Bargain Hunt viewers demand ‘sacking’ as BBC contestants ‘stitched up’ by major off-screen blunder

BARGAIN Hunt fans were left raging after an off-camera issue during a recent episode had them demanding that show bosses make a critical change.

In the latest episode of the BBC show, hosted by Eric Knowles, viewers were introduced to two teams of contestants who were hoping to make a profit on various antiques they had purchased.

The pair who made the most profit or had the lowest loss would be crowned the winner. 

However, things didn’t go as planned for good friends Ivor and Joe on the red team in Bargain Hunt, whose chances of winning were nearly sabotaged.

They competed against pals Luke and Ellis, who had the support of Mark Stacey as part of the 'blue team'. 

As they searched for sellable antiques, Ivor and Joe were impressed at what they found in the Lincolnshire antiques centre, which included a delightful Old English Sheepdog sculpture.

During their frantic hour-long search for treasures, the duo had their eyes set on the dog figurine, which they purchased for £75, making it their most expensive purchase thus far. 

The red team’s supporting expert, Catherine Southon, suggested that the team could potentially profit from the item if they find the right customer.

Unfortunately, before the item could be auctioned, host Eric Knowles revealed some discouraging news. 

The BBC host told Ivor and Joe: "Next up is your Beswick dog. Actually, the issue is the fact that the tongue on your dog has taken a little bit of a chip."

Eric revealed to the disheartened teammates that "something happened in transit", which resulted in the damage. 

Before the item was damaged it had been valued to be worth between £40 and £60.

"In a situation like this, the auctioneer has done his research, and it's been agreed that despite what you paid that, the minimum you will get will be £60. If it makes more, then you will get more,” Eric told the pair.

To no surprise, the damaged item didn't do very well at auction, with a bidder eventually willing to purchase it for only £12. 

Following the scenes, disappointed viewers of the show took to X(Twitter) and expressed their concerns about the handling of antique items off-set.

Many fans questioned the handling of the items during transportation as others pleaded for the transit handlers to be "sacked".

One viewer penned: "Another broken in transit. Who on Earth do they get to carry the goods?"

Another added: "Once again, an item was damaged in transit. Don't they know about bubble wrap?"

"Bargain Hunt need to hire more reliable people to transit the items. It's the second time this week that one has been broken! " a third chimed in.

As the episode concluded, Ivor and Joe were announced as the winners.

Their rivals Luke and Ellis ended the episode with a loss of £118, whilst the 'red team' had a £2 profit overall following the sale of their final item. 

When the host asked the winners what they would use their winnings on, Ivor Joked: "Bus fare home!" to which Eric replied: "Oh! You can do better than that. If I were you, I'd frame one each."

Bargain Hunt airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.