Antiques Roadshow is a Britishtelevision programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiquesappraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (generally speaking). It has been running since 1979, based on a 1977 documentary programme.[1]
The series has spawned many international versions throughout Europe, North America and other countries with the same TV format. The programme is hosted by Fiona Bruce and in 2024 was in its 47th series.[2]
The programme began as a BBC documentary that aired in 1977, about a Londonauction house doing a tour of the West Country in England. The pilot roadshow was recorded in Hereford on 17 May 1977 and presented by contributor Bruce Parker, a presenter of the news/current affairs programme Nationwide, and antiques expert Arthur Negus, who had previously worked on a similarly themed show, called Going for a Song. The pilot was so successful that it was transmitted and the format has remained almost unchanged ever since, though fewer and fewer antiques are featured in recent series, being replaced with Lego, Barbie Dolls, modern ceramics, Star Wars and other film memorabilia. Negus appeared on Antiques Roadshow until 1983. In the original BBC programme, various towns or famous places are advertised as venues. The show has since visited a number of other countries (including Canada in 2001 and Australia in 2005) and has been imitated by other TV production companies around the world.
In the United Kingdom, annual children's Christmas specials aired from 1991 until 2006, under the title Antiques Roadshow: The Next Generation (except for the 1991 edition, which was titled Antiques Roadshow Going Live) and used a specially reworked version of the regular theme music. However, there was no children's special in 2007; instead an edition was devoted to "antiques of the future" dating from the 1950s to the present day. Since then individually themed specials have been aired, though not every year.
A spin-off programme, 20th Century Roadshow, focusing on modern collectibles, aired between April and June 2005. It was hosted by Alan Titchmarsh. Two other spin-off programmes, Antiques Roadshow Gems (1991) and Priceless Antiques Roadshow (2009–10), revisited items from the show's history and provided background information on the making of the show and interviews with the programme's experts.
The most valuable item to ever appear on the show featured on 16 November 2008. This was an original 1990s maquette of the Angel of the North sculpture by Antony Gormley, owned by Gateshead Council, which was valued at £1,000,000 by Philip Mould.[3] Glassware expert Andy McConnell later valued a collection of chandeliers at seven million pounds (their actual insurance value), noting as he did so that this beat Mould's record; however these were fixtures of the building in which the show was being filmed (Bath Assembly Rooms) rather than an item that had been brought in. In reality, the two most expensive objects to be sold as a result of being discovered on the show are the 1932[4] camera found by Marc Allum, which realised over $600,000 (US) in 2013 and the Christofle et Cie Japonisme jardiniere filmed by Eric Knowles, which sold for £668,450 (including buyers premium).
Conversely, many items brought before the experts are without commercial value, if not outright counterfeits. They are seldom shown in the broadcast episodes, to spare embarrassment for the individuals involved,[5] although counterfeit objects are sometimes included, to give experts an opportunity to explain the difference between real and fake items. Value is not the only criterion for inclusion; items with an interesting story attached, or of a provenance relevant to the show's location, will often be featured regardless of value. Items directly related to The Holocaust may have their stories featured, but are not given valuations. An episode commemorating the end of the First World War and featuring personal mementoes, included no valuations. All items are appraised, although most appraisals take place off-camera, with only the most promising items (around 50 on an average day) being filmed, of which about 20 appear in the final programme.[citation needed]
The Artist's Halt in the Desert by Moonlight, watercolour, by Richard Dadd
Some significant items have been acquired by museums after being sold once their owners were appraised of their true value. An example is the watercolour painting The Artist's Halt in the Desert by Richard Dadd, discovered and shown by Peter Nahum in 1986 and purchased the next year by the British Museum[6] for £100,000.[7] Another such item, later dubbed "Ozzy the Owl", is a Staffordshireslipware jug, valued by Henry Sandon on a 1990 show at £20,000 to £30,000,[7] and subsequently acquired by Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.[8]
Visitors (predominantly from the area being visited by the show) bring along their possessions to be evaluated for authenticity and interest (especially related to the venue) and an approximate valuation is given. The production team selects the items whose appraisal is to be televised. Often, the professional evaluators give a rather in-depth historical, craft, or artistic context to the item, adding a very strong cultural element to the show. This increases the show's appeal to people interested in the study of the past or some particular crafts, or certain arts, regardless of the monetary value of the objects.[citation needed] At the core, however, the focus of the production is on the interplay between the owner and the evaluator.
