Last Call for the Local: Are Old Pubs the Solution to Modern Crises? (Oisín Rogers)

**Amol Rajan** (0:00)
Those of you who have been listening to Radical for a while will know that one of our great interests on this show is social mobility. That basic sense, and it just feels instinctively wrong that if you're born into a poor family, your chances of really fulfilling yourself in life are significantly lower than if you're born into a rich family. But that basic sense of injustice that you shouldn't be held back, your destination shouldn't be held back or determined by your origins, is something I think most people can relate to. And one person who's trying to do something about it is coming on this podcast and we would love to get your questions for her. She is Sophie Pender. She is the founder of the 93% Club and that is a network that's challenging one of Britain's most entrenched advantages, which is private schools. We know that roughly 7% of people go to private schools and 93% or so of people in this country go to state schools. She is state educated herself. She founded the 93% Club at the age of 19 after spotting that elite careers often run on social contact, social capital, if you like, as much as talent. And what began as a student society is now a really big nationwide movement. It's connecting her to thousands of state school students around the country, is connecting them with professional mentors, employers and each other. You might think of Sophie as pretty radical because she's not asking to be let into exclusive rooms, but instead is building ones herself. I'd love to get your questions for Sophie Pender. Please do send in your questions by emailing radical at bbc.co.uk or you can WhatsApp us a voice note on 330 1239480
That's going to be a good one.
Hello, it's Amol here. Welcome to Radical. These are, as I think you may know by now, conversations about the local, national, global trends changing our world and offering a safe space for some pretty radical ideas for the future. This week, my guest is Oisín Rogers. He is one of Britain's best known publicans. He's the former landlord of some of the country's most celebrated pubs. He's now better known as the co-founder of The Devonshire in Soho. And since opening in 2023, The Devonshire has been much lauded by critics, constantly overflowing with customers, and very difficult to book for lunch or dinner. But this conversation is not about one successful pub. It's kind of about the opposite. It's about whether Britain is allowing one of its great social institutions to disappear. Pubs have been part of our history for hundreds of years. They have shaped our national identity, our literature, our sport, our music, our communities. They're one of the few places left where people of different ages, backgrounds, politics and professions might still find themselves in the same room.
If you're getting the sense from this that I am a fan of the pub, you are absolutely right. I love pubs. I think they're incredibly precious social institutions, but they are closing fast. Did you know that two pubs are closing every single day in this country? If, it's a big if, if they kept closing at the current rate, they would all be gone by 2050 The disappearance of British pubs would constitute a pretty radical change to the way we live our lives. Why is this happening? What could be done? Well, perhaps we should be asking whether anything should be done at all, whether these historic institutions are indeed outdated, should be left in the past. Well, Oisín is trying to prove that a good pub can still be a serious answer to modern problems, whether they're cultural, social or commercial. He doesn't simply want to preserve the pub like some sort of pickled onion behind the bar. He thinks the best pubs are not museum pieces or some ancient part of our inheritance, not just businesses selling alcohol. They are social infrastructure, living, noisy, commercially viable spaces where people can eat, drink, talk, argue, celebrate and belong. And he has got some radical ideas to keep them going. Before we keep going, a quick reminder, if you subscribe to Radical on BBC Sounds, you won't miss future episodes, including Your Radical Questions, our episode that is driven by you, which is released every Monday, and where we put your radical questions to our brilliant guests.
Can we save the Great British Pub? Is it worth saving? If we do try to save it, what is it that we're trying to save? Onto this week's episode then with Oisín Rogers.
Isn't this so nice? I have joined in the studio, the Radical studio with, I don't want to say an unlikely guest, but it's a cult figure, a hero figure, a radical figure with a pretty radical idea. It's Oisín Rogers. Can I say one of Britain's most successful publicans?