Bargain Hunt

Not to be confused with Bargain Hunters.

Bargain Hunt
Bargain Hunt logo (Series 24 onwards)
Starring	David Dickinson (2000–2004) Tim Wonnacott (2003–present)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	39 (Completed)
No. of episodes	1,076 (as of 11 April 2014)
Production
Running time	30/45/60 minutes
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	13 March 2000 (2000-03-13) – present

Bargain Hunt is a British television programme in which two pairs of contestants are challenged to buy antiques at a fair and then sell them in an auction for a profit. It has aired on BBC One since 13 March 2000 in a daytime version and from 22 August 2002 to 13 November 2004 in a primetime version. David Dickinson began as host of the daytime version and went on also to present the primetime version. Tim Wonnacott has presented the daytime version since 2003. Several episodes recorded in late 2014 were presented by Anita Manning, Charlie Ross, Christina Trevanion, Natasha Raskin, Charles Hanson, and Paul Laidlaw whilst Wonnacott took part in the BBC 1 entertainment programme Strictly Come Dancing.

Format

Bargain Hunt has undergone various format and rule changes since it premiered in 2000. Most episodes are 45 minutes in length, though 30-minute versions and one-hour "live" editions have also been produced.

Two teams – designated the "Reds" and the "Blues" – compete. Each team has two members, who wear matching tops that correspond to their team's colour. The contestants in most episodes are members of the public, though some shows feature teams of celebrity players instead. At the beginning of the show, each team is given a set amount of money with which to purchase antiques. The objective is to find items that will earn the team a profit when later sold at auction. Each team is accompanied by an antiques trade expert, though it is the contestants' decision whether to heed the advice given by their expert. After the contestants have completed their purchases and presented them to the host, home viewers are shown a "what the auctioneer thinks" segment in which the auctioneer appraises the buys and gives the auction estimate. At the auction, as each item is sold, the host compares the auction sale price to the price originally paid by the team, with the difference being either subtracted from or added to the team's total. If the final total shows a profit, the team receives that profit in cash; otherwise, the team receives nothing. The profit/loss does not take into account commission (buyers' premium) or VAT. Which actually makes the results totally unreal and misleading for people wishing to dabble in auctions.

The show is punctuated by footage of the host visiting a place of historical interest, such as a stately home or museum, and talking about the items housed there. Occasionally, the show featured phone-in competitions for home viewers, but these were discontinued following a general review of phone-in competitions by the BBC in 2008.

In the early David Dickinson-era episodes, teams were given £200 each, and could buy as many or as few items as they liked within the hour given to wander around a trade fair. The item rule was later changed so that teams have to buy three items. After Tim Wonnacott became host, the money was increased to £300, and a new feature called the "swap item" was introduced. Each expert chose an item of their own, and the team could replace one of their own choices with the "swap item" if they wished to. The host, when offering the option to a team, would often ask, "Swap or No Swap?" Originally, the experts were given an unspecified amount of money to buy the extra item; the rule was later changed so that the experts could only use whatever money was left of the team's £300 budget (the remaining money was referred to by Wonnacott as the "leftover lolly"). Under the revised rule, if a team used its entire budget, the expert could not choose a "swap item."

The "swap" rule was changed again in 2006 (Series 14), becoming the "bonus buy." The expert is still given any "leftover lolly" to buy this bonus item, which is entered into the auction. Just after the auction of their own items, and before that of the bonus item, teams must decide whether the auction results of the bonus item should be added to their own auction lots. Teams can potentially add to their profit with the bonus item, but it can also subtract from a team's earnings if it loses money.

An alternative bonus item called "Tim's Ton" was purchased by Tim Wannacott for less than a £100 (a ton), which seems to be only on offer if they reject the expert's item was used for a while but no longer forms part of the game. It seems that rejecting both items wasn't an option.

On average, the majority of contestants' items lose money: the teams are paying retail prices at fairs, whereas auction prices are generally lower. Large profits are fairly rare, though it is not particularly unusual for contestants to take home a small profit. Teams achieving the difficult feat of earning a profit on all three items are awarded a "golden gavel"; originally a wooden trophy, but latterly a lapel pin.

Items are entered in auctions without reserve, so almost always sell. In the rare event that an item is left unsold, the team used to get to keep the item but this is no longer the case. In 2007, the BBC admitted that parts of the show are 'reconstructed', the prices paid for items are negotiated off-camera and the contestants buying them 'act out' the purchase, and that the hour-long search for bargains is also a 're-construction'.

