Adrian Chiles, author, broadcaster, columnist, and for these purposes, longtime dispenser of searching but practical thoughts on booze, met comedian John Robins when they were making adjacent shows on Radio 5 Live. After Chiles made his documentary, Drinkers Like Me, at the start of 2021, the pair got talking.
Robins – whose new comedy show Howl explores his relationship with alcohol and his journey into sobriety – was experimenting with drinking in moderation; Chiles was writing his book, The Good Drinker: How I Learned to Love Drinking Less. Adrian interviews John in the hardback, and they’re both enthusiastic, freshly minted moderate drinkers. By the time the paperback was coming out, though, John was teetotal. What follows is the conversation they had about how their paths crossed and, later, branched apart.
