Happy Mondays' Bez caught artificially inflating prices on Bargain Hunt

A runner on the show spotted the rule-breaking

(BBC)

A special episode of Bargain Hunt had to be reshot after Happy Mondays percussionist Bez was found to have cheated during the BBC show’s auction segment.

Bez, real name Mark Berry, went head-to-head with Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker as part of BBC Music Day on Friday, clinching victory after breaking the show’s rule about family and friends not taking part in auctions.

Bez’s girlfriend bid on, and won, Bez and Happy Mondays bandmate Rowetta’s two items – a mirror and a music turntable.

Bez returned the £8 profit, saying: “It was a genuine error. My girlfriend thought she was helping out.”

The show’s executive producer Paul Tucker added: “We have rules and regulations on Bargain Hunt and we have to make sure [the customers] abide by them.

“It was picked up by a runner and we verified there were clearly misdemeanours going on. It was a genuine rule that was broken and we had to reshoot the end.”

“They are rock and rollers and they live on the edge as they did in the 80s. It’s not a surprise but in the end it was quite amusing.”