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Daniel England
How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg?
19. British Shorts, Berlin | 2026
JAN 22–28
HOW FAST CAN YOU EAT A PICKLED EGG?
Director: Daniel England
Festival Screening:
Documentary / Animation
Tues 27 | 19:00 | Sputnik Kino 1
Images © Daniel England
JAN, 19, 2026
The Cock Tavern is no ordinary East London pub. Renowned for its real ales and larger-than-life regulars it also plays host to one of the capital’s quirkiest underground traditions: the pickled egg eating competition. How Fast Can You Eat a Pickled Egg? is a short documentary that dives headfirst into this ritual, capturing the characters, chaos, and community spirit that make the event truly unforgettable.
Hello Daniel, thank you for taking the time to talk to us about How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg?, what does it mean be at British Shorts, Berlin with your short film?
Thank you! It means a lot to have been selected. Having the film shown in front of new audiences is always very exciting. We’re a film that gets people excited!
How important of film festivals like British Shorts in providing a creative space that celebrates and champions short film?
I’m new to the festival world. This is the first film we made and entered for festival submission. Getting to know the people who run festivals and the film makers who attend them has been inspiring. Passionate people supporting work that takes so much time to produce (on both sides) is the cornerstone of art! Knowing British Shorts’ reputation just makes the submission even more exciting.
What’s that feeling like watching your film with an audience for the first time?
Hearing people laugh and gasp at the film has been a revelation. We care deeply about the subject matter and wanted to make sure that all the stories were told so to have audiences really connect with it has been very gratifying. Hearing audible reactions in the room is brilliant.. and addictive.. I want to make more things to generate those big laughs. I’m not sure I’d have the courage to make something that didn’t make people laugh, I like instant feedback!
You’ve already had an amazing festival run with How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg?, picking up The Audience Choice Award at Exit 6 Film Festival, what do you think it is about your film that’s connected with audiences so much?
The film takes a very silly thing very seriously. Wanting to document the lore and history behind the competition in the pub that was one of the reasons for making the film. So I think it has a depth to it that takes beyond being a surface level silly film just to get laughs. There’s a community there, there’s friendships, there’s drama, there’s tension! Also everyone that watches the film thinks it’s easy to eat a pickled egg really fast, we’ve made sure to have eggs at screenings to prove them wrong! It is a very hard thing to do well, seriously!
The review for How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg? in Indie Film Library is a wonderful read, highlighting your unique approach to your documentary, what has it meant to get this type of praise?
It’s just great that anyone enjoys the film. It’s just as much a project to prove we could make something and finish a project! Never easy! To have people connect with it has been fantastic.
How did How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg? come about?
My creative partner on the film, David Lankester, and I had been writing lots of high-concept genre scripts that seemed unsurmountable to pull off without massive budgets and huge crews. We had a friend who had a camera and some lights who said we could borrow it any time if we had something we wanted to film. I knew we had to find something cheap (or free) to film quickly to make it worthwhile. I knew all the main characters in the film (Pickle Boy, Eggy Joel) and the history behind the competition so it was a lightbulb moment really – “here is our film.” It was right in front of us the whole time. It was mainly about trying to find an idea that we were excited about that we could film with next to no budget. We didn’t plan on making documentaries but the story was exciting enough that I had faith it would translate to a film.
I know it’s a tough question to ask, but how soon after walking into The Cock Tavern and discovering their infamous competition did you realise you wanted to turn this into a documentary short?
As I’ve known Luke and Joel for as long as they’ve worked at the pub, I’ve always been such a fan of the community that had sprung up around the competition. It was always a pub I’d take friends from out of town to, always to show them the leader board and get them to race eggs. I took my fiancé on our second date there and sat her under the egg board while telling her all the stories! It was really when we were scrambling around desperate to make something that it clicked with me that there’s a big, fun story right there.
Was it easy to get people to participate in the film?
I was lucky to know Luke and Joel well, so convincing them to let me interview them wasn’t too tricky. Before we started filming they both said there wasn’t much to say and that they didn’t think they’d be that good on camera but as soon as we started rolling they both talked for at least 2 hours and are the reason the film is so fun.
Our pub full of egg racers did not need much encouragement to race eggs, it’s what the pub does best. But I think having a few cameras there definitely helped amplify the drama on the day.
