0:00:01 > 0:00:03The countdown to Christmas is under way.
0:00:03 > 0:00:05Our team of experts are taking a well-deserved break.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08But not before this seasonal look back on another
0:00:08 > 0:00:10vintage year of the Antiques Roadshow.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58From the hallowed turf of Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01an active fighter pilot base,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04magnificent grand houses -
0:01:04 > 0:01:07we've even taken our programme to the wind tunnels
0:01:07 > 0:01:10that pioneered British Aerospace.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15The Roadshow has visited some fascinating locations this year.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Now, we've arrived at our final location of 2012,
0:01:20 > 0:01:21for a Christmas treat.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25I'm in London at a place which would almost make you believe
0:01:25 > 0:01:27time travel is possible.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31This is the Geffrye Museum, where British domestic life over hundreds
0:01:31 > 0:01:36of years has been painstakingly recreated in this series of rooms.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38And they've been getting in the festive mood,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41adding decorations of the period.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45It's an ideal backdrop for us to look at how Christmas has changed
0:01:45 > 0:01:47over the centuries, as Hannah from the museum puts up
0:01:47 > 0:01:50some decorations on the tree for us, and we can celebrate another
0:01:50 > 0:01:54year of crackers with our best and most talked about discoveries.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Our experts have been busy choosing their top finds
0:01:57 > 0:02:00and they've not held back in their enthusiasm.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01And it's so wonderful.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Wonderful, wonderful.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04- Wonderful.- Wonderful.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06- Isn't that wonderful? - Fantastic.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08It just sings to you.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Wonderful. Exuberant lilies.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15This is a wonderful thing.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22This to me is a beautiful thing.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Fabulous!
0:02:25 > 0:02:26Beautiful.
0:02:29 > 0:02:30That's wonderful.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36It really is delightful.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41Ecky thump!
0:02:43 > 0:02:44That's incredible.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Wonderful.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Wonderful!
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Fabulous.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58Wonderful thing.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03- Wonderful.- Fabulous.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04Wonderful!
0:03:04 > 0:03:08It's got to be worth between £100,000 and £150,000.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09CROWD GASPS
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Gosh.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14Wonderful! Wonderful.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15- Fabulous.- Wonderful.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Many of us are excited to see what will be waiting for us
0:03:22 > 0:03:24under the tree, and as we've seen,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27some of the best surprises come in the smallest of packages.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Here's three dainty but exquisite pieces to come our way recently.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36This is an absolute little Deco delight.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Beautiful colour, beautiful shape, beautiful pattern.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43When I first saw that, I could hardly believe my eyes.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48I think it is just the most magical object.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49- Really?- Oh, yeah.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- That's good.- Oh, yeah!- Good.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53This is an inro.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54Where did it come from?
0:03:54 > 0:03:55Um, a second-hand shop.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57- Really?- Yeah.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- How much?- 19 pence.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00One nine?
0:04:00 > 0:04:01Yes!
0:04:01 > 0:04:0319 pence?
0:04:03 > 0:04:04I was robbed, wasn't I?
0:04:04 > 0:04:05Absolutely!
0:04:05 > 0:04:06This is a French one.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10And there were three famous makers.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14There was St Louis, there was Baccarat and there was Clichy,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18and this is a Clichy one. This rose that I pointed to.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20- Yes.- It's a Clichy rose.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25The real joy is the inro itself and this fantastic lobster crayfish.
0:04:25 > 0:04:26It is beautiful.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30It's an absolutely staggering object.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32I sort of suspected cos his name's on the box.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Lalique, but I didn't think it was actually,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36I thought it was an imitation.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Well, don't doubt yourself. You are absolutely right.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41Yay!
0:04:41 > 0:04:44This little box was designed in 1923.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45Yeah.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48By the great master, Rene Lalique, and actually just here,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51in amongst the design is that name.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52R. Lalique.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54I sold one recently,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57so I know exactly what it's worth.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59It sold...
0:05:00 > 0:05:05..for £22,000.
0:05:05 > 0:05:06LAUGHTER
0:05:06 > 0:05:07Never!
0:05:07 > 0:05:10And it's an absolute little gem.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11LAUGHS
0:05:11 > 0:05:12Oh, brilliant!
0:05:12 > 0:05:14- So 19p.- Yeah.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Would you be surprised if I told you it's worth...
0:05:17 > 0:05:18£500.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20LAUGHS UPROARIOUSLY
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I'd be delighted! Wow!
0:05:23 > 0:05:27It's possibly by one of the greatest lacquer artists
0:05:27 > 0:05:30of the late 19th century, Shibata Zeshin.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Even if it's not, it's worth...
0:05:33 > 0:05:34£3,000 to £5,000.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Oh, my God.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I've got some news for you about your paperweight, Mum.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41'What?'
