:00:07. > :00:15.Hello and welcome to gin side out South West with stories from where
:00:15. > :00:21.you live. Tonight, as alcohol abuse takes its toll, can radio Devon's
:00:21. > :00:28.Fitz manage a dry December. Why are you doing a dookmentry on alcohol.
:00:28. > :00:33.Because I have given it up for a month. Are you an alcoholic. It is
:00:33. > :00:38.a challenge and now I'm going to complete it. And drinking in
:00:38. > :00:48.retirement. Is it best not to drink anything and then having to go to
:00:48. > :00:48.
:00:48. > :00:53.the doctor to get tablets? No. I'd rather do it my way. Also tonight
:00:53. > :00:58.lidious eyesore or post-war gem, the case for conserving Plymouth.
:00:58. > :01:08.think the civic centre and many other of Plymouth's fine buildings
:01:08. > :01:21.
:01:21. > :01:27.should be cherished. I'm Sam Smith Many of us will still be recovering
:01:27. > :01:31.from the excesses of Christmas and new year. But for a special Inside
:01:31. > :01:39.Out experiment, David Fitzgerald took up the challenge of giving up
:01:39. > :01:44.alcohol for the hardest month of all. BBC Radio Devon. See you
:01:44. > :01:52.tomorrow. The lines are open. What is on the programme? It is all
:01:52. > :01:59.coming up after the news. Coffee, black, no sugar, part of the diet.
:01:59. > :02:04.This is the me that most of you know at the coal face of public
:02:04. > :02:11.service broad casting. Getting ready to interview the Chief
:02:11. > :02:20.Constable. I bet you weigh less than me. 15 stone. Two stone
:02:20. > :02:27.lighter! And this is the private me, out at my favourite Plymouth haunt.
:02:27. > :02:32.It is fair to say a spent erspend a lot of my life sitting down with a
:02:32. > :02:38.glass of something alcoholic. But I have been asked to put this behind
:02:38. > :02:46.me for a month. Will I manage it. I love filthy old boozer, so let's
:02:46. > :02:53.hear from one. Fits -- Fitz loves to come out and to stop drinking
:02:53. > :03:00.will be a struggle. It will be a challenge. You have set me the
:03:00. > :03:07.challenge. And I have now got my mind set to complete it. It will be
:03:08. > :03:17.31 days, but it is leading up to my 50 th birthday. I would like to
:03:18. > :03:20.
:03:20. > :03:26.look great. Come on in. You wipe your feet when you leave this place.
:03:26. > :03:31.This way please. Past all sorts of junk and meet the enemy, the good
:03:31. > :03:35.lady wife. This is Karen who will be monitoring my situation when I'm
:03:35. > :03:40.not drinking throughout the entire month. She has got to monitor it.
:03:40. > :03:47.Not that she is going to monitor it. I think I will stick to this. But a
:03:47. > :03:56.lady with the same sort of hobby as I have, behind. She does like a
:03:56. > :04:00.drink herself. So we both enjoy a couple of glasses of wine every
:04:00. > :04:06.evening. A bit more than me at times. I can do more. That is the
:04:06. > :04:15.red wine. I don't know if we have any white. No but the white will be
:04:15. > :04:24.filled to about there. That is one. That is one glass! We do drink and
:04:24. > :04:29.we do drink probably more than a lot of people do. We would have at
:04:29. > :04:34.least two glasses like that each. That will be a bottle a night.
:04:34. > :04:38.Between us. But I don't think that he will do it. It will be a
:04:38. > :04:43.challenge for him now. I don't think he will. Whether we're
:04:43. > :04:53.married by the end that could be an issue. I hn thought of that. But if
:04:53. > :04:53.
:04:53. > :05:03.he sobers up, I might not like him! Yeah, promise, promises. But as a
:05:03. > :05:09.diabetic, she may inherit early. So I have come for tests. If you would
:05:09. > :05:16.step on the scales. Take the strain. Why are these machines so accurate,
:05:16. > :05:24.why can't they just give you an estimate? Last time I saw a receipt
:05:24. > :05:28.that long, I was leaving an off licence. Look at these. Looking at
:05:28. > :05:35.your Body Mass Index that is 33.3, that is in the obese range. Your
:05:35. > :05:40.body is as of a 64-year-old. The main part of this is the alcohol.
