One of my favourite TV programmes has to be Antiques Road Trip. I never miss one and am quite happy to watch repeats. I just find the format works really well, so when a BBC researcher got in touch to ask if I would be happy for my Ladybird Book collection to be featured in the Celebrity version of the programme, I found I would indeed be
very happy. The basic format of the programme is that a couple of antiques experts travel round the country in a vintage car, picking up interesting items along the way which are auctioned off at the end of each programme in a competition to see which 'expert' makes the most profit (for Children in Need). In the celebrity version, the 'trips' last a couple of days not a week and the expert is accompanied by a celeb.
No, strangely enough, I was not the celebrity in question. Funny old world - but there you are. In the middle of each programme there are a couple of little 'features' when each expert usually goes on a little visit to a museum or visits a collection of some sort. And so it came to pass, one day this July, our quiet Cul de Sac was enlivened by the arrival of a vintage Jag, a TV antiques expert, Will Axon and the very blonde Kim Wilde - along with half a dozen jolly progamme makers, who take up a lot of room in a small house and like drinking tea.
The whole afternoon was enormous fun. I have no idea which snippet from the quantity they filmed will be included in the programme but we looked at some LBs that Kim had brought with her and also some original artwork by Martin Aitchison.
I haven't heard exactly when the show is going out but it's usually on around teatime on weekdays on BBC2. I think they said something about it going out at the time of Children in Need.
Will let you know more if I find it out myself.