0:05:41 > 0:05:44You're on loudspeaker. It's worth £22,000.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46'No, it isn't, duck!'
0:05:46 > 0:05:47LAUGHTER
0:05:47 > 0:05:49'Good grief.'
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'I can't believe that sum - I've had that since I was a little girl.'
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- Well, actually I'm teasing you a little bit.- Oh! All right then.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- It's not worth £500.- It's not?
0:05:57 > 0:05:58It's worth £1,000.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Oh, my goodness!
0:06:00 > 0:06:01Excuse me.... I'm going to faint!
0:06:01 > 0:06:03GIGGLES
0:06:03 > 0:06:04£1,000?!
0:06:04 > 0:06:07It is a super rare little thing...
0:06:07 > 0:06:08Oh, wow!
0:06:08 > 0:06:10..That lots of people want to own.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12LAUGHTER
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Oh, well, I'm so glad I've got it. Of course, I'll never sell it(!)
0:06:15 > 0:06:16LAUGHTER
0:06:22 > 0:06:26That lady must have been the best reaction of the year.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28So, did she sell it?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Well, Christina... that's the lucky lady...
0:06:30 > 0:06:32tells us the box will go to auction just after Christmas,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and she's promised herself a New Year treat.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37And the paperweight has now been sold,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40not quite making Fergus' top value but still bringing in
0:06:40 > 0:06:44a hefty £15,000 when it was sold earlier this year.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Most objects brought to Roadshows tend to stay in the family, but
0:06:47 > 0:06:50sometimes make significant journeys after appearing on the programme.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56It was with the backdrop of Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club
0:06:56 > 0:06:59we met John, the owner of this extraordinary flag.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04He almost lost his life in the effort to recapture the flag
0:07:04 > 0:07:06after the fall of Singapore in World War II.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13And so Sergeant Major Uchiama of the Japanese army, who captured it,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17decided that he'd like it as his trophy of war.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20How did this end up with you?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Well, in Burma,
0:07:23 > 0:07:30we launched a serious attack on the 3rd November 1944.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36Many of my comrades, British and African, were killed
0:07:36 > 0:07:41in that attack, charging machine guns, which is no fun.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44And fortunately we won the battle.
0:07:45 > 0:07:52Because my task included searching the bodies of Japanese
0:07:52 > 0:07:56to find intelligence material,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59I found the body of Sergeant Major Uchiama,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03and beside him was his pack.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08So naturally I opened the pack, and there to my absolute amazement,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10I found this flag.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12So I couldn't believe it, I thought,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16it may have been HIS trophy of war but it's certainly mine.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17So far as I am concerned,
0:08:17 > 0:08:23the African soldiers I served with were unsung heroes of World War II.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27They fought the Italians in the Abyssinian campaign,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30they fought the Vichy French in Madagascar.
0:08:30 > 0:08:36These are pastoral tribesmen serving our King and country,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41and I would like to think that I would let this flag be sold,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45and the proceeds donated to military charities.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Because of the history of this, that it came from Singapore,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53I think it would raise £400 to £500, possibly more in auction.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Since appearing on the programme, John has thought long and hard
0:08:58 > 0:09:01about what to do with the flag, and is now in discussion with
0:09:01 > 0:09:05the National Museum of Singapore about donating it to them
0:09:05 > 0:09:06for their permanent collection.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11John tells us he was absolutely delighted with the response
0:09:11 > 0:09:13he got from Roadshow viewers.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18This beautiful clock,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21which came our way at the Weald and Downland Museum,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24certainly captured silver expert Alastair Dickenson's heart.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Listen to this example of waxing lyrical.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32This is just so special, and it's so wonderful,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35I'm almost fallen in love again.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36LAUGHTER
0:09:37 > 0:09:40It is an absolutely stunning piece.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45I particularly like the enamel dial, which has got Latin lettering
0:09:45 > 0:09:49round it, which I think is "festina lente", and my schoolboy Latin
0:09:49 > 0:09:52makes me think that's something like "make haste slowly".
0:09:52 > 0:09:54It was "hurry slowly".
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Hurry slowly, yes, exactly.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00What's so nice about this is the condition is really gorgeous.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06Just look at the enamel round here, this tree and the lovely colouring
0:10:06 > 0:10:10all around it. Even the colour of the dial itself is absolutely
0:10:10 > 0:10:13wonderful, so you've obviously looked after it extremely well.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14I thought it was special.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Yes, and it's in the high Art Nouveau taste.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Right.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23But if we turn it round, what gets even more interesting,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25are the marks at the back here,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29and we can see it's got the mark here for Liberty and Company.
