British pubs can often be found with a television set pinned to the wall, or rather these days - a screen or monitor as the actual television set doesn’t need all the bells and whistles that Baird installed to get the first one properly working. TV ‘sets’ in pubs can now be used for all sorts of things from live sport to music videos. Some pubs will even use them for relaxing AI created scenes such as lakeside retreats or forest camp fires and some publicans will even put the television on so they can watch Coronation Street whilst they serve pints to their punters. Many pubs around the UK have also been featured in television programmes or films and we’ll mention these when we come across them as that can be a reason for people wanting to visit - whether the pub is a good pub or not. A typical example is the Woolpack in Esholt, West Yorkshire, featured for many years in the TV programme Emmerdale Farm later renamed just ‘Emmerdale’ The Pub was owned for many years by Bradford City Council before being put up for sale, rather surprisingly it didn’t sell so it went up for auction. It was purchased by some of the villagers which included a couple of Fat Badgers. Sadly, some of the community group wouldn’t agree to proposed changes to make the pub more profitable and it was sold to Enterprise Inns who have since had a succession of managers - some good and some bad. The filming of the television programme moved to the grounds of Harewood House where a new set was built very similar to the original village or least where similar scenes could be shot without the regular viewers noticing the change. The original Woolpack can still be visited and is possibly busier than the film set which can also be visited but where there is a charge to enter the estate and where it can be closed to the public when filming is taking place. The Woolpack is the only ‘true’ pub featured in UK soap operas, The Queen Vic in Eastenders is a closed set at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood in Hertfordshire and the Rovers Return from Coronation Street is now located at Media City in Manchester. We will show a football symbol where we know a pub screens live sporting matches although this can change regularly if it is a managed pub where the landlord changes and we also show a directors chair if a pub has a connection to a TV show or film. We don’t show a directors casting couch as that’s a completely different thing which is now very much frowned upon since Harvey Weinstein got caught with his trousers down. There’s many pubs that have featured in film & TV - some are still trading as pubs and some have since closed down - Sadly we would all like to visit the Fawlty Towers Hotel in Torquay but it was in fact filmed outside the Wooburn Grange Country Club at Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. Unfortunately, in 1991 the building was badly damaged by fire and subsequently demolished with eight homes later being built on the site. Our list of pubs that have TV & Film connections will be updated as we find out about them. Three of the list below are featured on our website. A few famous pubs from films can also be visited although some film pubs have used more than one location. Although the internal scenes from ‘An American Werewolf in London’ were filmed in the Black Swan at Martyr’s Green in Cobham, Surrey. The interior is now very different. The exterior shots were a cottage in Wales. Many actors and other famous people, such as footballers have owned pubs in the UK and many pubs have become famous because they have often been frequented by actors, pubs that are usually close to recording studios or film sets. These are often visited by fans of these ‘stars’ whether they are good pubs or not and we’re happy to include them on this guide but if they’re rubbish pubs we are quite happy to tell you that also. • Sir Ian McKellen co-owns The Grapes in Limehouse • James Blunt owns The Fox and Pheasant in Chelsea • Guy Ritchie owns Lore of the Land (formerly The Luckin) in Fitzrovia. • Ed Sheeran also owns Bertie Blossoms in Notting Hill • Stuart Broad, England Cricketer The Tap & Run, Melton Mowbray • Jodie Kidd, The Half Moon, Kirdford, Sussex & The Dreaming, Wales • Andy and Kim Murray, Cromlix Hotel, Scotland • Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, Hotel Football, Manchester • Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio, Neat Burger, Camden, London • Idris Elba, Porte Noire, Kings Cross, London • Elizabeth Hurley, 11 Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea, London • Michael Parkinson, Royal Oak near Windsor • Neil Morrissey, Plume of Feathers, Staffordshire (the Plume is a Punch Taverns owned pub and Neil has now moved on) Plenty of TV chefs have been owners or are/have been involved in pubs including Keith Floyd (Maltsters Arms), Heston Blumenthal (Fat Duck), Tom Kerridge (Hand and Flowers), Jamie Oliver (Cricketers) The history of television is a fascinating journey from theoretical concepts to a ubiquitous modern medium, marked by continuous technological innovation and evolving societal impact. It was invented by John Logie Baird but emerged from the contributions of many scientists and engineers across the globe.

Early Concepts and Mechanical Television (Late 19th - Early 20th Century)

The idea of "seeing at a distance" captivated thinkers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Key foundational discoveries included: • 1872: Joseph May observed that selenium's electrical conductivity varied with light, providing a basis for converting light into an electrical signal. • 1880: French engineer Maurice LeBlanc proposed a scanning mechanism for images, similar to how the human eye reads. • 1884: German engineer Paul Nipkow patented the "Nipkow disk," a rotating disk with spiralling holes that formed the basis for mechanical television scanning. While Nipkow never built a working system, his concept was crucial. • 1897: German physicist Karl Ferdinand Braun invented the cathode- ray tube (CRT), which would later become the core of electronic television displays. In the early 20th century, inventors began to build working mechanical television systems:

British Television

British television has a rich history and a strong tradition of public service broadcasting. The BBC, founded in 1922, is the world's largest public broadcaster and has played a pivotal role in shaping British media. The UK has a mix of free-to-air, free-to-view, and subscription services, offering over 480 channels. • John Logie Baird (Scotland): Baird is widely credited with giving the first public demonstration of a working television system in January 1926 in London. His "Televisor" used a mechanical scanning disk. He achieved the first transatlantic television signal in 1928 and also demonstrated colour television for the first time. The BBC initially used Baird's mechanical system for early broadcasts. • Herbert Ives (USA): Working for Bell Laboratories, Ives transmitted moving images from Washington D.C. to New York in 1927 using a mechanical system.

