TV documentary explores importance of the pub

A Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary is to explore the importance of the pub to the British nation.

Award winning film maker Sue Bourne has documented a 3,000-mile pub crawl to some of the country's 600 Red Lions — the most common pub name.

The programme is a "snapshot of British drinking habits" and aims to reveal the nation's continuing and complicated love affair with alcohol.

"I wanted to find out why we are a nation of drinkers despite all the warnings, and why the pub is so central to British society and culture," she said. "But with more pubs closing than ever before, I also wanted to see if we are in danger of losing something unique."

Bourne also delves into the effect that health warnings, cheap supermarket alcohol and the smoking ban has had on the pub-going habbits.

"I'm not a regular pub-goer anymore, so I was intrigued to see how and why different people use their locals. And, even though women are more welcome in pubs nowadays, they're still very much a male preserve. I wanted to know what on earth these men talk about all day.

"I'm Scottish so I'm used to heavy drinking but what did come as a surprise was discovering how much everyone else around the country is knocking back. Day in, day out.

"And they all seem to think it isn't a problem, just a bit of social drinking.

"It was fascinating for me to discover the world of the pub, and to see how important they are in so many people's lives. Without their local many people's lives would be a lot lonelier, a lot more isolated.

"In many parts of the country the pub is the hub of the community, somewhere to relax and meet a friendly face. And if it closes, as 50 a week are now are doing, it really does destroy something hugely important and irreplaceable."

The show screens on Channel 4 on 15 October at 9pm.