The Marcia Grey, York

A large and impressive looking pub from the outside, inside is tidy but rather featureless, and appropriately coloured in shades of grey, although it does run to a (loud) carpet. The sports TV screens seem to be its main reason for being, certainly not the beer with a choice of John Smith's smooth crap or Caffreys as bitters. With a handful of morose punters studiously ignoring each other with eyes glued to the screens, you do start to wonder if Humphrey has a point.

One room pub with an almost central servery, home to two horseshoes of everyone’s favourite kegs including John Smith’s smooth crap, plus a solo Strongbow and an unexpected Moretti plus some keg wine. An estate pub without an estate but a fair bunch of eccentrics, big lass bar maid, and doms playing auld lads to make it interesting. Not sure why there are empty but candle-less gin bottles on the tables.