Success bedding in after TV show win

A HOTEL in Market Bosworth has shot to national fame after winning Channel 4’s Four in a Bed.

The Dixie Arms has had a sudden burst of trade since appearing on the show last month, when owner Alex McDonald impressed her fellow contestants with her cosy rooms, cellar function room and knowledge of the Battle of Bosworth.

The television show sees four B&B owners stay at each other’s places over the course of the week, with the best host chosen at the end.

Ms McDonald wowed the others with her passion for her pub hotel, where she has worked for more than 15 years, becoming the manager and eventually buying the venture from the previous owners in 2012. She said of winning the competition: “For once I am speechless.

“I absolutely loved my time on Four in a Bed and would like to thank all the other contestants and production team for being amazing.

“We had such a laugh.”

The hostess took the other contestants for a trip on the heritage Battlefield Line Railway, telling them about the discovery of the remains of Richard III in 2015, when there was a procession through the town as part of the ceremonies for his reinterment.

The feedback forms from the visitors described Ms McDonald as “confident”, “outgoing”, and “welcoming”, with two of them giving her 10 out of 10 for her hosting skills.

She is originally from Whitley Bay and in her younger years was an 100m sprinter, which she had to give up after an injury.

All three groups said they would definitely stay at The Dixie Arms again.

Another hotel in the town, the B&B at Number 3, also recently appeared on the show, coming second in their edition.

You can watch Ms McDonald on Four in a Bed, on the Channel 4 website or on catch-up.