You have to hand it to those who lay bare their lives for our entertainment on TV.

Last week it was the turn of the Freedman brothers, inheritors of their grandfather’s curtain business Alf Onnie, who exposed themselves to the formidable scrutiny of Alex Polizzi in BBC2’s The Fixer.

The hotelier, who offers tips to struggling enterprises, convinced them to make over their East Ham store.
It was after showing the crew a traditioinal Friday night dinner that “they really loved us and wanted to film our business,” said Lawrence Freedman, co-owner with bros Kevin and Jeremy.

The five months’ filming was “at times fun and at times a pain in the backside”, he admitted. But it seems to have been worth it. “The programme has brought a lot of people to us,” he said. “We have received emails and calls from all around the country.”