CONTESTANTS who appear on the BBC’s much-loved Bargain Hunt might get a lot more than they bargained for behind-the-scenes.
For over two decades, the show has been bringing the thrills of antique hunting to viewers – but behind the speedy shopping trips and fast-paced auctions, backstage is quite different.
Bargain Hunt contestants and presenters[/caption]
Time has to be paused for retakes while filming the show[/caption]
The long-running BBC show, which has had its fair share of controversy over the years, is not quite so off-the-cuff as it seems, reveals an insider.
While up-against-the-clock contestants battle to bag the best deals in hope of selling them on for a profit at auction, in reality it has to be a little less impromptu.
A volunteer on the show told Mail Online: “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.”
They continued: “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.”
Tributes have poured in for a Bargain Hunt star who died just hours after filming for the BBC show.
Stuart Withers appeared in an episode of the hit antiques programme broadcast on Friday, March 21.
Stuart appeared alongside presenter Charlie Ross and experts Tim Weeks and Philip Serrell in the recent episode – filmed in Shepton Mallet.
However, the BBC show later confirmed that Stuart had sadly died shortly after the recording.
Stuart appeared in the episode to assist the Blue Team as they looked to spend their last £75 on a hidden gem.
First airing on BBC One in 2000, Bargain Hunt sees two pairs of contestants tasked with buying antiques from a shop or fair and then try to make a profit at auction.
It has become one of the BBC’s longest-running programmes.
BH has become one of the BBC’s longest-running programmes[/caption]
While it seems that the clocking is ticking, retakes are necessary[/caption]
Bargain Hunters have a different experience of the fast and furious show[/caption]
