Film star warns of losing pub 'sacred spaces'

A star of a new British comedy set in the pub industry has warned that closing local boozers is like "taking away a sacred space".

Actor Jonno Davies, from Milton Keynes, leads the cast of the film Mother's Pride that also features Martin Clunes, Mark Addy and Inbetweeners star James Buckley.

With the British Beer and Pub Association warning a pub closed every day in 2025, the 33-year-old actor believes the film's message about saving these "community anchors" connects with audiences.

He said: "You take those pubs away and you're taking away a sacred space for people, especially if you look at people that live by themselves or feel quite isolated."

Last year Davies made history as the first person to win a best lead actor award for a motion-capture performance from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts after he played Robbie Williams in the biopic Better Man.

Mother's Pride sees him playing a different type of pop star: Cal, a faded one-hit wonder who returns home to help save his family's failing pub.

The film is written and directed by Nick Moorcroft from Chelmsford, Essex, who also worked on St Trinian's and Fisherman's Friends.

Davies described the production as a "really fun time" working alongside "comedy greats" who are "funny in their bones".

The actor admitted he felt like a "fanboy" while working with Buckley, and often quoted lines from The Inbetweeners while forgetting they originally came from the Channel 4 comedy.

"He's like: 'Why are you quoting my show to me?' and I'm like: 'Oh my god, that's really embarrassing'," he laughed.

The actor, whose regular haunt is The Wavendon Arms in Milton Keynes, said: "A lot of my best memories are probably in pubs, it'd be a shame to lose them.

"I'm in my 30s now with two children and that's a similar position to a lot of my friends and it's the pub where we get to see each other maybe once a month."

Davies also highlighted the mental health benefits of the pub environment, explaining: "I think a pub is a great place to be able to share those things over a pint.

"For some reason, there's just less pressure; it doesn't feel so exposing when we talk in somewhere like a pub."

Not too far from his favourite Buckinghamshire pub is The Dolphin in Newport Pagnell.

Earlier this week the team there noticed a significant increase in people smuggling in their own drinks.

Davies described the trend as "insane" and pointed out that such behaviour directly threatens the survival of the industry.

He hopes Mother's Pride inspires audiences to appreciate their local more.

"That's certainly our intention, that people come out with a sense of pride over their local," he said.

"There's something very different about being poured a pint at a pub than having a can at home, it tastes a whole lot better in those spaces.

"I'm hoping the sunshine will be peeking its head soon and people get in the beer gardens and they pay for a pint and they have a good time."

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