Episodes are usually filmed during the spring and summer and aired the following autumn and winter (into the following year). Each location visited is covered by one or two (exceptionally even three) episodes.
In 2005, part of the BBC team visited Australia and produced six one-hour episodes in conjunction with The LifeStyle Channel (XYZnetworks). These were titled Antiques Roadshow Australia.[16] A special was also made about the visit to Australia, entitled Antiques Roadshow Australia: Behind the Scenes.
Belgium
In Flanders, VTM has been broadcasting a local version,[17] called Rijker dan je denkt? (Richer than you thought?) since 2012, which is hosted by Staf Coppens.
Canada
Eastward Ho! (1857) by Henry Nelson O'Neil was appraised on Canadian Antiques Roadshow
In Germany, various versions are broadcast regularly on the public regional channels of the ARD, the oldest being the BR production Kunst und Krempel (Art and Junk), airing since 1985. Other versions include Lieb & teuer (Near & dear), shown on NDR, Kitsch oder Kunst? (Kitsch or Art?), shown on HR, and Echt Antik?! (Genuinely antique?!), shown on SWR.
Netherlands
The show Tussen Kunst & Kitsch (Between Art & Kitsch) has been running in the Netherlands since 1984.[20] First shown on AVRO, the programme is usually set in a museum somewhere in the Netherlands, sometimes in Belgium and Germany. Due to its popularity, special episodes have been made in which the experts take the viewers on "cultural art excursions" to places of great importance in the history of art.
In 2011, a painting of Joost van Geel with the title Het Kantwerkstertje (The Little Lacemaker) was discovered with an estimated value of 250,000 euros, the highest-appraised item on the show.[21] The programme has been presented by Cees van Drongelen (1984–2002), Nelleke van der Krogt (2002–2015), and Frits Sissing (2015-), and it celebrated its 30th series in 2014.
The Swedish version started out as a co-production between SVTMalmö and the BBC, whose Antiques Roadshow visited Scandinavia for two programmes.[22]Antikrundan (Antiques Round), its Swedish version, premiered in August 1989 on TV2, and SVT has produced a new season every year since.
As of 2019, 30 seasons have been shown and most of the experts have been with the programme since its start. Jesper Aspegren was the original host. He left in 2000, and from the 2001 season onwards, Antikrundan has been hosted by Anne Lundberg.
The BBC original is also run on Swedish television, under the name Engelska Antikrundan ("English [sic] Antiques Round").
PBS also airs the original BBC programme, though it is called Antiques Roadshow UK to differentiate it from the PBS version. Values of items in United States dollars are often superimposed over the pound sterling values given in the original broadcast.
Hugh Scully hosted a Beaulieu based show on 3 January 1993,[24] a Jamaican based show on 14 February 1993,[25] a Cork based show on 13 February 1994[26] and a Brussels based show on 16 April 1995,[27] all on the BBC.
Antiques Roadshow Detectives
Fiona Bruce together with individual Antiques Roadshow appraisers investigate the history of significant items, uncovering the stories that form the history of family heirlooms and finding out about their origin and authenticity.[28]
Broadcasts
This one-season programme was broadcast in 2015 and comprises 15 episodes.[29]
In Sweden it was shown on SVT in Autumn 2018 under the name of Engelska Antikrundan: Arvegodsens hemligheter ("English Round of Antiques: The Secrets of the Heirlooms").[citation needed]
The BBC published a monthly Homes & Antiques magazine until 2011, which offered behind-the-scenes insights into Antiques Roadshow, as well as offering tips and advice on buying and evaluating antiques.[31] This magazine still exists, now published by Immediate since 2015.[32]
There is also a spin-off magazine of the American version of the show called Antiques Roadshow Insider, which gives fans an inside look at the show as well as offering special features about antiques and collectibles from the programme itself.
Further reading
Roadshow experts (2000). Lars Tharp (ed.). BBC Antiques Roadshow: A-Z of 20th Century Antiques. Michael Aspel (foreword). Boxtree Ltd. p.252. ISBN0-7522-1790-9.
Hugh Scully; Fiona Malcolm; Paul Atterbury (1998). Antiques Roadshow: A Celebration of the First 21 Years. Mitchell Beazley. p.152. ISBN1-84000-072-4.
Antiques Roadshow: Experts on Objects. Edited by Christopher Lewis. Authors include Eric Knowles, David Battie, John Bly and Anthony J Lester. BBC Books, 1987. p.192. ISBN0-5632-0628-4.