0:10:30 > 0:10:31Ah.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36Now, Liberty and Company were one of the real pioneers
0:10:36 > 0:10:38of the Art Nouveau style.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41They had a very important designer working for them
0:10:41 > 0:10:43at that time called Archibald Knox.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Knox designed a number of clocks.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46Yes.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50And I'm pretty certain this is designed by Knox.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52This is prettier than most.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53Oh!
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Now I have to tell you that Archibald Knox is very much
0:10:56 > 0:10:58flavour of the month at the moment.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I think comfortably...
0:11:00 > 0:11:02£15,000 to £20,000.
0:11:02 > 0:11:03CROWD GASPS
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Ooh.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09After the programme, the owner, Rosemary, loaned the clock
0:11:09 > 0:11:13to the Victoria & Albert Museum, and tells us she's really thrilled
0:11:13 > 0:11:17that they'll soon be including it in their 20th century silver gallery.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Why not go and take a look at it in pride of place?
0:11:23 > 0:11:25And when we visited Scarborough,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28we told the tragic story of the death of a Spitfire fighter pilot,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32commemorated with a hand-carved plaque to honour his life.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35The plaque sits in my mother's house.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38It was commissioned by her mother and father,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42directly to Robert Thompson, to make the plaque in memory
0:11:42 > 0:11:46of their son, Brian, who died actually in the Battle of Britain.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49He was a Spitfire pilot and his Spitfire was shot down.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52He was actually shot in the back, so he wasn't killed.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54He was mortally wounded,
0:11:54 > 0:11:58and he actually had to bail out by flying the Spitfire
0:11:58 > 0:12:02upside-down and releasing himself because he was paralysed.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07So he had the sang-froid to turn his plane upside-down, open the hood.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08Yes.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09And more or less fall out.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Yes, correct, and he was Thomas Brian Kirk,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14and he died nine months later from his injuries,
0:12:14 > 0:12:19and I have here the flying helmet he was wearing at the time
0:12:19 > 0:12:20that he was shot down.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22This is his Spitfire pilot's helmet?
0:12:22 > 0:12:25This is his Spitfire pilot's helmet, and my mother has this too.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28They went to Robert Thompson, and they asked him
0:12:28 > 0:12:30if they would do a plaque with his squadron,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33which was Tiger Squadron, 74 Squadron,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36and Robert Thompson was really proud to do it,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39and my mother said he spent a great deal of time and care,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43and I think that's why the mouse is so beautifully carved.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Since we showed that item, members of the 74th Tiger Squadron
0:12:47 > 0:12:50contacted the Roadshow, eager to learn more.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54They're so keen to see the piece, they've invited the owner, Caroline,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58and her mother, to bring the plaque to their annual reunion next year.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04And finally on our catch-up of Roadshow finds, tales of remarkable
0:13:04 > 0:13:07escapology featured in the programme, when we heard the story
0:13:07 > 0:13:11of how Houdini was inspired by this owner, Geoff's great-grandfather.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16Absolutely right, yes. He was doing a show in Milwaukee.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17Right.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Where one of the illusions was that he seemed to cut
0:13:20 > 0:13:24a man into small pieces, and then put him together again.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Right.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28And in the audience was a young lad of five years old,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31who later became Houdini,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34and this young boy was found by his parents
0:13:34 > 0:13:40at the end of the show, on the stage, at the foot of my great-grandfather.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Right.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Who was producing eggs out of his mouth,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and fascinating the young boy.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Since that programme was shown, the archivists at The Magic Circle have
0:13:50 > 0:13:54contacted Geoff, to include this important story in their records.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56He tells us it's very exciting
0:13:56 > 0:14:00and has led to many new discoveries about his grandfather.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Just a few Roadshow guests whose visits have prompted renewed
0:14:04 > 0:14:06interest in their family heirlooms.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Look at this - a perfect recreation of a 1960s Christmas.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Brings back a few memories of my first Christmases, as do these toys.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23And here are some more great toys to get you into the festive spirit.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Pick up the phone, Teddy.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31He's not co-operating.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32PHONE RINGS
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Ah!
0:14:34 > 0:14:35Her name's Snoozelums.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- What?- Snoozelums.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41I just thought he was an ordinary monkey!
0:14:41 > 0:14:42LAUGHTER
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Hello, Teddy, are you there?
0:14:48 > 0:14:49SQUEAKS
0:14:49 > 0:14:50Yes!
0:14:50 > 0:14:51LAUGHTER
0:14:53 > 0:14:54CROWD: Yeah!
