A man spent 16 hours inside a Wetherspoons pub in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, as part of a self-imposed challenge he documented online. Phil Carr arrived at 7.45am, describing the experience as a 'prison sentence' and 'the ultimate test of endurance'. He joked that Gainsborough was 'not really near anything' and 'cut off from the outside world'.
His day began with an egg muffin and hash brown costing £3.30, which he deemed 'so cheap'. He passed time reading newspapers and noted the transition from breakfast customers to day drinkers, comparing it to 'watching a flower bloom'. Boredom was a major issue, which he measured in episodes of The Big Bang Theory, reaching 21 episodes by midday.
For lunch, he had a panini and chips with a beer for £6, and later switched seats to alleviate boredom. He also played fruit machines, winning £50 despite calling them a 'mug's game'. His evening meal of burger and drink cost £10.42, with pints ranging from £2.50 to £3.50 throughout the day.
As the hours passed, he worried staff might start 'looking blankly' at him. He finished with nachos and a beer for another £10, then retreated to a Travelodge, likening it to jumping 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'. The ordeal was not one he plans to repeat, but he was pleased to have completed it for content.
