The Jolly Fisherman review – last orders for an east London boozer in tense tale

Underbelly, George Square, Edinburgh A real-life pub closure inspires a sensitive and subtle drama about friendship and community by John Dinneen Two years ago, it was reported that a pub in Barking called The Jolly Fisherman had found a buyer after five years of dereliction.

The prospective owner was a Muslim charity, which planned to turn a former business based on alcohol into a place of abstinence.

In one respect, a building that had been the focus of community life in this part of east London for 150 years would continue to be the focus of community life.

In another respect, the community had changed.

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