Boys at the Bull 2026
The Nottingham Beau Hunks tent hosted its annual Laurel & Hardy film show at the Bull Inn in Bottesford on Saturday, June 13th. Just over 50 attended the event enjoying an afternoon of Laurel & Hardy films celebrating the animals that appeared in their films....including Laughing Gravy, Blue Boy the horse, Buddy the dog, MGM the lion, Ethel the chimp and the Flea circus!! The event was wonderfully supported by members from Tents near and far, including the Beau Chumps, Brats, Midnight Patrol, Saps At Sea, Tit for Tat, and the Helpmates.
The main feature of the day was "Way Out West” (1937) with a tricky observational quiz that followed. After a fierce but friendly rivalry between the tents, Beau Hunks tent new member Dan Maidment stood victorious and was deservedly awarded the "Dinah the Mule's Gold Trophy". The Brats and the Chumps took prizes for a creditable 2nd and 3rd place respectively. As the Saps were brave enough to admit that they had not been observing as well as the others, they were awarded the wooden spoon in the form of...The Flea Circus. When the box was opened, the Saps were relieved to discover a short note that read that the fleas "We're out for lunch" but then concerned to read that they would "..be back soon!"
There were stalls selling L&H memorabilia and books . Also, Mark Hammond brought up a few items from his superb Laurel & Hardy collection to show.
In the morning, a large group visited the Plough Inn in Barkston (Beatrice Olga’s 1st pub) and payed a floral tribute at the grave of Stan’s father, Arthur Jefferson, a great man of the theatre.
A special thanks again goes to tent member, John Palmer, who brought his super working Model T Ford. Many great photos were taken of the car during the afternoon.
The day ended at the Bull Inn with the traditional raffle, the usual long round of toasts including to the animals and, of course, the traditional Son’s anthem.
On behalf of The Beau Hunks tent, I want to thank everyone for their support in making the event a great success. Yes indeed, we will be doing it all again about the same time next year to commemorate the Boys’ first visits to the Bull in 1952, 75 years ago.
Dave Tomlinson (GS Beau Hunks tent
