03:08min
“Norm!” shout the Cheers staff and punters as one of the regulars enters. “We definitely have our regulars, and you do make more of a fuss of them than you would any other customer,” Kirsty says. “You know what they drink so you can have their beer waiting for them.”
3:26min
“The head on the beer is too big,” Sophie notes, as Norm and his fellow regular Cliff knock back another couple of pints. “And they have a slate, a concept that doesn’t really exist at any pub I’ve worked at,” Sam adds.
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3:59min
Head barman Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Carla the caustic waitress shoot the breeze with Norm and Cliff. “I worked at a gay pub with a few similar characters,” Sam reveals. “One of the managers was catty like Carla, one of the regulars was full of useless information like Cliff, and there were a couple of fat blokes like Norm. Except in Cheers there wouldn’t be so many people getting barred for being on their knees in the toilets.”
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5:16min
Norm pulls off a nifty peanut trick. “I’ve not seen anyone do that,” Ana admits, “but one of our guys juggles glasses and cocktail shakers.”
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6:20min
Malone and the boys swap embarrassing revelations at the bar. “We do share secrets, relationship problems,” Ana admits. “People like to know about each other’s business,” Sam agrees. “Although I think it would be a bit sad if it was as extreme as Cheers.”
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15:27min
Malone proposes to his colleague Diane (Shelley Long). “We’ve not had any proposals — yet,” says Sam. “There was romance between a manager and one of the staff,” Ana adds. “But it didn’t last.”
16:08min
Diane says no, and Malone breaks the bad news to the crowded bar. “When there is romance between staff, it’s generally a bit more hush-hush than that,” Sam smiles.
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22.15min
Diane changes her mind, but it’s too late: Malone has moved on. “Drinks are on me!” he yells, to prove the point. “That’s never happened at any bar I’ve worked at,” Sam insists.
Verdict
Our panel found the depiction of a working bar to be reasonably realistic, although Sam couldn’t imagine yelling out the names of the regulars as they walked in. “I wouldn’t say it does our profession proud,” Kirsty concluded. “But there are a lot of places that are similar to Cheers.”
Cheers Season 5 is out to buy on DVD.
Interview by Ed Potton.
With thanks to the Old Queen’s Head, Esssex Road, London N1 (www.the oldqueenshead.com 020-7354-9993)