Ditto - it has gone the way of CDWM which I used to really enjoy, Dave Lamb was the highlight for me until he ratched up a really funny commentary to something bordering on manic - ruined it for me. Now FIAB, which was perfectly alright in its original format has become incredibly annoying. Maybe the Production Company like the idea of being controversial and annoying the hell out of us!

Nor me - I'd like her to explain that in more detail, but then she couldn't explain it at the time, so I won't hold my breath. <rolls eyes>
As far as I could see, they got everything they (didn't) pay for.

I would love to stay at Beck Hall, not only as it looks lovely, but the thought of there being doggies around would please me no end!

PS Shouldn't she be spelling 'Piccadilly' - with a double 'c' ?

I am watching Winder Hall on More 4. How overpriced was that place!? Almost £200 per night for very basic facilities.

I couldn't remember Winder Hall so Googled... it appears that it closed at the end of last year.

---------------------------

Re the articles linked to above, iIrc, Graham - the owner of the Melksham b&b / hotel - posted a few times on DS about his experience on 4iaB. I don't distinctly remember his week though I do remember his property... not least because it is not far from where I often stay when in Wiltshire.

The owners saw themselves as b&b experts and even had a workshop on how to run one as their activity. And had massive underpayments. Wonder why they closed?

But most of the discussion generated, certainly in discussion boards I read and in general conversation, seems to be negative and critical. People constantly complain about every aspect of the programmes. They don't show enough of the local area and attractions, the comments they feature are often nit picking or even ridiculous, they set people up and more often than not we don't agree with the winner and appoint our own.

I suppose that's the modern genre, but it becomes tiresome very quickly and doesn't age well. It's a very dated programme now. I only watch in the hope of spotting somewhere pleasant in a part of the country I don't know well.


The pee on the toilet was another odd one. I thought it was strange how it was equidistant in opposite directions I've never cleaned a toilet marked like that, maybe people I come into contact with are much tidier in their bathroom performances
Strange though, as was their comment about using yellow toilet blocks and their own toilet containing cleaner rather than urine. Again, in my experience if you have a toilet block malfunction it doesn't all dissolve uniformly, it tends to leave a solid lump and dissolve slowly, which if the rooms had been checked as recently as they said, would've certainly been noticed.
They are right though, pass on yellow toilet cleaner for the avoidance of any doubt

Lucy, they did like the room at The Albaston. That was the one themed with elephants (and pee on the seat - allegedly)

The £20 from Beck Hall was because of the cold breakfast and also because they said the room was too small and claustrophobic, even though it looked perfectly acceptable.

The fibres (or hairs) on the bedding at The Piccadilly looked suspiciously like the trimming around the back of Emma's gilet to me. It looked like the kind of stuff that moults furiously. Other than that she could have been shedding her hair extensions


They did have the dance lesson and they did have the evening meal in the restaurant at The Piccadilly too. We noticed how everyone seemed to clear their plates there.

Besides which, if that was the criteria for paying, why did Julie and Keven pay in full and Louise and Andy only underpay by £5 which was on the basis they didn't feel the room decor was up to the standard of the rest of the Hotel

There was a total of £47 underpaid this week and £40 of that was by Helen and Emma.
That's Helen and Emma who thought their room at Beck Hall was worth £5 less than their cheapest offering
Despite breakfast being cold, when you look at the locations and the quality of the decor and furnishings, that was a huge insult, but then they definitely seem like people who value quantity over quality.

The comments about the dogs really perplexed me though because everyone made it sound as though the property was over run by marauding hoards of them and yet that certainly wasn't reflected in the film.

By the way, it's ridiculous to label people 'haters' just because they observe and comment, or is it simply a general term used when the subject doesn't care for what they read?

I thought Stewart's comment was spot on 'on reflection we were a bit too generous paying in full' (re The Kings Head) Succinct, but conveying everything he needed to say.

Without looking it up I remember Graham and his partner and their IT expertise.
They were portrayed as rather geeky and a bit odd at first I think, but then when we saw their own place people changed their minds about them.

