THE duke of daytime telly David Dickinson will be finding out just how cheap his chips really are at a live broadcast of BBC's Bargain Hunt at a Herefordshire auction house.

Mr Dickinson will host two shows as the bargains go under the hammer at Brightwells Fine Art Saleroom in Leominster.

The teams were given £200 to find bargains at antique fairs, which they hope to turn into a profit at the auctions.

"They have already been filmed at the fair, and that will be broadcast from London throughout the programme, which will be live," said Gareth Luxton, one of the show's researchers.

The bargains which will be up for auction include a Royal Worcester jug and sugar bowl set expected to sell for £30 to £50, an early 20th Century iron mangle and Victorian musical fruit bowl.

Mr Luxton said Brightwells was chosen because the team had used the firm before and knew staff could handle the added pressure of a live show.

"It can be quite daunting and quite disruptive," he said.

"But they do a very good job."

Sale room staff are confident about the two, one-hour long live auctions on Monday and Tuesday, November 4 and 5, starting at 11.30am.

"The hardest thing is deciding what to wear," said auctioneer Geoff Crofts.

"I think there'll be a mix of people there. People who are there because they want to be on the TV and people who don't want to be there for the same reason," he said.

Mr Crofts, however, does not count himself among the shows many fans.

"I tend to avoid it. I think they do it the wrong way round.

"They buy from retailers and try to sell to wholesalers when really you would do it the other way round."

But the show certainly has a following. Last week, David Dickinson picked up the Most Popular Daytime Show award at the National Television Awards.