Comedy duo the Thinking Drinkers are throwing their support behind the beleaguered hospitality sector with the launch of a new show celebrating the pleasures of the pub.
Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham, AKA The Thinking Drinkers. Photograph: Steve Ullathorne
To recognise the hard graft of those on the frontline of pubs, bars, and restaurants, there are discounted tickets available to hospitality workers for performances of Thinking Drinkers: The Booze-Ical, which premieres at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August.
The show will see discerning drinking duo Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham express their love for the local while serving up, and tasting, a quintet of quality drinks brands.
These will be: Satellite Super Session IPA, from Beavertown Brewery; BenRiach 10 year-old single malt whisky; Thatchers Gold cider; The Lost Explorer mezcal; and Dutch Barn Orchard vodka, distilled in Yorkshire and co-owned by comedian Ricky Gervais.
The award-winning, elbow-bending entertainers are also urging their audience to sign their hard-hitting petition that demands all work lunches in pubs and restaurants become 100% tax-deductable — as long as there’s a decent drink on the receipt.
Tom said: “Ben and I first met when we worked on a pub trade newspaper and, frankly, most of our best — and only — work was done over a pint at lunchtime.
“It’s heartbreaking that today’s generation of workers seem to rarely even get out of the office, let alone enjoy a cheeky craft ale and a cheese toastie courtesy of HMRC to set them up for the afternoon.
“The Booze-ical was inspired by the daily battle pubs are currently facing to survive and thrive. Hit by a combination of Covid, rising energy costs, the cost-of-living crisis, and crippling business rates, we thought what they clearly need is a musical — written and performed by two people who can’t sing.”
Ben added: “The number of British boozers is shrinking like a crisp packet in a roaring pub fire and, according to some rough sums we scribbled down on a beer mat, in six years they will be outnumbered by soulless coffee chains and Greggs. It’s time to rise up against the pastry-archy!
“Our last show put us in The Guiness Book of World Records for masterminding the World’s Biggest Pub Quiz, so it’s clear that our global influence is now huge.
“We have high hopes that this show will tip the balance for pubs. Bringing back lunch at the local is just the start — we want to lead the nation back to the boozer!”
The show, which co-stars West End singers Flat and the Curves, runs from 31st July to 25th August at the Underbelly, in Edinburgh, with plans for a UK tour later in the year. For the hospitality discount, quote DRINKS20 when booking at underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/events/event/thinking-drinkers-the-booze-ical.
