November 22, 2021 12.45 pm This story is over 28 months old

Lincoln couple to appear on Bargain Hunt after two-year Covid delay

They’ve patiently waited, and it’s nearly time to go bargain hunting!
James Forst and his fiancé Rebecca Pipes-Gouksbra will appear on Bargain Hunt, with the first filming taking place this weekend.
By Local Democracy Reporter

A couple from Lincoln who have waited two years to appear on Bargain Hunt are excited to finally get their chance on the BBC gameshow.

James Frost, 46, and his fiancé Rebecca Pipes-Gouksbra, 50, applied for the BBC daytime challenge show back in 2019.

James, a worker at Branston Potatoes, saw the show on the canteen television while at work and decided to apply with Rebecca, a support worker for homeless people in Lincoln.

“I had 15 pages of forms to go through and after I sent them off it was a few weeks later I got an email from the BBC asking us for a five-minute video introducing ourselves,” James told The Lincolnite.

James continued: “A few weeks later we were called for an interview as our applications stood out from other entries. The interview was in Sheffield and we met the producers and editors.”

In the interview, James and Rebecca had to do a mock test with picture cards and go on camera in front of the producer in order to see how they would come across on television.

Following on from that interview, they were contacted to be congratulated on being chosen to appear on Bargain Hunt. Filming dates were sent over but there was a small issue; three days later, England went into a national lockdown because of coronavirus.

Now, after patiently waiting over 18 months, James and Rebecca have been given new filming dates at Southwell Racecourse in Nottinghamshire on Sunday, November 28, and Lincoln Auction Houses on December 15.

When asked about appearing on the show, James said: “We have no idea if we’re blue team or red team as we find out on Sunday when we arrive for filming.

“We always have a little guessing game on Antiques Roadshow to see what things are worth, but our gameplay is basically if it’s cheap and we would like it ourselves, that’s what we’ll choose.

“Becky and I are both very excited to get filming and maybe even winning the Golden Gavel. We will see what happens.”

On Bargain Hunt, teams are given £300 to buy three items in one hour. One will be a subject item, another is a minimum spend of £75 and the third can be anything the teams like.

With the help of expert buyers, the teams will buy items to try to make a profit at auction and earn more money than the opposing team.

If you earn a profit, you get to keep it, and if you win you get the Golden Gavel. But even if you don’t win, you can keep your Bargain Hunt jackets as a reminder of your appearance on the show.