Eric Knowles

What’s it like to be part of the Bargain Hunt presenting team?

I feel both proud and privileged to be asked to co-present such a well-established and obviously much loved BBC programme.

How do you find life on the road?

Life on the road has become second nature as I clock up about 35,000 miles per year as well as spending about 100 days sleeping in a hotel bed.

What is the favourite part of the role?

For me the favourite part of the programme is meeting not only the contestants but also the guest experts who quite often are old friends with boundless knowledge.

Why did you choose a career in antiques?

My career in antiques was largely a matter of fate and circumstance that saw my interest in history and architecture lead me out of redundancy with an engineering company up in my native Lancashire to a job in London as a porter at Bonhams auction house. I was to stay with the company for the next 32 years. Working for an auction house guarantees that no two days are ever the same.

What would you do for a living if you weren’t working in the antiques trade?

Had I not followed a career in antiques I might have taken two different routes one being in the big outdoors and the Forestry Commission or the indoor studio working in Radio as a DJ.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in antiques?

If you decide to follow a career in the world of antiques it is essential to totally submerge yourself into the subject and look, learn, listen and whenever possible touch. A real interest is needed but a passionate need to know should always lead you down the right paths.

How did you get involved in Bargain Hunt?

My involvement with Bargain Hunt came about after receiving a phone call from the commissioning editor at the BBC and who I have known for about ten years. We both hail from the North West so straight talking is the order of the day and she was convinced I would be perfect for BH.

Who has been your most memorable Bargain Hunt team?

On one occasion in Lincoln the Blue team featured young gents whose laid back attitude nearly sent the ebullient Charlie Ross into a state close to total meltdown.

Which fairs do you particularly like shopping at when ‘bargain hunting’?

I enjoy the big fairs such as Newark and Ardingly as finding a bargain is often a numbers game. It’s great to have a big volume of items to go after and a certain serving of old fashioned luck are the order of the day.

What’s the most profit/greatest loss you’ve made at auction?

I have to go back into the mists of time to remember the biggest profit when I sold at auction. One that sticks in my mind is a Minton majolica vase modeled as two mischievous monkeys around a yellow glazed bamboo segment pot. I bought it for £100 and sold it for £800 but that same day received a bill for £700 for a roof repair so I still like to think that our roof was repaired by two cheeky monkeys.

What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

My biggest guilty pleasure is walking along the edge of a beach preferably in Barbados.

How do you spend your free time?

My wife would argue that there is never such a thing as free time but I do enjoy getting stuck into our garden. In truth I am more of a vegetation controller than a gardener who is always in more need of a machete than a pair of secateurs.

Why do you think Bargain Hunt has such appeal?

I think Bargain Hunt’s appeal is all about its winning (and losing) formula where the contestants are the members of the same great British public watching it, so it becomes all things to all people.

Why would you encourage anyone to appear on Bargain Hunt?

I cannot emphasise how much fun all the contestants admit to and virtually each and every one would jump at the chance of taking part again and again. Suffice to say I have no hesitation in encouraging anyone to get in touch and take part.