Bargain Hunt – Still A Bobby Dazzler! 20 years of TV gold!
As BargainHunt celebrates 20 years, we speak to one of its most familiar faces about what makes it so special…
Few daytime television shows can boast 56 series but BargainHunt is celebrating a milestone 20th anniversary this week!
When it first aired on BBC One in 2000, it quickly became one of the most popular fixtures on the daytime TV schedule and is still watched by millions of us today. The premise is simple; two teams – the Reds and the Blues – compete to make the most money from items bought at antique fairs.
Eric Knowles, a Bargain Hunt expert and presenter, isn’t surprised by its continued mass appeal.
“It’s a good, old-fashioned game show and people play it at home,” he told us ahead of the celebrations. “It’s a quintessentially British programme – I’m not quite sure I could see it working in Italy or America. It’s all about y y.co.uk human nature, it’s about human relationships.”
The first BargainHunt presenter was David “The Duke” Dickinson, famous for his all-year tan and his “bobby dazzler” catchphrase. In 2004, David handed over the reins to auctioneer Tim Wonnacott, who remained at the helm for 13 years.
Eric, 67, joined the show on Tim’s departure but was already a familiar face from AntiquesRoadshow,Going ForASong and Going, Going,Gone.
“I feel very privileged to be one of the presenters and I’ve got a lot of respect for the others,” he says.
Eric forms part of a five-strong presenting team with Charlie Ross, Anita Manning, Christina Trevanion and Natasha Raskin Sharp.
Over its 20 years on air, BargainHunt has earned a loyal following, with viewing figures often approaching 2 million but peaking at more than 3 million during lockdown earlier this year.
The show has had a number of spin-offs and celebrity episodes. Past celebrity pairings include Kelly Holmes and Sally Gunnell, My Weekly’s agony aunt Helen Lederer with Bobby Davro, Julian Clary and Matthew Cottle, and Vanessa Feltz with Nicki Chapman. One celebrity team (we’re not saying who) famously took it so seriously that they cheated and were disqualified!
Despite the cult status and celebrity fans, Eric says it’s the antiques that still excite him the most.
“The antique fairs and auction houses are the world that I duck and dive in,” he says. “It’s the environment