Liverpool The Hairy Bikers' Pubs That Built Britain

Pubs have been at the heart of Britain for hundreds of years.

Cheers, mucka!

In city taverns...

And village inns.

Landlords have pulled pints for locals, travellers...

And, well, the odd king or two.

Myself included

Try and have a drink now.

But with 30 pubs closing every week,

our historic taverns need defending.

Step. Step.

We're heading out to discover amazing stories linked to the

nation's watering holes.

-Not far to go.

-How far?

-Oh, a couple of miles.

-What!

From the Wars of the Roses...

..to shipbuilding on the Clyde.

We've ditched our bikes so that we can sample an ale or two.

Get in!

This is very good.

So, join us for...

-BOTH:

-The Hairy Bikers' Pubs That Built Britain.

It's home to The Liver Birds, the Scouser

and two major football teams.

But the proud city of Liverpool is most famous for its music.

Music that had 1960s Britain swinging.

And what was at the heart of Liverpool's rock

and roll revolution?

Why, the good old British pub of course.

Welcome to Liverpool, the city that has produced more number one

hit records than any other city in the world.

But what I wanna know is,

why the '60s music revolution happened here, in Liverpool?

I mean, it's not like a load of teenagers got together and

thought, "Right, let's make Liverpool famous," or nothing,

is it, you know?

Hey, I think you'll find they did, Kingy.

We're grooving our way back to the late 1950s,

when all across Britain teenagers were digging a new American craze -

rock and roll.

With a busy Atlantic port, Liverpool's cool kids were

some of the first to hear the new sounds, man.

And the first to play them.

Hundreds of bands were gigging in Liverpool's clubs and pubs.

And one of them was about to take the world by storm.

But before that happened, a young John Lennon was about to pop

the cork, on a musical revolution down his Liverpudlian local.

Here you go mate, Ye Cracke.

Now, that's what I call a proper backstreet pub.

Aye, it's a small pub,

but some big ideas were certainly brewed up there, let me tell you.

This back street boozer was christened, "Ruthin Castle,"

but locals renamed it, "Ye Cracke," after its titchy front bar.

By the late 1950s, it was John Lennon's local

and the very place where he and his mates

decided to make Liverpool famous.

Here, Dave, what do you reckon John Lennon's favourite tipple was?

No idea, but his old drinking buddies will know.

Artist, Rod Murray and writer, Bill Harry.

-Here's the fellas. Hi.

-Hello, Rod. Hi, Dave, nice to meet you.

Here, Kingy this is a first - it's the first time I've ever

been in a pub, I've looked at a plaque on a wall,

and the two fellas whose pictures are there,

are standing in front of me.

Back in the late '50s, John and his schoolmates

had already formed their first band.

They'd originally started as a band called The Quarrymen.

And, in fact, they used to rehearse in the college life rooms.

And me and Rod were in the corner playing in a skiffle group. I was

-doing the kazoo, remember?

-Yeah.

And they were in the other corner playing.

And it was here that Bill, Rod, John

and original Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe,

hatched a plan to put Liverpool at the heart of the new scene.

So, The Dissenters, tell us a little bit about that.

Well, this was when all the four of us, Rod, Stuart, John and I -

we says, "Everyone's copying American stuff,

"there's great things in Liverpool." Liverpool is ignored.

We will dissent against this, we'll make Liverpool popular.

Rod and Stuart would do it with a painting,

John would do it with his music, I'll do it with my writing.

And, of course,

The Beatles certainly transformed the world's music.

Not half! And to promote the groovy goings on,

Bill started Mersey Beat - the now legendary music mag that,

eventually, lent its name to Liverpool's unique sound.

So, fellas, with John Lennon being a drinking buddy,

The Beatles must have featured pretty heavily then?

The Beatles were in every issue. And, when we did a poll,

Rory Storm And The Hurricanes, with Ringo Starr drumming, got more

votes, but I cancelled all those and put The Beatles as number one.

The man with power.

You certainly backed the right horse, didn't you?

But, Rod, this must have been amazing times to be young?

Yes, it was a time of transition, really.

-The beginning of probably teenagers.

-There was like a teenage revolution.

The kids were, for the first time, beginning to have their voice.

And to think, this pub helped Liverpool's hip

teenage revolution get swinging.

The four of us used to come here all the time.

We lived a pub and coffee bar culture.

It was cheaper to be warm in here, than in the flat.

-That's what we told our parents anyway.

-Did you?

-Oh!

Shucks.

Many's the day I've huddled round a pint for warmth, Kingy.

