Last year Emily and I spent two weeks filming for Channel Four's hit show "Four in a Bed." I had been asked several times over the previous couple of years whether we wanted to appear on the show, and I had always resisted. I'm not sure why I changed my mind, but I did, and we found ourselves a few months later driving up to an undisclosed location somewhere in Yorkshire for the first of the three visits we would make over the course of the two weeks of filming.
For those of you who don't know the show, the concept is fairly simple. Four B&B owners visit each other's establishments and rate them across a variety of criteria. At the end of the stay they must decide whether to pay the asking price for the room. The money is put into an envelope and the amounts paid by everyone are revealed on Payment Day - when everyone gathers to discuss the feedback and results.
Without giving anything away, it was an extraordinary couple of weeks. We were wired for sound and filmed from 7am to half past midnight. There is very little room for private discussion. We drove all over the country to visit the three other B&Bs. We had an incredibly stressful two days when it was time for the visit by everyone else to The Three Hills - it all had to be more than perfect! We made some great friends and had some wonderful experiences. We gained a real insight into the wierd world of reality TV. We put ourselves and our business out there for the world to see without knowing how we are going to be portrayed in the final cut. It's a terrifying prospect!
If you want to join us as we journey through Four in a Bed the series starts on Monday 20th March at 5pm on Channel Four and continues every night that week. Our visit is on Wednesday. Payment day - the day the sparks fly - is Friday. Enjoy!