Their 'thing' repeated on the programme, was positioning and lack of sockets in bedrooms. When their place was shown they'd actually researched and tailored everything to provide a really well thought out hotel that was absolutely fit for purpose - they catered a lot for business travellers and ran in house training courses I think.

They came across as very measured and well adjusted and I liked how they dealt with everything.

That's a large amount and a large % to be attributed to one couple. I make it 85%. Shocking.

The latter.

Generous or not tactical? No one probably dared underpay Helen and then be stuck with her all week.

Neither do I. There might be some legal repercussions if they did that.

I'm with you on that one and it's certainly true of the last two weeks. The ones who will potentially be extra critical and seeking revenge following their feedback quite often go first.

The production team could also contribute to the breakfasts taking a long time. If that were the case, surely all the b&b-ers would understand? What was stupid about the cold breakfast is that no-one said anything at the time.

Andy and Louise had the best place. The other places were no-nos for different reasons. The King's Head needs no explanation! Hat man Kevin and Julie were very nice people but their place was a bit too OTT and blingy. Would go there at a push though. The Piccadilly was all about precious Terri and her me, me, me ego. It would be nauseating having to watch Stewart fawning over her. So that only leaves Beck Hall with its packs of rabid, smelly dogs! Beck Hall was definitely the winner.

Next week's lot....

The contest begins at Shannon Slater-Dent and Trevor Tredgett's Bove Town House in Glastonbury, but a poor night night's sleep bothers Kathryn and Trevor from Treberthan B&B.
http://bovetownhouse.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Vacatio...t_England.html


The second visit is to Treberthan B&B in Par, Cornwall, where owner Kathryn Langley and her best friend Trevor Burnell set out to give their guests a taste of Cornish hospitality.
http://www.treberthanbandb.co.uk/
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...l_England.html

The contest continues at SugarBeat Eating House in Swainsthorpe, run by Stevie King and head chef David Lovett, but the establishment's cleanliness quickly comes under fire.
http://www.sugarbeateatinghouse.co.uk/
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...a_England.html

The final visit of the week is to the Fritton Arms in Norfolk, run by Ben Davenport and partner Sian Dewaal. David and Stevie are upset about their feedback so they conduct a forensic-style room inspection - complete with rubber gloves - and a paddleboat race on a nearby lake brings out everyone's competitive nature. Ben impresses the guests by revealing the hotel's aristocratic connections - but soon comes under fire for allowing pets to stay.
http://www.frittonarms.co.uk/
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...a_England.html

The owners reunite to find out what they have been paid, with Shannon and Trevor from Bove Town House wanting to discuss Kathryn's comments about her poor night's sleep.

Great post and points Solar Soul..... Yeh I totally agree about your last statement I think they were kicking them selves....

I do wonder about the breakfast being cold though. To be fair Terri said hers was a lovely breakfast but a bit cold, and they only took off 2.00.

The room the 2 KH were in at Beck Hall was perfectly fine for twin, the fact they would hit each other if they got up at the same time had nothing to do with the space between each bed, but how big they both were lol...

Yet their rooms were small anyway.

Its sour isnt it. Leaves a taste in my mouth now.

I expect it will all be the same this week....... I bet Glastonbury get the grief.

Some good places. Treberthan 100 per cent reviews, so i expect they will get paid less for stupid reasons jealous marking.

and Fritton Arms will be slagged off as it has doggies there.....

So the one to win, place your bets, the FIRST ONE lol....

Thanks for the links ewoodie. The Fritton Arms looks stunning.

Beck Hall looked GORGEOUS and the couple who run it were not only incredibly pleasant and enthusiastic about their beautiful surroundings (shame it cut no ice with the other couples apart from Kevin and his wife) but also had the decor spot-on. I am definitely putting it in my "recommended" file.

