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And Finally Artist News Media
Happy Mondays force Bargain Hunt reshoot
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 19 September 2018
The ending of a special edition of BBC game show ‘Bargain Hunt’ had to be reshot after it emerged that The Happy Mondays had cheated.
For readers outside the UK and non-students, ‘Bargain Hunt’ is a TV show where contestants buy some old tat at an antique fair, and then try and fail to sell it for a higher price at auction. As part of this year’s BBC Music Day festivities later this month, an edition was filmed pitting Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker and Candida Doyle against Bez and Rowetta from the Happy Mondays.
Things got off to a shaky start after Cocker refused to wear the usual ‘Bargain Hunt’ polo shirt to signify his position on the red team. Everyone else played ball, but that Cocker just has to be different.
Anyway, once they’d finished filming, it emerged that Bez and Rowetta had employed some underhand tactics that are not allowed. Someone went back and checked apparently, because they weren’t sure. And it turned out that, whatever it was they did, it was an illegal act. Within the laws of ‘Bargain Hunt’ anyway.
Exactly what happened the show’s makers are refusing to say, so as not to spoil the drama in the unlikely event you actually watch the programme. “Suffice to say I had to refer to the ‘Bargain Hunt’ rulebook”, presenter Charlie Ross tells the Radio Times. “I think it’s the first time in history that we’ve had to look at it”.
Producer Paul Tucker adds that during the show’s eighteen year run “various things” have gone wrong, but whatever this was, it was a first. “We had to deliver this show quite quickly after we filmed it, and of course we weren’t expecting to have to do the ending again”, he says. “Although it wasn’t expected, it certainly added an interesting twist and another layer to the show. I guess it’s what you might expect from a bunch of rock n rollers”.
The danger! The intrigue! I can only assume that what went wrong involved Bez and Rowetta actually making some money. That can’t be allowed. Find out exactly what those scamps did on BBC One on BBC Music Day, 28 Sep, at 12.15pm. Or, you know, don’t.