0:14:54 > 0:14:56That was fantastic.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Up and down go the oxen.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Of course, this one operates just by a little pulley. There we go.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04OK.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Excellent. Bang goes the pay rise.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11He's probably got a voice.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12DEEP BLEATING
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Oh, it does, it's great.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16And what it does is it walks forward and kills people.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17That's right.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19- So shall we..?- Yep.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20Stand back.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26You can just imagine how thrilled a child would be
0:15:26 > 0:15:28to get presents like that at Christmas.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30And I'm joined now by Bunny Campione,
0:15:30 > 0:15:31our toy specialist of course.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34You've been a toy specialist for what, 30 years or so.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38When did the tradition of giving toys at Christmas first begin?
0:15:38 > 0:15:40I think we can thank Prince Albert,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44who brought the Christmas tree over, and married our Queen Victoria.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Before that I think it was more of a religious festival,
0:15:48 > 0:15:53and so the poorer children in the Victorian age probably got
0:15:53 > 0:15:57a cup and ball, little wooden cup and ball, made by the father maybe.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01And then the richer children might have had a Noah's ark,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05which of course we all know now as the Sunday toy,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08so it was a religious toy, but oh, what wonders,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13you know, you can really have the most fantastic story
0:16:13 > 0:16:15and imagine all these animals going in,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and the one that we've got here,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21there's a pair of... I think they're moles,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25and they're so out of proportion with the giraffes and things,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28but they are heaven. What a wonderful toy.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32And people still want them today. Absolutely stunning toys.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36When did children begin to receive a greater variety of toys?
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Well, I think it was about 1905,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43the Edwardian period where tin plate came in.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47The Germans were very good at making tin plate toys
0:16:47 > 0:16:49and I think we started to copy them.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55And we have a lovely open bus here made by Lehmann, which is German,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and if that were to go on the Roadshow,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02and we see quite a few really, really good things,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05if they're in good condition in their boxes,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08they can make as much as £5,000, £6,000.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I guess plastic must have changed everything for children's toys.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19Totally.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The extraordinary thing is, plastic came in in the 19th century
0:17:22 > 0:17:28but it wasn't until probably the '30s that Elastolin soldiers,
0:17:28 > 0:17:34and Bakelite, all these different parts of plastic came in,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37which was almost unbreakable, which was fantastic.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41And then of course after that, the films came in,
0:17:41 > 0:17:46and everything changed after that, because we then have Mickey Mouse
0:17:46 > 0:17:50and all these wonderful Disney film characters,
0:17:50 > 0:17:54and everybody wanted a Mickey Mouse, and I suppose it would be worth
0:17:54 > 0:17:56about £2,000 to £3,000 if it was sold.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00We're in a 1960s room, and talking about films,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03I mean, we've got television, a fantastic 1960s television
0:18:03 > 0:18:05and that must have changed things again.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07I remember watching Andy Pandy on television.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10I've got a little slightly mortifying picture of myself
0:18:10 > 0:18:13dressed as Andy Pandy, for Christmas,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15in a little suit that my mother made for me.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Complete with Christmas baubles around my ears.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21But that again must have brought in a whole new generation of toys.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Absolutely again, the glove puppets like Sooty, Noddy,
0:18:24 > 0:18:31and of course then you get the space age toys, and here we have a robot.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36They made these in Japan, this is by Yoshio, and Nomura,
0:18:36 > 0:18:38a lot of different Japanese makes,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41particularly after the Second World War,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43we weren't getting in German toys,
0:18:43 > 0:18:48we were getting in a lot of plastic and tin from Japan.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53Well, I remember my favourite toys in the sort of late '60s
0:18:53 > 0:18:54and '70s were Barbies.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57And this was my Barbie so I've brought it along.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Now I mean, the most expensive Barbies...
0:18:59 > 0:19:01What would the most expensive one go for now?
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Yours is much later.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05You're far too young to have had a very early one.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10They started in 1959 and if you can find a 1959, '60, or '61
0:19:10 > 0:19:14in good condition with her clothes, in a box,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17she could be worth as much as £10,000.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Really? Well, mine is somewhat distressed.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I think that's a polite way of putting it,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23and actually, do you know what?
0:19:23 > 0:19:25My Barbies, now my daughter plays with them so I think
0:19:25 > 0:19:28that's what they're for, isn't it? For playing with, after all.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29Bunny, thank you so much.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Fascinating to talk about toys,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34especially just coming up to Christmas.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Now, often the biggest reaction we get to items brought in
0:19:36 > 0:19:38to the show, not just toys,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42but those poignant pieces, which although not necessarily valuable,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44have great personal meaning.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Here are some of our most moving stories that we've recently
0:19:47 > 0:19:51featured, starting with the magical but tragic love story of Nazi
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and her talented artist boyfriend Billy.