:05:40. > :05:44.The units you have had this week are adding up to 74. That is three
:05:44. > :05:51.times the Government guidelines. I don't remember voting for that.
:05:51. > :05:58.Looking at the calories, it is over 5,000 in just the alcohol. That is
:05:58. > :06:08.a couple of days worth of good food. Your risk of developing high blood
:06:08. > :06:11.
:06:11. > :06:17.pressure, cancer of the mouth and stroke. How did that go. It is an
:06:17. > :06:23.eye opener when you're described as a 64-year-old who is looking
:06:23. > :06:26.forward to being obese rather than overweight. Nobody likes the truth,
:06:26. > :06:36.especially when you're told your actions are killing you, which is
:06:36. > :06:43.what will happen if I don't ease up. It has been a week of no booze and
:06:43. > :06:50.is it working? It is looking good. The weight has come down. It is a
:06:50. > :06:55.good starting point to lose a kilo in five days. It is the 8th
:06:55. > :07:00.December and day nine and to be honest I don't miss it. So to the
:07:00. > :07:07.local curry house. There is the wife helping the situation, by
:07:07. > :07:15.drinking my share. Christmas parties spin by, surprisingly easy.
:07:15. > :07:21.Nine days to Christmas. Thank you. You have already had a drink. This
:07:21. > :07:28.is the chaos I'm going through. But I'm not drinking. Do you think I'm
:07:28. > :07:32.slimmer? Thank you. No sports bra. Not that close. That is it.
:07:32. > :07:37.Normally at this time I would be in there enjoying a pre-Christmas
:07:37. > :07:42.drink, but tonight I'm taking to the streets in the interests of
:07:42. > :07:47.scientific research. I feel more guilty if I was drinking in the
:07:47. > :07:52.week and then drank at a lot at weekend. It is getting the balance.
:07:52. > :08:02.Yes. Some of drinkers I met were responsible. Some drinkers were
:08:02. > :08:06.
:08:06. > :08:12.merry. And some were out of control. To me, this is shocking. Very. Not
:08:12. > :08:19.as shocking as not having a drink on Christmas Day. I don't have a
:08:19. > :08:28.drink full stop. What would you like. A diet coke please. All right.
:08:28. > :08:34.So to the final day. That I it, 2012, I'm about to drive my guests
:08:35. > :08:39.home from this party and again no booze, no glass in hand. 2012, well
:08:39. > :08:47.I'm hoping I'm going to keep this up. I'm not going to be a preacher
:08:47. > :08:51.and be that way, but I'm going to cutback on the alcohol. Tirs back
:08:51. > :09:00.to the lab to see if it has done anything for my health. Blood
:09:00. > :09:05.pressure, weight and the width. it is 108 centimetres. That is a
:09:05. > :09:12.centimetre you have lost around the middle. You have lostn't be 1
:09:12. > :09:19.kilograms in weight, that is five pounds, your Body Mass Index has
:09:19. > :09:26.reduced. It lass gone well they are all -- it has gone well, they are
:09:26. > :09:33.all down. But not everything has changed for the better. I'm still
:09:33. > :09:39.64. Even though I'm 50 tomorrow. Yes. That is evening out. You may
:09:39. > :09:44.meet in the middle. This a message to give people of my age? I think
:09:44. > :09:50.generally speaking it is good time of year to turn over a new leaf.
:09:50. > :09:55.Keep your ambitions sensible and stick with it. That was an
:09:55. > :09:59.interesting meeting with Ann and Hilary. I'm wiser and a little
:09:59. > :10:03.thinner. The information they were trying to get across is alcohol in
:10:03. > :10:06.bg excess is bad for you. That is nothing I didn't know. Moderation
:10:06. > :10:11.in all things. The last four weeks have been interesting for me. I
:10:11. > :10:16.hope they have been interesting for you and you have noticed that I am
:10:16. > :10:21.a little thinner. And I'm going to try and keep it up. I know I'm 50
:10:21. > :10:31.tomorrow, but there will be a party, but after that, a bit more exercise
:10:31. > :10:36.and a little less booze. Well Fitz's determined to cutback, but
:10:36. > :10:41.if you're retired with a nice pub on your door accept, social
:10:41. > :10:51.drinking can become a way of life. We know at the fit falls and perks
:10:51. > :10:57.of liquid lunch. Mackie has lived and works on the edge of Dartmoor
:10:57. > :11:04.for most of his life. Now he has retired he can spend more time on
:11:04. > :11:10.his favourite pastimes. The thing I done best were onions, potatoes and
:11:10. > :11:20.runner beans. My runner beans have never been beaten, with the longest
:11:20. > :11:20.
