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Arthur George Negus, OBE (29 March 1903 – 5 April 1985) was a broadcaster and antiques expert, specialising in furniture.
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Biography
Negus was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. His family had a long history in the antiques business, and Negus himself, educated at Reading School, began running the family business when he was 17, following the death of his father. During World War II he was an air-raid warden. He later joined the company of Bruton, Knowles & Co., auctioneers of fine antiques based in Gloucester. Amongst his young team were Simon Bruton, Quincey Hobbs and Simon Chorley.
For many years Negus lived in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Broadcasting career
His broadcasting career began at the age of 62 when he appeared on the panel of the television series Going for a Song (1965–1977), where he appraised antiques. He quickly became a household name as a result of his slow and distinctive West Country speech style, which in turn also made him popular with impersonators. He returned to television with Arthur Negus Enjoys (1982) and, especially, Antiques Roadshow (1979–1983). He was mentioned in the 1970 Monty Python "Election Night Special" sketch, and again two episodes later in the sketch "Archaeology Today". He also appeared on other TV programmes including several editions of The Generation Game during the time it was presented by Bruce Forsyth and Larry Grayson.
Honours and legacy
Negus was appointed to the Order of the British Empire in 1982. He died in 1985 at his home in Cheltenham exactly one week after having turned 82.
In April 2013 Negus's daughter Anne appeared on BBC One's Antiques Roadshow with the Negus Family Bible, owned by her great-grandparents Charles and Harriet Negus, which had been shown in a previous edition of the show in Wimbledon. Since discovering the bible the Negus family had been able to trace its ancestors back to the 1700s.