He was interviewed live on BBC1's Breakfast News last Saturday as part of a feature on how seaside resorts are modernising.

During the broadcast he held up a copy of last week's Free Press, with the news that a marina was closer than ever, to highlight how Bridlington is looking to move forward.

Bob said: "Apparently, it has been a huge success.

"The Tourist Information Centre called me the next day to say they had been inundated with requests for brochures on Bridlington.

"The feature was about how seaside resorts need to diversify but we don't.

"You have to expand on what you have got, not change, otherwise you will alienate people who come here on a regular basis.

"If you say you want to go upmarket they think 'are we not good enough for Bridlington any more?'"

Mr Hillery only got a call asking him to appear on the show at 2.45pm last Friday and within a couple of hours he was on a train heading down to London.

He stayed at a 5-star hotel, where breakfast alone was £28 per person, and pointed out on air that for the price of his London room for one night, two people could stay a week at his hotel – The Spinnaker, in Pembroke Terrace.

Bob gave two interviews in the studio with presenters Charlie Stayt and Susanna Reid.

"They were absoultely brilliant and made me feel at ease.

"I've done local TV, when I was president of the hotel association, and many interviews on Radio Humberside, but not national TV."

His appearance was watched all over the globe and several viewers e-mailed or sent text messages to say they had stayed at Bob's hotel in the past and had had a wonderful time.

The Free Press' TV appearance was all down to Bob's wife Carole, who packed a copy in his bag before he dashed off.

She said: "He had a few things in his bag and I said 'here, take this' and gave him the Free Press.

"He said 'I've already read it' but I told him that if he got the chance he should hold it up and show it on TV."