Michael Terence Aspel is a retired English television presenter and newsreader. He hosted programmes such as Crackerjack, Ask Aspel, Aspel & Company, Give Us a Clue, This is Your Life, Strange but True? and Antiques Roadshow.
Bargain Hunt is a British television programme in which two pairs of contestants are challenged to buy antiques from shops or a fair and then sell them in an auction for a profit. It has aired on BBC One since 13 March 2000 in a daytime version, and from 22 August 2002 to 13 November 2004 in a primetime version.
Michael Hugh Scully was an English journalist, radio and television presenter. He was the host and longest-serving presenter of the BBC programme Antiques Roadshow from 1981 to 2000.
Arthur George Negus, OBE was a British television personality and antiques expert, specialising in furniture.
Flog It! is a BBC television series presented by Paul Martin that was broadcast from 27 May 2002 to May 2020.
Antikrundan is the Swedish version of the original BBC format Antiques Roadshow. The show visits different locations in Sweden and lets people bring their antiques to be valued by experts. It has stayed popular throughout the years, often with more than two million viewers in a country with 8-9 million inhabitants. The 30th season was shown from November 2018 to April 2019. Most of the experts have been with the programme since the start. The show has been hosted by Anne Lundberg since 2001.
Henry George Sandon was an English antiques expert, television personality, author and lecturer who specialised in ceramics and was a notable authority on Royal Worcester porcelain. He was the curator of the Dyson Perrins Museum for many years.
David Battie FRSA is a British retired expert on ceramics, specialising in Japanese and Chinese artefacts.
Lars Broholm Tharp is a Danish-born British historian, lecturer and broadcaster, and one of the longest running 'experts' on the BBC antiques programme, Antiques Roadshow, first appearing in 1986.
Hilary Marion Kay is a British antiques expert, author and lecturer, probably best known for her many appearances on BBC TVs Antiques Roadshow programme on which she is a member of the team of experts.
Paul Rowley Atterbury, FRSA is a British antiques expert, known for his many appearances since 1979 on the BBC TV programme Antiques Roadshow. He specialises in the art, architecture, design and decorative arts of the 19th and 20th centuries.
John Sandon is a British expert and prolific author on ceramics and glass. He is best known as an expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, which he joined in 1985.
Clive Farahar is a British dealer and expert on books and manuscripts. He is best known as an expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, which he joined in 1986.
Graham Charles Lay was a British antiques expert specialising in arms, armour and militaria, and military history, probably best known for his many appearances on BBC TVs Antiques Roadshow television programme, where he had been one of the team of experts since 1988. He was regularly seen wearing a 'Blue Peter' badge.
Antiques Roadshow is an American television program broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television stations. The program features local antiques owners who bring in items to be appraised by experts. Provenance, history, and value of the items are discussed. Based on the original British Antiques Roadshow, which premiered in 1979, the American version first aired in 1997. When taping locations are decided, they are announced on the program's website raising the profile of various small to mid-size cities, such as Billings, Montana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Bismarck, North Dakota; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Rapid City, South Dakota. Antiques Roadshow has been nominated 22 times for a Primetime Emmy.
Market Warriors is an American reality television series that follows four professional antiquers as they buy assigned items at flea markets and antique shows on a budget. The items are then sold at auction, where the antiquers compete for the highest profit, which is most often determined by the lowest loss.
Antiques Road Trip is a BBC television series produced by STV Studios. It was first shown on BBC Two from 2010 to 2012, and has been shown on BBC One since 2013. This show is not to be confused with Antiques Roadshow.
Magistrate of Brussels is an unfinished oil painting or oil sketch by Anthony van Dyck, rediscovered in 2013 after being shown on episodes of the BBC television programme Antiques Roadshow.
Joseph Glass was a potter, working in Hanley, in the Staffordshire Potteries, England. He worked in slipware, and is one of the first potters known to have signed and dated his work.
Ronnie Archer-Morgan is a television presenter and antiques collector, known for his appearance on the BBC Antiques Roadshow since 2011. He is also known for presenting the 2023 Channel 4 show Millionaire Hoarders, in which experts seek out valuable antiques from the homes of the rich.
↑ "Antiques Roadshow's Highest Valuation Ever", though in 2020 in Bristol a collection of Pendelfin Rabbits was priced upwards of eighteen pounds fifty, making it the programme’s second highest valuation to date. BBC Channel on YouTube. Retrieved 25 August 2009
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