Many TV shows are lubricated by alcohol, and the big American soaps would dry up and stop without it.
The Rovers Return, The Queen Victoria and the like, are the setting for so much important action, useful places for characters to meet and a boon to writers.
Dot Cotton is looking for her evil son, Nick, so she tries the Queen Vic. Rita must come across Alan Bradley chatting up another woman so she pops in to the Rovers for a vodka and a confrontation. Newton & Ridleys Vs Churchills . . . what’s yours?
Boring plot lines have to be made in complicated chunks of tête-à-tête dialogue. A pretty waitress pouring JR’s Bourbon and branch water gives you something to look at while the turgid stuff about the cartel is dispensed.
A character’s taste in drinks is crucial to his or her place in the society of the TV show. In British programs, all ‘real men’ drink beer.
Young characters drink mostly Lager. Middle-class men drink Whisky, women who’ve ‘been around’ drink Vodka . . .
What’s the tipple of choice of some of the most famous TV characters? It’s your round . . .
Coronation Street
Ena Sharples : Milk Stout Minnie Caldwell : Milk Stout Martha Longhurst : Milk Stout Hilda Ogden : Light Ale (bottled), Port & Lemon, Planters Punch Annie Walker : Special Sherry, Cherry Brandy (at Christmas) Mavis Riley : Fruit Juice Emily Bishop : Fruit Juice Elsie Tanner : Gin, Lager & Lime Vera Duckworth : Lager (bottled) Ivy Tilsley : Lager (bottled) Alec Gilroy : Irish Whisky Mike Baldwin : Scotch Whisky, Champagne Rita Fairclough : Vodka & Tonic Albert Tatlock : Rum Alf Roberts : Beer Stan Ogden : Beer Jack Duckworth : Beer Deidre Barlow : Lager, Gin Tracey Barlow : Coke Ken Barlow : Newton & Ridley’s Mild (half)
EastEnders
Dot Cotton : Orange Juice, Tea Angie Watts : Gin Pauline Fowler : Light Ale Ethel Skinner : Guinness Lou Beale : Milk Stout, Brandy, Guinness Pete Beale : Beer (Churchill’s) Arthur Fowler : Beer (Churchill’s) Charlie Cotton : Beer (Churchill’s) Wicksy : Lager Ian Beale : Lager Lofty : Lager Pat : Gin Den Watts : Beer, Scotch, Champagne, Wine Michelle : Soft Drink, Vodka, Gin Sharon : Soft Drink, Vodka Mags : Spring Water, Gin & Tonic Wilmott-Brown : Beer, spirits Dr Legg : Half of bitter Ali : Beer, Whisky Sue : Gin, Soft drinks Dr Singh : Half of bitter
Dallas
Miss Ellie : Brandy, Whisky, Wine Clayton : Beer, Whisky before dinner JR : Bourbon and branch Cliff Barnes : Bourbon, Whisky, Wine, Beer Ray Krebbs : Beer Bobby : Beer, Whisky before dinner Sue-Ellen : Vodka (lots of it)
Dynasty
Alexis : Champagne, Cocktails Blake Carrington : Brandy, Whisky, Wine Krystle : Wine, Whisky, Brandy Steven Carrington : Beer Jeff Colby : Whisky, Wine, Beer, Champagne, Cocktails Falcon Colby : Wine, Champagne, Cocktails Adam Carrington : Beer, Wine, anything to get drunk on Sammy-Jo : Wine Dominique Deveraux : Champagne Dex Dexter : Beer, Wine with a meal
Knots Landing
Gary Ewing : Anything alcoholic Abby Ewing : Wine
Falcon Crest
Richard Channing : Milk The rest of the cast : Falcon Crest Wine
Dot Cotton is looking for her evil son, Nick, so she tries the Queen Vic. Rita must come across Alan Bradley chatting up another woman so she pops in to the Rovers for a vodka and a confrontation. Newton & Ridleys Vs Churchills . . . what’s yours?
Ena Sharples : Milk Stout
Mike Baldwin : Scotch Whisky, Champagne
Dot Cotton : Orange Juice, Tea
