Created by BBC Television Presented by Mark L. Walberg Country of origin United States | Developed by WGBH, Boston Theme music composer Tom Phillips | |
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Directed by John Boyle III (current)
Bill Francis (current)
Susan Conover
Phillip Gay | ||
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 first aired in 1997. When taping locations are decided, they are announced on the series website 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 14 times for a Primetime Emmy.
Contents
- Format
- History
- Antiques Roadshow FYI
- Notable appraisals
- Antiques Roadshow taping locations
- Tickets
- Fraud conviction
- References
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.
Format
Each episode begins with an introduction by the host (currently Mark L. Walberg) followed by an announcement of the taping location. Each city taping is split into three hours, i.e. Boise Hour 1, Chattanooga Hour 2, or Raleigh Hour 3. Various three- to four-minute-long segments of selected people talking about their item(s) and their appraisers talking about the provenance, history, and value of the item(s) follow, interspersed with several brief informal appraisals, lasting about a minute or so and called over-the-shoulder appraisals. The episode concludes with the host wrapping things up; in more recent seasons, the Feedback Booth, a series of clips of people talking about their experience at Antiques Roadshow rolls with the credits.
History
The series was created in 1996 by WGBH-TV, based on the BBC's series of the same name that had been airing in the United Kingdom since 1979. The first US episodes were broadcast on PBS in 1997. (PBS also airs the original BBC series, though it is called Antiques Roadshow UK to differentiate it from its own version.) The American version of Antiques Roadshow is produced by WGBH-TV, the public television station in Boston, Massachusetts. The American version has been hosted by Chris Jussel (1997–2000), Dan Elias (2001–03), Lara Spencer (2004–05), and Mark L. Walberg (2005–present). Marsha Bemko is executive producer. Notable appraisers include Leigh and Leslie Keno, Nicholas Lowry, Noel Barrett, David Rago, Arlie Sulka, Ken Farmer, Wes Cowan, Timothy Gordon and Kathy Bailey who appraise furniture, posters, toys, pottery, glass, arms and militaria, and folk art. Auction houses Christie's, Sotheby's, Witherell's, Heritage Auctions, Skinner, Inc., Doyle New York, Freeman's Auctioneers & Appraisers, and Swann Galleries provide expert appraisers for venues across America.
Antiques Roadshow FYI
During 2005, PBS broadcast Antiques Roadshow FYI, a sister series to Antiques Roadshow. The weekly half-hour show, hosted by then-Antiques Roadshow host Lara Spencer with correspondent Clay Reynolds, provided information on items shown on previous episodes of Antiques Roadshow, as well as additional information on antiques and collecting.
Notable appraisals
Eleven items are recognized as the most valuable items featured on the American Antiques Roadshow:
Antiques Roadshow taping locations
The following is a list of the seasons, hosts, broadcast/taping years, and taping locations of Antiques Roadshow from 1996 to the present:
States or province (Ontario) where tapings have taken place are listed below:
Tickets
Tickets are free, but are only provided to preselected people on a random basis. To request tickets, prospective appraisees must fill out a form on the official website.
Fraud conviction
In 2001, two dealers who had appeared on the show were indicted on mail and wired fraud charges. Russ Pritchard III and George Juno were accused of defrauding Civil War descendants out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The pair also had faced accusations of phony appraisals on the show. In 2002 they were sentenced after being convicted.