Having watched the recent re-runs of that series it shows a dark side to sex work.
However, one of the things featured in Episode 1 was the pub full of mainly prossies all just having a drink.
Do pubs like these exist?
Band Of Gold is filmed and set in my neck of the woods - Bradford. Well im not in Bradford but near enough. Used to love watching that back in the day. Funny looking back because when I used to watch it , I didnt know that Id one day end up in the same business.
Everyone used to call it "going downt lane" or "going on't lane" ( heavy yorkshire accent)
There were pubs like that back in the day . I used to go to a dodgy ( but good ) underground rave down there back in the day and the pub next door was full of WG . Bradford was well known for sex trade back in the Pre - Internet days. In the 80s/90s it was probably only 40% of bradford street girls who had a serious habit. .... Nowadays Id say that the street scene is 95% serious hard drug addicts and the 5% who are clean are the new EE girls. . HUGE drug problem in Bradford , much worse than other citys. You see some of them hopping about on crutches or on one leg because of DVT from injecting. Pretty fucking grim and what saddens me is what sort of men actually pay to go with these girls who are in such a bad state of health.
Many guys I know started out their punting on Bradfords streets , back in the day you could go into certain pubs or street where the girls would congregate , and you could get a " nice clean girl who is just doing it to top up her child benefit money" . The same guys steer well clear now , and stick to the "indoors" scene.
I doubt theres any red light district pubs full of WG these days , as most pubs in that area have been converted into religious houses or shops. Only the bravest and most hardcore of WG and punter braves those Bradford streets these days and theres only a fraction of the number of girls you used to see out there. Its actually a pretty dangerous area for outsiders , 4 serious incidents have been reported locally this week ( people pelted with rocks by the locals , beaten up etc) .
Yep , Bradford red light 2014 is very different to the good old Band Of Gold 80s/90s days sadly as Id love to go in a pub like that