Speaking of which, time to get your round in.

Right, I'm getting the drinks in fellas.

So, what we would have the time? What would you be drinking?

We'd have had a Black Velvet probably.

Now, traditionally, Black Velvet is a mix of champagne

and stout, invented by a barman in 1861 to commemorate the death

of Prince Albert.

But John Lennon's version is a mix of stout and cider.

A Poor Man's Black Velvet, if you like.

What we're expecting to see from you, Kelly,

is a separation of Guinness and cider. And we should float.

Oh!

This is one of the drinks that got us barred from here.

Is it?

Well, once John had had a couple of those he'd start

poking fun at some of the regulars.

One time, the barman, barmaid came round

and there is John on the floor, like this.

And she says, "What you doing down there?"

He said, "I'm swimming." She said, "Well, stop it, straight away."

He said, "I can't, I'll drown!"

There they are, four pints of the finest Black Velvet

you've ever seen.

One could call it, "The Fab Four."

Let's get stuck in, lads!

-Cheers!

-ALL:

-Cheers!

-That is pretty good.

-It's all right, isn't it?

You little diamond.

-Spot-on, girl! Well done.

-She's got the touch.

What a treat, to share a pint with the legendary Lennon's

drinking buddies

To think, I was just born when Liverpool's pubs were jumping

with cool cats getting into the new sounds.

And the first new sound was skiffle.

# Oh, mamma don't allow no skiffle... #

It's what John Lennon played before he formed the Beatles

and what musician Hughie Jones was playing too.

That was before he joined another legendary Liverpool band,

The Spinners.

Ah, yes, I remember those yellow shirts well.

And didn't they have their own TV show?

That's right, mate.

Hello, welcome back to the Octagon.

Another session of songs with The Spinners, that's us.

# As I walked out across Piccadilly

# One evening before it was spring... #

But Hughie's first love was skiffle,

which was being lapped up in boozers up and down the country.

-Hello, Hughie.

-Hiya.

It's odd to try and imagine what the music scene was like in Liverpool.

What is skiffle?

Skiffle was a thing that everybody did and it's so easy to do.

Famous names, like, you know, Gerry and the Pacemakers and all that.

Skiffle was actually improvised music that

started in America. And over here, we copied them, you know.

-I'll give you a demonstration of the skiffle noise.

-Go on!

# It takes a worried man

# To sing a worried song

# It takes a worried man to sing a worried song... #

The words are very intelligent.

But that was also part of the charm.

But they were all incredibly melodic though.

A lot of them were traditional songs, of course.

We know it came from America, but nobody knows

who wrote it or anything like that.

Seems to me, there was that many pubs in Liverpool

and people had the freedom to make their own way.

Yeah. And the pub landladies, they loved music in their pubs.

Music divided, from skiffle, three ways.

So, that would country, folk, and then rock and roll.

Yeah, absolutely. That's what happened.

# To my twiddle-iy, iddle-iy, iddle-iy-ay... #

Hughie's band, The Spinners, spun off down the folk route taking them

to back rooms of Liverpool's pubs.

But not for long.

So, having done all these folk clubs, we sort of graduated

to the major halls. And we never looked back.

And wherever they played, there was always one song on the request list.

One of the most requested numbers we have had was

In My Liverpool Home.

Well, it's very fitting really, because, I mean, we're in Ye Cracke.

-Yeah.

-Go on, can you play it for us, Hughie?

# I was born in Liverpool down by the docks

# My religion was Catholic, occupation - hard knocks

# At stealing from lorries, I was adept

# And under old overcoats each night we slept

# In my Liverpool home

# In my Liverpool home

# We speak with an accent exceedingly rare

# We meet under a statue exceedingly bare

# And if you want a cathedral we've got one to spare

# In my Liverpool home. #

-Etc, etc.

-Brilliant, brilliant.

-Thanks, Hughie.

Oh, Kingy, we're so lucky to be able to meet people who actually

did make history.

By the way, who's got the record for having the most number one singles?

Oh, mate, it's got to be, it's got to be the Beatles or Elvis.

Yeah, it's The Beatles.

-They had 20 number ones, compared to Elvis' mere 18.

-Ooh!

Do you know, you learn something new every day.

And in Liverpool, there's lots to learn - from the pub signs.

The Baltic Fleet harks back to Victorian times, when rum

and vodka were smuggled into the city by the ship-load -

all the way from The Baltic, no less.

While the White Star is named after the Liverpudlian shipping

company that owned the Titanic.

