Episode 2 Christine & Adrian's Friendship Test

I am on a mission to celebrate Northern Ireland's friendliness

in all its many guises but I'm not doing it alone.

No, I've brought along an old friend of mine just for the ride.

-# If you change your mind

-Take a chance...

-#

Adrian Chiles and I have found ourselves in some unusual situations

over the course of our ten-year friendship.

Now, the Brummie known for, let's say,

having a slightly cynical outlook on life, is joining me on my journey.

And if I can convince Northern Irish folk to make friends with

Adrian Chiles, then it really will prove that we are the friendliest place in the country,

if not the planet! And, so far, we're doing OK.

We've met some interesting people.

-That's a funny accent you've got. That's not a...

-It's a Brummie accent.

Is it? Aw!

This is getting better and better all the time.

We've heard some truly touching tales.

How does it feel now, Justin, to look at your best mate,

to know that a part of him is keeping you alive?

It's something I don't forget, you know? Daily, I know Mark's

kidney is giving me this quality of life.

And Adrian's even found himself some brand-new friends.

Let's hug it out. Fantastic. I found some friends, proper friends!

Nan and Betty, they're the business!

Do you know what? I think he's finally getting it.

Understanding normal, good people

and appreciating what friendship is all about.

What is he looking for? Are you all right?

-What are you after?

-There's no First Class.

I've looked up and down, there's nothing.

-I know, I know.

-It's all normal.

There's more work needed. It's OK, it's all right.

Come on.

So far, my efforts had focused on Belfast,

but we were now heading off into the very heart of Northern Ireland,

into its glorious countryside and towards its coast.

I was convinced that by introducing city slicker Chiles to good,

decent rural folk, he would really start to appreciate just how friendly we are.

Where do you think might be the friendliest, though?

A big city or more out in the countryside?

I think they're probably friendly in different ways.

Probably more intimate in the countryside

and possibly, if you're a stranger, then there are two ways it can go.

It can either be like that scene in Deliverance where everything goes

-quiet when you walk in, but I'd suggest here it's a bit different, I reckon.

-Yeah.

Well, let's hope so.

If one place could convince Adrian of the friendliness of our rural

residents, it would surely be the first stop on our countryside caper - Ballycastle.

Recently named the best place to live in Northern Ireland,

I wanted Adrian to feel the warmth of the locals there first hand.

First, though, I needed to make sure he blended in.

Now, Adrian, Ballycastle is very famous...

-Is it?

-..for a certain confectionery.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-It's called Yellowman.

-Is it?

-Yeah!

-Where did they get the name from for that?

-I don't know where it came from.

-It's certainly very yellow.

-Do you want a go? I think you might like this, you know.

-Is it to be sucked or chewed?

Anything you want. It's very versatile.

-Any additives, preservatives?

-LAUGHING: No, no, no, it's all natural!

-All fresh, all natural!

-Yeah! What do you make of it?

It sort of tastes yellow. I can't really describe it.

Fair enough. Well, I just thought because this is such a famous thing

from these parts, and to help endear yourself to the people of Ballycastle,

we could pay tribute to this very famous sweet.

-It would be my honour.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Oh, brilliant!

-How do I do that?

-That's a good start. OK, come with me.

-Come on.

That's it. Now you're blending in.

-Looking good!

-I thought you were supposed to see where you were going in these things.

Give us your hand, I can't see anything.

Yeah, yeah. That's OK, don't worry. Let's go, let's go.

With Adrian now completely blended into the local environment,

it was time to make friends with some locals or,

in the case of our first bunch of youngsters,

a Christian group who have come to Ballycastle on something of a friendship pilgrimage.

Hello, folks, how are you all?

-Where are you all from?

-Lisburn.

-Lisburn.

-Do you think, so far,

Ballycastle's proven to be a very friendly place?

-Oh, yes.

-It's nice and bright, sun's out, you know?

-Am I sticking out here or blending in?

-No, you blend in, yeah.

-Blending in, yeah.

-We're all different!

LAUGHTER

Next, Adrian got all touchy-feely with a couple out for a stroll.

Do you like Yellowman?

-Can you buy Yellowman here? You can.

-Oh, yeah.

-Yeah, yeah.

-There's a number of outlets.

-So you're the Yellowman!

