Anyone fancy going on a pub crawl with The Thinking Drinkers - and you get five free drinks? The boys are back in town following the success of last year’s tour The History of Alcohol. Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham are both award winning writers and comedians and will be bringing Pub Crawl to Swindon Arts Centre.

Ben scooped the British Beer Writer of the Year award and is the youngest winner. He wrote World’s Best Beers: 1000 Unmissable Brews from Portland to Prague, and Boutique Beer: 500 of the World’s Finest Craft Brews. The Thinking Drinkers met as writing colleagues, working on The Publican magazine, when pub culture in this country was at its height, a time when people went to the pub to socialise as well as drink alcohol.

Ben was commissioned to write the Good Beer Guide West Coast USA but he soon realised the workload was immense, so naturally he invited his colleague out for a pint. “We had to ask his fiancée first,” said Ben.“We had some adventures, being chased out of a bar by Marines for performing Yellow Submarine karaoke and we filled the hire car with water instead of oil. But I am proud of the book.”

The Pub Crawl kicks off on November 9 at the Swindon Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Old Town from 8pm. Tickets are £17.50 from 01793 524481 or visit www.swindontheatres.co.uk - Flicky Harrison