A perfect place to SINK a few pints, eh?

And the Philharmonic Dining Rooms. Strange name for a pub though.

Ah, but what a pub!

In 1898, it was built in the style of as fancy

gentleman's club.

And a fancy gents it has too.

The loveliest men's lavvies in Liverpool.

Back on the streets of Liverpool, we're taking a break

from the pubs to explore more of Merseyside's musical past.

I want to go round Liverpool and see some more Beatles sites

and I reckon you should come with me.

-Because?

-I wanna hold your hand.

Look, there's more to Liverpool than The Beatles, you see.

So, you say hello and I say goodbye.

Laters!

Now I've ditched Dave, I'm off to find out about Mersey Beat's

rock star scene in the '60s.

Billy Hatton from The Foremost... Remember them?

..is the man to reveal all.

Billy, how you doing?

I'm Si, nice to meet you.

You're far away from home, aren't you?

I am quite far away from home. Pretty similar though,

-the Tyne and the Mersey, are we not?

-Not half.

Meanwhile, I've Beatled off to learn more about where The Beatles began.

I'm joining a fab four-themed tour on this psychedelic bus,

with a new bunch of pals.

That's right, Kingy, I've got new mates now!

-Hello, I'm Dave.

-Hello, Dave, I'm Jay, nice to meet you.

You step right this way, you can join the Magical Mystery Tour.

-That's an invite I couldn't refuse.

-Let's go.

Do you know, I'm really looking forward to this.

I feel as though I've hijacked your tour halfway through.

I hope I haven't spoilt it for you.

Jay's taking us to the city's South-East, where both Lennon

and McCartney grew up.

Oh, look, there's Rita the meter maid.

OK, it wasn't her. She's probably retired by now.

But here's a street name that you will recognise.

Coming up on the left-hand side, the next row of shops is the famous

Penny Lane barbershop. Basically what the song is all about,

the various different local people coming in and out of the barbershop.

Do you know what really works in Beatles songs is,

they wrote the songs about things that they knew.

They wrote the songs about real people and real places.

-Who was Maxwell And His Silver Hammer?

-I don't know

But in Liverpool's Woolton village, Jay does know

a place where the course of British pop was changed forever.

In this hall, on the 6th of July 1957,

this is the place where John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met.

Gosh! Performed the afternoon of 6th July at St Peter's Church Fete.

Cor!

I love that quote. "As John recalled, 'that was the day,

" 'the day that I met Paul, that it started moving.' "

Lennon's skiffle group, The Quarrymen,

were playing at a fete in the hall.

Wowed by the band, Paul strolled over to John after the set.

McCartney sat down on the steps of the stage.

He did an old Eddie Cochran number, called 20 Flight Rock,

which just happened to be John Lennon's favourite song at the time.

Now, John, he was really impressed with this McCartney guy.

He then did Gene Vincent's Be-Bop-A-Lula.

By the end of Be-Bop-A-Lula, the church hall, it was rocking.

All the young people they were clapping,

-they were cheering. And the rest, I suppose, is history.

-Crumbs!

It's a history that's made an impression on my new buddy,

Herman the German!

So, Herman, how big a Beatles fan are you?

Out of ten, I'd say, ten.

-Really?

-Yes.

I first listened to the Beatles, an uncle of mine gave me a tape

and I was hooked.

I can remember, I was six years old, in 1963 when it came on our little

grainy black and white telly, that they

were landing in America and the phenomenon hit. And even then,

I remember thinking, "How on earth can a man have hair that long?"

And just look at me now!

Across the road from the church hall is, funnily enough, the church.

So, here we are folks, St Peter's Church, Woolton Village.

The place where John Lennon was a choirboy, when he was a young boy.

John Lennon a choirboy? Imagine.

And the churchyard has one more intriguing Beatles connection.

There is actually an Eleanor Rigby buried here.

There it is, "My dear husband John Rigby." Then just below there,

"Also Eleanor Rigby."

Apparently, this is the most photographed gravestone,

in the whole of the world.

Number two, I believe, is Jim Morrison.

So, do you think The Beatles actually came and saw this?

Is that where he got the idea from for the song?

Well, Paul McCartney's been asked the question on a number

of occasions, and he said, "Definitely not."

He said, "We got the Eleanor from Eleanor Bron the movie star.

"We got Rigby from Rigby and Evans Wine Merchants in Bristol."

However, Paul does admit that he could have picked it up

possibly subconsciously.

Well, I'd like to think I've just met the real Eleanor Rigby,

especially as John's singing career started in the choir right here.

