Bargain Hunt couple make astonishing profit after uncovering ‘hidden gem’ on BBC show

BARGAIN Hunt is rarely the place to see huge fortunes made - with contestants lucky to go home with a couple of quid.

However, one couple changed all that this week by bagging a three-figure profit after uncovering a hidden gem.

Couple Nathalie and Karl were tasked with buying a fashion accessory and spent £130 on a vintage men's Omega watch.

The item - which dated back to the 1970s - was a very costly buy in Bargain Hunt terms.

In fact, there was no little cash left over that their other item was a £20 Clarice Cliff mustard pot that didn't have have a lid.

Presenter Eric Knowles introduced the watch at auction saying: "You paid £130. Let's find out if fortune favours the brave."

However, the gamble - or shrewd investment - payed off, with the pair doubling their money, which almost never happens with big-money items.

They wound up making £260 for the vintage watch - and were seen jumping up and down with joy at the Somerset auction house.

Eric, 69, told them: "You doubled your money. Bought for £130, sold for £260. Good stuff, eh?"

And even the mustard pot with out the lid made Nathalie and Karl a £4 profit.

A set of bowls they'd bought earlier was also a modest winner, bagging the contestants another £16.

In the end, the pair made a whopping profit of £149 - a small fortune in Bargain Hunt terms, where contestants regularly go home with either pennies or a thumping loss.

The show has been a BBC staple for decades, becoming an almost instant success in 2000 with David Dickinson as presenter.

He was replaced in 2003 by Tim Wonnacott, who hosted for years before a rotating team of experts took over the job.