Bargain Hunt

Two teams (of two) have a limited budget and an hour at an antiques fair to acquire the best bargains. These are then sold at a real auction and the team with the greatest profit, or smallest loss as is often the case, wins the game.

Enjoyable afternoon viewing, with the host in fine form.

I think that it's quite an entertaining show. I only have one pet hate though, the contestants shouldn't be heard in the background shouting for people to bid higher. I know that it's a competition and they want to win, but I find the shouting by the contestants to be a bit embarrassing frankly. They should watch from a separate room where the bidders can't hear them.

A very entertaining programme based on the simple premises that you try to buy articles cheap at antique fairs and then sell them at a profit at auction. There are to teams of two each with an expert to help them. My favourite expert is Phillipa Deeley from Tunbridge Wells although she is not that good. My least favourite is Michael Hogben who appears to be a bit of a wide boy from the south coast. I do, however acknowledge the expertise of David Barby and James Braxton. The star is David ( Duke ) Dickinson who presents with warmth humour and knowledge. The programme has been transfered to prime time but it has suffered from two things. 1. It has been up against the very popular soaps 2. They have tried to inject too much humour into it.

I will always have fond memories of this.

It's not a show I would ever watch on my own but it made for an agreeable thing to just have on when I visited my grandparents.

It's fun but inobtrusive and the many little trinkets gave grandma and me a lot to chat about.

It was fairly fast paced, very positive, but never lost the feel of a competition with a ticking clock.

The vignette about some type of local curiosity mixed it up swimmingly and they have an army of energetic and likable hosts.

That Scottish chick and look over family jewels any day.

But it's irritating when they say "what's your BEST price?" and they get told it and THEN try to haggle it down. I mean...dude: do you know what "best" means?

When I first started watching Bargain Hunt, I dismissed David Dickinson as a harmless clown. The entire purpose of the show, moreover, seemed to be that the people at flea markets and antique shows always know the worth of their goods and will get the better of the buyer almost every single time. After several seasons, however, I've changed my mind.

First, Dickinson is indeed a bit of a clown, but he also imparts much more realistic and helpful information on antiques and collectibles than almost any of the competing programs. Want to know how to tell cut glass from pressed glass? Interested in spotting fake brass figurines? Has your antique table been hybridized? Is your rare vase a victim of some restorer's attempt to cover up the chips and cracks? You're much more likely to discover the answer to these questions on Bargain Hunt than on Antiques Roadshow or even the otherwise wonderful Cash in the Attic.

So, too, will Dickinson be much more honest with his colleagues in the field, not to mention the poor contestants who blow their wad on some worthless twentieth century imitation fakery. As opposed to the valuers, who almost always over-reach, Dickinson seems to have a much better pulse on the only real value of items up for auction, which is, of course, defined as the money someone is willing to pay--and no more. And especially pity the poor contestant who overpays for some silver plated trifle. How bad it must be to have Dickinson laughing at you on nationwide TV, while revealing that you spent £200 on a POS.

Comparatively speaking, Dickinson is brutal to the people who appear on his program. And what a breath of fresh air it all is. How truly informative and honest in comparison to the pasty faced gnomes who mumble greedy nothings into the ears of the gullible and avaricious lemmings lined up on Antiques Roadshow. Dickinson reveals the real business side of antiques. And when he's through, you'll realize making money in the art and antiques world is not nearly so easy as it seems.

Finally, one other thing to note. If I were a seller OR a buyer, I'd sure hate to have Dickinson on the other side of the transaction.