:11:20. > :11:28.runner bean. So you know I'm proud of that. He is a countryman and
:11:28. > :11:35.partial to fishing, shooting and rabbiting with ferrets. I love
:11:35. > :11:40.rabbit myself. If I get, I will put it in the freezer and any surplus I
:11:40. > :11:47.let the, sell them to the pubs for a pint or something like that.
:11:47. > :11:55.the pub is where he is heady later. With fellow regular, retired diver
:11:55. > :12:02.Gordon, who lives with his dog near Yelverton. It suits me, because I
:12:02. > :12:09.have the moors, just up the roted. I have got -- road, I have got
:12:09. > :12:18.Plymouth if I want to go there 12 miles that way, and eight miles to
:12:18. > :12:22.Tavistock. The Royal Oak is something of a rarity. It is owned
:12:23. > :12:28.by the parish council, was puts the rent it collects from the landlord
:12:28. > :12:33.back into the community purse. Mackie and Gordon do their bit, by
:12:33. > :12:38.drinking here nearly every day. have been coming here 40 years and
:12:38. > :12:44.I don't go to any other pub. There a brewery up there, you have the
:12:44. > :12:49.finest pint of bitter you will get. At weekends the Royal Oak attracts
:12:49. > :12:57.diners from far and wide. But on week days the landlord reliess on
:12:57. > :13:00.the session drinking regulars. We're lucky in we have a great
:13:00. > :13:05.local trade and a lot of people have been drinking here as their
:13:05. > :13:11.fathers have before them. Still support the pub. And they are the
:13:11. > :13:17.backbone of the pub. And no matter what day you come, you can always
:13:17. > :13:21.have a chat with someone. Sl Retirement has allowed Mackie to
:13:22. > :13:27.dedicate time to another of his favourite pursuits. I have got
:13:27. > :13:31.loads of interests, and when I come out at dinner time, I can relax and
:13:31. > :13:35.speak to the boys who are here and it is something different, because
:13:35. > :13:41.I have never been able to do that when I was working. Gordon cease
:13:41. > :13:51.his regular sessions as a kind of therapy, relief from a life of
:13:51. > :13:55.
:13:55. > :14:01.You become reclusive and you go into a shell landed in a notice it.
:14:01. > :14:06.I've been tried out of it again. There is plenty of good cheer on
:14:06. > :14:10.cue but is this jovial country pursuits as harmless as it appears,
:14:10. > :14:15.especially when it comes to McKie who has already had open heart
:14:15. > :14:21.surgery. I have to be reasonably sensible because of the murders and
:14:21. > :14:29.I take. If I did not take away a proper drink a lot more. I drink
:14:29. > :14:33.two or three pints and that is all I am allowed to. Sidey used to be
:14:33. > :14:41.Gordon's favourite tipple and to the gave him health problems of his
:14:41. > :14:49.own. I used to drink lots of the cider. I burnt my as Ofgas. I have
:14:49. > :14:53.to be a bit careful. Dr Richard Ayres knows a thing or two about
:14:53. > :14:55.the dangers associated with heavy drinking. Around a quarter of the
:14:55. > :15:00.adults he sees in his Plymouth practice have alcohol-related
:15:00. > :15:03.problems. He is on his way to the Royal Oak to have a word with
:15:03. > :15:05.Mackie and Gordon about their drinking habits. There is a general
:15:05. > :15:09.increase in alcohol-related hospital admissions, both in
:15:09. > :15:12.younger people and older people and I think that is because the average
:15:12. > :15:16.consumption is rising so the extremes are seen more often, which
:15:16. > :15:24.is why I suppose this business of how much people regularly drink on
:15:24. > :15:30.a social basis starts mattering. So, I just wonder, you probably realise
:15:30. > :15:34.that there is a level of drinking that can sometimes be harmful. I
:15:34. > :15:44.wonder if you had any idea how to work out how much your drinking
:15:44. > :15:46.
