TWO members of staff at a Lyth Valley hotel have become overnight celebrities after a documentary featuring the pair attracted 2.3 million viewers.

Episode one of fly-on-the-wall documentary series The Hotel filmed at the Damson Dene, Crosthwaite, was the most watched TV show on Channel 4 last week.

The show, which focused heavily on hotel manager Wayne Bartholome and Romanian assistant Amos Aschilean, was also Sunday night’s number one trending topic on Twitter in the UK and number two worldwide.

Mr Bartholomew, 48, of Porthcawl, in South Wales, was filmed helping a budding groom arrange a wedding proposal on the hotel’s garden bridge.

The no-nonsense manager has already made guest appearances on North West News, Granada News, and London radio and will soon appear on the Fern Britton Show and BBC Radio 4.

He said he had been shocked by the amount of attention the show had attracted.

“People are bonkers. Me and Amos have had women proposing on the Channel 4 website.

“Marry me? You must be joking.

“We decided to run with it. If I get a TV commercial for Cillit Bang I’ll be happy. Maybe I should have gone for more product placement.”

Mr Aschilean has been recognised by guests and residents alike, after the show focused on his early efforts to master English and learn the industry ropes.

The 25-year-old who alongside working at the Damson Dene is studying for his NVQ at Kendal College, said he was still apprehensive about the public response.

“I really tried hard to learn the language and learn the job,” said Mr Aschilean. “I don’t want people to be saying workers from abroad are clumsy or useless and not part of the community.”

Despite a growing female fan base, Mr Aschilean said he only had eyes for his Romanian girlfriend Florina Romarna, 21, who he has been seeing for more than two years.

Damson Dene’s owner Jonathan Denby said he was delighted by the show’s success. “We could not have asked for a better reception to the first show,” he said.

“This morning we’ve had a number of inquiries for bookings and weddings along with a constant stream of job inquiries.”

The second episode of The Hotel will air on Easter Sunday at 9pm, on Channel 4.

It features a marriage hosted at the venue, to fit in with Royal Wedding week.