0:19:54 > 0:20:00Nazi was my husband's aunt but she died when she was 22.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Nazi was her nickname that her fiance gave her.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Right. Give the fiance's name because this is one of his works.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11It is, and he was Billy Hughes.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Has anybody heard of Billy Hughes? Well, I've got to admit, I haven't.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16No, no.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- But why not?- I don't know.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- Because he's a talent.- Yes.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Now let's have a see what we've got.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Well, first of all we've got two photographs, and
0:20:26 > 0:20:30if we can just put those photographs like so, there's a couple here.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Yes, that's Billy Hughes and Marjorie.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Marjorie, but her pet name was Nazi?
0:20:36 > 0:20:37Nazi, yes.
0:20:37 > 0:20:43And this is a wonderful self-cartoon of Billy Hughes himself.
0:20:43 > 0:20:44Yes.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46So he's obviously got a sense of humour.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47Yes.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49But what about this?
0:20:49 > 0:20:51She is divine.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55You know, and what we're looking at is very much the tip of the iceberg,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58because here is yet another volume.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Let's have a look at what we've got here.
0:21:01 > 0:21:07First of all these are all hand-painted, I mean these...
0:21:07 > 0:21:10There's the look of a lady quite frankly, that is...
0:21:10 > 0:21:12I think "demure" might be the word. And it says "to" what?
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Does it say there?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16It says, "To Columbine from Pierrot".
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Well, every Columbine should have a Pierrot.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20Yes!
0:21:20 > 0:21:24All these pictures, all these drawings, have been painted
0:21:24 > 0:21:26and been given to the love of his life.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27Yes.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Just look at this one here, I mean, that's spontaneous.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Look, that girl is a raver, isn't she?
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Mm, yes, she is.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36She is doing the Charleston.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41You know, there's a minimum of pen and ink there, but so much movement.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44I would love to have met this man, he had a sense of humour.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46What year did she die?
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Probably early 1920s.
0:21:48 > 0:21:49Early 1920s.
0:21:49 > 0:21:5222. It's no age at all, is it?
0:21:52 > 0:21:54No. Well, she died from exposure.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58She went for a walk in the local wood and tripped and fell
0:21:58 > 0:22:01and hit her head, and she died.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03And all Kirkbymoorside were out looking for her,
0:22:03 > 0:22:04but they couldn't find her.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07So a tragedy, a tragic death as well.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Yes.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Whatever happened to Billy?
0:22:10 > 0:22:17Well, Billy went as assistant to the librarian in Salisbury.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19And do we know any more after that?
0:22:19 > 0:22:21No.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23So, I'll tell you what. Somebody does.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Yes. Somebody will, yes.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Eric was right.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Our audience have been telling us more about
0:22:29 > 0:22:31the talented Billy Hughes.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Here's a photograph of him,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37taken when he returned from York to Salisbury after Nazi's death.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40He worked in the library service and is remembered for his talented
0:22:40 > 0:22:44paper sculptures - and here's a seasonal one he made.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47And following that sad love story,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49we're pleased to say Billy did get married
0:22:49 > 0:22:54and eventually retired happily to Dorset, where he died in 1973.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Remember this poignant scrapbook, brought in to a Roadshow?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Well, that's something I've never ever seen before, ever.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Extraordinary.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09The front page here has the words -
0:23:09 > 0:23:15"Female Orphan House, December 25th 1832, Ireland".
0:23:18 > 0:23:19Wow, look at this.
0:23:21 > 0:23:28So here we have a book containing tiny objects of clothing,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31beautifully sewn.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35I mean, sewn with such attention to detail,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38exactly replicating what you would expect
0:23:38 > 0:23:40as an adult piece of clothing.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Look at this perfect little bonnet
0:23:42 > 0:23:47and this chemise with the ruffles, absolutely incredible.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50And this lovely Irish linen.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53This is a work of a fairly mature girl.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57I would think we're talking about a 15, 16-year-old.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Her ability to sew is quite astonishing.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02I mean, this makes me want to weep.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06And here at the end page it says "Orphan House".
0:24:06 > 0:24:09so she's finishing her work, "December 25th",
0:24:09 > 0:24:12which is quite extraordinary. Christmas Day.
0:24:12 > 0:24:13Yes.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15It's such a moving book.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18I have never seen anything like it.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Those fragments touched a chord too with our viewers,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23including some who wished to buy the book,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27but the owner, Catherine, said she wants to keep that precious record
0:24:27 > 0:24:30and has now been put in touch with Irish historians.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Let's hope she may even discover the name of the young girl
0:24:33 > 0:24:36who so carefully made the exquisite work.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42And in our recent Remembrance special, we met Alan,
0:24:42 > 0:24:43with this wartime radio.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50That was made by the Polish underground, at my request,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54which they did a first-class job.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Why were you involved with the Polish underground?
