People come from far and wide to grab a pint at The Crown and Anchor from the Apple TV hit Ted Lasso.
In reality, the pub is called The Prince’s Head and overlooks Richmond Green.
Pub manager, Reece Kent, took over as manager of the pub back in 2022 and has said that the number of tourists flocking to see it with their own eyes has only continued to grow.
Reece said: “Last year, for season three, there was only a handful of days we were shut at different points.
“They would email me and go ‘is this date available?’
“I would check the bookings and if we did have something booked, customers come first, so we would have to change day.
“We would make it the beginning of the week when things are a little bit quieter than our busier days.
“And it would all depend on what they needed.
“Sometimes it would be in the morning before we open so it wouldn’t affect us, sometimes it would have been all day so they would be outside all day.
“But you would see crowds turn up as soon as they started.”
Ted Lasso is an American sport comedy following Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, who is an American football coach brought to the UK to coach AFC Richmond.
He is brought over by Rebecca, played by Hannah Waddingham, when she wins the team in a divorce with her husband and hopes to tank the team he loves so dearly by hiring someone incompetent.
But, to everyone’s surprise, Ted Lasso’s bright-eyed optimism is not to be underestimated.
The pub is frequented by characters in almost every episode and is the local pub of fans and players – despite being named The Crown and Anchor in the show.
Even now the show has aired, Reece continues to meet tourists from Brazil, Jamaica, Germany and of course, America.
He believes that the customers he has who visit because of Ted Lasso are increasing, even though the series has finished.
Contrary to popular belief, it is only the outside of the pub used for filming the hit show – the inside is a set.
Reece revealed that there was only a small portion of season one filmed inside The Prince’s Head, the pub is mostly used for its exterior.
While the pub is a favourite for tourists, he also said they have around 25 regulars that Reece knows by name and that Richmond residents also frequent the pub regularly.
Laura Sweet is from middle America but, as a huge Ted Lasso fan, she made sure to visit The Prince’s Head as part of her trip to London.
She stopped for a drink there with some friends to see the spot with her own eyes.
She said: “I knew immediately when we walked up that it was the bar used in Ted Lasso.
“It’s really fun to see some quintessential Ted Lasso things in the scene here.
“It’s wonderful to see the bar and also wonderful to see the pitch where Richmond players kind of come and go.
“I think it’s a wonderful thing to come and visit this area, this neighbourhood.”
However, the pub is not only popular with tourists, it’s also a favourite with numerous Richmond residents.
Melissa Zielinski, who is also from America, has lived in Richmond for years and watched Ted Lasso after seeing so many tourists visiting the area because of it.
She is now a fan of the show and continues to visit The Prince’s Head because of the way it overlooks Richmond Green in the summer months.
Melissa said: “There’s so many Americans around here and you would think that they when they would have relative visit etcetera, you would see them around in Richmond more.
“Then, all of a sudden, Ted Lasso hits and we’re everywhere.”
Despite this, Melissa does not think that the “Ted Lasso effect” has over saturated Richmond.
She added: “I think the council has kept it very reserved and very respectful to the locals”.
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