:15:46. > :15:50.yourselves? Say I have three pints, six days a week, that would be
:15:50. > :15:56.miles over the limit. That is 18 pints over a week. What would it be
:15:56. > :16:03.for you? A pint a day or maybe two? More than that, three or four.
:16:03. > :16:08.days, so seven days a week. That would be 21 pints. Perhaps more
:16:08. > :16:13.than that. So you are about level pegging. Have you got much of an
:16:13. > :16:18.idea what sorts of things you might get trouble with. I don't have any
:16:18. > :16:23.trouble at all. But what would the risks be, if you were drinking too
:16:23. > :16:27.much, what mighty it do to your body? I suppose your liver, it
:16:27. > :16:37.could mess your liver. I have a liver test regularly and they say
:16:37. > :16:37.
:16:37. > :16:40.it is all right. OK, you know about the liver. Blood pressure us
:16:40. > :16:45.another one. So you know it can affect your blood pressure.
:16:45. > :16:53.cholesterol is all right. You know about that. Do you think it can
:16:53. > :17:02.affect you up top here? I should think it can! Well, I think that is
:17:02. > :17:07.a very common story. They are a bit over their limit, if you look at it.
:17:07. > :17:13.They might be able to just cut down a little bit, maybe make them drink
:17:13. > :17:16.two pints instead of three. That is probably as good as you will get.
:17:16. > :17:20.That would bring them down to the maximum recommended weekly limit
:17:20. > :17:23.which still gives an increased risk of heart, liver and other diseases.
:17:23. > :17:26.But Dr Ayres is reluctant to condemn their drinking habits out
:17:26. > :17:33.of hand because of the recognised psychological benefits to solitary
:17:33. > :17:37.characters like Gordon. Social isolation is really a issue in
:17:37. > :17:41.rural areas and has a definite effect on your health. We know that
:17:41. > :17:45.being miserable and depressed and isolated is bad for your health, it
:17:45. > :17:50.shortens your life and you get all sorts of diseases. That social
:17:50. > :17:55.benefit of being with your mates is a huge benefit. Mackie and Gordon
:17:55. > :18:01.are on to their third pint. Did they learn anything from the
:18:01. > :18:04.doctor's visit? I don't think it was anything different from what we
:18:04. > :18:13.already knew. Obviously drinking too much is not going to do anybody
:18:13. > :18:17.a great lot of good. The thing is this. What is it best to do? Is it
:18:17. > :18:23.not to drink anything and not smoke anything and then having to go to
:18:23. > :18:27.the doctor to get antidepressant tablets? I don't like that. I would
:18:28. > :18:34.rather do it my way like I have for years. If it affects my health,
:18:34. > :18:40.then, I mean, I am here, three score years and 10. Every year
:18:40. > :18:44.after this is a bonus, as far as I'm concerned. In the end, who is
:18:44. > :18:48.to say whether Gordon's perspective is sober or pie-eyed? One thing is
:18:48. > :18:56.for sure. Despite the risks, this is one country past time that look
:18:56. > :19:04.set to defy the winds of change. If you would like advice about
:19:04. > :19:14.alcohol you can call the action line. Calls are free from a
:19:14. > :19:17.
:19:17. > :19:21.Medieval York, Georgian Bath. Some city centres are so historic they
:19:21. > :19:26.have special conservation protection. But what about post-war
:19:26. > :19:36.Plymouth? Expert Jeremy Gould believes there is much to cherish
:19:36. > :19:39.there too, starting with one particular landmark.
:19:39. > :19:49.This will be the tallest building, dominating Royal Parade at the
:19:49. > :19:51.
