CUSTOMERS hoping to spend a quiet evening supping a pint and having a smoke in a Penryn pub had their lives turned "Inside Out" on Friday when a television crew from the BBC current affairs programme took over.

The "Inside Out" team had obtained the agreement of Rob Brinkhof, landlord of the Seven Stars, on The Terrace, that his customers would not be warned when the news team would descend on the pub to make a programme investigating what a "no smoking" law for pubs would be like.

Around 4.30pm on Friday, the visitors announced the experiment, took all the ashtrays away, and said no one could smoke for the rest of the evening.

They then set about filming people's reactions and interviewing customers who were for and against a smoking ban in pubs.

The reactions varied considerably, with one regular customer eventually storming off in a rage and others deciding to go elsewhere only to be pursued through the door by the interviewer for a comment.

The "guinea pigs" soon found out that they were not allowed to sneak off to the poolroom, or even the drizzly empty beer garden at the back of the pub!

Eventually, around 9.30pm, Rob felt his regulars were beginning to become mutinous, and likely to walk out, so he called "time" on the experiment.

The film crew said they were disappointed not to continue the experiment for the whole evening, but had recorded enough good footage to make an item that will be shown on the February 7 programme.