Price of a pint in ‘bargain bucket’ pub sparks TV show row
A PUB in Whitworth has taken part in Channel 4 series Four in a Bed, with the price of their beers causing a stir.
Owner Steve Butterworth and manager Georgia Pinder appeared on behalf of the Sportsman in Whitworth.
In the village, visitors are able to stay in one of the pub’s four rooms for £50 per night, including breakfast.
Affectionally calling it a “bargain bucket pub”, the pair say it’s “cheap and cheerful” but you get what you need. The pub sits on Market Street and is described as “old school”, decorated with football memorabilia and flags. Upstairs, the family rooms are spacious and offer double beds as well as bunk beds too. In true Four in a Bed style, once the other competitors and guests were shown to their rooms, they started forensically searching underneath cushions and on skirting boards for any signs of dust.
Unfortunately for the Sportsman, specks of dirt were found on the toilet seat and the toilet brush was branded as “a bit gross”.
Owner Steve talked about his background and what led him to run the Whitworth watering hole.
He told his guests he used to race 500CC motorbikes until suffering an accident, in which he hit a fence and rolled over.
He lost his leg in the accident.
After working at the pub for 16 years, he said: “This place is my life. I’ve always said I’ll drop dead behind that bar.”
Taking advantage of their location, the Four in a Bed group took part in water skiing.
Despite Steve’s injury, he explains he found out about the activity in an advert during his rehabilitation.
Wanting “the adrenaline back”, he took part in the sport and even skied the English Channel and managed to obtain a World Record in the process.
Dubbing it the “best breakfast in the county,”
the next morning saw visitors trying out the Sportsman’s breakfast, which includes an offer of a Full English and pint for £10.
Expectations were high, but it seemed to go down well with the guests, as
most of them had high praise for their food.
However, confusion occurred around the pint, as Steve informed his guests they needed to pay for their tipples separately.
One guests even called this “a little bit of a shock and I think, slightly unfair.” At the end of the episode, scores and feedback were given by the guests, which was largely positive, scoring 9s and 10s. However, some pointed out grouting and mould issues in the shower and others downgraded the Sportsman over the breakfast and pint confusion.
In the end, only one of three couples wrote they’d stay at the pub again.