:19:51. > :19:55.heart of the city. It is, of course, Plymouth's Civic Centre - whereever
:19:55. > :20:02.you are, views of it are hard to avoid, rather like that other
:20:02. > :20:08.famous landmark. The Eiffel Tower. That was hated at first, now it's
:20:08. > :20:12.an icon. Unlike the Eiffel Tower, though, the popularity of this
:20:12. > :20:15.building has diminished, not increased, over the years. When it
:20:15. > :20:18.was listed, and therefore protected, there was an outcry from those who
:20:18. > :20:24.wanted it demolished, including the city council, whose offices are
:20:24. > :20:29.here. Yes, it will cost millions to repair, and times are hard, but it
:20:29. > :20:34.could be done. I'm not alone in thinking that the Civic Centre, and
:20:34. > :20:37.many other of Plymouth's fine post- war buildings need cherishing.
:20:37. > :20:43.English Heritage, overseers of the country's historic estate, thinks
:20:43. > :20:48.so too. The city centre doesn't only belong to Plymothians, it
:20:48. > :20:51.belongs to the nation. The Civic Centre doesn't only belong to
:20:51. > :20:55.Plymothians, it belongs to the nation. It is a really important
:20:55. > :20:58.building. Together with the Festival Hall it is one of the two
:20:58. > :21:01.most important public buildings built after the Second World War. A
:21:01. > :21:04.symbol not only of the regeneration of this city, but of national
:21:04. > :21:07.regeneration. Listing buildings only protects them, not the gaps
:21:07. > :21:13.inbetween and that's what so special about the city is the
:21:13. > :21:21.layour, the plan, the spaces inbetween. And the best way to
:21:21. > :21:24.preserve would be to create a conservation area. The starting
:21:24. > :21:27.point would be the eight post-war buildings that are already listed -
:21:27. > :21:33.that's more than anywhere else outside London, the best loved
:21:33. > :21:38.being St Andrews Church. In the first few months of 1941, the city
:21:38. > :21:44.centre was bombed to smithereens. St Andrews, the parish church of
:21:44. > :21:50.Plymouth, was reduced to a roofless shell. This may look like a
:21:50. > :21:54.medieval roof, but it's made of concrete, 2.5 inched thick. The
:21:54. > :21:58.architect designed the whole of this interior. Tthe slate floor,
:21:58. > :22:08.the pulpit, the benches are all a 1950s piece of design, showing how
:22:08. > :22:14.diverse that architecture could be, and I think it's wonderful. For me,
:22:14. > :22:17.the great feature of this church are the windows. The designer,
:22:17. > :22:25.Piper, worked at Coventry Cathedral, but I think these are the best
:22:25. > :22:33.Piper windows you will see anywhere. It shows the church was interested
:22:33. > :22:39.in modern art and getting the very best artists to work in Plymouth. A
:22:39. > :22:42.stroll away is the Baptist church, with its wonderful murals. The
:22:42. > :22:46.Roman Catholic Church, by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who designed the
:22:46. > :22:56.iconic red telephone box. The glorious National Provincial Bank,
:22:56. > :22:56.
:22:56. > :23:03.with its Venetian glass mosaic faade. And a few steps away is the
:23:03. > :23:06.Guildhall, with its marble staircase leading to a period gem.
:23:06. > :23:12.This is one of the great 1950s interiors anywhere outside London,
:23:12. > :23:22.art and architecture mingled. The quality of the workmanship and of
:23:22. > :23:24.
:23:24. > :23:27.the detail is examplary. This is one of the great sites of Plymouth.
:23:27. > :23:30.The great feature are the chandeliers, designed by the city
:23:30. > :23:40.architect, Hector Stirling and representing the three towns of
:23:40. > :23:40.
:23:40. > :23:49.Plymouth. The plaster plaques by the sculptor David Weeks depict the
:23:49. > :23:57.labours of Hercules. The background is a lovely sky blue, one of the
:23:57. > :24:00.colours that made the 1950s. Once again, the stained glass windows
:24:00. > :24:06.are of the highest quality, and depict major milestones in
:24:06. > :24:10.Plymouth's history, like the opening of the original Guildhall.
