Bargain Hunt star reveals surprising career move away from auction house and admits ‘I’m out of my comfort zone!’
BARGAIN Hunt star Jonathan Pratt has revealed he’s exploring a new career path away from the antiques industry.
The antiques expert is known for his appearances on BBC‘s Bargain Hunt, The Antiques Road Trip and Flog It!
However now he’s revealed that he’s also a keen actor and is taking on theatre performance roles around his work on TV.
Appearing on GB News, Pratt explained: “It’s funny, really. The thing is, auction is theatre.
“Being a good auctioneer is understanding how to work a room, how to work with people. You’ve got to entertain.
“You need to keep attention whilst trying to essentially take money from them for the objects you’re selling. So a good auctioneer is always worth his money.
“In a live auction, I firmly believe a good auctioneer will take 20 percent more than a bad one for their clients. And there’s lots of little different ways of doing things as an auctioneer.”
He also revealed that a love of performing runs in the family as he told the channel: “But why did I choose this path? Well, I’ve got four kids, and my youngest daughter wants to be an actress.
“They all went through the village school and then I said to my wife, ‘We know all the parents in the village, but we don’t know anyone else. I’d like to meet other people in the village, rather than just the parents of the children’.
“And Esme [Pratt’s daughter] wants to be an actress so I said, ‘Well, you’ve got to do some plays’.”
But fans of Bargain Hunt and The Antiques Road Trip don’t need to worry that Pratt taking to the stage is the end of his time on the show, as he reassured fans that he can still do both.
He added: “So the Bargain Hunt thing, that’s an irregular thing. That happens two or three filming days a year.
“Sometimes more, sometimes less. Each recording day is like four shows, it looks like it’s more, to be honest.
“But I’ve been doing that since 2008 and I did Antiques Road Trip back in the day and Flog It back in the day.”
He also hinted that he’s eyeing up another BBC show, as he’d be keen to join a future series of Strictly Come Dancing.
When asked if he’d be up for joining the BBC dancing show, he replied: “Oh, man. Yes, of course. Who wouldn’t?
“But I would need to get fitter. I would have to challenge my comfort zone a bit in that respect.
“It’s practice, practice, practice, isn’t it? I would, of course I would but I haven’t been asked.
“So if you know anyone, I’ll put my name in the hat!”
Bargain Hunt presenters
First airing on BBC One in 2000, Bargain Hunt sees two pairs of contestants tasked with buying antiques from a shop or fair and then try to make a profit at auction. With David Dickinson and Tim Wonnacott among the show's alumni, let's take a look at the current presenters.
- Christina Trevanion: Aside from presenting, Christina is also an auctioneer and a partner in the firm of Trevanion & Dean in Shropshire. Her other TV appearances include Antiques Road Trip, Flog It! and The Travelling Auctioneers.
- Eric Knowles: An antiquarian with a primary focus in ceramics and glass, Eric has also appeared on Antiques Roadshow, Noel’s House Party, Call My Bluff and Going, Going Gone.
- Natasha Raskin Sharp: Daughter of artist Philip Raskin, Natasha is an antiques and art expert, especially Scottish contemporary art. She has also featured in Antiques Road Trip, Flog It! and For What It’s Worth, among others.
- Charlie Ross: An antiques expert and auctioneer, Charlie’s career dates back to 1963 by joining a local firm of estate agents after leaving school, later progressing to antique furniture. He has also popped up on shows such as Flog It!, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and Antiques Road Trip.
- Caroline Hawley: Away from the Bargain Hunt cameras, Caroline also runs a successful antiques business in Yorkshire.
- Danny Sebastian: Having joined Bargain Hunt as an expert in 2017, Danny became part of the presenting team in 2022.
- Roo Irvine: Initially signing up for the show as an antiques expert, Roo later became a main presenter for Bargain Hunt. She’s also appeared in Antiques Road Trip and Flipping Profit.