Auctioneer Charles Hanson has returned to the BBC after being found not guilty of subjecting his wife to years of violence and coercive control.
The 46-year-old TV personality, who appeared on Antiques Roadshow, Flog It! and Antiques RoadTrip, prior to the allegations, was accused of putting his pregnant wife Rebecca in a headlock.
She alleged the 2021 incident was the start of escalating violence in their marriage. He was exonerated following a three-week trial in February.
Hanson, who has been absent from Bargain Hunt since 2023, announced he would make a comeback in a post shared to X/Twitter: “Evening all for those asking, I’ll be back on your screens soon – catch me on @BBCBargainHunt on 2nd June, BBC One at 12.15pm. Enjoy!” he wrote.
Alongside the post, Hanson shared a video clip explaining what inspired him to become an auctioneer: “As a young boy growing up I was shy, I had a stammer, had very few friends,” he explained.
“My parents bought me a metal detector when I was about 11 or 12. In about 1988, I went out on my parents' ploughed field on a wet and lonely day and I uncovered a silver shilling. It was dated 1630.”
Bargain Hunt fans quickly expressed their happiness that Hanson would be returning to the programme. “Welcome back, we missed you,” one person replied to the auctioneer’s post. Meanwhile, another viewer called the announcement of his return the “best news ever”.
evening all 👋 for those asking, I’ll be back on your screens soon – catch me on @BBCBargainHunt on 2nd June, BBC One at 12.15pm. enjoy! CH x pic.twitter.com/EtUSSB4bCK
— Charles Hanson (@HansonsAuctions) May 21, 2025
Hanson first joined Bargain Hunt in 2002 when he was just 23, making him the youngest expert on the programme at the time. He started his career working for Christie’s in 1999 before moving on to auction houses in Cheshire and Staffordshire and founding Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers in Etwall, Derbyshire in August 2005.
Upon being found not guilty of his wife’s accusations in February, Hanson told reporters outside the courtroom: “I'm delighted that after a year and a half the truth has finally come out. I can finally live my life again. I feel this burden has finally been lifted. It has been a tormentous time and all I want now is to readjust to what has been such an ordeal.
“I am so relieved that this is all over.”
Bargain Hunt airs on weekdays on BBC One at 12.15pm
