Priceless! Fiona’s special invitation to Antiques Roadshow
THE Antiques Roadshow has saved this year’s tour – by staging invitation-only events, presenter Fiona Bruce has revealed.
Around 5,000 people usually attend filming days at venues across the country, sometimes queuing for hours to have their treasures examined by the programme’s trusted experts.
But the pandemic – and subsequent Government regulations – put an abrupt end to that.
This year’s original tour was postponed in March, with producers waiting to find out just what would be possible.
Now, just a few hundred guests will attend the venues – each hand-picked after declaring their item online in advance.
Presenter Fiona Bruce, fronting her 13th series this year, said:
“Normally we welcome around 5,000 people to each Antiques Roadshow but, of course, in these extraordinary times we will have to do things very differently.
“We’ve come up with a new way to safely film the show yet still bring you amazing items and stories. I can’t wait to see what treasures you have hidden in your homes.”
Bargains
The fact that the much-loved show is returning at all this year will be music to the ears of its six million loyal followers.
First broadcast in 1979, Antiques Roadshow invites experts to inspect and value visitors’ family heirlooms, household treasures and car boot bargains.
The venues chosen for the special versions of the show being staged this year include Forty Hall in Enfield, Windermere Jetty in Cumbria, Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Newby Hall in Yorkshire and Kenilworth in Warwickshire.
The most memorable finds in its 40 years include a Faberge flower ornament worth £1million, a handwritten document signed by Elizabeth I, a ring containing a lock of author Charlotte Bronte’s hair, a wristwatch owned by Lawrence of Arabia and a 17thcentury miniature book reviewing Shakespeare’s plays.
● Register your interest at: www.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow