Antiques Roadshow

Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979, based on a 1977 documentary series. The series has spawned international versions with the same TV format, including Canada and the United States. As of 2016 it is presented by Fiona Bruce and is in its 38th series.

History

The series began as a 1977 BBC documentary about a London auction house doing a tour of the West Country in England. The pilot roadshow was recorded in Hereford on 17 May 1977 presented by contributor Bruce Parker, a presenter of news/current affairs program Nationwide and antiques expert Arthur Negus, who had previously worked on a similarly-themed show, Going for a Song. The pilot was so successful that it was transmitted and the format has remained almost unchanged ever since. Negus appeared on Antiques Roadshow until 1983. In the original BBC series, various towns or famous places are advertised as venues. The original theme music was Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 3 (for several years in a Moog synthesiser version by Walter Carlos), but was changed in the early 1990s to an original piece, by Paul Reade and Tim Gibson, which has been used ever since. The show has since visited a number of other countries (including Canada in 2001 and Australia in 2005) and has been imitated by other TV production companies around the world.

Antiques Roadshow (U.S. TV series)

Antiques Roadshow is an American television program broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television stations. The series features local antiques owners who bring in items to be appraised by experts. Provenance, history, and value of the items are discussed. Based on the original British Antiques Roadshow – which premiered in 1979 – the American version launched in 1997. When PBS decides on the taping locations for each year, it publicizes the chosen cities and airs the city and items to be appraised nationwide on PBS stations the next year, therefore raising the profile of various small to mid-size cities, such as Billings, Montana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Bismarck, North Dakota; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Rapid City, South Dakota. Antiques Roadshow has been nominated 13 times for a Primetime Emmy.

During 2005, the American version of Antiques Roadshow produced its own spinoff called Antiques Roadshow FYI, a half-hour program that followed the fate of items appraised in the main series and provided additional information on antiques and collecting.