11 February 2024 , 20:00
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Antiques Roadshow has become a staple show in British culture after it first aired on our screens in 1979.
Now, the popular BBC show is set to make a comeback with a brand new series. Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce said she is "always drawn in by a moving personal story" ahead of the 59-year-old filming her 17th series of the show where antiques and rare collectables are regularly discovered in attics before being valued at thousands of pounds.
The show celebrates its 45th anniversary this year - and avid fans can probably remember when the show was first hosted by presenter Bruce Parker. Experts in 2024 will be at sites in England including Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery in Walpole Park in Ealing, west London, Cromford Mills near Matlock in Derbyshire, and Firstsite Visual Arts organisation in Colchester, Essex.
The locations for the special series include Thirlestane Castle in Lauder in the Scottish Borders, Beaumaris Castle on the island of Anglesey in Wales, and the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Fiona Bruce joined Antiques Roadshow in 2008 (BBC / Robert Pereira Hind)Bruce, who joined Antiques Roadshow in 2008, said: "A new series of the Antiques Roadshow begins again and I, for one, can’t wait. Travelling the length and breadth of the UK to see what the great British public has pulled out of their attics and off their shelves.
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"I know we’ll see items of great quality and value - but I’m always drawn in by a moving personal story too. They are what often stick longest in my memory. And I’m determined to improve my record on 'basic, better, best'. Surely I’ve got to get more of them right this year.”
BBC Studios series editor Robert Murphy added: "We want the roadshow to be for everyone, and we want to see those special items that mean something to you. Last year we saw a dazzling range of items: jewellery bought for a few pounds at a car boot sale, an Olympic torch, a Rolex that had been through a lawnmower, punk T-shirts, a 2,000-year-old carved stone head, a silver jug used in a royal ritual.
"And most memorably, a Victoria Cross medal awarded to a Sikh soldier in the Second World War that was valued at a quarter of a million pounds. We can’t wait to see what treasures you’ve got to surprise and delight us at this year’s shows."
According to the citation, Corporal Naik Gian Singh, who fought in the Far East campaign during the Second World War, won the medal after being “ordered to the regimental aid post but, in spite of his wounds, requested permission to lead his section until the whole action had been completed”.
He also "rushed the enemy foxholes, firing his Tommy gun” and “was met by a hail of fire and wounded in the arm. In spite of this he continued his advance alone, hurling grenades."
The medal, the first time a Victoria Cross awarded to a Sikh soldier was featured on the show according to the series, was valued at £250,000 by expert valuer Mark Smith. Mr Singh, who regularly visited London to attend the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association Biennial Reunion, died in 1996. To apply for tickets and to showcase items, go to bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow.
Watch the current series of Antiques Roadshow on BBC One on Sundays from 8pm.