Gerry's Big Decision, Thursday, Channel 4

Posted by Liberty Jones

After trying to save the NHS in a BBC series in 2007, charismatic entrepreneur Sir Gerry Robinson now turns his expert attentions to British companies suffering in the current economic climate. Promising a vital cash injection from his own pocket to those he believes have a long-tem future, Gerry started by visiting two independent breweries on the verge of collapse.

The voiceover informed us that Gerry originally trained as a priest – and there seemed little doubt that the businesses in question were going to need some divine intervention if they were to survive the recession.

Both breweries were producing top-notch beer, but both were suffering major management problems. At the Itchen Valley Brewery in Hampshire, boss Malcolm couldn’t organise “a p*** up in a brewery”, according to his staff. With Malcolm’s girlfriend Jane having sold her property to keep the brewery from closure, it seemed they had no more cards to play. “Knife edge would be quite a good description of how things are,” Malcolm observed glumly.

Over at O’Hanlon’s in Devon, meanwhile, husband-and-wife team John and Liz were struggling to work out which one of them was in charge. Despite creating a beer voted “The World’s Best”, they’d been forced to remortgage their dream home and had already started making redundancies.

Sir Gerry wasted no time offering his own unique brand of pastoral care. At Itchen Valley, he quickly identified Jane, with her common sense and analytical mind, as the best person to take the business forward. The staff weren’t impressed, however. “Was that the only idea you came up with?” über-cynical head brewer Rob asked. Gerry soon knocked him off his high horse, firing back: “If you were working for me, I’d give you a right slap round the ear.”

Over at O’Hanlon’s, meanwhile, John’s natural sales patter impressed, but it was Liz who emerged as the front runner for the boss’s job – despite the fact she seemed to be permanently on the verge of tears.

In the event, Gerry decided to invest in both businesses to the combined tune of £350k, proving that, despite his hard-nosed business exterior, he’s just a great big softie at heart.

 Picture: Channel 4 

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