A rediscovered gem of BBC comedy, Early Doors is an early 2000s sitcom set inside The Grapes, a nominally fictional pub on a Stockport estate. But with references to Stockport landmarks rife in the show, I want to figure out which local boozer inspired writers Craig Cash and Phil Mealey, and list out what local locations feature across two seasons of TV gold.

The Grapes – Heaton Norris

Easily enough, there is a pub called The Grapes in Heaton Norris. Writer Phil Mealey gave an interview to Manchester Evening News here earlier this year, and spoke about how him and Cash, who met as teenagers in Stockport, used to drunkenly stagger between The Three Crowns, the Grey Horse, and The Grapes.

He said that while the pair consulted about filming in a real pub in Stockport, including The Grapes, they had to settle on a TV set because of the logistics involved. In other words, the cameras wouldn’t fit.

“…Cordoned it off they have, from the top of Piper Street, past McVities, up to the bank on Bird Hall Lane…”

Eddie (Mark Benton), aside from nattering to his wife Joan (Lorraine Cheshire), or offering to buy a round for the miserable lollipop man Tommy (Rodney Litchfield), was prone to boring landlord Ken (John Henshaw) with comments about the traffic.

This one is a corker, and involves parts of Stockport that aren’t actually anywhere near each other. In-fact, I don’t think Piper Street exists.

In my head, Bird Hall Lane is the run-up to the Morrisons in Cheadle Heath. I suppose if you’re going the other way, it’s the run-up to the vet’s, or the Cross Keys pub on Adswood Road. It’s all subjective.

McVities, on the other hand, refers to Stockport’s famous biscuit factory, nearly four miles north. It sits on Wellington Road towards Manchester (or Hazel Grove, something, something, subjective), and always smells great.

The real reason for the mismatch is because the writers just wanted to throw in a few recognisable places for locals to pick up on. But, this is boring, so I’m going to say that Eddie is a confused drunk, and move on.

“…reckons its a gang from the Lowfield Road estate…”

Bent coppers, Phil (James Quinn) and Nige (Peter Wight), are chatting away to Ken in the back room about an off-license on Burton Street being robbed the night before, which they blame on a gang from the Lowfield Road estate.

In real life, Lowfield Road runs through south Stockport, connecting Adswood Road to the A6. There isn’t really an “estate” to speak of, just a load of houses lining the road. And, as far as gangs go, I’ve lived around the corner for most of my life, and can’t say I’ve seen any. The most I’ve seen around there was an impressive car crash last year at the junction with Shaw Heath. To be fair, even Phil and Nige said they speed straight through with their blue lights on.

Meanwhile, the real Burton Street is a mile or two north in Heaton Norris, a stone’s throw from The Grapes. So, if an organised gang is driving that far to rob an offy, I say fair enough.

Featured Image Credit: Matt Squire | Ovation Productions | BBC