In a quaint pub nestled in Canterbury, some 50 kilometres south-west of London, two young women eagerly await free drinks promised by a stranger on Facebook.
Imagine this. Just post your request and if you're lucky, free drinks will follow.
It's the kick-off of what might just be the most extraordinary drinking game in Britain right now.
The young students write on Facebook: "Two broke students celebrating the end of a tough assignment period. Any drinks are welcome (except beer plz)."
A photo accompanying the post shows two young women sitting in at a table in a Canterbury pub.
Shortly afterwards, a stranger responds on Facebook. "Two ciders on their way."
The man who has just bought the drinks doesn't know the young students and he's probably never been to their neighbourhood. But he is playing along.
Here's how it goes: Pick a spot to sit with friends, colleagues or relatives in one of the pubs owned by the budget-friendly Wetherspoon chain and post in the Facebook group "Wetherspoons The Game!"
Add a text explaining why you're there. Maybe your hamster died. Maybe your boyfriend broke up with you or your mate is moving to Australia. Then post a photo of everyone with you.
And - most importantly - share the name of the pub and your table number.
If you come across convincingly, you'll soon be served drinks. Beer, cider, schnapps. You can't choose.
And sometimes you get more than you want to drink. Or can. The sponsors order and pay electronically using the Wetherspoon app.
The highlight: Unlike most pubs, which use the location of the mobile phone, the Wetherspoon app can be accessed from anywhere.
The pub chain, which has nothing to do with the drinking game, is known for its outspoken boss, Brexit campaigner Tim Martin, who was recently knighted for his services to the economy.
The one behind the boozy bonanza is Chris Illman who invented the game a few years ago for his mates.
"When I started the group, I’d just recovered from cancer, got divorced and was sleeping in my car. I wanted something to put me in a positive mindset," Illman, who is in his early 40s and from near Portsmouth in southern England, once told the Guardian newspaper.
The game gradually started ot go viral in November 2023, when Facebook changed an algorithm. Ever since, the group has been visible to many users.
In a very short time, the number of group members has risen from a few thousand to well over half a million.
Illman capitalizes on that popularity and regularly sets up aid campaigns such as providing food for homeless people.
Interest in the game is fuelled by stories such as that of Mark Hamlet who was sitting with his grandparents in a pub in northern England in early December.
He posted a picture in the group: "Hey, brought nana and grandad out for their early night cap :) explained to them about the game."
Grandma was afraid she would be cloned and her pension account emptied, he said. She is partial to a red wine, he added. "Grandad likes a pint."
Shortly afterwards, glasses of beer and wine were served at their table. A photo showed the grandparents wilting slightly.
Drinks kept arriving and finally, Hamlet started passing some of them to people at other tables.
"Nana needs no sleep aide tonight guys," he wrote in conclusion. "Thanks everyone xx"
Founder Illman believes that 90% of the players pay it forward and buy others drinks at some point too.
However, the sense of camaraderie that flourishes from connecting strangers over pints in a pub far, far away has also drawn criticism.
This is slowly becoming a begging site, and most people have no intention of paying back, one user posted, criticizing the photo of the two students from Canterbury.
Another user agreed, asking, Why do you even go to the pub if you're broke?
Others point to the health risks of alcoholic content on social media that could lead to young people starting to drink alcohol and adults drinking far more than is good for them, says addiction specialist Alex Barker from the University of Derby.
Barker told the Daily Mail newspaper that the risk is especially high when the drinks are free.
Illman tells his group members that the game has made a permanent mark in his life as he reveals a tattoo of a cloud and a spoon.
The cloud represents the weather and the spoon - for Wetherspoon.
Now he is working on the promise he made to change his middle name to Spoons, the nickname of the chain, when the group hit 500,000 members.
