Malcolm Mitchell from Marlborough café restaurant on Fitzwilliam Street, said he was visited by Hammond in various disguises as part of an upcoming Saturday night show called Cashback – which aims to surprise people with investment money they are unaware they have accumulated.

Malcolm said: "The producers contacted my wife and she set me up. I wasn't even aware of what had happened until last Saturday when I was invited to be in the audience at the show in London. They called me out onto the stage and showed all the camera footage of their various attempts to give me the money."

He explained the bizarre events that lead to the revelation: "Hammond came into the restaurant disguised as a pizza delivery man with the money hidden under the pizza. He kept asking me to take it but I kept saying no, I hadn't ordered a pizza. I had no idea it was him!"

Strangely, some of our readers may have even spoken to the popular TV presenter, as Malcolm explained: "Hammond was outside the restaurant messing around in various disguises for some time, talking to different people as they passed!"

Malcolm was presented with £30,000, the result of investing in a building trade company around 20 years ago. He said: "It was a lovely surprise and I am hoping to spend some of it on revamping the restaurant."

It is not yet known when the programme will be screened on the BBC.