It’s not quite a swoon, but there’s no doubting the drama of the moment. A former US serviceman from North Dakota has become an unlikely internet star after he brought an old watch to the US version of Antiques Roadshow for appraisal, only to fall to the ground when he learned of its value.
The watch, a Rolex Oyster Cosmograph which the man – known only as David - bought in 1974 for just under $400 but has never worn, is an astonishingly rare model, he is told, which could fetch $400,000 at auction. At which point its owner flings himself to the ground in astonishment.
It is only when David gets to his feet, laughing, that he is then told by appraiser Peter Planes that because of the exceptional condition of his item and its original paperwork, it is in fact worth more like $500,000 to $700,000, making it “one of the greatest watches ever seen on Antiques Roadshow”.
“You’ve got to be … kidding me,” replies David, his full answer censored by broadcaster PBS. In a few days, the clip has been viewed more than 4.5m times on Youtube.
And so continues the astonishing success of a format which has been broadcasting continuously in the UK since 1979, with multiple versions screening around the world including in Finland, Belgium and Australia. Antiques Roadshow made its debut on BBC One in 1979; in the four decades since it has visited hundreds of museums, town halls and stately homes, assessing 15,000 to 20,000 items at each location, and rattled through five presenters – with even the most recent, the relative newcomer Fiona Bruce, having filmed more than 100 episodes.
In March, the BBC programme returns for its 43rd series, promising what series editor, Robert Murphy, teases will – inevitably – include “a really blockbuster piece – all I can say is watch this space”. More of the same, in other words, which is just how its 6 million viewers like it. It is notable that the announcement this week that the BBC would focus its budget on younger viewers was accompanied by assurances that Antiques Roadshow’s position was unassailable.
While the format has undergone some minor tweaks in the past 41 years, the secret of its success is in keeping it simple, suggests Murphy, who has been involved with the programme since 2014.
“It’s such a winning formula. You have a mystery item, often something that’s been beautifully crafted, an owner who could be any one of us, and then the drama of the valuation when that moment is revealed. I think the real magic of the Antiques Roadshow is you get these moments of genuine spontaneous emotion.
“It is, in the classic phrase, ‘telly gold’ to have something so truly genuine as those moments of reaction that we get.”
To John Bly, who was the programme’s furniture expert for 39 years until 2018, it is not only the valuation but the “mini-lecture” that each expert delivers that accounts for Antique Roadshow’s success. “And if you listen to every programme, that’s 40 years of knowledge, which you get in no other programme.”
All the same, he admits, the “big reveal” moments are every bit as enjoyable for the experts as the lucky owners.
“Oh, the heart still thumps. Oh yes, of course. They are magic moments. They are a great thrill to any of the experts who find something that is exceptional.
“But the whole recording day is full of meeting nice people and giving them a pleasant surprise. It’s the most rewarding thing to do.”
Six memorable Antiques Roadshow valuations
Ozzy the Owl
A jug and cup that was being used as a flower pot when it was brought to the roadshow in Northamptonshire in 1990. Pottery expert Henry Sandon told the astonished owner it was a piece of rare Staffordshire slipware from 1680 and valued it at £20,000. Ozzy is now one of the star attractions at the Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent.
The Angel of the North maquette
The final maquette on which Anthony Gormley’s Angel of the North was based, it is now owned by Gateshead council, where the statue is based, and brought by an employee to the roadshow in 2008. The valuation of £1m was then a record for the programme.
Van Dyck portrait
Bought for £400 by a Derbyshire priest, the painting was spotted by presenter Fiona Bruce, who asked expert Philip Mould to take a closer look. It was later authenticated as a genuine sketch by Van Dyck, and valued at £400,000.
Lady Astor’s diamonds
A long diamond chain and earrings which were presented in 1959 to the city of Plymouth by Lady Astor, then the city’s (extremely wealthy) MP. The spectacular collection was brought in by the city’s lord mayor and valued at £300,000.
Fabergé pear blossom
Described by expert Geoffrey Munn as “a shrieking pitch of perfection and luxury” when he examined it in 2017, the delicate Fabergé flower was commissioned for the Worcestershire Yeomanry regiment and valued at £1m.
Churchill’s hat and cigar
Dug out of a dump and brought to the roadshow last year, a box containing a hat, cigar case and cigars belonging to Winston Churchill was given a value of £10,000.
