Ernest 'Ernie' Shuttleworth was the landlord of Beckindale's rival pub, The Malt Shovel. He was a fierce rival of Amos Brearly at The Woolpack and often proved to be a thorn in Amos' side. In a March 1975 episode Amos was on the phone to Ernie. Ernie first appeared later in the year but was not seen again until January 1984 and he proved to be a rival for Amos and one time when he was alone in the Woolpack bar for a few minutes he adjusted the clock to try and help Amos get done for having customers drink past the licensed closing time. Ernie's wife Doreen was seen in a 1984 episode. Ernie appeared sporadically from 1984 to 1999 often at cricket matches between the regulars of the Woolpack and The Malt Shovel. Ernie was last seen in August 1999.