The George, Fitzrovia, W1

I was lucky enough to get tickets for the live recording of Just a Minute the other day, so I made my way to Broadcasting House in search of a nearby pub for a couple of pre-show refreshments and I took this one on a recommendation. The single room interior presented a number of Victoriana touches, including a suitably impressive bar back along with traditional wood palling and some attractive etched mirrors/glasswork, though nothing quite inspiring enough to obviously rival other great central London interiors like the Salisbury. There are suggestions elsewhere that there was a major fire here in 2006, so perhaps other fittings were lost then? I noted five handpulls, two of which weren’t in use (one with a beer setting and another looking like it had run dry earlier). All the beers available were Greene King or Greene King derivatives (IPA, Royal London, Abbot) though there are assurances that there are a number of interesting ‘proper’ guests usually available, I guess I must have been unlucky on the timing. The quality of what came out was pretty good, though I recall that the prices were at the steeper end of the London mark-up. We stayed for longer than expected, so that’s to the pubs credit. Whilst not necessarily a ‘must’ you could do worse than pop in here if nearby, especially if you are on your way to Broadcasting House - if my JAM number comes up again, I’d repeat the experience.

Situated slightly to the north of Oxford Circus tube station, The George is an attractive looking Greene King pub occupying a prominent street corner position. Well maintained hanging flower baskets outside create an initially positive impression. A blackboard on the pavement entices us in with the words " It's a beer festival here 365 days a year. 3 guest ales at any one time. 15-20 different ales per month. Why go anywhere else ?". We also learn that the pub was established in 1677. It's a pleasant, welcoming pub, despite the bare boarded floor, with a fine elegant bar back, some attractive etched mirrors and a cosy dark wood panelled seating area to one side of and behind the bar at one end. It's got the high ceiling and style of an old Victorian pub. Separate entrances on each street would appear to indicate that this was formerly a multi-roomed pub, although no other evidence to support this is visible. Standard pub menus on the tables and black shirted staff, unfortunately do contribute towards creating something of a chain pub feel, but this is partly counteracted by staff who, on my recent Saturday lunchtime visit, seemed particularly welcoming and enthusiastic. BBC House is quite close by and an information board in the pub doorway tells us that the pub was nicknamed "The Gluepot" by Sir Henry Wood, the former conductor, and that older BBC staff still refer to the pub by that name. Coincidentally, the seating area on the left was marked as "reserved" and, shortly after my arrival, in walked Clive Anderson ( TV programme - have I got news for you ?) , followed shortly afterwards by a load of people who I didn't recognise, but were presumably BBC staff. In times gone by, Dylan Thomas and George Orwell apparently used to frequent this pub. A booklet by the bar gives details of a Greene King Ale Trail and a map showing the location of all participating 23 pubs in the capital. Beers on were Greene King IPA, Royal London ( odd, thought they were an insurance company !?) , Speckled Hen, Hardy and Hansons Kimberley plus O'Hanlon's Yellowhammer. By my reckoning that's one guest beer, not three ( as advertised ). Notably, on what was probably the hottest day of the year to date, both the Kimberley and the Royal London were in excellent condition. The "background" music was a bit loud for my liking at times, but, taking the visit as a whole, I was quite impressed with this one and I'd happily call in again when next in the vicinity.

This Green King pub stands on the corner of Mortimer and Great Portland Street a short trek north of Oxford Street. It’s a pleasant enough pub with what looks like some interesting original decorative features. Externally, the stone facade is typically Victorian, with the addition of granite columns next to the large arched windows. Inside there is what looks like some interesting original glasswork, especially behind the bar area, which has some carved columns and panels, inset with some very nice etched mirrors. And then additional mirrors between the dark wood panels around the walls One good thing is that this is one GK house that seems to take the guest ale policy seriously and has 5 Hand Pumps on the bar which as well as the usual GK offerings, has a frequently changing list of guest ales (if the chalk board was anything to go by). On my visit one of these was a seasonal summer brew from Brains called ‘On the Head’ which was a decent pint, any why shouldn’t a Welsh brewer try and make a few bob out the world cup as well. All in all, a decent pub with some nice internal features, but nothing exceptional in an area where there is quite a few pubs with decent traditional decors.

In many respects this seemed a fairly unremarkable pub – service was OK; Greene King ales on tap; averagely comfortable seating. But it has what looks like an original Victorian or Edwardian bar back with etched mirrors typical of the period, and some ancient-looking round marble-top tables that have clearly seen a lot of use. But on the whole I would say that this is not a pub worth seeking out, but a decent enough place to stop for a pint if you are in the area and happy enough to drink GK ales.

A large L-shaped space, the bar on the back wall of the main area has an attractive tiled floor splash area, mostly wooden floors elsewhere but carpeted in the rather elegant area to the side which has dark wood panelling, etched mirrors and a few framed prints. The bar back has more etched glass. Comfortable seating with upholstered banquettes, a couple of leather covered benches plus a mix of traditional chairs and stools. TVs at each end, both muted, showing a choice of Sky News or Sky Sports News. Some sort of latino sounds playing. Its a GK pub company place so has IPA and Abbot, OSH was off but also on were Everards Tiger and Brewsters Decadence (4.4%) a pleasant light hoppy beer. I'm not a fan of GK but it is rather pleasing to see an increase in the availability of choice in their pubs recently, and I quite liked it in here.

This is a reasonable pub, but it does nothing to stand out from its peers. There are a couple of small TVs that were showing the Sky Sports News feed, but on enquiry I discovered that they do not have Sky Sports. The staff were polite enough, but the pub was pretty empty for a Friday evening. Greene King IPA, Abbot and Rockin Rudolph were available. The barmen gave us a sample of the Rudolph and I wasn't very impressed (that could just be my taste buds though). Peroni and some bog standard lager are also available. This is an OK pub, but not worth going out of your way for.