Feb 18, 2026 - Culture

Doc explores Richmond's "best football bar": Penny Lane

Karri Peifer

A movie poster that says Big Scouse — "The Big Scouse" movie poster. Image: Courtesy of by Roderick Deerr and Dead Set FC

A new documentary puts a spotlight on Penny Lane Pub, the bar that feels like it was transplanted straight out of England and into downtown Richmond.

Why it matters: The 30-minute flick is as much a love letter to Richmond as it is to the Pub.

State of play: "Big Scouse" focuses on pub owner and founder Terry O'Neill and how he helped build a community of "football" fans right here in RVA.

It shares O'Neill's journey from Liverpool — where he was a bouncer at the club where The Beatles played — to RVA, where he opened Penny Lane in 1979.
With his "Scouse accent," Beatles memorabilia and enduring love of the Liverpool Football Club, he helped create what the filmmakers call "the best Football bar in America."

Zoom in: The doc includes interviews with O'Neill, RVA soccer fans and local journalists (including this one) and shows how with Penny Lane, the Big Scouse also built so much more.

What we're watching: "Big Scouse: How a Liverpool Lad Built Richmond's Football Culture," which was produced by Richmond-based creative studio Dead Set FC, is now available on YouTube.

Penny Lane is at 421 E. Franklin St.

What's next: Dead Set FC has another "major community-focused documentary" in the works, founder Kevin Carroll tells Axios.

Stay tuned.

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Doc explores Richmond's "best football bar": Penny Lane

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