The U.S. version of Antiques Roadshow is coming to Baltimore on June 16 so we thought you might enjoy this article about the British version. The last time the Antiques Roadshow came to town the turnout was just amazing. We hope to see everyone again this year!
Antiques Roadshow:
Roll Up For the Hottest Show on Three Continents
There was a couple from the town of Barnstaple who had no interest in antiques and didn't believe they had anything of value anyway. However, their dog needed a walk so they decided to take him for a stroll past the building where an episode of Antiques Roadshow was being filmed. On a whim, they brought along a watercolor to get its value. They expected to hear that it was worthless, but instead discovered that it was valued at over 100,000 pounds. The painting now hangs in the British Museum.
Goes to show you just never know, do you? But with Antiques Roadshow, people are finding out. Things in the attic, things passed down from relatives - these objects sometimes have a value only dreamed of.
This feeling of suspense and anticipation, along with its value as information and entertainment, are among the reasons Antiques Roadshow has been a staple on British television for more than two decades. Each year, its popularity continues to grow as the Roadshow visits a wide range of cities in the UK and abroad with experts who provide detailed information about the antiques and give owners an estimate of its value. Not only that, the show also gives viewers a chance to peek into some breathtaking buildings and learn more about some beautiful English villages and towns.
It starts with a notice in the local newspaper that Antiques Roadshow is coming to town. On the day of the taping, experts in pottery, jewelry, furniture, paintings and miscellaneous are available from 10:00 a.m. until 4 p.m. During that time they sift patiently through items brought by the estimated two thousand people who attend.
Sometimes the experts have good news, but other times you can see the look of disappointment on people's faces when what they have doesn't turn out to be valuable after all. In fact, one lady from the Isle of Man was convinced that she had a painting by Constable and huffed off in disgust when she was told she didn't, believing the experts to be wrong.
What makes the cut for the televised version are things that are rare, of great value and those objects that have a good story behind them. Over the years the Roadshow team has seen it all, including moustache clippings from a member of the Royal family and chocolate from WW1. The show can also provide some usually touching moments. In one episode, a Japanese vase turned out to have somehow survived the force of the atomic bomb that hit Nagasaki in 1945.
Antiques Roadshow is hosted by the affable Hugh Scully, who has spent over thirty years as a television presenter and producer. He began his career as a radio newsreader, first contracted to work only one week as holiday relief, but this led to other work as a reporter. He then presented Nationwide before he became the first host of Watchdog. Before the televised version of Antiques Roadshow, Scully spent nearly twenty years on a Radio 4 program called Talking About Antiques and then went on to present Collector's World before joining the Roadshow.
Why has this show become so popular? Antique hunting has always been a popular hobby and the boom in Internet auction sites such as E Bay makes it timely. But in a sense, it's also like watching the Lottery - there's always the chance that a visitor may have the winning number and something apparently worthless is actually valuable.
The Roadshow has become an international phenomenon, even showing in Australia and New Zealand. It has made road trips to countries such as Jamaica, which Scully once recalled as one of their more memorable jaunts. "When the local people were given their valuations, they did not move, unlike the British viewers, who normally say thanks very much and get up and go," he explained. "We wondered why this was. It turned out that the people of Jamaica had expected us to arrive in their lovely island with suitcases full of cash, and they thought it was illogical that a program based upon valuations would then not provide an immediate reward."
The craze for antiques is usually equated with older people, but Antiques Roadshow is introducing it to the younger crowd as well, with a spin-off entitled The Next Generation. It also inspired an American version produced by WGBH in Boston that has become one of the most widely syndicated shows in PBS history. This virtually guarantees that there will be an audience for the Roadshow well into the future. After all, you never know what unknown masterpiece or treasure might be lurking in the attic.
The Insider | November 1999
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