:24:10. > :24:17.And over here, the blitz, and lastly the opening of Civic Centre
:24:17. > :24:21.by the Queen in 1962. The Queen's visit set the seal on an
:24:21. > :24:25.extraordinary achievement. The city, with its grid of grand streets,
:24:25. > :24:31.humming with new enterprise, was the first to be rebuilt after the
:24:31. > :24:37.war, hailed as a masterpiece for the modern Elizabethan age. Half a
:24:37. > :24:40.century on, the glamour has worn thin. Today, improving Plymouth's
:24:40. > :24:43.prosperity is the priority for the council and business leaders but
:24:43. > :24:51.can that go hand-in-hand with preserving the outstanding
:24:51. > :24:54.cityscape? The city council says it can. I have my doubts. Take the
:24:54. > :24:59.case of the former NAAFI Club, opened by Princess Margaret 60
:24:59. > :25:04.years ago. It wasn't listed and it was demolished, despite a campaign
:25:04. > :25:07.to save it. In the west of the city, neither the striking Athenaeum,
:25:07. > :25:11.designed like a miniature Festival Hall, nor the '30s-built cinema
:25:11. > :25:18.next door, are listed - and both are vulnerable as they are included
:25:18. > :25:20.in the council's Area Action Plan as sites for possible development.
:25:20. > :25:30.Business leaders agree that Plymouth urgently needs investment
:25:30. > :25:33.
:25:33. > :25:36.but not a conservation area. your average businessman or
:25:36. > :25:39.developer at they will think conservation area, that means I
:25:39. > :25:45.cannot do anything there which Pinter will not even look at
:25:45. > :25:50.building there. That is not true for Bath. I do not know about Bath.
:25:50. > :25:54.I know that most business people, the moment they hit conservation
:25:54. > :25:59.area, I'm not going to go there because it is far too expensive.
:25:59. > :26:02.But that is ridiculous, it is not true. I have a feeling that the
:26:02. > :26:08.listing of the Civic Centre is the 14-storey stumbling block to
:26:08. > :26:16.getting any agreement between us. The listing decision is costing us
:26:16. > :26:20.�40 million. English Heritage are not funding that. The citizens of
:26:20. > :26:25.Plymouth have to pay for that. Duties in the eye of the be holed
:26:25. > :26:31.up. There are an awful lot of people in the City who feel that
:26:31. > :26:35.the civic centre is an abomination. I still think the best way forward
:26:35. > :26:37.would be to create a conservation area, from Notte Street in the
:26:37. > :26:40.south to North Cross. You never know, Plymouth's modern
:26:40. > :26:43.architecture might even attract some visitors. One city is already
:26:43. > :26:47.capitalising on its post-war heritage, but it's not in Britain
:26:47. > :26:51.it's in France. It's Le Havre, a city so highly regarded, it's been
:26:51. > :26:55.given the ultimate accolade - it's now a world heritage site. Like
:26:55. > :27:04.Plymouth, huge areas were bombed. But while modern Le Havre is
:27:04. > :27:08.celebrated, Plymouth, I feel, is ignored. The council says it will
:27:08. > :27:12.be able to protect them of's heritage and fulfil its ambitious
:27:12. > :27:16.plan of making the city one of the top 10 shopping centres in the
:27:16. > :27:21.country. It says a conservation area would be a "significant
:27:21. > :27:30.obstacle" to that ambition. English Heritage disagrees. There's no
:27:30. > :27:34.either or here look at Chester, Bath. A fragile historic city and
:27:34. > :27:40.it is a major shopping centre, incredibly successful. The centre
:27:40. > :27:46.of Bath, the historic centre is very successful commercially. They
:27:46. > :27:49.is no necessary conflict between the two. But there is compromise.
:27:49. > :27:59.You can't keep tearing things down, there comes a point when you have
:27:59. > :28:02.to recognise quality, so really it is for future generations. I think
:28:02. > :28:12.there is no better embodiment of the optimistic, forward looking
:28:12. > :28:13.
:28:13. > :28:16.spirit of Britain. That spirit of the festival in 1951, up than
:28:16. > :28:20.Plymouth. Plymouth's brave plan paved the way for Britain's other
:28:20. > :28:30.post-war cities, so, love it or hate it, its place in history is
:28:30. > :28:33.deserved and should be preserved, too.
:28:34. > :28:41.That is all prompt this week's programme but we are back next