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.
The fate of Ernie is not known but he is either retired or dead as a Warren Shuttleworth runs the pub, and he is probably Ernie's son.