-There's one over there.

-It's clicking in!

Yeah. But you've shown me nothing but love and friendship since we've been here.

-It's lovely to meet you.

-It must've been a shock to see me. Yeah, so that's good. Thank you very much.

Some young friends were so excited about being in Ballycastle

they decided to do a little dance.

-Oh, fantastic!

-Well done, girls, that's lovely.

Why do you think we're so friendly?

Oh, the people's really nice and very welcoming.

They always say hello in the morning.

Yes. See, the little, simple things sometimes.

-Yeah.

-That's what I've been trying to say to Adrian.

And, finally, we met a couple of lads who were friends

across the greatest divide of them all - football.

So, I can see your badge. Oh, Chelsea?

Yes, I support Chelsea.

-Both Chelsea fans?

-No! Arsenal man.

-Really?

-Oh, yes. Arsenal's my team.

-Well, how can you be friends, Arsenal and Chelsea?

-It's love across the divide.

-We're just good mates.

-What about when you play each other, though?

-Is there a problem, then?

-Well, we shake hands at the end and say we're friends.

-Yes, we shake hands.

-Perfect gentlemen, I must say.

-We leave it all on the pitch.

Despite his warm welcome,

I wasn't completely convinced Adrian was blending in.

So, knowing he's a fan of bikes,

I left him with a new pal while I went to get an ice cream.

Have you ever done it in one of these suits? It feels perfect.

-Is there a big sort of friendship community around motorbikes here?

-Surely, yes. There is, yes.

What've we got here, Kawasaki?

On another day, I'd have a little go on that.

I'm not brave enough. I'm just too yellow to go now.

And I'm sure I'd be breaking some motoring laws.

Adrian, I'm really sorry, this was a terrible idea, wasn't it?

Here, have a poke.

Apologies.

I just kind of think we need to go into that heartland of the countryside.

-We need to go greener, basically.

-Greener?

-Greener, that's what we need.

-No more yellow?

-No more yellow. I'm really sorry about that. Come on.

It was time for Adrian and me to become real friends of the earth

and so we travelled inland to a place that's so friendly

that for most of the year it opens its doors to outsiders.

Streamvale Open Farm in County Down

is Northern Ireland's only open dairy farm.

If anywhere was to give us a taste of the milk of human kindness,

it was here.

First up, we met manager, Chris, and his wife, Helen.

-Hello, you two.

-Hello.

-So, Streamvale Farm.

I have got to tell you, I've very happy memories coming here.

It's my family's farm.

We were originally a dairy farm and it wasn't bringing in enough money,

so my mum and dad opened it when they were pregnant with me, actually.

Fruit picking is actually how it started and then it's just developed throughout the years.

So this is actually probably one of the friendliest farms for various reasons.

-We hope so.

-You open your doors to everybody.

-Yeah.

-Everyone's welcome. They are sort of part of your lives.

Oh, absolutely, yeah. We get an awful lot of comments on

our staff being so friendly and welcoming.

-That's a big thing for us.

-That's a big, big thing for us.

There's obviously lots of stuff happening on the farm and children can come. It's very hands-on.

We try to make it as hands-on as we possibly can with the animals, so...

-Yeah, and they love it, don't they?

-They do.

More importantly, you two actually met here,

but you were friends to begin with, so tell us what happened.

So I actually started off doing tractor rides and stuff like that

and then worked here for a few years and we...

He finally plucked up the courage to ask me out.

We worked alongside each other and then, yeah...

-How long did it take you to ask her out?

-It was over a year, like.

Oh, my God! What kind of date were you offering?

I took her to a farm shop and bought her lunch!

It wasn't very original, considering where you met!

-A bit of a busman's holiday that!

-I thought it was very romantic.

And how many years ago was that now?

-Six.

-Six years ago, yeah. I'm glad you answered that!

The odd phenomenon is that you started as friends and then got married.

You still seem to quite like each other, which I find odd.

A very strange business.

It's quite unbelievable with the amount of time we spend together!

-We spend all our time together.

-Is this just for the cameras?

-Yeah!

-Is it murder behind the scenes?

-Yeah!

-First thing in the morning, well, at six o'clock in the morning with the calves...

-When we're feeding the calves there can be touchy moments!

-We can shout at each other!