0:24:57 > 0:25:03Well, I was a prisoner of war with the BEF station at St Valery,
0:25:03 > 0:25:08and I spent five years as a prisoner of war.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10How did you get the radio?
0:25:10 > 0:25:14The radio came in with the undertaker, delivering
0:25:14 > 0:25:19and collecting the corpse of the prisoner who had died.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23It must have been very dangerous for you, listening to the radio.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Yes, it was very, very dangerous.
0:25:26 > 0:25:32We would have been tried and shot, which was well known to us all.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Why was the radio never discovered?
0:25:34 > 0:25:40It was hidden to such a degree, that three years ago,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43my wife and I visited Poland,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47which...after 60-odd years,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51and we went to Fort 14, which...
0:25:51 > 0:25:53That's one of these photographs.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54At the bottom.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56And that was where you were kept prisoner?
0:25:56 > 0:25:57Yes.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59And this is a photograph here.
0:25:59 > 0:26:05And that is the photograph showing exactly where the radio was.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10And it's this brick here that you're pointing at, that was loose.
0:26:10 > 0:26:11Yes.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12That you hid the radio behind.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Yes, mm.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15And it was never discovered.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Never discovered.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19But you must have found that a very moving experience,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21going back after all these years.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Exceptionally so. Exceptionally so.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26And these are prisoners.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27All prisoners.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29And are you in this photograph?
0:26:29 > 0:26:32That's...in the top corner.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34This handsome chap here?
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Thank you.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I didn't think I was, but I'll accept that.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40LAUGHTER
0:26:42 > 0:26:45After appearing on the show, Alan was contacted by the families
0:26:45 > 0:26:47of fellow prisoners in that photograph
0:26:47 > 0:26:49who watched the programme.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Sadly his comrades in captivity have all died now.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56But 93-year-old Alan recently travelled to Scotland to meet
0:26:56 > 0:26:58their children, eager to hear his stories
0:26:58 > 0:27:02and see the radio that meant so much to the POWs in his camp.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Of course this has been a big year of celebration,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17as our Queen marked her Diamond Jubilee.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20We've seen some remarkable royal treasures over the year.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23But my favourites haven't been lavish and expensive.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Instead, I've enjoyed more humble pieces that told us
0:27:26 > 0:27:29about surprising moments in the life of our Queen.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31We had some great examples in our Jubilee edition
0:27:31 > 0:27:34from the magnificent Kensington Palace.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39People like Betty, who helped hand-sew the Queen's wedding dress.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43Now you were working at Norman Hartnell, presumably.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46One should explain that Norman Hartnell was THE name
0:27:46 > 0:27:49as a society dressmaker, and couturier, wasn't he?
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Oh, he was. He was the royal dressmaker.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I had to do the button-holes, make her button-holes.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Now, how many of these button-holes did you have to do
0:27:58 > 0:28:00on the finished garment? Dozens?
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Well, I think there were 20 down the back of her dress
0:28:02 > 0:28:05cos her dress was fastened that way.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07And I had never worked with button-holes before,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and they were two of the practice button-holes that I...
0:28:10 > 0:28:12And I made the buttons as well.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14So you covered the... the self-covered buttons.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Yes, they are the same material. Yes, the wedding dress.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18Fabulous!
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Now skimming on in this wonderful album of yours,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23there is this fabulous photograph.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Now this is presumably Hartnell's workroom.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27It is.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30And look, there's a circle, a blue circle round somebody here.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31Could this be you, Betty?
0:28:31 > 0:28:33It could.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36And how many of your fellow seamstresses who worked on the dress
0:28:36 > 0:28:38are still around and telling the story?
0:28:38 > 0:28:40I don't know anyone else. I have tried.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43So you're the last living treasure, are you?
0:28:43 > 0:28:46I'm the last, yes. The last one alive and kicking.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47LAUGHTER
0:28:47 > 0:28:49And then, did you see it on the day?
0:28:49 > 0:28:54I did, and I remember seeing Princess Elizabeth wearing that dress
0:28:54 > 0:28:58that I've worked on, and she looked absolutely wonderful,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01with her tiara sitting next to her father, the King.
0:29:01 > 0:29:02Fantastic.
0:29:02 > 0:29:03It was lovely.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Some people watching the programme
0:29:07 > 0:29:10might recognise your voice as Brian Aldridge of The Archers.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11Well, indeed they might,
0:29:11 > 0:29:15but I am here to talk about my godmother and this is her here,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19Adria, who was married to the private secretary
0:29:19 > 0:29:22to the Governor General of Kenya in 1952.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25So, in February 1952, what should have been a really joyous occasion
0:29:25 > 0:29:28for Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, a holiday in Kenya,
0:29:28 > 0:29:30turned out to have tragic overtones.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Yeah, of course it was joyous to start with,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35and particularly joyous to my godmother.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37They were so excited having this young couple.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41In fact, she wrote some wonderful letters back to her mother which...