Looking at your film there’s a great sense of community that is more than this competition just being a ‘fad’ but a real sense of finding belonging in a city like London that can be pretty isolating sometimes. When you started to make How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg? what observations about this community did you make?
One of the best things about racing eggs in the pub is that as soon as one person tries it someone on the other side of the pub will see what’s going on and ask to have a go as well. Before you know it half the pub are up and racing eggs, talking and laughing with each other. Joel and the staff at the pub encourage it, it’s a very welcoming pub. We knew that was the most important element to try and get across in the film. It took a few edits to make sure that came across but it was the thing that made it all click once we’d nailed that.
Our producer Diva Rodriguez wouldn’t let me say the film was finished until we’d got that point across in the edit and she was totally right. It made the whole thing come together.
Has this experience encouraged you to explore the city differently?
I’m always on the lookout for unique and quirky traditions, pub games, anything that is specific to one location that brings everyone together. I love it! The artist Ben Edge made a film about folk traditions all-round the UK called Frontline Folklore which was a big inspiration before we shot anything.
How did you go about getting the archival footage you use in your film?
We were very lucky that Luke’s flat mate at the time of the original Pickleboy Comedy Nights was film maker Andrew Burns, he was at all the nights filming everything. The quality of footage from those nights was excellent but it was buried deep in storage seemingly never to be used. I’m so grateful he hung on to it all! Once he unearthed the footage and sent it over I knew we were on to a winner! We have hours and hours of incredible footage from those nights so it’s a shame the short is only 13 minutes long.
What was the message you wanted to say with your film, and do you think you achieved it?
I’m happy that the sense of community and openness that exists in the pub comes across in the film. Anyone can go into that pub at anytime and ask to races eggs. The staff will welcome you in and you’ll immediately make a friend. I really think we got that across in the film.
The other message would be that if you can borrow cameras and gather up your mates then you can make stuff. Don’t wait for permission. Don’t wait for that grant or funding to materialise. Figure out the route to make things happen, just go out and make stuff!
Where did your passion for filmmaking come from?
I’ve been obsessed with films for my whole life. Going to the cinema is one of the best things you can do. I love it and I love that film making is a group exercise. You have to work with loads of different people, bring in everyone’s talents. Build a community. Collaborate. I love finding things that get me excited and then showing people. I think that’s what I’m trying to do with films. Find fun things, bring people together and show people stuff I find fun and exciting while hopefully showing people that any one can make films about anything.
How much has your background as a producer, primarily in live stand up for artists like Sarah Millican, Larry Dean help prepare you for writing and direction How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg?
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the best comedians in the world. Their work ethic and commitment to making the work the best is can be is very inspiring. If I’ve taken anything from working with comedians it’s that commitment and dedication to not stopping until you’ve nailed the joke, nailed the structure, nailed the point you wanted to make. Keep chipping away at it until it’s the best it can possibly be.
" It turns out documentaries can take years to come together so can’t say for sure when the next one will be ready!"
What filmmakers inspire you, and if you could spend the day on set with one filmmaker who would it be, and why?
I’m a sucker for Frederick Wiseman, Werner Herzog, Ross McElwee, Errol Morris, The Maysles, John Wilson, Lance Oppenheim. All the big documentary boys! But I’d love to spend a day on set with Kelly Reichardt, I think she’s one of the greatest living film makers. She can craft magic out of such minimal set ups. Almost documentary like in her approach in the earlier films but there’s such a beauty in everything she makes, that magic of film. I’d love to see how that comes together.
Are you keen to get back behind the camera?
Very much so. I have a few documentary projects ticking along. It turns out documentaries can take years to come together so can’t say for sure when the next one will be ready! I need to find more pubs doing fun and weird things that are walking distance from my house I think!
Me and Dave are back hammering away at our big concept genre scripts too, hopefully we film at least one of those this year.
And finally, what message do you how your audiences will take away from How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg?
Eggs Forever! I hope people can see that community
Everyone is welcome at The Cock Tavern any time to race eggs but especially on Good Friday every year as that is officially Egg Day. The biggest day in the egg racing calendar. This year it’s on Friday 3 April, hopefully see you there. Say hello!
Find me at @damnengland and @enjoyyoureggfilms on insta.