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programme made history with one item an expert had "never seen" before - but he had a warning for viewers watching at home. Expert Lee Young was presented with an "ugly" ceramic toad by one guest who appeared on the show to have their item appraised, and immediately asked: "What can you tell me about him? How did you come by him?"

The owner responded: "He's been known as 'Ugly Toad' to me for about 60 years. I don't know a lot about him, but my mother collected unusual items. I did actually phone her and ask her where she got it. She said it was an elderly lady, and the lady wanted to declutter."

The item was purchased from the lady and then handed down to her son for his birthday, who admitted he "loves" the toad - but his wife isn't as keen.

It turns out the ceramic sculpture was designed by Scottish pottery Dunmore, which dates back to the 18th century. Young explained: "Some time around the kind of latter part of the 18th century, in about the 1790s, but those early sort of Dunmore pieces were just sort of brown-glazed, you know, and sold to the kind of outlying sort of villages.

"And it wasn't until you got to the sort of third generation, a gentleman called Peter Gardner came in and started to create these rather wonderful kind of monochrome glaze masterpieces in this kind of aesthetic style."

He commented: "The one thing I say about it is I have seen other examples of it, but I've never actually seen one of this scale. I love the fact that he's in this almost... I'm going to say sort of almost imperial yellow, kind of rich, thick glaze."

The item received an estimate from between £600 to £900, leaving the guest "delighted". But Young had a warning for the couple, informing them that the toad could start a bidding war: "I suspect if two people got excited about him, he could even make a bit more."

The owner thanked Young for his appraisal, before asking his wife: "Do you like him a little bit more now?" - prompting her to gush: "Yes!"