‘It’s not just about antiques. We’re celebrating British heritage too’

The perennial stalwart of BBC’s Sunday night schedule, Antiques Roadshow, took in Filton’s Aerospace Bristol museum on its romp around the country for the latest series, drawing in swathes of people from all over the city and beyond.

Both long-time fans of the show and those just curious as to the value of their items began queuing from as early as 6.30 am to be first in line to see the experts. The Antiques Roadshow team were dotted around both inside and outside of the museum, divided into tables depending on their area of expertise.

At the front of the #antiquesroadshow queue! Remember it’s free to get into the #concorde hangar and loads of free parking at @BristolAero and a park and ride shuttle bus at at Cribbs Causeway. Doors open 9.30 – we can’t wait! pic.twitter.com/Niw98yCeZH

— Antiques Roadshow (@BBC_ARoadshow) May 17, 2018

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What really is impressive about Antiques Roadshow is its power to bring so many different pieces and so many areas of expertise together. People queued with all manner of items, from tin toys to barometers to rare posters of Britpop band Blur.

Just half an hour into the event, Chris Yeo, a curator and specialist in 20th-century design and craft, had already seen a piece that warranted a TV recording. It was a wooden toy elephant made by “someone quite significant in Danish design”, as he cryptically put it. “To get that far so early in the day is a bonus,” Chris said.

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In the imposing presence of the Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the last of the Filton-made planes to fly, Aerospace Bristol was naturally a bit different from the standard Antiques Roadshow venue. “We’re looking to do more urban venues,” Chris told Bristol24/7, “to get more of a mix of people coming in. We love stories on Antiques Roadshow: it’s not just about the value of the object, it’s if it has got a great story behind it too.”

It’s true – ‘What story will you bring?’ is emblazoned on the Roadshow truck; the chance to learn the history behind each item is a huge part of what has endeared the show to the public for so long.

People queuing in front of the Antiques Roadshow truck

Annie Cator travelled all the way from Sherbourne to find out more about her bear, Ted. “He’s always been my bear. I’ve got a photo of me in a play pen, and he’s sitting beside me. I’ve no idea what make he is or how old he is – my mum said that he’s older than me, but I don’t know if that’s by six months or ten years!”

Also queuing at the ‘miscellaneous’ table was John Finch, owner of St Nicholas Market’s Hot Sauce Emporium, with a number of items that prove how eclectic the range on Antiques Roadshow can be. “I’ve got various awards to do with my grandfather’s service, prior to and during World War One. I’ve also got my grandfather’s mandolin – he used to play in a trio, around 1900. I’ve got a press cutting to go with it. Then I’ve got a mask of unknown origin – possibly Indian. A friend gave it to me 35 years ago; he found it in a skip. I saw similar ones in the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.”

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But as thronged as the Roadshow was, what was noticeable was the lack of younger people in attendance. John Bates, an avid collector of “weird and unusual things”, as he put it, was one of only a handful of younger faces to be found in the crowd. He had brought along a 1931 ladies’ foot-warmer. Despite being an avid fan of the programme from its beginning, he thinks a change is needed. “The Roadshow of yesterday is the Roadshow of today,” he said. “I’d like to see it changing a little bit. I’d like to see more interesting things, even if they’re only worth 25p, to engage the generation coming up.”

That’s not to say that the programme hasn’t evolved over the years. “We used to be in leisure halls, gymnasiums”, explained Kris Sandon, wife of expert John Sandon. Kris has been going along to the Roadshow since 1985, and runs the merch stall, selling hats, bags and mugs for the uber-keen. She believes that the range of different venues that they visit means the programme is “not just about antiques. We’re celebrating British heritage too.”

After almost 40 years, Antiques Roadshow has become part of British heritage itself – and if its Bristol crowd is anything to go by, it will be travelling around the nation for many years to come.