The owners of a B&B just over the Derbyshire border have been left upset after their rivals on Channel 4 show Four in a Bed criticised their pub's cleanliness and breakfast. Dean Munday and his daughter Abby run the popular Crown Inn, Heanor, and filmed for the reality TV show in February 2022.
Dean is an ex-professional ballroom dancer who appeared on Come Dancing with Angela Rippon in 1988. He began running the pub a year before filming, taking over from his mum, DerbyshireLive reports.
Speaking alongside Abby, he said: “We are best friends [but] I’m the boss because I know better”. And Abby agreed, adding: “Yeah, he is.”
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There are five rooms in the inn, costing £75 a night, with an extra £7.95 per person charge for breakfast. Dean, who has been a professional chef for 15 years, said: “When we take people into a room they say ‘wow, we didn’t expect this’. It’s good value, you should charge more - at least 10 or 20 pounds more”
But he did admit they had had “trouble” with the fact there are traffic lights “right outside the front door”. He explained: “People in the cars they’re pipping all the time, and that can be one of the headaches here.”
The Channel 4 show saw owners of Orchard Glamping in Lancashire, Becky and Tom Richardson, visit the B&B. They checked into a “lovely, snug and modern” room, but commented on its creaky “spacious” cupboard doors.
Tom joked: “It sounds like me in the morning.” But the couple were pleased with their “compact” shower room with everything they needed.
Regarding the view, Tom said: “We’re looking at a brick wall. It’s just not what we’re used to.” And Becky wasn't happy with cracks in the wall, saying: “This is tired, could have put a bit of polyfilla in the walls.”
Terry and Rachel Christie, who own Manor House Inn in Northumberland, also stayed, and said they were “expecting big things” because of Dean's time as a professional chef. Rachel said of her room: “It looks nice but I expected more.”
The pair found dust on the windowsill, in the bathroom, and on the ceiling light – which looked like it had “never been cleaned”. There was also a suspicious-looking piece of brown material in the toilet and the room was “red hot”, leading Terry to suspect the building's boiler was in their room.
Another couple, Tony and Paula, had to leave the competition, but the remaining contestants enjoyed a rainy day out at the now-closed Belper North Mill museum, with their guide Barry.
Dean said: “The atmosphere (on the programme) has been really good. We’ve been having fun and having a laugh.”
However, Tom had been unhappy with some of the comments he and Becky had received from Dean and Abby, saying he had a “mix of emotions”. He added: “We felt that Dean and Abby’s feedback was unfair and inaccurate but we’ve got to rise above these things sometimes.”
Back at The Crown, Dean said he had a “good relationship” with Abby and they “really get on well together”. He said: “We do find we get stressed sometimes with each other […] but I always win in the end.” To which Abby responded: “He wishes.”
Dean explained that he had owned the pub for a year (at the time of filming in February 2022) after his mum had run it previously with her partner. He said: “It was going to shut, I just said 'we can’t let it shut'.”
It has been refurbished and is “doing well”, and Dean says a lot of customers tell him: “You should be charging more, Dean.” However, Becky said she felt the charge for the room she stayed in was “over the odds a little bit”.
Becky and Tom struggled to sleep due to the road noise and Becky said she felt like someone was watching her all night because of a safety light above their bed. Meanwhile, Terry said the traffic noise was “unbearable, non-stop”, and Rachel added: “I literally think it is the noisiest road I’ve ever slept in.”
But in the morning, Dean was confident he could win his guests over with his breakfast, which he said “is a ten out of ten”. Guests can help themselves to a full English, except for eggs which are cooked how guests like them.
The other B&B owners were impressed by the sausages but felt the poached eggs were runny and the black pudding fell apart. The mushrooms were also criticised as “really greasy” and Becky thought her salt pot and plate were sticky. She said: “At the end of the day if it’s going in my mouth, I want it to be clean.”
“Friendly” hosts Dean and Abby were awarded tens across the board for their hosting skills, but they didn't do so well when it came to cleanliness. The facilities were described as “fine” but the views were “not great”.
Both other couples also rated sleep quality poorly as they “didn't get a wink” due to the road noise. And both said they would not return following the “disappointing breakfast”.
Dean and Abby were pleased with the high host scores but “really disappointed” with the low ratings for cleanliness. Dean said: “That room has been absolutely fettled.”
The father and daughter duo also said they “can't help the road” and if the room was hot, they “could have just turned the radiator off on the regulator”. Dean also complained that he “couldn't believe” the breakfast ratings as he knew “everything was cooked to perfection”.
He said the eggs were “perfect” as he slammed the “disgusting” comments. He then reassured Abby that it may be “a bit upsetting but we know we’re champions around here”.
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