For fans of , the thrill lies in the unexpected discoveries – hidden treasures worth a small fortune, or a seemingly valuable piece revealed to be a replica. But what happens behind the scenes when the cameras stop rolling? A volunteer who worked on the show recently shared their firsthand experience on social media.
One of the most pressing questions from curious fans was how long contestants actually spent searching for items and whether or not they “mock bartering for the cameras”. According to the volunteer, the contestants are timed with a stopwatch.
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A Bargain Hunt volunteer has revealed one big issue on the show (Image: BBC)
The revealed: “We had an hour that a runner has a stop watch to keep track of. Time was paused for retakes and interactions with the crew. Bartering actually happened but a lot of time was the crew interacting with vendors that did or did not want to be on camera. Some of them didn’t want their stuff on camera too so we couldn’t buy it.”
It comes after Breakfast presenter Jon Kay and took part in a one-off episode of the show to mark its 25-year anniversary. A clip of the two presenters was shown on the morning show on Tuesday (March 11) which showcased their bargaining skills and ability to spot a good product.
Jon presented the episode and was joined by Bargain Hunt favourite Tim Weeks, who helped Jon and Sally as they searched for antiques and one-off items. The broadcaster picked up a dinky toy car priced at £129 and a tea caddy set for £40.
Meanwhile, Sally was much more reserved with her budget, selecting a coffee grinder for £19 and a large tea pot from the Queen’s Golden Jubilee for just £5. Tim was impressed by Sally’s buys, branding her teapot a “really good buy” as she revealed she’d managed to negotiate the price.
Tim said about Jon and Sally: “Well, very different approaches, I would say. Jon’s left it all out on the table. He’s gone big, I like his style. He obviously watches Bargain Hunt because he asked to get that extra pound off. He has got a good game plan there.
“Sally, though, is in it to win it! I really think there’s a golden gavel coming that way.” Back on Breakfast, Jon and Sally reflected on their Bargain Hunt debut, with Jon seemingly regretting his approach to the task.
He admitted to his co-stars: “We’re going to auction it later today. I think I’ve made some terrible mistakes” as Sally pointed out: “I think you were really competitive and took it really seriously. I thought we were just going to have fun and a lovely day out. You want to win, clearly!”
As Jon agreed he is competitive, Sally added: “I just giggled all day. I clearly just didn’t take it seriously enough. Also, I was very frugal. You blew the budget, I was very careful. I was being cautious with other people’s money.”
“Oh, Sally! Don’t emotionally blackmail me!” Jon quipped as the pair chuckled at their remarks. The co-hosts revealed their items were due to be auctioned on Tuesday, and teh scenes would air during Wednesday’s (March 12) episode of Breakfast.