Archive March 8, 2025

Bargain Hunt star Thomas Forrester has revealed that not everyone has been a fan of the long-running BBC daytime antiques show.

The series will celebrate its 25th anniversary next week with a special episode on Thursday 13 March, and Thomas has been remembering that legendary TV star Terry Wogan was not shy in sharing his opinion on the series when it first aired.

In a documentary about the show, Thomas, who is now 50, said he was only a “very young boy” when he joined the series. In one early episode, he and fellow antiques dealer Philip Serrell, now 70, spent more than £300 on two objects thinking they were items which would rake in the cash at auction. However, they both ended up making a huge loss when the items went under the hammer.

Thomas said: “I was a very young boy when I joined as an expert. I’d say my most memorable object was when Philip and I were at Shepton Mallet in the early 2000s. It was a prime-time show back then and on in the evening. I bought a pedal car and Philip had bought a cut-out wooden turkey fairground ride”.

“Now we spent over £300 on this and, the next day, Terry Wogan on the radio said ‘ I have just watched two supposed BBC experts burn through over £300 in under 20 minutes’. Sir Terry witnessed my downfall”.

On the show, viewers watch as two rival dealers guide two teams of contestants as they buy items at antique shops and fairs. They then sell their items at auction, with the winning team being the one that has made the most profit.

There has been some controversy over the upcoming Bargain Hunt documentary, as Tim Wonnacott, who hosted the show for 12 years, gets less than a minute of screen time in the anniversary special. &nbsp,

Tim, aged 73, hosted the antiques game show from 2003 until 2015 but quit the show for “personal reasons”. At the time, the BBC said in a statement: “We would like to thank Tim Wonnacott for his dedication to Bargain Hunt over the last twelve-years and for the great expertise that he has brought to the show in that time. Bargain Hunt will be moving in a new direction next year utilising a team of experts who present a number of shows each. Tim continues to work with the BBC on Antiques Road Trip”.

25 Years Of Bargain Hunt features famous faces from over the years including Anita Manning, Philip Serrell, Kate Bliss, Danny Sebastian and Thomas Forrester recalling their best buys and favourite moments from the past.

But one TV insider said Tim “barely gets a look-in” despite his 12 years with the show. Instead he gets just 20 seconds of airtime in clips which are flashed up on screen during the 45 minute tribute.

The anniversary show’s presenter Charlie Ross does salute Tim for being the man who introduced the famous Bargain Hunt “high kick” which the contestants and experts all do at the end of every show. Clips are shown of Tim being the first to kick his leg in the air and then later footage of everyone doing it as a gimmick to end each episode. Charlie tells viewers: “It started with Tim Wonnacott”!

25 Years of Bargain Hunt is on BBC1 on Thursday March 13

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A top Netflix actress is rumoured to be in discussions to replace the late Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series.

Janet McTeer, an Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress, could be the new face of the beloved Hogwarts deputy headmistress, according to Deadline. The 63 year old actress is best known for her role in the 2000 comedy Tumbleweed and as attorney Helen Piece in the popular TV show Ozark. Meanwhile, Paapa Essiedu is reportedly finalising his deal to play Severus Snape, originally portrayed by Alan Rickman.

The 34 year old actor has been involved in projects such as The Lazarus Project and Gangs Of London. HBO recently stated: “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumour and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalise deals”.

John Lithgow is currently the only confirmed cast member, announcing he will be playing Albus Dumbledore in the HBO series. The 79 year old actor expressed surprise at being chosen to fill the shoes of the magical headmaster, a role first played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon.

“It’s a new chapter of my life. I’m afraid”, he confessed, “But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That’s why it’s been such a hard decision. I’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I’ve said yes”.

Dumbledore, the fictional headmaster of Hogwarts and a mentor to Harry Potter, is one of the most cherished characters among fans of Rowling’s original books and the film series. However, not all die-hard fans were thrilled with his casting, arguing that a British actor should have landed the role, not an American, as per the original films.

On X, fans expressed their disappointment: “I can’t understand why John Lithgow is the new Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter HBO series. Dumbledore is British, Lithgow is from the USA”. Another said: “Nothing against John Lithgow, but Dumbledore and the whole Harry Potter franchise is British”.

A third commented: “I love John Lithgow. Absolutely bananas they’re not hiring a British actor to play Dumbledore”. A fourth chimed in: “WarnerBros quite literally need to pull something out of their hat to save Harry Potter. John Lithgow as Dumbledore certainly feels like it’s going to put a lot of people off wanting to watch it. Whatever happened to keeping it all British”?

The new Harry Potter television series promises a deeper exploration of the wizarding world and could run for up to 10 years.

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