The Rise of Electronic Television (1920s - 1930s)

Mechanical systems had limitations in image clarity, leading to the development of electronic television: • Philo Farnsworth (USA): A self-taught inventor, Farnsworth developed what he called the "image dissector," the first working electronic camera tube. In September 1927, at just 21 years old, he successfully transmitted the first clear, all-electronic television image. He filed a patent for his system that same year. • Vladimir Zworykin (Russia/USA): Working for Westinghouse and later RCA, Zworykin applied for a patent for his "iconoscope" (a television camera tube) in 1923 and perfected his "kinescope" (a receiver tube) by 1933. While his initial attempts to build a working model were slow, his work at RCA significantly advanced electronic television. Farnsworth and Zworykin were engaged in patent disputes, with Farnsworth ultimately prevailing, demonstrating the independent yet parallel development of electronic television technology.

Early Broadcasting and Growth (1930s - 1950s)

• 1928: General Electric began broadcasting a 24-line mechanical image from a New York station. • 1929: John Logie Baird began broadcasting 30-minute programs in Britain. • 1932: The BBC started a regular public television broadcasting service in the UK. • 1936: The Berlin Summer Olympics became the first Olympic Games to be televised. • 1939: David Sarnoff, president of RCA, unveiled the first commercial publicly accessible television broadcast at the New York World's Fair. FDR became the first president televised during the opening ceremonies. TV sets went on sale, and RCA/NBC began daily broadcasts. Post-WWII: Television sales soared in the U.S. By 1960, approximately 45.7 million U.S. households had television sets, compared to 8,000 in 1946. • 1941: The first television commercial aired for the Bulova watch company. • 1947: The first telecast of a World Series game took place. • 1951: The first coast-to-coast telecast in the U.S. occurred, featuring President Truman.

The Golden Age of Television and Beyond (Mid-20th Century to Present)

The 1950s is often referred to as the "Golden Age of Television," with the rise of major networks like NBC, CBS, and ABC and popular shows like "I Love Lucy." Key advancements followed: • 1950s-1960s: The transition from black-and-white to colour broadcasting began, with colour sets becoming more widely available in the 1960s. • 1969: The broadcast of the moon landing reached millions globally, showcasing television's power as a mass medium. • Late 20th Century: The proliferation of cable and satellite services vastly expanded the number of available channels and diversified content. • 21st Century: The shift to digital and high-definition (HD) formats dramatically improved picture and sound quality. The rise of streaming services further revolutionised television, offering on-demand viewing and personalised content experiences, leading to the current era of smart TVs and diverse viewing platforms. Television has evolved from a scientific curiosity to a central element of global mass media and home entertainment, continuously adapting to new technologies and consumption habits. Since 2012, all television broadcasts in the UK have been digital, with content delivered via terrestrial, satellite, cable, and internet streaming. The industry continues to evolve, with streaming services integrating with traditional broadcast TV. Obviously all of the film stars above love a good British pub as can be seen from the photographs. None of them can match the talents of Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole and Oliver Reed for being able to drink and we’re not fortunate enough to have spent a night drinking with them as it would have been very entertaining, however two of the Fat Badgers did spend an evening drinking with George Best who did actually confirm that it was he or Stanley Matthews who was the best footballer ever - or as he said “One of yous is right” Probably the best known of the talent pool for British drinkers was Prime Minister Winston Churchill and although it has been said that the following quote was a repeat of a joke doing the rounds, there appears to be some agreement that he did use it. “Winston, if I was married to you, I’d put poison in your coffee.” Lady Astor once famously remarked to Winston Churchill. His reply was “Nancy, if I was married to you, I’d drink it.” However, we can always trust the Australians to come out with a good line:

'I don’t care how liberated this world becomes, a man will always be judged on the amount of alcohol he can consume and

a women will be impressed, whether she likes it or not!'

Pub
Film
Actual Pub
Map
Status
The Vic and Comet
Get Carter
Victoria Comet
Open
The Pig and Whistle
Legend
Turners Old Star
Open
The Black Prince
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Black Prince
Open
Crosslands
Trainspotting
The BrewHaus
Open
The Lamb
V for Vendetta The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassas Dr No The Ipcress File Bram Stoker's Dracula Brannigan
Lamb Tavern
Open
Mother Black Cap
Withnail and I
Tavistock Arms
Closed Now Flats
Winchester Tavern
Shaun of the Dead
Duke of Albany
Closed Now Flats
The Horse and Groom
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
The Beehive
Open
The Abbey
Green Street
The Griffin
Open
The Slaughtered Lamb
An American Werewolf in London
The Black Swan
Open
The Green Man
The Wicker Man
The Ellangowan Hotel
Closed
The World's End
The World's End
The Wilbury
Open
Samoan Jo's
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels The Krays Goodnight Sweetheart
Royal Oak
Open
Crown & Anchor
Ted Lasso
The Prince’s Head
Open
Crab & Lobster
Doc Martin Fisherman’s Friends
The Golden Lion
Open
The Dolphin
Gavin & Stacey
Colcot Arms
Open
We all know that Scotsman John Logie Baird invented the television but there’s a lot more to it than just his invention. There are lots of other TV & Film Locations which are well worth a visit and they may have some good pubs close by.
Television
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