Pub duo star in new TV documentary
Two friends who quit their London jobs to start a new life running a country pub are the subject of a TV documentary to be screened tomorrow.
Kevin Wainwright and David Little - who had never run pubs before - saw turnover surge from about £180,000 to £700,000 since they took on the freehold of the Bear and Bells at Smallgate in Beccles, Suffolk, for £450,000 three years ago.
TV crews from the Channel 4 show Life Begins Again, presented by Gaby Roslin, followed the duo before they entered the pub and throughout their first four months of trading.
Wainwright, an actor who has appeared in West End musicals such as Phantom of the Opera and Oklahoma, said major changes had been made at the pub since he and Little, who ran a waste management firm, took control.
They ditched frozen meals in favour of fresh, regionally sourced food, added new garden furniture and had a function room built.
The pub serves about 80 covers a day and has a restaurant that can cater for 24 customers.
"The place is packed all the time," said Wainwright.
"We wanted to get out of the rat-race in London. David had an interest in food and as an actor I had an interest in front-of-house," he added.
Wainwright said the TV crew could be "intrusive" at times but as a whole the experience was "great fun".
"Gaby was lovely and we got to know the film crew like family - we felt very sorry when they left."
The programme will be screened at 2.25pm.
