‘Celebrity Antiques Road Trip’ heads to PBS this month!
Neil Dudgeon and Dame Diana RIgg in Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. Photo: PBS
Fans of Antiques Roadshow and virtually any British mystery, drama or comedy will definitely want to read on. The celebrity spin-off version of Antiques Road Trip sees two antique experts paired up with celebrity guests in classic cars as they scour for antiques on a road trip around the country. With 11 series and over 200 episodes in the can since it premiered on the BBC Two in 2011 (BBC One beginning in 2013), Celebrity Antiques Road Trip follows two celebrities each week as they hit the road in classic cars for a tour through Great Britain.
With antiques experts by their sides, they search the local stores for treasures, competing to see who can turn a £200 budget into a small fortune. Their adventures take them off the beaten path and allow them to learn about the little-known stories behind some of the greatest events in British history.
One week you might see Midsomer Murders star Neil Dudgeon takes on friend and acting royalty Dame Diana Rigg in a quest for antiques glory as the travel around their native Yorkshire in classic cars with experts Catherine Southorn and Paul Laidlaw. Other episodes feature the likes of New Tricks’ James Bolam, Bernard Cribbens of Fawlty Towers and Doctor Who fame and Downton Abbey‘s Phyllis Logan. Not to be outdone by his Midsomer Murder BFF, John Nettles also takes a turn in one episode to try and unearth a valuable treasure.
Downton Abbey’s Phyllis Logan in Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. Photo: PBS
Just in case you think there aren’t any ‘finds’ out there, for the original Antiques Road Trip, the records for the largest profit on a single item, the highest sale price for a single item, and the largest total profit on one road trip is held by Paul Laidlaw, who in the 2017 series bought a Chambre Automatique De Bertsch sub-miniature camera for £60 and sold it at auction for £20,000 (a 33,233% profit). The previous records for highest sale price for a single item and largest profit on a road trip was held by Anita Manning, who in 2016 purchased a Buddha statue for £50, which sold for £3,800 (a 7,500% profit).
The record for the largest profit margin on a single item is 33,650%. It was set by Charlie Ross when, in the 2012 series, he bought a chipped Staffordshire elephant clock for £8 which sold for £2,700.[4] This was also the largest profit made on a single item until Manning broke that record in 2016.
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip is coming to a PBS station near you this month beginning with series 4. FYI, KERA viewers in North Texas can watch each Thursday at 7pCT beginning April 6 as Phyllis Logan takes off in search of treasure in the premiere episode. Neil Dudgeon and Dame Diana Rigg explore the British countryside on April 13.
With 11 series currently produced and PBS starting with series 4, one can’t help but think of the line from Casablanca when Humphrey Bogart walks off with Claude Rains and says, “…this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” I’d love to know what you think!
In: Odds & Sods
