A man who was once a contestent on Bargain Hunt has revealed which items participants were allegedly banned from buying.
Stephen Bielby featured on the BBC programme back in 2018 alongside his daughter Emily, claiming that there were 'restrictions' put in place by producers.
The popular TV programme aired for the first time in 2000, with two pairs in Red and Blue competing to buy antiques to make the largest profit at auction.
It's always an entertaining watch, but Stephen pulled back the curtain on how things were really like for contestants on the show.
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He explained to the Daily Mail that he and Emily were fans of the show and after applying, they were called to try out at a Leeds hotel where they did a 'mock show', going around and buying things.
Reflecting, he said that it was a 'fun day' where showrunners could 'get a feel' for how they interacted, and they were soon on the show themselves.
Stephen and Emily wore blue fleeces on the show, though the dad admitted that they 'don't know much about antiques', despite having an eye for a bargain.
The former then opened up on some of the items which contestants were banned from buying on the show, which he claims they were told to avoid.
"Yes there are restrictions, you can’t buy heavily branded stuff, like Coca-Cola or Disney items. You couldn’t buy any antique weapons, like the old guns," he explained.
The dad also claimed that the producers are precise with 'the timing' during the show, adding: "They go around with a stopwatch."
He went on: "If you take a break or need to film an extra bit, they stop the watch. When you're back to looking for items, they start it again."
He admits that it's 'very fair', and that if you've had a 'cheeky' conversation, they'll ask you to re-enact it for the camera.
When asked about his highlight from being on the show, Stephen replied that it was simply being 'involved' in filming it all.
Stephen said that you 'meet a lot of people' as they film numerous teams on the same day.
"On the auction day, there were about seven or eight teams altogether," he revealed, adding: "They keep you in a green room and tell you not to give away what you bought or how much it went for. Everyone was a good sport, though."
LADbible has reached out to the BBC for comment.
Topics: BBC, TV, Entertainment
Joshua Nair