# A little lovin', a little lovin'

# Goes a long, long, long, long way... #

Well, there's no doubting who I've just met, me little pop picker.

Local music legend Billy Hatton.

A Little Lovin' reached number six in the hit parade

for Billy's band The Fourmost in 1964.

By then, the Mersey Beat scene was rocking in the pubs

and clubs across the city.

Rocking to red blooded rock and roll.

And where better for us to meet than Curly Music?

It's been kitting out the city's guitar heroes for decades.

Billy, there was some massive names at the time, wasn't there, that

were on the circuit here, weren't there?

Of course, we had The Beatles, Gerry And The Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer.

We had Cilla. Did I mention Billy Fury?

-Oh, well, Billy Fury.

-He was my best mate at the time.

The country was run by London music. He was the first

person to go down to London, make an album with all his own songs on.

This is pre-Beatles. So, he proved it could be done, from Liverpool.

That's why he's so important to the progression of music in Liverpool,

-was Billy Fury. My best mate.

-Your best mate.

Cos there were two types of bands, weren't there, at the time?

There was the bands like you lads, who, in the Fourmost, who were

proper professional musicians wanted to make it, wanted to do

this for a living. And then there was just bands that couldn't

play very well and were just there to get girls, is that right?

-They still exist today.

-Well, I think most of them are like that.

There was a difference. Most people were actually semi-pro

musicians anyway, we all had a job to do.

We was four in the band. Getting that together, with very,

very little money. We did comedy, did impressions

and we were entertainers.

What was the type of stuff that you used to make?

-We started off doing?

-Yeah, what was it?

-Can I borrow that stool do you think?

-Yeah, course you can,

course you can. Let me get this for you. There you are, sir.

-Do you remember Carl Perkins?

-I do very well, yeah.

# Well how can you say you will when you won't

# You say you do, baby, when you don't

# Let me know, honey, how you feel

# Tell me now how is love real

# Well ah-ah Honey, don't

# Oh, honey, don't Hey, honey, don't

# Say you will when you won't Well, ah-ah, honey, don't. #

Yes! That, my friend, was -

A, a great privilege and B, fantastic. Thanks, Billy.

He was good, Carl, wasn't he?

He was flipping good, wasn't he? And, my, what hallowed company

-as well.

-Oh, yes.

-Do you know, if you're not in the rock and roll

-Hall of Fame, you should be.

-I'm in the Liverpool one.

Get in. That'll do for me.

From a Liverpool legend who played in clubs and pubs,

to the legendary boozers themselves.

But not all of Liverpool's pub's are about music, you know.

It's time to meet a local who loves their local.

Today, we're slap bang in the city centre at The Roscoe Head to

salute Liverpudlian landlady Carol Ross.

This local's been running a tight ship here, for almost two decades.

It's been a family pub for 30 years.

I'm very passionate about that.

It's still as it was, all them years ago.

A long line of Liverpudlian families have run this jumping little joint.

But in this city of rock and roll, it's a, "no, thank you,"

to the music.

We asked the customers did they want music in this pub?

And it was a stern, "no."

Because they wanted this to be left

as the only music in here was conversation.

The Great British Pub is famous all over the world.

People like coming here, to Great Britain, for our pub culture.

We have conversation, we have debates.

It's part of our culture in Liverpool, you know.

We do our socialising in the pubs not at home.

People come in and they don't know each other, they go out as friends.

All right, thanks a lot. Ta-ra!

And Carol reckons that the cosy layout makes it even friendlier.

There's only two small rooms, there's a tiny little snug.

You actually walk in off the street and you don't know what

you're walking into. If someone hasn't been here before,

they go, "Wow!"

But first-time punter or pint supping regular,

there's no funny business on Carol's watch.

That's for sure.

Oh, yes, we have a rule, no swearing.

If you swear in this pub, I can hear it,

then you've got to put money into a swear box.

10p a swear word. But, I'm telling you,

if you carry that on, then it becomes a note.

It's quite strict rules, I'm afraid.

Quite right, Carol.

Hey, dude, turns out another principled Liverpudlian was

the pub's namesake, you know.

William Roscoe was a leading slave trade abolitionist.

A bit of a local hero then. Just like Carol.

Aye, she might not allow music,

but the Roscoe Head has topped the charts Great British boozer style.

This is only one of five pubs to have featured in every edition

of the Good Beer Guide, since first published in 1974.

So, what do the regulars make of it all?

Excellent pint of beer. Lovely company.

Lovely people.