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Yes, I've got one... I've just got one here.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47She says that "she's very slim with Heavenly clothes"
0:29:47 > 0:29:49and "Heavenly" with a capital "H"
0:29:49 > 0:29:52and "he is much taller than I expected, and really delightful,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55"enjoys everything and misses nothing, always has the right
0:29:55 > 0:29:58"thing to say at the right moment, to the right person".
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Well, there you are. What a surprise.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04How he's kept that up over the last 50 or 60 years, I think.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06- Well known for it. - Yeah, absolutely!
0:30:06 > 0:30:08I love the little thing at the end here,
0:30:08 > 0:30:10where she says that "they have just phoned from the lodge to say
0:30:10 > 0:30:13"all is well except they have no tea strainer".
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Oh, my dear! Poor things.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17I wonder who forgot to pack the tea strainer.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19A couple of days later she wrote another letter to her mother,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23with more wonderful stuff about the food they were eating and all that,
0:30:23 > 0:30:27and of course four days after that, wrote the letter which is so tragic.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Which of course her father had died and she was the Queen.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31Absolutely.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34I must just get this letter which is, which is quite fun,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36because at the very, very top she writes
0:30:36 > 0:30:41"PS. They had 74 pieces of luggage, not counting jewel cases etc".
0:30:41 > 0:30:46Well, it so happened that the royal household knew that the King
0:30:46 > 0:30:49was likely to die and had sent, amongst the 74 items of luggage,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52had sent one case full of mourning clothes.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54To their horror when they opened it,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58they found there were no long black gloves for the young Queen to wear.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01So, my godmother stood up and said,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03"Well, why don't you have mine, Ma'am?"
0:31:03 > 0:31:06And my godmother was very proud and she said,
0:31:06 > 0:31:10"And I'd like you to know, dear, that when you saw that wonderful
0:31:10 > 0:31:13"photograph of the young Queen sadly coming down the steps on the
0:31:13 > 0:31:18"BOAC jet at Heathrow, they are my long black gloves she's wearing."
0:31:18 > 0:31:21And then she paused and she said, "But I have to tell you,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24"I've always been rather miffed that I never got them back."
0:31:24 > 0:31:25LAUGHTER
0:31:31 > 0:31:33Throughout history we know that royalty have had
0:31:33 > 0:31:35an affinity for certain breeds of dogs.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39None more so than the Queen and her corgis.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44This is a wonderful story about a corgi called Susan.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47You know, Susan was given to her on her 18th birthday,
0:31:47 > 0:31:51and, of course, we know thereafter that all the corgis that
0:31:51 > 0:31:54the Queen has had have been descended from Susan.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57And this little note brings us very close
0:31:57 > 0:31:59to the way that she felt about Susan.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Well, we only know that from my father who was a veterinary
0:32:03 > 0:32:05surgeon in King's Lynn in Norfolk.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08When the Queen used to come to Sandringham,
0:32:08 > 0:32:13and one day a footman came in to the practice and asked my father,
0:32:13 > 0:32:17could he have a look at this particular dog,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20and my father obviously needed some information.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22The footman said,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25"Well I'm not really actually sure that I know the answers",
0:32:25 > 0:32:31so my father, on a scruffy piece of paper, wrote down some questions.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Right. Now the first question is,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35which of course he addressed to the Queen,
0:32:35 > 0:32:39was, "How long getting bigger?"
0:32:39 > 0:32:44and what happened? A note came back with hand-pencilled answers.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47And who had written those? Of course, the Queen.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Was that something that he expected?
0:32:50 > 0:32:51- No, he did not.- He didn't?
0:32:51 > 0:32:53No, especially on the piece of paper.
0:32:53 > 0:32:54Especially on the scruffy..!
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Let's look at the answer that the Queen wrote.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59It says, "no idea, she's always been fat".
0:32:59 > 0:33:00LAUGHTER
0:33:02 > 0:33:04There's a poignant side to this story as well
0:33:04 > 0:33:07because we also have another letter here.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09I'm going to have to read this letter because it says,
0:33:09 > 0:33:14"Dear Mr Swan...", obviously Mr Swan being your father.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18"I would like to thank you for all you did for my dear old Susan
0:33:18 > 0:33:19"when she became ill,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22"and for the immense amount of trouble you took in getting her
0:33:22 > 0:33:26"sent to Cambridge and for all the care she had while she was there.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29"Perhaps you could express my thanks to your colleagues.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31"I had always dreaded losing her,
0:33:31 > 0:33:35"but I am so thankful that her suffering was so mercifully short.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38"With renewed thanks, yours sincerely, Elizabeth R".
