Antiques Roadshow expert Marc Allum was left overcome with emotion when a guest brought in an “incredible” letter from the singer-songwriter Kate Bush.
The guest, who grew up in the North of England in the 1980s, said they were a “fairly isolated young gay man” without any friends to talk to about their sexuality.
Instead, they wrote their feelings down in poems and posted them to the “Wuthering Heights” hitmaker, who replied with a touching response to the fan mail.
“Dear Mark, thank you for your lovely letter,” the reply read. “It was good to hear from you. I really liked reading your poems and you come across as a sensitive, caring person.”
The note continued: “So much printed information is incorrect and my music (not what journalists say) is my gift to you. And I know you’ll look after that because you’d already said so.
The singer concluded: “I hope you’re happy. Lots of love, Kate Bush.”
Upon reading the letter, Allum – who praised Bush as “one of the greatest musicians ever” – was taken aback by the markedly “personal” note from the singer and apologised for his “melodramatic” reaction.
“I never expected to get a response,” the guest replied. “I sent them out there hoping she would read them. I didn’t expect to get a reply back at all.”
He added: “It felt incredibly important to me that somebody had listened to me and you know, just reading that gave me such a boost at the time.
“This was 40 odd years ago, she's been creating great music since then and is number one around the world and that’s a testament to the power of the music that she wrote.”
The man, who was told by Allum the letter was worth between £400 and £500, said he initially hesitated to bring the letter to auction because it was so personal to him.
“But I think on balance, I brought it in the hope [that] maybe she might get to hear about it and understand how grateful I am to her,” he said.
The episode came ahead of this year’s Kate Bush Day, an event in Folkestone, Kent, which has been running since 2018, where thousands of fans dress up as the singer and dance to “Wuthering Heights”.
The Independent’s Helen Coffey wrote of the event: “The joy in the air was palpable; my face hurt from smiling so much.
“By the end of that first dance, I felt like a new woman, practically vibrating with energy and goodwill.”
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