in watch telly how often did you come to the pub just once a week [Laughter] probably two or three times a week as every card we but Saturday nights was our main night we were like children in a way excited about going on a Saturday night [Music] there's been a red line and the tiny hamlet have longed in common for over 200 years one day last October it was open the next it was closed the new owner has no plans to reopen the pub for the villagers it's the end of an era where women are sitting together and the men always stand by the bar and it's always been like that we have to go our separate ways and another drink [Music] [Laughter] [Music] we used to do things together go on holiday together and do all sorts of things but once the pub closed I mean the momentum of getting together stopped as well we don't we don't meet now like we used to so in a sense you've not just lost your pub you've lost some contact oh yes yes yes we've lost that point of contact where you know we can form a closeness with the people around us [Music]

Channel: Real Stories

Views: 755,643

Rating: 4.6510243 out of 5

Keywords: Real Stories, Full Documentary, Extraordinary people, Documentaries, Full length Documentaries, red lion, the red lion, 2017 documentary, Amazing Documentaries, tlc, binge drinking, Documentary, drinking, Documentary Movies - Topic, BBC documentary, pub, Amazing Stories, british pub, timeline, only human, BBC Three documentary, beer, TV Shows - Topic, BBC 3, BBC Three, british drinking, Channel 4 documentary

Id: aFKVMDj04Dg

Length: 48min 13sec (2893 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 22 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/wiredwalking]

Great doc. Odd to see these two old ladies drinking every day, though I do know a few people who essentially used a local dive bar as a makeshift senior center.

You could use this doc as a support for why recreational marijuana should be enabled. Apparently, lots of people need one substance or another to help socialize or enjoy each other's companies. That's apparently how it is with alcohol. And in countries where alcohol is banned, they seem to come together around fast food restaurants-- showcased by that documentary about the obesity epidemic in Kuwait.

Maybe it would be healthier if the girls got together each Wednesday to smoke a bowl and watch a romcom rather than get smashed at a local pub?

[u/SpecsaversGaza]

Important to realise just how long Public Houses, in one form or another, and beer have been a part of British society, they're more popular than churches.

My Local: https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/07/39/6f/a5/the-queens-head.jpg