A former Bargain Hunt star who mockingly ‘strangled’ an antiques expert after £115 claimed producers encouraged contestants to react ‘animated’ for the cameras.
Stevie Turner left both viewers and antiquities specialist Charles Hanson baffled when he went to “squeeze” him after an Edwardian silver Vesta trunk that Charles encouraged him to buy took a staggering loss at auction.
Liverpool-born Steve, 58, had joined his friend Bill Smith, 83, in the BBC show and had hoped to make a profit, but was ‘frustrated’ when Charles’ advice to buy the briefcase backfired.
Although contestants were urged to disrupt for the sake of entertainment, Stevie insisted the shock moment was not “planned” but was simply his “natural reaction” after being aroused by Charles.
The Vespa case in question was printed with a wave design and bought at a market for £195, only managing to fetch a measly £80 at auction – with Charles, 48, joking about the item’ don’t turn,” much to Stevie’s chagrin.
Wow! A former Bargain Hunt star who mockingly ‘strangled’ an antiques expert after £115 claimed producers encouraged contestants to react ‘animated’ in front of the cameras
Fuming: Stevie Turner (second from left) left viewers as well as antiques specialist Charles Hanson (far left) stunned when he went to ‘squeeze’ him after an Edwardian silver Vesta suitcase that Charles encouraged him to buy made a staggering loss at auction
Speak against The sun of the incident, which aired last September, Stevie said: ‘My natural reaction was to strangle 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 before on the show. We laughed about it later and when I saw it on TV it was hilarious.”
He added that after losing “so much money” he thought it was a “record breaking loss” on Bargain Hunt.
Recalling his time on the show, Stevie talked about how he and Bill were “temporarily against” buying their last item and had to quickly buy the Vespa case at Charles’ suggestion, after haggling the price down from the original £220.
He told how Charles liquidated him by “going on and on about that b**dy Vesta thing,” adding that it was “frustrating” when the item made such a loss.
As for the auction scenes, Stevie stressed that producers like it when contestants act “animated” on camera, noting that he did just that when it was his turn.
He said: ‘They know what to do to make it a good TV show and as a contestant you are aware that you want it to be fun for viewers. You don’t want to look boring, so you liven up a bit and they ask you to react on camera… I certainly did when I strangled Charles.’
In the interview, Stevie went on to share other backstage tidbits from his time on the program, detailing how he and Bill felt “under pressure” to find three items in time while rushing through a busy marketplace.
Unimpressed: Liverpool-born Steve, 58, had joined his friend Bill Smith, 83, on the BBC show and had hoped to make a profit, but was ‘frustrated’ when Charles’s advice to take the case buy became pear-shaped
Drama: Although contestants were urged to blow things up for the sake of entertainment, Stevie insisted the shock moment wasn’t “planned” but was just his “natural reaction” after being turned on by Charles
Loss: The Vespa case in question was printed with a wave design and bought on a market for £195, only managing to fetch a measly £80 at auction
He also claimed that the experts were allowed to scout the markets in advance so that they could “show off” their expertise on certain select items, adding that he had a “creeping suspicion” that Charles was doing this before the cameras started rolling.
He also recalled the embarrassing incident when a cameraman accidentally smashed an expensive antique “to smithereens” – a moment that didn’t make it to the finale.
Despite losing to the blue team, Stevie said he had “no regrets” about appearing on the show, telling how he and Bill held a fundraiser for the episode and managed to raise £1,300 for charity.
It comes after Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson moved out of his childhood home after police responded to a “domestic incident” at the property in June.
A regular on popular daytime shows Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road Trip and Flog It!, Hanson has lived with his wife Rebecca Ludlam and their two children on the £1.5 million estate in rural Derbyshire since 2014.
Response: “My natural reaction was to strangle him. I hadn’t planned it, and Charles certainly looked shocked and didn’t see it coming’
TV: ‘They know what to do to make it a good TV show and as a participant you are aware that you want it to be entertaining for the viewers. You don’t want to seem boring’
But he is said to have moved after local police were called to an unspecified incident at the six-bedroom stack.
A source told The sun: ‘It’s not the kind of place where you expect the police to show up… It’s a small town, so a few people talked. It’s all very shocking.’
In a brief statement, Derbyshire Police confirmed: ‘Police were called to reports of a domestic incident at an address in Quarndon on 13 June.’
Hanson and Ludlam originally met through friends in 2008. They married two years later in a traditional service at All Saints Church in Mackworth, in front of 150 close friends and relatives.
Speaking in 2010, the auctioneer revealed he was late for his very first date with Ludlam, a diagnostic radiographer, but was instantly swayed by her natural beauty.
Gone: It comes after Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson moved out of his childhood home after police responded to a ‘domestic incident’ at the property in June
Moving on: Hanson has lived on the £1.5 million estate in rural Derbyshire since 2014 with wife Rebecca Ludlam and their two children
Controversy: But it is believed he moved after local police were called to an unspecified incident at the six-bedroom stack
He told the Derbyshire Telegraph: ‘She is a beautiful, blonde, elegant and lovely lady. I am used to dealing with beautiful things, but Rebecca is the most beautiful sweetheart of them all and I am very lucky to have her as my wife.
“We are very busy people, but we understand each other very well and I think we will be very happy together.”
They moved into their home in Derbyshire nine years ago after buying it for a reported £920,000.
But a woman in the property has since told The Sun on Sunday: “I can’t comment. But what I can say is that he moved. He’s gone.’