LAUGHTER

It just works, though. Well, you see, I'm out to try and prove an absolute point

to Mr Chiles here that we here in Northern Ireland are the friendliest,

but what are your thoughts on that?

-Definitely.

-Yeah, by far.

Unbelievable. Like, whenever I go across to anywhere

I find it so weird how unfriendly they are towards each other.

Like, well, I guess, obviously being in the country even more so,

it's even more friendly than in town, but even in our town it's friendly.

Yeah. And we live just beside a village, Gilnahirk,

-and all of us help each other and work together and...

-Any time the cows get out...

-The cows get out, yeah.

-..everyone's on hand to help.

-They give us a hand, yeah.

Chris and Helen were living proof there's something special about our rural relationships.

Adrian, though, wanted to put their commitment to country life to the test.

I come from a place called Birmingham, have you heard of it?

Er, where Peaky Blinders were from?

That's right, yeah.

Magnificent place, unbelievably friendly people.

So friendly. Telly Savalas, Kojak - he loved my city so much,

he came and did a promotional video of it,

just pointing up the friendliness of the city, the friendliest of the friendly.

-I'd like you to watch the film with us, will you do that?

-Yep. Go for it, yeah.

-OK.

-TELLY SAVALAS:

-Riding the express elevator to the top of one of the city's highest buildings,

this is the view that nearly took my breath away.

I found the city exciting.

DISCO MUSIC PLAYS

Is there much disco dancing round here?

Er, no.

This is Mrs Taylor.

I'm sure somebody loves you, baby!

-I should have gone there on my stag do!

-LAUGHTER

A thousand years ago, this was thick forest with no-one living there.

A thousand years ago, it was just forest, as Telly so insightfully said.

Now, concreted over, big city, ultra-friendly.

Yes, it's my kind of town.

So, so long, Birmingham! Here's looking at you!

So there you have it. You're shocked in admiration, I can see.

What's that line from that show around here?

-Your place or mine?

-So, your place or mine?

DRUM ROLL

-Ours.

-Definitely ours. Yep.

-Absolutely. No contest!

I'm just going to go and strangle that cockerel!

Even a lolly-licking detective wasn't enough to convince Chris and Helen

life would be sweeter in the city.

It was clear there was something special in the country air.

Strolling around, there were happy, smiling faces everywhere.

But it wasn't just humans that appeared to be on friendly terms with each other.

WHISTLE

Stan, come.

Working dogs Bill and Harry live with 15-year-old owner Shannon.

The trio's sheep-herding skills have placed them at the top of their field.

-There you are, Shannon, that's for you.

-Thank you.

-Huge congratulations.

But it's their relationship off the field that's proof dogs really can be man, or girl's, best friend.

Up, up, up, up! Good boy! Good boy!

So, Shannon, thank you so much for having us.

Loving these two. Now, introduce us to them. Now, who's this, firstly?

-This is Harry.

-This is Harry. And this is...?

-Bill.

Bill. Bill, OK. And look at them.

You're just wanting a bit of love!

I'm spooking Harry at the moment!

I'm not as bad as I look! Christine'll explain.

Erm, how long have you had both Bill and Harry for?

Erm, I've had Bill for five years now.

I got him at Christmas, so I did.

And Harry, I've had him for three years.

But my bond would actually be stronger with Harry because I got him when he was younger.

-Don't listen to this! Cover your ears up.

-LAUGHTER

He doesn't need to hear that. Honestly.

Cos when I got Harry, he was young, so he was just, like, gullible,

if you know what I mean. He wanted a friend.

-Yes, yeah.

-And me and him just clicked, like.

There's a very tight bond, actually, between you and Harry and Bill.

The relationship with the dogs is just unbelievable,

just the bond between youse.

You just know what each other's thinking.

If I come home and I have a bad day at school, first thing I do, go in, get changed...

-Yeah.

-And go out with the dogs and just go out and train with them.

And it gets me in a good mood after that.

Would you find that almost more therapeutic than phoning one of your mates from school?

Yes, I actually would, because for some reason

it seems like they're listening to you.

-Mmm.

-But they don't speak back, I suppose, but they listen.

-That helps!

-It helps!

-Do they do your homework for you as well, if you can't manage that?

-I wish, I wish!

They're smart enough, though, aren't they?

