Duncan Bannatyne in online spat with 12-year-old boy, demands: 'Who do you think you are?'

Entrepreneur and Dragon's Den guru Duncan Bannatyne is facing an online backlash after confronting a 12-year-old boy over Twitter, demanding: "Who do you think you are?"

The 66-year-old, who recently appeared in ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, accused schoolboy Rocco Rose of being "rude".

Rocco, of Darfield in south Yorkshire, tweeted the businessman apparently thanking him for "inspiration" for a business idea, saying he had now taken up buying and selling items online.

But Bannatyne took his message as a "demand" for help and shot back that he "ignored" his first message - though later told another follower he simply hadn't seen it - and added: "Who do you think you are?"

He argued that use of the word "hey" was rude - but dozens of Twitter users replied, saying his treatment of the youngster had been "disappointing" and criticising his treatment of a young boy.

Rocco later explained that he only intended to thank Bannatyne for his advice and inspiration.

But things turned even uglier when Rocco's father apparently got involved, demanding Bannatyne apologise and challenging him to a charity boxing match when he refused.

Bannatyne said he had blocked them both.