You can book an Airbnb experience at Ted Lasso’s local pub

Diamond Dogs, mount up!

Apple TV mega hit Ted Lasso is teaming up with Airbnb to give travellers a true fan experience in the shape of a stay in the pub from the show.

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Richmond’s Crown & Anchor — better known as The Prince’s Head in real life — is a focal point of the Emmy-award-winning series which returns for a third and final season this month. To mark the milestone, Airbnb is offering viewers a deal sweeter than a batch of homemade shortbread.

For three nights in October, super fans can stay in this Richmond bolthole for the low price of £11 per night. That’s right: eleven English pounds. Guests will also have the honour of being hosted by the show’s pub landlady Mae, played by Annette Badland.

“The Crown & Anchor is an essential fixture for AFC Richmond – it’s where friends, colleagues and teammates come together to celebrate our triumphs or cope with the agony of relegation,” said Mae for the promo.

“That’s why I’m pleased to host guests —and take the night off! Time to give others the opportunity to experience the same camaraderie and sense of community that Coach Lasso inspires. After all, we’re Richmond till we die!”

Feeling lucky? You can request to book the stay from 6pm GMT on Tuesday, 21 March at Airbnb.com/tedlasso, and the dates are 23, 24 and 25 October.

And if you’ve ever wanted to step into the shoes of the moustachioed manager, this is the way to do it. The experience will ensure you can throw some darts, tuck into some traditional British grub, sing a little karaoke, play some pinball, and of course, sink a few pints in this leafy alcove of West London.

While the show actually films interior scenes of the pub on a studio lot, the production designers and Airbnb have rolled up their collective sleeves to make it as accurate as possible, right down to the position of the dart board and even decking bedrooms out in the colours of AFC Richmond.

Airbnb’s bio for the unique experience reads: “Welcome to The Crown & Anchor, Richmond’s finest gathering spot for Greyhound fans. Our friendly neighbourhood pub is where us locals cheer, swear, laugh and cry at all of the trials and tribulations of football and life.”

Related: How lockdown propelled the rise of TV tourism

If you’ve seen the series, you’ll already know this area well. In front of the pub, there’s a courtyard with a bench and red telephone box. To the right of the pub’s entrance, there is a small passageway leading to a narrow row of shops and Lasso’s apartment.

Whether it’s traipsing to the local watering hole or heading to training, the titular coach (played by actor Jason Sudekis) and his loyal assistant Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) can often be seen on the streets around the pub.

And such is the wealth of real-life Lasso locations in a small vicinity, it’s no surprise that the pub and its environs have become a mecca for fans worldwide, particularly those who spent time in lockdown.

Last year, TPG looked at the rise of TV tourism following the easing of global travel restrictions and saw first-hand how Richmond had become a hub for those who had been binging the feel-good series and wanted to channel their appreciation. Over at Italian knitwear shop Reale Camiceria, perched on that same neat little row of shops near the famous pub, and facing the front door of Lasso’s fictional apartment, people will pose in front of the doors.

“Everyone stops to photograph the street and our shop — it is a pilgrimage for fans,” its co-owner Cristina Lelli told us. “They go to the pub, stop at the telephone booth, stop at the bench and visit here.”

Many of them are visitors are compatriots of Lasso. “American customers are crazy for Ted Lasso,” she added. “A few days ago a gentleman came into the shop and told me he’d decided to take his wife to London two years ago, before COVID, [when] he finally gave her the gift they had to visit Richmond because they were fans of the show.”

Football-wise, the majority of scenes for AFC Richmond are shot at Crystal Palace, which is some way southeast of Richmond, but if you do fancy a kickabout during your stay here, there’s always the park opposite.

So make a note in your diary: you can request to book the stay from 6 p.m. GMT on Tuesday 21 March at Airbnb.com/tedlasso.

Featured image by AIRBNB