-They're smart, yeah.

-So you're not any old sheepdog handler,

-you're a champion.

-Yes, in terms.

That's brilliant. So what are you champion of, what's your title?

One Man and His Dog 2015.

Right. I've spotted a flaw there. Sexist title.

-Plainly.

-I agree.

One Person and Their Dog, surely?

-Yes, I agree.

-Nice pace, nice control.

-Bill's on the case.

-Stand.

-Stand.

-Steady, steady, steady.

And in they go.

APPLAUSE

Well done! What a performance that was!

Do you get nervous before them, the big...?

The big competitions, yes, I get nervous, but the dogs can sense you.

I was going to say, do you feel it in them, that they know that there's something happening?

They sense that you're nervous because they start to get shaking and everything.

They can tell when you're nervous when you have the bond with them.

So, Shannon, I'm out to prove a point to this man here that

the Northern Irish countryside is the friendliest in the country.

So, can you tell me, do you think our dogs are just as friendly?

-Do you think they're up there with the top?

-Of course, above them.

-Above them all?

-I think they'd be above them.

-Really?

-The dogs are friendlier than anywhere else?

-Oh, yes.

See, and she knows, she knows! She's a champion dog handler!

This is maximum friendliness.

You're going to explode with friendliness and all float away. You're going to burst.

You're going to hurt yourselves with friendliness.

With Harry finding as good a pal as Shannon,

he was the perfect pooch to settle a running dispute Adrian and I had been having -

just who is friendlier?

We walk away.

Ten paces.

We turn round, we call the dog,

the dog comes to the friendliest of the two of us, OK?

OK, got it.

Ready? Go.

SPAGHETTI WESTERN STYLE MUSIC

-Harry, Harry, come here! Come here!

-Harry! Come, Harry!

-Come on, Harry!

-Come on, Harry! Come on!

Come on, Harry, Harry, come on!

Harry! Come here! Come on!

Ah! Come on, Harry!

Come here! Harry!

Harry! Harry!

So, sorry about that. There was one clear winner, wasn't there?

Don't go on about it.

Aside from that, though, are you feeling the effects of the friendliness

-here in the countryside?

-I take your point with fields like this

but there's one kind of field I'm more interested in.

That's the sports field.

More suited to my kind of skill set.

I see the great individuals of Northern Irish sport -

Carl Frampton, Joey Dunlop, Rory McIlroy and so on -

-but these are individual titans.

-Yeah.

-Where's the team effort?

Where's the friendship, the community?

I'm more into, sort of, team sports, community.

All right, you should have said so, I can sort that.

Right, come with me.

SHE WHISTLES Come on, Adrian!

Obviously Adrian was talking snooker, golf, even footballs.

So, it was time to introduce him to a traditional Irish team sport

with a level of intensity he'd only ever dreamed of.

Nestled at the foot of the Sperrins,

the Robert Emmett's Gaelic Club has only 300 nearby families to pick its

players from. Last year, though, the club achieved the unthinkable,

scooping all three Ulster Club Championship titles.

If one place did camaraderie, it was here.

While the lads finished their training session,

we met up with club chairman, Sean, in the trophy room.

Sean, thank you so much for inviting us up.

We are clearly in the presence of champions here.

What's all this about, then?

We won our own County Championships in hurling, football and camogie,

and we won Ulster as well. To have won Ulster is,

on the three codes, is something very big for a club this size.

And you're right in the middle of nowhere here, aren't you?

Yeah, that's true, yeah. As you can see, there's nothing else to do.

It's a community ethos around here all the time

and it drives the people to the pitch and they come in their droves.

Our club is very successful at the minute and it's due to a lot of

commitment and a good bunch of girls and fellas

that came along at the one time and have been very successful.

-Can I just hold one?

-Yeah.

-Even though I haven't earned the right of winning it.

-Hang on a bit.

-And that's the All-Ireland...

-Well done!

-Senior camogie title.

-Yeah.

This is shaped more like a 1970s champagne flute, isn't it?

LAUGHTER

-I think I should hold that one.

-Yeah, go on, you have that one.

-Yeah, I'll do that one.

You could fill that with Babycham, that's what that needs.

Next, it was time to meet the champions in their dressing room.

First, though, I had a word of warning for Adrian.

