David “Cheap as Chips” Dickinson made his mark on our TV screens in the auction show Bargain Hunt.

Wikipedia has a great entry on him saying

David got his first break on television as an antiques expert on This Morning, due in part to his facial resemblance to the fictional antiques dealer Lovejoy as portrayed on television by Ian McShane. Dickinson’s own speciality is vintage furniture but he has a wide-ranging knowledge of other antiques.

His show originally had a cult following in the United Kingdom, largely among students and the unemployed, due to its daytime slot. A weekly evening slot, added later, has brought him to the attention of a wider public. After the evening version of Bargain Hunt was axed, he went on to present a new show, Dealing With Dickinson, which first aired on 17 July 2005.

He is known for his dark complexion (often implied to be a fake tan, but in fact a result of his Armenian ancestry) and numerous catchphrases. He will often ask female contestants “Do you mind if I call you girls?”, describe particularly excellent items as “real bobby-dazzlers” (and conversely, poor items as “a load of tat”) and refer to anything he considers a bargain as being “Cheap as chips!” His nickname is “The Duke”, a play on the fact that he is a big Elvis Presley (”The King”) fan and a reference to his smart but slightly eccentric dress sense.

He is ruthlessly parodied by comedian Harry Hill in Hill’s television series Harry Hill’s TV Burp.