Another entry in my ongoing project to film strange British customs…

A traditional Dorset event in which the residents of Ottery St Mary take tar-filled barrels, soak them with paraffin, set them on fire, hoist them above their heads, and then charge through crowds of screaming drunk people.

This continues until the barrel disintegrates… then they do it all over again, with progressively bigger barrels. What could possibly go wrong??

Was surprisingly good fun, actually… and well worth seeing before it’s banned (apparently their public liability insurance is getting harder to pay with every passing year… can’t begin to imagine why…)