Bargain Hunt fans call for BBC expert to be sacked after 'controversial' mistake

Bargain Hunt's antiques aficionado Rajkumar 'Raj' Bisram has been labelled a "liability" by viewers after a recent mishap. The 68 year old expert came under fire for convincing two BBC contestants to fork out £90 on what they thought was a genuine Mouseman chopping board earlier this year.

During the purchase, Raj suggested that the wooden piece might fetch "get somewhere between £50 to £70" at auction, while confessing his partiality towards breadboards. Yet, when the seller offered a "special price" of £130, Raj countered: "There would be no profit on that. It's a nice thing but I would go to £100, but I can't go any lower than that, so we'll come back to it."

The duo eventually circled back and purchased the supposed Mouseman chopping board. Later in the show, Christina Trevanion consulted an auctioneer about the contentious item.

The 42 year old presenter described the situation as "controversial".

Upon review, the valuer revealed that the mouse had merely been glued on. He elaborated that if the mouse were "carved" into the wood, its authenticity as a Mouseman product wouldn't be in question, as reported by OK!

"But if you look at it you can see it doesn't have the quality," he added.

Bargain Hunt's contestants were initially triumphant when gaining a £10 profit on a wooden spoon at the auction house. But their joy was soon dampened upon learning they'd mistakenly brought a counterfeit Robert Thompson item for valuation.

The heart-sinking revelation came from Christina: "Now, your little chopping board, the auctioneers have catalogued it as Mouseman style."

She went on to deepen the blow: "They have, unfortunately, seen another couple of examples that's just been stuck on, so probably not by Mouseman himself."

Raj owned up to his blunder: "I have to take some of the blame because I didn't check that it was stuck on I've bought so many Mouseman pieces over the years and I've never needed to check."

Despite his admission, the questionable chopping board still made £25 under the hammer. The team deemed it a "spectacular loss", but Raj managed to find a silver lining, noting it "could've been worse".

When the episode aired, avid Bargain Hunt followers took to Twitter to share their thoughts. One disgruntled viewer vented: "Hopeless Raj should have noticed. #BargainHunt."

Another chipped in with a controversial suggestion: "Raj should be sacked #bargainhunt", while others doubted Raj's professional prowess. One quipped it was his "only job" and another labelled him a "liability", saying "That Raj is a liability #BargainHunt."

One viewer took to Twitter to share their outrage, writing: "How could an expert fail notice that isn't a Mouseman and you could buy one on a town market for £5? #bargainhunt."