{"id":4509,"date":"2022-02-10T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T11:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=26418"},"modified":"2022-02-10T12:15:13","modified_gmt":"2022-02-10T11:15:13","slug":"behind-the-scenes-of-the-antiques-roadshow","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/behind-the-scenes-of-the-antiques-roadshow\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the scenes of the Antiques Roadshow"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Janet Gleeson\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 10 February 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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At the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Fiona Bruce has just finished a piece to camera involving an improbably large papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 fig. Having presented the Antiques Roadshow<\/i> for 14 years, she relishes such quirky objects. \u2018I never thought something like this (the show, not the fig) would come my way, but it has been one of the best and most enjoyable things I\u2019ve done. I love chatting to people, seeing what they\u2019ve brought. Some people bring totally crazy things, and some people bring brilliant things. You never know what\u2019s going to turn up,\u2019 she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce in front of Temperate Palm House at Edinburgh\u2019s Royal Botanic Garden<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In the rapidly changing world of television, Antiques Roadshow<\/i> is seen as something of a miraculous anomaly. Now in its 44th year, the programme still regularly attracts audiences in excess of five to six million. Robert Murphy, series editor, thinks that human interest, combined with the unexpected, are key to its longevity:\u00a0 <\/span>\u2018People love the sense of surprise; the sense that the next box that has come down from the attic could have that incredible, undiscovered masterpiece or a hidden gem. But if you were to strip the format back and analyse it, you realise you get another set of characters, another bit of drama, another mystery, every two or three minutes, so it\u2019s hard to turn over.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

Jeanne Darrington, the show\u2019s recording manager, thinks\u00a0 <\/span>discovering the monetary value of the items featured is also at the core of its appeal. \u2018It fills the niche of desire that we all have to find out that we\u2019ve been rather clever and bought something for tuppence that\u2019s now worth a lot more.\u2019\u00a0 <\/span>Tied into this, there may be a darker side to our fascination. \u2018When I started, people kept saying they love it when someone comes along thinking they\u2019ve got something really valuable, and it isn\u2019t,\u2019 says Fiona. \u2018But I think, more than anything, it\u2019s the serendipity of whether some humble item bought in a boot fair will turn out to be something of great value and the fact it could happen to any of us, so all life is here.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

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Antiques Roadshow at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, with pictures and prints specialist Rupert Maas<\/span><\/figcaption> Gary Calton \/ Alamy Stock Photo<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Unlike most productions, AR<\/i>, as it\u2019s affectionately termed by the team, functions not just as a popular TV programme, but as a well-run, large-scale public event. Pre-Covid audiences on filming days regularly topped 4,000, with an artful scattering of cute dogs, winsome children and eccentrically outfitted visitors lending a festival feel to the whole atmosphere. \u2018It\u2019s often said that it\u2019s a brilliant form of public engagement. It\u2019s what the BBC should be doing. We are taking the world\u2019s great antiques specialists and bringing them to a field near you,\u2019 says Robert Murphy. He prizes the inclusivity of the programme\u2019s format and intends content to reflect cultural diversity. \u2018We are representing the country, so the stories we want are the stories anyone can share. It\u2019s not exclusive; you don\u2019t have to have <\/span>a valuable antique to come on the Roadshow<\/i>. Some of the stories that touch the viewers most are the emotional ones, like the First World War medal from a Sikh regiment we featured recently. Those stories aren\u2019t as well known as they should be and it\u2019s down to us to bring them to a wider audience.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

The planning of each series begins with the choice of locations. A large map stuck with numerous pins hangs on the wall of the Roadshow<\/i> office. This and digital versions show where the programme has visited in past years.\u00a0 <\/span>\u2018People associate the Roadshow<\/i> with stately homes<\/a>, but in recent years we\u2019ve tried to broaden it out a bit and go to some more unexpected places. So we did one outside the V&A, Dundee; an incredible piece of modern architecture, rooted in the story of Scottish design. Increasingly, my personal view is that we need to find locations that are in the heart of a community, such as The Piece Hall in Halifax and Morden Hall Park in South Wimbledon,\u2019 says Robert.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Serhat Ahmet was thrilled to see this Minton Art Pottery Studio wall charger at Battle Abbey<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The logistics of locations are the remit of event manager Caroline De Lane Lea. Is there adequate access for the production crew? Where will visitors park? Can the expert tables fit on the lawn? Is there a team of 45\u201350 volunteers to help on the day? These are just some of the problems she has to solve. \u2018Public spaces such as Cromer Pier and Christchurch Park in Ipswich take the most effort because there are often many stakeholders involved, such as local councils,\u2019 she explains. The day before filming, Caroline briefs the volunteers. \u2018I love working with them and want them to enjoy it, understand what\u2019s going on and feel part of it.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

Each location will eventually make two or three programmes and four camera crews are on hand to film the selected\u00a0 <\/span>50\u201370 objects that are needed. Arriving at the right mix of personal story, variety, history and worth is crucial to the final success of a programme. \u2018Selection is a complex matrix. Is an item of great value? Is it of great craftsmanship? Do we think that the owner knows nothing about it and it will be a good surprise for them? Do we want to share it with the audience because it opens a window to the past? We are looking for that bit of magic,\u2019 explains Robert.<\/span><\/p>\n

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