Torquay B&B wins Channel 4's Four in a Bed

A Torquay B&B has been crowned the winner of Channel 4’s Four in a Bed.

Estelle and Steve Barnes, owners of Stover Lodge, a bed and breakfast situated opposite Torre Station in Torquay, took part in the popular television show in September last year, with their episodes airing just a few weeks ago.

The couple are delighted to have won the show, despite the episodes now being removed from Channel 4 following controversy surrounding other contestants and subsequent viewer backlash.

Reflecting on the achievement, they said: “We take great pride in looking after our guests and making sure they enjoy their stay, so to receive this recognition means a great deal to us.”

The win is a hugely impressive achievement, particularly given that Estelle and Steve took part in the show just months after welcoming their first guests to the business.

The couple took on the B&B at the end of February 2025, with the first guests arriving in early March.

This decision was fuelled by the desire for a change of pace and the opportunity to spend more quality time together as a family.

They said: “We just wanted a change, didn’t we? Yeah, we got a bit fed up with the rat race.”

“Working long hours, we weren’t seeing our daughter grow up, she was always in breakfast clubs and after-school clubs and holiday clubs.”

Estelle added: “I lost a few members of my family as well.”

“We just thought life was a bit too short really, let's strike while the iron's hot because we'd always planned to retire by the sea one day.”

“So we thought, oh well, why don't we just get there now and then we'll just work before we retire.”

Since taking over Stover Lodge, the couple have loved the experience, despite the demands and stress it sometimes brings.

Steve works as the chef, preparing delicious breakfasts for guests, while Estelle looks after front of house, ensuring everything runs smoothly.

Alongside their recent success on Four in a Bed, Stover Lodge has also won the Travellers’ Choice ‘Best of the Best’ Award 2025 and voted as the 14th best B&B in the UK.

It was around April last year that the couple first began joking about appearing on the show, although they initially felt they should give themselves time to settle into running the B&B first.

However, Estelle explained that this plan quickly went out the window.

She said: “We had a few glasses one evening and thought let’s just do it, so I did and they rang at 8 o'clock the next morning!”

“They wanted to get us on initially as reserves for June last year but unfortunately we were chocka and we've got a daughter so we would have needed to sort her out, so we couldn't do that.”

“So we just had to say, ‘look, it's not gonna work for us’ and then we didn't hear anything, so we thought they're probably not going to bother with us again.”

However, this wasn’t the end of the road and the couple were delighted when Channel 4 got back in touch to ask if they could film in September.

Estelle said: “So we were like okay!”

“We filmed in September last year.”

Four in a bed is a competitive reality show where four sets of bed and breakfast, hotel, glamping, or inn owners take turns visiting and staying at each other's establishments over the course of a week.

The owners must provide their guests with somewhere to stay, breakfast and an activity.

After each stay, the guests secretly decide how much they think the accommodation is worth and pay what they believe is a fair price.

At the end of the week, the payments are revealed and the owner with the highest overall score and payment is crowned the winner.

Stover Lodge competed against the Sheep & Penguin in Wells, The Star in Narbeth and The Blue Lion in Cynwyd.

Estelle and Steve were the first to host their guests.

They said: “We were first and we were really nervous, we were like oh no we won’t know anybody.”

“We don't know if there's any awkward ones, but actually it was the best thing that could've happened, because once we'd had them stay overnight and leave we could relax into it and enjoy the rest of the process with no pressure.”

For their chosen activity, Estelle and Steve took their fellow contestants to popular Torbay attraction Kents Cavern, where they enjoyed a guided tour and learned about the fascinating history of the prehistoric caves.

The couple said: “I think everybody really enjoyed it!”

When it came to feedback, Estelle and Steve were thrilled with the other contestant’s positive verdict on Stover Lodge.

On payment day, the couple received two overpayments and one payment right on the nose, with their guests saying they would happily come back.

Although Steve and Estelle had worked out that they stood a good chance of winning, they said the moment their victory was announced still felt surreal.

They said: “When it was actually read out, I mean, I think we were both a bit gobsmacked.”

“It was still a bit of a ‘is this actually happening’ moment when they revealed who the winner was.”

“Especially because we hadn't been here very long either, we were sort of the newest I think out of everybody.”

“We were also the only guest house of the week, the other three were all pubs with rooms, so we were almost in a slightly separate market from them, so we just weren't sure how it was going to go.”

“So it was just nice really, it was a bit of encouragement that we must be doing something right!”

For Estelle and Steve, their experience on the show was really enjoyable, particularly taking part in the activities organised by the other contestants and exploring new parts of the UK.

Steve said: “When we went to South Wales and we were at the wildlife park, we actually got to go in and feed and sort of look after a rhino for a bit which was amazing.”

Estelle added: “I think for me, going to Wells and the cathedral there was amazing, it was steeped in history and getting the opportunity to go up where they don't normally take people was really good fun.”

The couple also reminisced on the fun they had with the other contestants, despite the tension that emerged between some of the other couples.

They said: “We were quite a good group and we had a good laugh together.”

“After a couple of visits there was some noticeable tension between certain people but thankfully from our perspective we didn’t really have any of that.”

They also looked back on watching the show for the first time and said: “It was really weird!”

Estelle added: “I was dreading watching myself back on TV, so I sort of had my hands across my head, but it was really fun!”

“It’s a once in a lifetime thing, it’s not something that you’re going to really get the chance to do again.”

Unfortunately, the episodes were later removed from Channel 4 following controversy surrounding two sibling contestants, who refused to pay their fellow competitors anything, sparking backlash from viewers.

Estelle and Steve admitted that having the episodes taken down had somewhat dampened the excitement surrounding their win.

The couple took 12 days away from the business to take part in filming, while friends and family were also left disappointed that they could no longer watch the episodes.

Estelle and Steve said: “It’s disappointing that it’s been pulled and no one’s going to be able to see it.”

“I mean, we didn’t do it to try and get famous.”

“We did it to try and get more business for ourselves out there, because Torbay is a massive tourist area and is saturated with guest houses and hotels and B&Bs and we just wanted something to help get us on the map.”

However, nonetheless, Estelle and Steve said they really enjoyed the whole process and are proud of this remarkable achievement so early on in their journey as B&B owners.

They added: “We’ve done it. We’ve been on it. We won the plaque.”

The iconic ‘Four in a Bed Winner’ plaque is proudly displayed in Stover Lodge’s entrance for guests to admire.

Those interested in visiting the award-winning B&B can choose from Stover Lodge's seven bright and comfortable en-suite rooms, with breakfast included in their stay.

Stover Lodge will reopen for the 2027 season on March 1.