You've not got the telly on, you've got music blaring

and you've got guys here who want to talk.

This girl's my world

-Cheers to Roscoe.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

We're back on Liverpool's pub

and pop legend trail in an area known as the Cavern Quarter -

after the music venue that made so many '60s stars famous.

The Cavern was where they all played,

from Cilla to the Searchers - and, of course, the Beatles.

And across the street is our next stop, The Grapes,

where all those '60s stars, used to hang out between gigs.

-Hey, Kingy, look!

-What?

-Genuine 1960s wall paper.

That'll have been here when The Beatles were here.

-Now, you sit where John Lennon sat.

-Right.

-I'll sit where Paul McCartney

-sat, cos obviously I'm the good looking one.

-Of course.

All right, Dave. Anyway, radio DJ and music historian Spencer Leigh

has the skinny on why The Cavern,

and The Grapes, play such a big part in the Mersey Beat story.

The Cavern was noted for being the first club in the country

that had lunchtime sessions.

These became really, really popular.

So, The Beatles did a lot of lunchtime sessions there.

Back then, The Cavern didn't serve alcohol.

So, everyone used to pile into the Grapes.

They drank alongside workers from the surrounding fruit

warehouses, which may have given the pub its name.

After a lunchtime session, The Beatles would come here and drink.

And they'd go over to NEMS, which was Brian Epstein's shop.

And they'd go to the listening booths,

because then you could hear records being played.

And it wasn't long before the now legendary rock manager

Brian Epstein decided to check this new band out.

Brian Epstein walked over from his shop NEMS, few hundred yards to

The Cavern and saw the Beatles for the first time. And was transfixed,

as indeed you would be, as indeed I would be seeing them back then.

The rest, as they say, is history.

So, Spencer, how my gigs the Beatles actually do in The Cavern then?

-Well they say 292.

-Really?

How on earth, in the period of time that they were playing,

did they ramp up all of those gigs?

Well, quite easily, because they could do three gigs in a day.

They were playing all over Liverpool,

there was a lot of things going on.

But was the Cavern very important in The Beatles' success?

Oh, I think so, very definitely.

Seeing as it's across the street, we have to check it out, Kingy.

OK, mucker. And guess what? The good news is, the Cavern's now got a bar.

And a man who knows all about this historic club -

its director, John Keats.

-Hello, John.

-Hello, Dave.

-Lovely to meet you. What a place this is, eh?

And it's still most importantly John it's still a live music venue,

-isn't it?

-Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, seven nights a

week, new bands, tribute bands, big names,

-all the big names still want to come back.

-I'll bet the big names,

they'd give their eye teeth to be on that stage though, wouldn't they?

Well, maybe you'd like to join the list of artists

-who have performed at The Cavern.

-You're joking!

-Might as well give it a go, lads!

-Now you're here, be rude not to.

-I think so.

-Oh, fantastic

-Get in. Thanks, John.

Come on, lads, let's go! Which way's the stage?

-Follow me, you go that way.

-Follow me, I'm right behind you.

You know what, Kingy, we've got a chance to make showbiz history here.

I can't believe this is happening.

Will you welcome on stage, The Hairy Bikers! Come on!

Join in, if you dare!

-# Shake it out, baby, now

-Shake it out, baby

-# Twist and shout

-Twist and shout

-# Come on, come on, come on, baby

-Come on, baby

-# Come on and work it all out

-Work it all out

-# Do you know you twist and shout

-Twist and shout

-# Do you know you twist so fine

-Twist so fine

-# Come on twist a little closer

-Twist a little closer

-# And let me know that you're mine

-That you're mine

# Ooh... #

I think we're getting away with it.

-# Ah-h-h ah-h-h. #

-Scream!

Argh!

-The Hairy Bikers!

-Thank you!

-Live at the Cavern, come on!

Well that's given me a cracking taste of what it would have

been like to be part of the '60s scene here.

Aye, it's right good round-off to our historic Liverpudlian

clubs and pubs tour.

-Well, mate, that was brilliant.

-That was amazing!

I hope you don't mind me saying though,

-but I think you were a little off key, like.

-I never was!

Here, I've got a bit of trivia for you.

So, Paul McCartney's Yesterday, has been recorded by numerous people.

But how many recorded versions are there?

Quite a few, got to be 100.

Mate, you're way off.

-3,000!

-Whoa!

-Isn't it!

-Shall we make it 3,001?

-Not flipping likely.

Aw! Well, maybe we should just Let It Be!

-Cheers!

-Cheers!