‘I had my eye on a bronze warrior’
Property Ladder presenter Sarah Beeny, 44, takes over as the presenter of C4’s Four Rooms this week – where sellers pitch their treasures to Britain’s top dealers…
Remind us what Four Rooms is all about…?
It’s sort of Antiques
Roadshow with knobs on. People bring amazing and sometimes bizarre items in – and then the four dealers in four different rooms might do a deal. The final offer is either accepted or it isn’t. It’s the ultimate game of bluff, really, and I love dealing – that’s what I do for a living. I also enjoy interesting old things.
Are you a fan of the show?
I love it! It’s hilarious and I’ve always wanted to do a studio show, but it’s completely different to what I’ve done before [Sarah has a string of hit programmes under her belt, including Property Ladder, Double Your House For Half The Money and Beeny’s Restoration
Nightmare]. I’ve turned down various things along the way but when this one came along I thought, actually, it’s quite good to cut your teeth on an existing show – and one that’s good.
Has ex-host Anita Rani given you any advice on presenting?
I’ve never met her – she’d already left when I came on board.
Do you like a rummage in an antique shop?
Oh yeah. Unfortunately Graham [husband Graham Swift] loves them, too. Our hobby used to be doing up old homes. I guess I am a traditionalist at heart. My husband’s an artist and I suppose his work is a contemporary take on traditional works.
Do you own any treasures you’d want to value on the show?
I’ve got an original programme from the opening night of the Folies Bergère that my
grandmother had. I don’t know what it’s worth, but I’m not going to sell it.
What sort of things do people bring in this series?
There was an amazing artist who’d made a sheep out of glass. It was really beautiful. Somebody else brought in “trench art” – art made in the trenches during WW1 – a vase made out of a shell, and a horse’s hoof made into an inkwell.
Was there anything where you thought, “i’ll have that”?
Oh, loads of stuff, but fortunately I wasn’t able to buy them. There were two life-size bronze warriors. I can’t say whether they sold or not but I wanted them so much – my kids would think I was so cool!
There are 20 episodes in this new series – are they long days?
The shoot was four weeks – we made a show a day. Normally I’d make 12 shows in 18 months, so it was really full-on. We’d start at five in the morning until about nine at night, five days a week. I couldn’t have done it much longer. My husband was great with the kids [Sarah is mum to four boys aged six to 11], but he was working morning to night and I didn’t really see them apart from at the weekends.
Do you mind watching yourself on the telly?
I’m not a big fan. It’s horrible and makes you so super-critical – I think: “Ooh, I shouldn’t have worn that” or “Is that what the back of my head looks like?”
Do you do anything special on the diet and exercise front?
No, not especially. I’ve got quite a lot of kids and jobs… I do occasionally go for a run but I think to be a runner you’ve got to run four times a week, and I go once a month. I do eat healthily – I would choose to have a piece of meat and fish and a big pile of green vegetables for supper. My husband never eats potatoes. If I was offered a fry-up I would eat it, but I wouldn’t cook it myself.
Do your children enjoy watching their mum on the telly?
Well, they say they do but only when it’s after bedtime. The truth is, they like watching me more than going to bed – but not more than doing anything else.