An award winning Southport guest house will take centre stage on the iconic Four in a Bed TV series this week!
The Stamford, which was recently awarded runner-up in the B&B / Guest House Of The Year category at the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards, will appear in the first show on Channel 4 from 5pm this evening (Monday, 22 March) before appearances every night in the series.
The first four nights will see each of the four competing guest houses featured before the final night on Friday will see contestants deciding how much they think a visit to each venue is worth, before an overall winner is crowned.
The filming took place last September, with the production crew arriving during scorching temperatures.
As their activity, the contestants who were visiting The Stamford, hosted by owners Sarah and Ricky Blaney, enjoy some golf with a twist – using footballs – at Southport Footgolf.
Kieron Lovelady from Southport Footgolf said:
“It was a great experience and I was made up when we got the call to be a part of it!
“It was the first time I’d met Sarah and Ricky.
“They were both very nice people so I can imagine they would be excellent hosts!
“We would like to wish all the best to them.
“We hope they go on and win it, and fly the flag for Southport!”
The Stamford, on Bath Street, is used to welcoming families from all over the world. Situated on England’s ‘Golf Coast’, it is well placed for people who love to play a few rounds on some of the finest courses in Britain. The guest house even has a dedicated golf room, where guests can charge their buggies and store their clubs.
Sarah and Ricky Blaney hope they score a hole in one and leave the three other contestants bunkered when the series airs this week.
Sarah said:
“We thought that appearing on Four in a Bed would be a great way of flying the flag for Southport and to show what we have to offer at The Stamford so we said ‘yes, let’s do it’. Hopefully the programme shows off our beautiful town really well.
“Appearing on Four in a Bed was a really fun experience, we enjoyed it.
“Off camera, it was a good laugh. It was great being with the film and production crew but most importantly we got on really well with the people at the three other featured venues. We are in constant touch and we value their friendship.
“On camera it is quite intense. We were filming long hours and obviously none of us are used to that type of activity.”
Four in a Bed is a popular Channel 4 TV series which sees B&B owners take turns to stay with each other as they compete to be crowned best hosts. The show involves B&B owners taking turns to stay with one another and pay what they consider fair for their stay after giving feedback. The winner is the establishment named best value for money.
The competing venues in the show alongside The Stamford were all very different.
Sarah said: “There was a glamping site in Derbyshire and two traditional pubs in Yorkshire with rooms above them, whereas we are a self check-in, guest house in Southport which doesn’t serve breakfast. We all have different strengths.”
The production crew chose a good time to visit The Stamford for filming.
Southport – of course – is always sunny but when the TV cameras arrived in September, it was during particularly warm weather under deep blue skies.
Sarah said:
“The sun was out and Southport was looking really good when they filmed!
“The Stamford is famous for welcoming golf enthusiasts and Southport is iconic for being at the heart of ‘England’s Golf Coast’, which has 12 of the finest golf courses in the UK.
“Initially we were going to film at the crazy golf course in King’s Gardens, but the Elvis impersonator singing at a nearby cafe wouldn’t stop singing while we were filming! So we then went to Southport Footgolf next to Southport Pier instead. They were brilliant with us.”
When the show airs this month the eyes of the UK will be on Sunny Southport – and Sarah is feeling very anxious.
She revealed: “The Four in a Bed viewing figures are gigantic! Their social media pages have thousands of fans.
“When we were filming, people who saw the cameras kept asking me what they were for. When I told them, they all said ‘Four in a Bed is my favourite show’!
“I am absolutely dreading seeing the final edited version! I am not sure if I will be able to watch it. I hate attention in any way, being on TV is like my worst nightmare.
“I might ask a friend to watch it for me, they can tell me what’s happening…”
Who will end up holding aloft the trophy at the Four in a Bed 18th green this March? You’ll have to watch the series to find out…
- Four in a Bed, featuring The Stamford guest house in Southport, will be screened on Channel 4 over five evenings from 22 March 2021, from 5pm.
● For more details about The Stamford, on Bath Street in Southport town centre, please email: stamford@sleepenjoy.co.uk or call: 01704627061 or visit: thestamfordsouthport.com