Thousands queue up for BBC’s Antiques Roadshow
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| • RUN THROUGH: Michael Aspel, right, and a visitor make some last minute checks before filming her antiques. Ref. 2026-39-07SH. |
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| • POTTED HISTORY: Expert Henry Sandon looks over a Toby jug at the pavilion. Ref. 2001-39-07SH. |
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| • Queuing fortune hunters in Exmouth. Ref. P2037-39-07SH |
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| • Ref: P2012-39-07SH |
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| • Ref: P2014-39-07SH |
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| • Ruth Browne, 82, of Exmouth brought a Clarice Cliff vase and a figurine to the Antiques Roadshow. |
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| • BEANO BONKERS: Barclay Wood, 28, of the Parade, Exmouth. |
BRIGHT autumnal sun smiled on Exmouth as thousands waited in four-hour queues hoping for fortune at the Antiques Roadshow. Robin Leeburn was on hand to report...
With bags full of items plucked from dusty cupboards and polished for the big day, Michael Aspel and the team of experts waited inside the Pavilion to examine some gems, and a fair bit of junk.
Experienced antique buffs such as TV favourite, cuddly ‘potaholic’ Henry Sandon and his son John waited patiently for moments of excitement from rare finds.
Unexpected treasures included a toy which once belonged to author Jane Austen, worth no less than £25,000, and a teapot cover recovered from the wreck of the Titanic.
Perhaps most priceless of all was the patience and good humour of the queueing fortune-hunters, young and old alike, who had begun arriving for the show at the crack of dawn. Inside, broad smiles lit up the room as possessions were priced and praised as filming continued past 7pm.
The BBC will screen the Exmouth episode of the Antiques Roadshow on Sunday, November 25, 2007.
The buzz of a ‘find’ spurs stars
FAMOUS faces mingled easily with the eager crowds as BBC Antiques Roadshow rolled into the Pavilion on Exmouth seafront.
Star of the show, presenter Michael Aspel headed a batch of well-known Sunday evening stars – the Roadshow’s expert valuing team.
The Roadshow crew enjoyed several nights at the Royal Beacon Hotel as they set about investigating Devon treasures.
The show’s personalities were not disappointed with their surroundings – the sunshine last Thursday illuminating the Britain in Bloom winning floral displays, and a smart-looking seafront.
Mr Aspel, 74, said: “This morning I pulled back the curtains and looked out over the sea and thought how spectacular the view was – everybody here must feel very spoilt.
“The weather let us down when we were filming our intros, but we have been lucky today.
“Though, even if we are filming up in Scotland and the rain is pouring, we just put the foil macs around the old ladies to keep them alive, as they still queue anyway.”
Now filming his final series of Antiques Roadshow before Fiona Bruce takes over the job, the former This is Your Life presenter described the appeal of the show: “I have done 50 years of television, and eight years of this - everyone brings in the piece of history, and an old medal or something turns out to be worth £50,000.
“We are always on the sniff for rich pickings, and we get a real story, too.”
Faces lit up as punters who had queued round the Pavilion gardens managed to meet the experts for the lowdown on their pride and joy.
Bonhams’ auctioneer Jon Baddeley was among the team patiently sifting through thousands of items.
Mr Baddeley said: “We always strike gold on the show, as we see thousands of people, up to 20,000 items, and out of them 30 or 40 will be special.
“I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t excited and surprised by what people brought in.
“It is good being down here in Exmouth as it is the sort of place people come to retire, and are of an age where they have various great pieces.”
Great day for town
FOUR years of hard work paid off last week when the Antiques Roadshow made it to Exmouth last week for a day out at the Pavilion.
The arrival of the BBC Sunday teatime favourite marked the culmination of hours of teamwork pulling Exmouth organisations together.
Leading the charge was the Pavilion team, who first wrote to the BBC to book the show in 2003.
Persistence paid off when BBC producers visited last year and, though the venue was smaller than many used for the programme, its seafront location and an opportunity to meet Devon crowds proved irresistible.
Pavilion manager Simon Findel-Hawkins, part of the Leisure East Devon (LED) team, said: “My colleague James Wickett first had the idea, and it has just been the best thing the Pavilion has ever done.
“We have only made the same money as a normal booking, but everything from the garden being done to the new paint job has been off the back of this. It is great for Exmouth, and the town has really pulled together to make it happen.”
The event was a real community effort, with Rotarians volunteering as stewards town and district councils backing the day. Exmouth police, the LED tennis centre caterers based at Elizabeth Hall, Exmouth Community College, the town’s Bloom floral team and not least local residents all helped make the event a success.
Town Clerk John Wokersien, also entertaining crowds on the day as a member of the Shanty Men singers, said: “To be part of a national event like this is a privilege for the town. There has been real anticipation for this, and the cameras are seeing the town in all its glory.”
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| • Ref: p20243907sh |
• Debbie Rowsell, owner of the Albion Café, of Green Close, Exmouth, with Dawn Simpson, formerly from Exmouth. |
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| • Ref: P2031-39-07SH |
• FOCUSING ON EXMOUTH: The camera crew were busy until late in the evening. Ref. 2004-39-07SH. |
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• Ref: P2038-39-07SH |
• Ref: P2709aspel |
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