B&B owner John Whitworth has been put under the spotlight in a TV show in which contestants picked apart every aspect of his business.

John, who runs The Edge Accommodation at Longwood Edge, faced stinging comments when he appeared on Channel 4’s Four in a Bed in which four pairs of B&B owners compete for the title of the best establishment.

Monday evening’s programme showed him dressing up as a ‘vampire hunter’ with cowboy-style pistols in hip holsters, topped off with a hat which appeared to have a snake’s skull on top.

John’s showman persona went down well with some contestants but not with others.

One contestant wrote: “Great host! Theatrical, quirky with a sprinkling of weird,” while another said John was fun and had a good sense of humour.

Video Loading

Others praised the clean carpets and tidy rooms - but friends Sally McAnulty and Teresa Shirley, who run Darwin Lake Holiday Village in Matlock, weren’t impressed.

As they approached John’s B&B on an overcast day, one of the women said: “It does seem a bit bleak but that could be the weather.”

After taking a look around the accommodation - priced at £98 per night including a full English - one of the ladies said: “He (John) freaks me out a little bit - I find him a strange chap.”

The women claimed they didn’t sleep due to an “awful smell” and The Edge Accommodation was then compared to Fawlty Towers amid claims the breakfast service was “rushed and panicky”.

Asked if they would visit again, all three contestants replied ‘no’.

John, who seemed to take the flak in his stride, said he was disappointed by the criticisms and accused the women critics of doing a “complete assassination on me”.

Contestants also claimed that six light bulbs needed changing and that bathrooms at The Edge “needed attention”. One claimed his room smelled of creosote or disinfectant.

John told the show that he was “flamboyant and outgoing” and enjoyed “living life as I like.”

He described the Longwood Edge property as a mixture of styles containing elements of Tudor, a hacienda, American ranch and an English farmhouse.

One of the male contestants wasn’t too sure what the interior styling was meant to be, commenting: “Wow, this is going to be quirky or weird. It’s a ranch-cum-granny’s house...”

After playing petanque outside the B&B, one contestant said they weren’t sure how to sum up John.

“I don’t know if he is a biker, a cowboy or a French boules player.”

* Watch the rest of the visits on Channel 4 at 5pm tonight and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The final show will see “tears, name calling and bitter rebukes”, according to Channel 4.