Bargain Hunt Famous Finds

Bargain Hunt
Starring	Tim Wonnacott
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	20
Production
Running time	45 minutes
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	1 December 2008 (2008-12-01) – 3 April 2009 (2009-04-03)

A separate celebrity version of the show premiered on 1 December 2008 on BBC Two featuring team pairs made up of one well-known personality accompanied by a friend or family member. The show is presented by Tim Wonnacott and the format is the same as the main show but Wonnacott's visit to see an antiques collection or stately home is replaced by a feature where each celebrity contestant discusses antiques with him. Wonnacott might show them a borrowed collection of antiques brought along for the show that he believes would interest the celebrity (this may be related to the occupation of the celebrity), and in turn the celebrity shows Wonnacott an antique or collectable belonging to themselves. There is no suggestion of what to do with any profit if the teams make any, but most decide to give it to charity. Series 2 began on 30 March 2009 and ended on 3 April 2009.

Celebrity contestants

Series 1	Series 2
Dame Kelly Holmes and Sally Gunnell OBE	Sir Henry Cooper and Geoff Capes
Lembit Öpik MP and Edwina Currie	Tony Blackburn and Alvin Stardust
Helen Lederer and Bobby Davro	Johnny Ball and Eddie Large
Ruth Badger and Tamara Beckwith	Gary Rhodes and Brian Turner
Jilly Goolden and Theo Paphitis	Janet Ellis and Valerie Singleton
Connie Fisher and Ian 'H' Watkins	Christopher Timothy and Lysette Anthony
Julian Clary and Matthew Cottle	Janice Long and Mike Read
Rakie Ayola and Charles Dale	Toyah Willcox and Kiki Dee
Keith Chegwin and Sally James	Dennis Taylor and Willie Thorne
Ricky Groves and Jilly Cooper	Vanessa Feltz and Nicki Chapman

History

Originally a daytime show when launched in 2000 with game host David Dickinson. Later a primetime version, hosted by Dickinson, was also made (2002–2004), which was similar to the daytime show except that the teams' budget was increased to £500. It was on this version of the show that the record was set for the greatest profit earned on Bargain Hunt. A team led by Michael Hogben purchased a Royal Worcester box at Ardingly Fair for £140; the item made £800 in the live primetime auction.

When Dickinson gave up the daytime show to concentrate on the primetime version, his place was taken by Tim Wonnacott, an antiques expert already well-known to UK viewers as a long-standing expert on the Antiques Roadshow.

In April 2005 it was announced that the primetime version of Bargain Hunt had been axed; however the daytime version continued. Reruns of the daytime version (from the Dickinson era) also appear on BBC Entertainment and BBC America.

The show occasionally features well-known contestants, such as 'Allo 'Allo! stars Gorden Kaye and Sue Hodge.

The show airs on the Australian Foxtel and Austar cable television channel, Lifestyle, at 6.30 pm weekdays. The show also airs on the Seven Network's digital station 7Two (Prime's 7Two, in Regional Areas), weekdays at 11am and 6.30pm.

Following the death of David Barby on 25 July 2012, the programme paid tribute to him by showing a montage of clips featuring his appearances on the show and this was broadcast on 1 October 2012.

500th programme and 10th anniversary specials

On 15 October 2007, the 500th show was broadcast. This show differed from a normal show in that both teams were made up of experts – the red team featured David Barby and Philip Serrell (described as the "old" team), while the blue team featured Kate Bliss and Charles Hanson (deemed the "young" team); the "bonus items" were purchased by Tim Wonnacott himself. The teams were given £500 to spend, rather than the usual £300, with any profits going to charities chosen by the team members. The red team made a profit of £245, beating the blue team's break-even.

The show also featured out-takes and memorable clips from previous shows.

The programme marked its tenth anniversary on air with a week of special editions broadcast between 15 and 19 March 2010. These followed a similar format to the 500th episode, except that the teams were given only the usual £300 to buy items, with a separate £100 per team allotted for the bonus items.

Transmissions

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
18	15 October 2007	23 November 2007	25
19	11 February 2008	17 March 2008	24
20	21 April 2008	13 June 2008	24
21	1 September 2008	17 October 2008	24
22	19 January 2009	19 February 2009	24
23	8 June 2009	6 October 2009	32
24	26 October 2009	5 January 2010	32
25	18 January 2010	19 March 2010	32
26	10 May 2010	28 July 2010	32
27	6 September 2010	9 December 2010	32
28	3 January 2011	7 April 2011	32
29	9 May 2011	21 July 2011	32
30	26 September 2011	23 December 2011	40
31	2 January 2012	22 March 2012	32
32	28 May 2012	29 November 2012	32
33	2 January 2013	13 March 2013	32
34	8 April 2013	28 June 2013	32
35	1 July 2013	16 September 2013	32
36	20 September 2013	15 January 2014	30
37	17 January 2014	4 August 2014	32
—	28 April 2014	25 August 2014	15
38	19 May 2014	12 September 2014	32
39	17 September 2014	16 January 2015	32
40	19 January 2015	5 May 2015	32
41	11 May 2015	TBC	32

Experts

4

Past experts

4

External links

• Bargain Hunt at BBC Online
• Bargain Hunt at BBC Online
• Bargain Hunt at IMDb
• Bargain Hunt at UKGameshows.com