A Harpenden entrepreneur has gone all the way to victory, being crowned the first winner of Channel 4's hit show Double the Money.

Natalie O'Brien and her partner Jack Visick made it through five gruelling rounds to reach the final, before sealing victory in Thursday night's grand final.

Natalie and Jack won the final with their new coffee brand Need, which is now launched as a fully fledged business.

The pair watched the final air from their first physical location in East Sussex, an experience Natalie described as "overwhelming".

She said: "It was a surreal moment watching the show air with our friends and family, knowing our brand won and now has it's first venue.

"It was such an intense three months of filming but it was all worth it, our hard work and determination seeing us beat 13 teams, beating our nearest competitors by £8,000."

The show's format borrows a little from The Apprentice, pitting hungry entrepreneur's against each other in pursuit of a grand prize. The stakes are raised each week, with contestants starting with £250 and then having to, as the name suggests, double their money, week on week. 

The pair impressed throughout the competition, winning round two in impressive fashion. Host Sue Perkins announced: "Our winning couple didn't just double, or triple, or even quadruple... they centupled their money."

Describing the inspiration behind the brand Natalie said: "In our careers we have tasted, served and met over a lot of coffee. We know what it's like to feel like you're living in a whirlwind. We created Need to combat this, a coffee brand for people like us."

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Natalie and Jack's victory comes as part of a great year for St Albans and Harpenden on the small screen, with local success on Britain's Got Talent and Race Across The World in 2024.

As well as the East Sussex shop, Need is now live online, with special discounts to celebrate the owners' victory.

Their website and products can be found at https://www.needdrinks.com/,