Philip Serrell has been lauded by his Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt colleague Jonathan Pratt after the latter joined GB News for an exclusive interview.
Serrell is a familiar face to fans of the BBC daytime staple, lending his expertise to teams of bargain hunters on-screen for the past two and a half decades.
Much like Pratt, Serrell has also provided his invaluable knowledge and skills to teams on the likes of Flog It! and other antiques shows, including ITV’s Dickinson’s Real Deal.
Opening up about his beginnings in the Bargain Hunt world, Serrell previously told the Beeb: “I was approached by the series producer of the day and recorded the first Bargain Hunt, filmed at Malvern in 1999, which was broadcast the following year. I only ever thought I’d do one programme!”
25 years on and Serrell remains a mainstay on the show and speaking to GB News, Pratt name-checked him as one of his favourite “sparring partners” when it comes to competing on-screen.
“Who do I like sparring against the most? I used to love going against Phil Serrell in Wales,” Pratt began. “He’s a grumpy so-and-so, but he’s lovely.
BBC Bargain Hunt: Jonathan Pratt (right) and Phil Serrell (left) starred opposite one another on the BBC show
BBC
“He’s a really good guy. Great knowledge, if anyone can make a £20 profit out of an old tree stump, it’s Phil. That’s his specialty.”
Turning his attention to the rest of the cast, Pratt added: “They’re a really good fun bunch… mostly are, anyway.”
And there was one other co-star who Pratt retains fond memories of: “You know, I did the Road Trip with Anita Manning and she was such a hoot, a great auctioneer.
“Funnily enough I sent her a message the other day just to see how she is, she stopped doing it a few years ago so I just wanted to see if she’s alright. Anita’s great fun.
BBC Bargain Hunt: Phil Serrell has been a mainstay on the show for over two decades
BBC
“The old guard, the guys who’ve been doing it a long time, it’s always great to do it with them.”
However, while Pratt has nothing but praise for the so-called “old guard”, he did suggest relationships behind the scenes weren’t always amicable due to certain co-stars’ “reputations” in the auction world.
“The auction industry is a very small industry, really. So I was at college with… Thomas Plant, Charlie Hanson etc., they all did the same course as me which was a Southampton-based course in antiques,” Pratt explained.
“I was about two years above them. There’s a bunch of them that all studied at the same place so we all know each, we’ve known each other for years.
“We do keep up and there is some rivalry and obviously some people have better reputations in the trade than others and I shouldn’t really make any comment on that whatsoever but you only have to read the news to see what people are up to and what’s going on.
“But you know, we’re mate-y, we have Christmas parties, and we see each other and have a catch-up. Even the crews! On and off, the same guys have been on the show for 15 to 16 years so when you go away for a weekend to film, it’s a real catch-up, it’s great fun.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Daphne – legend! https://t.co/oq4drENEOJ
— Philip Serrell (@PhilipSerrell) October 23, 2024
Turning attention away from life in the auction house, Pratt also delved into a rather surprising career venture he’s embarking on.
Pratt is gearing up for a stint on-stage as part of the cast of Winchester Musicals and Opera Society’s production of Kiss Me Kate that begins on Wednesday, November 6.
“It’s funny, really. The thing is, auction is theatre. Being a good auctioneer is understanding how to how to work a room, how to work with people,” he explained when asked about the new role.
“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.
“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 wants to be an actress so I said, ‘Well, you’ve got to do some plays’.”
Before long, Pratt and his children auditioned for local plays and before he knew it, the roles kept rolling in, resulting in his latest at the Theatre Royal in Winchester.
Tickets for Kiss Me Kate are available to purchase here: https://www.wmos.org.uk/kiss-me-kate