These self-promoting shows are just too common
You'd have thought aristocratic hotelier Tim Hadcock-Mackay had enough on his plate at the moment with the demise of Distinguished Hotels. You may remember that he was chairman of the hotel marketing association that went belly-up in April with debts of £1m.
Clearly unshaken by liquidation proceedings, and irate former employees demanding cash, Hadcock-Mackay has embarked on what the CTV Travel channel calls a "zany new TV series".
Mayhem At The Manor charts the eccentric antics of Hadcock-Mackay and partner Torquil Mackenzie-Buist as they turn their Nottinghamshire estate into a B&B. You can expect "tears, tantrums and tiaras", apparently.
The blurb continues: "Hadcock-Mackay can't stand vulgarity and loathes commoners." Ssshh! Don't tell ex-Distinguished employees.
The hallmarks of a caring employer (are all absent)
The Yes Dining company car mystery has been solved. Two weeks ago in this column, there was speculation that former commercial director Tony Cook first learned of his redundancy when a hire car turned up at his Swindon office to collect him, and he was asked to leave his company car, a blue Audi A6, behind.
Well, the reality is slightly more bizarre. Cook went to a meeting in Stratford, where he was handed an envelope and told that the contents would explain all - oh, and by the way, could they have his phone and laptop, as he wouldn't be needing them any more.
Cook persuaded them to let him drive his A6 home, and he parked it on his drive for 11 days before it was collected. Eleven days' car allowance was taken from his final wage packet for the privilege.
"Rules are rules," according to Yes chairman Frank Bell, who emphasised that Cook was treated "more than fairly", having received "a pile of cash" when he went.
So what about the Swindon car incident? Well, that actually happened to marketing manager Graham Miller while Cook was at the tête-à-tête in Stratford.
Yes Dining, you'll be glad to hear, has Investors in People status.