OK, so, Adrian, try and behave yourself here, OK?

You're not dealing with your prima donna Premiership players here today.

You're dealing with proper, hearty countrymen...

-OK.

-They're passionate about their sport, OK?

They're here to do business.

If you sense that I'm about to say something stupid, just give me a kick.

-All right?

-Oh, dear!

-You know, the usual.

Adrian wasted no time wrapping his hands round a stick...

Oh, I can feel the history in this!

..much to the amusement of the lads.

Do all of you fellas have the same length sticks,

or are some longer than others?

-Erm...

-LAUGHTER

No, usually, the taller people use taller sticks.

-And what are you? Are you a 33, 34?

-I'm a 34.

-You're a 34.

-Anyone got longer than a 34?

-Owen's 40, I think.

-A 40?!

-Aye.

-Oh, he's the man!

-LAUGHTER

I mean, look at the length of his stick.

-Look at the way he's holding it!

-That's magnificent!

LAUGHTER

So, Chris, you're the captain.

-Yeah.

-What do you think the secret of the success of this club is,

what's it all based around?

It's based on a good sense of humour, as you can see already.

But probably the thing that sets us apart is our bond and how well

the boys get on when it comes to the pitch

and when the tough times come, there is that cohesiveness.

Does the great sport grow out of the friendship,

or does the friendship grow out of the fact that you're doing well?

Probably a bit of both but I think what the GAA is all about

is about that community spirit.

Somebody must break their arm in every game, as far as I can see.

You put your hand in... I couldn't bear to look.

So, the ball is on the floor,

somebody puts their hand in and there's 20 loonies hitting it with sticks!

I mean, that's not very friendly, is it?

No, usually if you are well-coached and things like that,

you learn how to protect yourself and stuff like that.

But usually we wouldn't have many injuries anyway, thank God.

So, Chris, Adrian kind of believes that Northern Ireland is particularly good

with, like, a single sort of man's sport, you've got your golf with Rory,

you've got snooker and all the rest of it.

The group sports thing he's not convinced on. What would you say to that?

Well, there's only one way to convince him.

-Let's show him.

-All right.

-ALL JEER

-There's a challenge!

-I've used one of these before.

-Roy Keane took me to the...

-He's name-dropping now, boys!

LAUGHTER

He took me to the semifinal of the All-Ireland and I thought it was brilliant.

Then I went round to his house and he got a couple of sticks out

and I'd texted him, I said I was playing today,

and I said, "Look, I should be all right after the lesson you gave me".

And he said, "You might find it more difficult if you're playing against

"guys who want to take your head off!"

Come on, let's do it. Let's do this thing.

After a quick change and an even quicker explanation of the rules,

it was time for Chiles to make his hurling debut.

Oh, dear.

He's trying his best but the ball is basically just too fast for him!

I sort of do feel a tiny bit sorry for him here!

Can I stop it with the thing?

He caught it! He did catch it!

Oh!

That was actually not a bad attempt!

See, I'm beginning to think that this team sport thing is very good for Adrian

because he talks about sport all day, every day.

He's a perfect spectator, but doesn't actually do any.

Oh! You see, he's getting better.

CHEERING

Isn't that lovely? He's actually made some new friends!

After all that action, it was only fair, I thought,

to treat Adrian to a form of hospitality I was sure he'd appreciate -

the kind served up by a traditional country pub, in a glass.

-HE SIGHS CONTENTEDLY

-I tell you what, I need this.

All day being nice to people - exhausting.

I mean, this is the root of all friendship, isn't it?

In these parts.

Are you trying to say that we're friendly here in Northern Ireland

because we drink a lot?

Well, I mean, it helps, but no, I'm not saying that.

You know we are capable of being friends...

-If you say so.

-..with no booze involved.

I'm going to prove it.

-Just let me finish that.

-No, let me prove a point, OK?

I'm going to leave this to one side,

I'll prove we don't need that to have fun and be friendly with one another, OK?

-So I've got to leave that there?

-You've got to leave it. I know it's difficult.

-Let me just touch it.

-Trust me, come on.

Just down the road lay a spot where the alcohol

doesn't need to be flowing to keep the good times going.

Friday nights are country night at the Bannville House Hotel near

Banbridge, when up to 600 people will strut their stuff to DJs and live music.

