Olympians Tessa Sanderson and Iwan Thomas will take on sports broadcasters John Watson and Manish Bhasin in a BBC Bargain Hunt Sport Relief special. Which team will bag the best bargains and raise the most money for Sport Relief?
Presenter Eric Knowles will referee the celebrity sporting teams as they search for antiques and hidden gems at Newmarket Racecourse. With just one hour on the clock, the red and blue teams must each find three items which they hope will make a big profit for the charity at auction.
On the red team, antiques expert Caroline Hawley will be guiding former Olympic javelin thrower and gold-medallist Tessa Sanderson and former Olympic 400m runner and UK 400m record holder Iwan Thomas. Sports journalist and broadcaster Manish Bhasin and BBC Sport presenter John Watson make up the blue team, coached by antiques expert Danny Sebastian.
All money raised at the auction and from viewers’ donations will help Sport Relief tackle issues such as domestic abuse, mental health stigma, homelessness and poverty, both in the UK and around the world.
The episode will also feature two teams of Bargain Hunt experts taking to the track in the first ever Bargain Hunt Games, where the winner of the gold medal will be decided in a photo-finish after the Faberge egg and spoon race.
Iwan Thomas said: “I am a big fan of Bargain Hunt so it was an absolute pleasure to be asked to take part, especially for such a fantastic cause.
As an athlete, I know how much sport can change your outlook on life. It really helped build my focus, self-belief and confidence. As part of creating this episode, I got to visit a very special project called London Futures, run by the charity Change Foundation, which uses the power of sport to change the lives of people with learning disabilities.
I met young people who were building their skills through sport to help them find employment and other opportunities. Seeing the work that donations make possible first -hand is just amazing and makes me even more proud to be doing this for Sport Relief.”
John Watson said: “Filming was brilliant fun, I never thought I’d be able to say that I competed against Olympians! As a sport presenter, I see the power of sport and its ability to unite people every day. I love how Sport Relief brings all this together with entrainment and a sense of fun. It’s been a real pleasure to be involved.”
Watch the Bargain Hunt Sport Relief special on the day of Sport Relief, Friday 13th March at 12.15pm on BBC One. For more ways to support Sport Relief, find out how you can get involved here.
