THE owners of a popular village pub and B&B have been left feeling "so happy and proud" after winning a much-loved television show.

Richard Prior, 35, and his wife Colleen, 36, are the landlords at The Court House, in Great Bromley, which last Wednesday featured on Channel 4’s Four In A Bed. 

The show sees a quartet of B&Bbed and breakfast owners take turns in staying at each other’s establishments, before they rate certain aspects of their experience.

Towards the end of each episode the guests pay only what they deem to be an acceptable amount for their stay before an overall winner is eventually crowned.

In the episode in which the couple featured, Richard became emotional after receiving highly positive reviews, with all three guests giving ‘10’ ratings and ultimately judging the venue to be “excellent” value for money.

Richard and Collen “really impressed” their guests, with all three couples saying they would stay again.

The guests were particularly impressed with their “exceptional” breakfast, which Richard and Collen have always championed for its high quality, locally sourced produce.

The food was described as “cooked to perfection,” “delicious,” and “incredible”.

The other candidates were immediately charmed by the quaint and calming bedrooms, which offer a variety of teas and biscuits, as well as the “spotless” cleanliness.

Richard and Colleen showed themselves to be an excellent team who enjoy plenty of laughter together.

They were also described as “inspirational” after Richard shared his lifelong passion for the business.

In the final episode, which aired on Friday, the couple were announced as the overall winners, with Richard being deeply moved when receiving the feedback.

One couple gave The Court House full payment, while the other two couples were so impressed they actually overpaid, which gave them a final bill average of 128 per cent. 

“I’m so happy, and so proud he’s my husband,” Colleen said when they won. 

The couple was asked to feature on the show by Channel 4 bosses last year.

Richard said: “Both of us were blown away and a little bit nervous.
“But because we’ve got such high standards, we knew we were going to be okay.”

Richard is no stranger to hospitality. His mother and father used to run the Court House’s sister pub, the Wooden Fender, before he took over for eight years.

The Court House, which Richard said, “has got a very, very good reputation already, even though we’ve only been open two years”, is currently ranked fourth on Trip Advisor out of 287 restaurants in and around Colchester.

The recently renovated venue offers rooms for £99 a night, including breakfast, with the episode Richard and Colleen’s Court House is available to watch on My4.