The Lincolnshire women were a disgrace. So narrow in their thinking and deeply unpleasant when there was absolutely no need for it. I think it was Kevin who finally told them that they might be a bit too sensitive about what others thought of them - and, of course, he was dead right.

Reading the TA reviews for the Fritton Arms it seems to be all style over substance. One couple were the only ones staying there and were left there on their own all night with just a phone number to contact someone.

Yes Winder Hall experts, and the guy could not be bothered to dress smartly for the arrival of his guests. He claimed not to understand why a couple took issue with him wearing a holey jumper. yet he was quite happy to mark one place down because he did not like the breakfast fruit. What annoyed me most about that week was the so called no nonsense pair were so far up Mr Holey Jumper's backside and would not hear a word against him, but were very critical of others.

Oh happy days.
On a separate note, I like the tweaking to the format, for the new series, placing the "would you come back" on a separate page, and showing all payments (none kept a secret|).

Hurray a Cornwall property coming up!

So free bar right!

They may suspect something if you are crawling out of the B&B at checkout.

Did anyone watch yesterdays, I was watching it on 5 i think cant remember, but there was the worse underpayment I have ever seen on FIAB.

There were two guys running a place five star in Wales I think. (Sorry brain fog lol). It looked lovely but was very expensive.

They had criticised a couple about the standard of their rooms, and on payout day instead of paying them £190 B&B, they gave them SIXTY....omg what a hoot. They were so angry over the negative comments on their place, they paid sixty pounds....said it was awful sub standard room.....

Now for me the producers should STOP that or not allow it, mind you it was an old one, as they had the more flamboyant plaque (which i prefer to be honest) for the winner.

Jeez I was shocked.

Yes, I saw that show yesterday. Strangely enough it didn't wind me up like the last two episodes have done. The couple who made the vast under-payment ran a B&B (more or less their family home opposite what looked like a chemical outlet on "the outskirts of Liverpool") obviously milked it for what it was worth, they said on camera they were not upset about the negative feedback, they had their regulars and they knew their "performance" wouldn't be attracting any new clients. They were seemingly on for their 15 minutes of fame? Of course their "criticisms" were ridiculous and should have not been allowed.

That said the real game-players were the first couple, who announced in the car on the way to the final venue that as the competition seemed so tight they would be making an underpayment, and this before they had even seen it! They knocked £5 off a lovely place, which thoroughly deserved the massive over-payment from another set of contestants, and were declared the winners. Yes, it was very annoying but the disastrous breakfast at the Liverpool establishment was surely a set-up? This is the sort of place which no doubt turns out truckers breakfast after truckers breakfast, how could they **** up an order for six? Talk about what can go wrong, will go wrong

I haaave nooooo I deaaaar what tyouuuur on about!

Remember the couple from The Highland Guesthouse in Callender, Scotland...? Tom and Angela. He played the bagpipes in the morning. They gave everyone top scores disguising the scant hints of criticism in the comments and then on payment day underpaid everyone and claimed their payments reflected their comments not their scores

Game players to the hilt. And smarmy Angela in the closing narrative said to the camera "Well it is a competition soooo....."

That really annoyed me.

Who could forget Tom and Angela .. Angela's smug face when she made the "well it is a competition comment .. " said it all.
The worst kind of game-players are the ones who say everything is "fine" "they slept well" "we love you all and will keep in touch". They seem to forget they are being filmed, what they are saying and their behaviour is forever committed to film and will be seen by up to a million viewers

Thank you, ewoodie! Looks like this weeks theme are dogs again. We've had hairs, then sausages and now it's dogs. SO, what's next? Fleas? We haven't had those yet, have we?

The bad websites are annoying me. They look like they were designed using a brick. These days you have so many options of having a free websites or hosted ones for a small amount of money, that are user and eye friendly, well designed and most importantly visually appealing (don't know about you, but I get put off by websites that look like they were made in 1900).

I remember them. Was their crime that there was a tiny chip on some painted furniture? When the ones that complained actually put them up in their private bedroom with all their belongings and a variety of badly done diy?