The nation’s publicans were already struggling before Covid, and the pandemic has only made things worse. Who better than the genial TV chef to investigate what can be done
I did not foresee that I would need to warn you to take care of your tender heart when watching Saving Britain’s Pubs With Tom Kerridge (BBC Two). I assumed from the title and all our many years of viewing experience and training in the “reality/makeover/salvation of inanimate entities” genre that this would be a gentle jog-trot through a revamp of a tired old boozer or two, possibly with a recalcitrant landlord adding a little spice by initially resisting clearly much-needed change before coming to see the error of his broken-veined, whiskery ways. A lighter version of Gordon Ramsay Goes Mad at Morons – or whatever his latest franchise is called – given that TV chef Kerridge is a preternaturally gentle presence.
Instead, we got a much more dense and moving slice of life, contemporary business, British social history and a lot of other things in between – including, yes, some personal backstories and a touch of recalcitrance, but as part of a much wider picture. An entire sociocultural and commercial ecosystem is laid out for us, instead of furiously edited material manipulated to give us a vision the producers had had in mind all along. It feels very strange to be treated with such unexpected respect and concern as a viewer; I hope the participants enjoyed the rare experience as much at their end.
