Inspector brings out a strange love in me DARRYL

THE HOTEL INSPECTOR

(Channel 5)

I’m a big fan of Alex Polizzi but at the end of the 11th series of The Hotel Inspector last year I did hold fears for its future.

After all, there must be a limit to the number of shoddy gaffs in need of Alex’s help.

But this is an industry that just keeps on failing or, as Alex put it herself: “Never assume you’ve seen it all.”

Alex was in Redditch, near Birmingham, to spend a few days overseeing the goings-on at The Blue Inn.

Also keeping a watchful eye was the hotel’s owner, Caroline, who viewed everything on carefully placed CCTV cameras from her office in Paris.

This Big Brother approach made things difficult for manager Donna, a workaholic who wore many hats in the hotel (head chef, restaurant manager, cleaner and more).

Alex didn’t think The Blue Inn needed a bomb dropping on it, just some changes to the menu in the restaurant to reflect its regular clientele of workmen and contractors and for Donna to learn to love to delegate more of her duties.

But then news came through that camerawoman Caroline had seen enough from behind her desk in France and was considering an offer to sell the hotel.

So Alex and Donna hopped on Eurostar and presented Caroline with a plan to turn things around.

She gave them six weeks to put the changes in place and, before you could say “oui madame” The Blue Inn was running at full capacity.

But Caroline sold up anyway.

Oh well, they’ll always have Paris.

l While The X Factor hunts for another set of judges, a word of praise for the panel passing judgement on Britain’s Got Talent, who all bring something to the table and help make the programme what it is.