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Bargain Hunt contestant who 'strangled' antiques expert speaks out about how he was asked to react

Bargain Hunt contestant who 'strangled' antiques expert speaks out about how he was asked to react

He said the controversial move was unplanned

Kit Roberts

Kit Roberts

The man at the centre of one of the most controversial moments on Bargain Hunt has opened up about the incident.

For those who aren't regular viewers of the BBC show, contestants work against the clock to find an antique that will then be sold off at auction with the aim of netting a tidy profit. Then, of course, the team with the biggest profit are the winners. Classic telly.

Stevie Turner (second from left) on Bargain Hunt.
BBC

However, for 58-year-old Stevie Turner, from Liverpool, things took a disappointing turn when one of the antiques his team had picked up sold for a pretty hefty loss at the auction.

The item in question was a silver Edwardian vesta case - which antiques expert Charles Hanson had encouraged Stevie and his Red teammate Bill Smith to buy.

Although it was originally priced at £220, the Red Team managed to haggle it down to £195. However, the vintage item sold for just £80, leaving the team with a £115 loss.

In the heat of the moment, a frustrated Stevie mocked 'throttling' Charles.

Opening up about the incident, Stevie told The Sun: “It lost so much money. I thought, 'That has got to be a record-breaking loss on Bargain Hunt'.

“My natural reaction was to throttle him. I hadn’t planned it, and Charles definitely looked shocked and didn’t see it coming.

“I don’t think that had ever happened on the show before. We had a laugh about it after and when I saw it on TV it was hilarious.”

The controversial moment.
BBC

Stevie added: “They know what to do to make it a good TV show and as a contestant, you’re conscious that you want it to be entertaining for viewers.

“You don’t want to come across as boring, so you get a bit more animated and they ask you to react for the camera… I certainly did that when I strangled Charles.”

Despite the losing to the Blue team and the moment going viral, Stevie described the experience as a positive one, saying: “Everyone was really nice and charming. Behind the scenes, it was really friendly and lots of good fun. We had such a good time.”

LADbible has contacted the BBC for comment.

Featured Image Credit: BBC

Topics: TV and Film, UK News, BBC

Kit joined LADbible Group in 2023 as a community journalist. They previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.