One rule, however, is sacrosanct -

absolutely no drinks are allowed on the dance floor at any time.

But why would they be? Everyone needs two hands free in this place.

# So rock me, Mama, like a wagon wheel

# Rock me Mama anyway you feel

# A-hey, yeah, yeah, Mama rock me. #

I wasn't convinced Adrian was quite getting the appeal,

so we pulled some jivers off the floor for a friendly chat.

So, ladies, how have you two become friends?

We come here one night to one of the dances here

and we sort of just met that night.

Then we arranged different nights out after that.

So, country music is now the backbone, almost, of your friendship?

-That's the glue, is it?

-We've been so many places together.

We've been north and south of Ireland and England.

Taking a break from the dance floor next were Mary and the pals she made

at a difficult time in her life.

In 2015, I lost my husband to cancer,

so, then, about a year and a half after that,

I was feeling quite lonely and getting a wee bit down,

so my sister Lorraine told me about Robert's line dancing classes.

So I came and then I met Julie, I met Liz

and a few weeks later I became friends with Emma and with Ian

and it just really has been...

It's been very good for me, personally.

Is it friendship because they're country music fans,

or friendship because they are Northern Ireland,

or a heady combination of the two?

I would say it would be a combination of both.

Cos Northern Ireland people are very, very friendly.

WOMAN ON DANCE FLOOR WHOOPS LAUGHTER

She's so friendly, she is overheating with friendship,

she's having to use a fan to calm herself down!

Finally it was time to meet the man who puts the pep in his class's steps.

Don of the dance floor, Robert.

You're the facilitator of friendship on this dance floor.

Yes, well, I've been taking jiving lessons here for three years or so,

so a lot of them have become friends at the lessons

and then they come here on the Friday nights at the dances

and then they all come together and have a great night.

Our lesson ends here at half nine but we're never out the door at half nine,

we're always here till about half ten, 11.

-Really?

-Dancing away, still.

Then we go to McDonald's as friends and have a great night there as well.

It's right across the board age-wise, I think,

which is a big thing.

Yes, well, I think there was a generation gap.

My granny and granda were great dancers, went to the dances,

and then after that my mum and dad didn't.

And now it is coming back into my age, my age is going out and

learning and they're going out every weekend and dancing at the country nights.

And dancing the night away without a drop of Dutch courage.

There's no alcohol involved in nights like this for you?

-No.

-Why not?

-We don't need it.

We don't need alcohol for a good night out.

Years ago I would have gone to nightclubs and things like that,

when you would have had a drink at nightclubs and whatever.

-You would have needed it!

-LAUGHTER

But in country music, is there something about the rhythm that you just get high on it?

-But you really like it, don't you?

-Just a wee bit.

"Thank God for country music."

He thought he needed pints, I told him he didn't.

I'm going to stick this round you there. That's it, OK?

This place was just oozing the sort of welcoming and friendly vibe

I'm genuinely not sure you'd find in the big city. Well, not these days.

But had it passed the Adrian test?

Well, you be the judge.

# Well, I don't mind if I ain't got time

# But that don't bother me

# I'm a hillbilly girl in a hillbilly world

# And that don't bother me

# Well, I ain't that bright But I know what's right

# From mistakes and my colour TV

# I don't care if I lose my hair Cos I'm living happily

# I don't care if I lose my hair Cos I'm living happily. #

So, Adrian, tell me,

just how friendly do you think the Northern Irish countryside is?

Immensely friendly, Christine.

In fact, big fan(!)

I like it! I like it!

-We've just got one last leg of this tour, you know...

-OK.

..to prove to you just how friendly we are.

-Where are you taking me next?

-I'm going to take you into the future.

We're talking about friendship in the future.

-OK.

-It's an interesting one. But you know what, I think you deserve this.

-You did well today.

-You can say that again.

-You did well today.

Isn't that good? Do you fancy one more dance?

-Yes, come on, let's do it.

-Well done!

-Let's do it.

-Did I look stupid?

-No, of course you didn't.

-I felt stupid.

-I mean, not any more than normal.

# I've got friends in low places

# Where the whisky drowns And the beer chases my blues away

# And I'll be OK

# Well, I'm not big on social graces

# Think I'll slip on down to the oasis...#