BBC One's Bargain Hunt comes to Newbury and Kintbury pair win local antiques contest
Television programme filmed at SAS Auctions while home teams battle it out to be the best
IT was standing room only in the Special Auction Services (SAS) auction rooms earlier this month when the crew from BBC One’s Bargain Hunt filmed five episodes of the programme for broadcast later this year.
SAS director Thomas Forrester was in charge of proceedings in Plenty Close, Newbury, at the monthly Antiques & Fine Art auction as the lots chosen by the contestants went under the hammer – sometimes to cheers as a profit was made or to groans of ‘oh no’ when the final bid fell considerably short.
Antiques experts Raj Bisram and David Harper were on hand to champion the blue and red teams as they battled it out to see who could make the most profit, or the least loss. The programme presenter was Natasha Raskin Sharp and viewers will be able to find out how the teams did later in the year.
One of the items was bought by former mayor Margo Payne and another by one of the contestants in taking part in the Newbury Weekly News’ Great Antiques Pursuit competition.
Four local teams from Thatcham, Compton, Kintbury and Burghfield Common had bought items in Hungerford Arcade, with the help of Mr Forrester and his business partner Neil Shuttleworth, with any profits they made going to the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice.
The eventual winners Bridget Lungley, from Kintbury, and her sister Rose Doe, made £30 profit on their three items.
A delighted Mrs Lungley said: “We really didn’t expect that. It’s surprising how stressful it is watching as each item goes under the hammer. I can’t imagine how the television contestants feel.”
SAS director Mr Shuttleworth, who presented the winning pair with a bottle of fizz, said: “We always enjoy this local contest and this year all our teams did pretty well.
“I was particularly surprised by a grasshopper brooch that one of the contestants insisted on choosing – I didn’t think it would do well and it sold for £80.
“It just goes to show how unpredictable auctions can be, but also great fun.”
