Beth Doherty
Five episodes of Four in a Bed featuring a Salisbury cottage will be repeated on Channel Four this weekend.
In September 2020, Eddie and Karen Deighton were scouted for the TV program which sees the battle of the B&Bs as four bed and breakfast owners compete to prove their home from home is the best value for money.
The owners take their turn to visit each other’s B&Bs, before deciding the amount they’d pay for a night’s stay.
Located in the Woodford Valley, Finch cottage is just a stone’s throw away from the world heritage site of Stonehenge and sits in the beautiful countryside that surrounds Wilsford cum Lake.
Speaking to Love Salisbury about their appearance on the show Eddie said, “We are both big fans of the show and every time we watch it we wonder what it would be like if we were on the program and what people would think of our B&B.
“Karen said she would love to go on the show, and I said if they approached us potentially yes,” added Eddie.
Lo and behold about two weeks later, Four in a Bed were researching for B&Bs in Salisbury and asked Finch Cottage to appear on the show.
Eddie and Karen really enjoyed their time on the show and said it is something they would definitely do again.
“Obviously they edit the footage to show little heated moments and things like that but overall it was an amazing experience. The camera crew were great, and you never really felt like you were working – there was always lots to talk about and do during the two weeks of filming.”
With other B&B owners critiquing their stay at the Finch Cottage, Eddie said they learnt a lot from their experience.
“You do come away looking at what you offer and whether there are ways you can improve. We certainly have taken on board some of the criticism that was given to us on the show and changed the ways we approach things, such as items in the bedroom and improvements on the tea and coffee making facilities. There’s always room to fine-tune!”
Eddie and Karen launched their B&B in February 2019. It was a completely new venture for the couple who run the B&B as a secondary business. Usually, Karen works as an equity release advisor and Eddie is a graphic designer by trade who has been working in the Salisbury area for the past 11 years.
In 2013, the couple were evacuated from the house for a year and a half as a result of flooding.
“We lost everything on that side of the cottage that we were renovating because it wasn’t insured for flood, just fire because it was a building site.
“All our investment in the property was lost, so we thought turning it into a B&B would be a good way to generate some additional income to finish the property off. All the bookings that we have through the cottage now, all the money goes towards finishing off the renovations,” added Eddie.
You can see Finch Cottage on Four in a Bed tomorrow (Saturday 8th January 2022) on Channel 4 from 1pm.
Andy Munns