0:33:38 > 0:33:42My father was so delighted to get this letter, you know,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46for her to actually write to him personally to say thank you.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Royal duties started early.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00At the tender age of 14, Princess Elizabeth, as she was then,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03made her first state broadcast, and it was with your father, wasn't it?
0:34:03 > 0:34:04That's right.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07With, of course, the very famous Uncle Mac of Children's Hour.
0:34:07 > 0:34:08That's correct.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10It must have been a very important moment for him.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13I think it was probably the highlight of his career, I would think.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16And of course Children's Hour broadcast to the nation,
0:34:16 > 0:34:17across the Empire.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20And he always started... What were his opening words?
0:34:20 > 0:34:21Hello, children everywhere.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Of course. And so this is the Princesses here.
0:34:24 > 0:34:25That's right.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Because Princess Elizabeth brought along her younger sister to listen.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30And in the speech she says, at the very end,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33"Now come along, Margaret, come and say good night".
0:34:33 > 0:34:35Now we've got the broadcast here on a 78.
0:34:35 > 0:34:36We have, yes.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39By the magic of technology, we have got it now on a slightly more
0:34:39 > 0:34:41high-tech version, and we can listen to it.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44RECORDING: Her Royal Highness, Princess Elizabeth.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47'In wishing you all good evening,
0:34:47 > 0:34:53'I feel that I am speaking to friends and companions,
0:34:53 > 0:34:57'who have shared with my sister and myself many a happy Children's Hour.
0:34:57 > 0:35:03'Thousands of you in this country have had to leave your homes
0:35:03 > 0:35:07'and be separated from your fathers and mothers.'
0:35:08 > 0:35:12It's just adorable, isn't it, hearing her voice so young?
0:35:12 > 0:35:16And presumably the broadcast, even with Princess Elizabeth,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18ended with the words that he always ended with -
0:35:18 > 0:35:20let's hear it from you two.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22BOTH: Good night, children everywhere.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25PRINCESS ELIZABETH: 'Come on, Margaret.'
0:35:25 > 0:35:27PRINCESS MARGARET: 'Good night children.'
0:35:27 > 0:35:30'Good night and good luck to you all.'
0:35:37 > 0:35:40And we're planning another Roadshow Special programme,
0:35:40 > 0:35:41which we'll be recording next year,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43and I'm hoping you may be able to help us.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47With the approaching centenary of the outbreak of the First World War,
0:35:47 > 0:35:51we're keen to discover new accounts and moving stories told through
0:35:51 > 0:35:56remarkable objects, like this rare letter recently brought to light.
0:35:56 > 0:35:57This is a letter from my uncle,
0:35:57 > 0:36:02who was a sergeant major in the Grenadier Guards, 1914 in France,
0:36:02 > 0:36:06who was actually a witness to the Christmas Day truce
0:36:06 > 0:36:10and the football match, which we understand took place,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13and we know it did, because it's actually mentioned in his letter.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14- In this letter? - In this letter.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16It's a pencil-written letter.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Most of these letters home were written in pencil.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23Oh, I see here, it says that he's buried 69 men,
0:36:23 > 0:36:25and then the next thing happened,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28"a football kicked out of our trenches
0:36:28 > 0:36:31"and German and English played football.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34"Night came and still no shots.
0:36:34 > 0:36:39"Boxing Day the same, and has remained so up 'til now."
0:36:39 > 0:36:41Isn't that astonishing?
0:36:41 > 0:36:46This man was a witness to that now very famous event.
0:36:46 > 0:36:47Exactly.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49It's gone down in history, that event, you know,
0:36:49 > 0:36:50and he witnessed it.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53And was disputed that it ever took place for a long time
0:36:53 > 0:36:54by the powers that be.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56I find that astonishing actually.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01It's an incredibly historically important letter this, I think.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04What an extraordinary record of that moment.
0:37:04 > 0:37:05The Imperial War Museum tells us
0:37:05 > 0:37:08they're unaware of any letters in their extensive collection
0:37:08 > 0:37:11that refer to that famous Christmas Day football match,
0:37:11 > 0:37:15which makes this particular document very unusual indeed.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18We'd be keen to hear from you,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21if you have a different story told through objects
0:37:21 > 0:37:24that can bring to life the terrible events of The Great War.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29We're now planning a special programme
0:37:29 > 0:37:31and want to hear your family story.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Contact us -
0:37:52 > 0:37:55We're used to the idea of dressing our homes for Christmas
0:37:55 > 0:37:58but when did all this seasonal decoration begin?
0:37:58 > 0:38:00Our location today, the Geffrye Museum,
0:38:00 > 0:38:03has a remarkable series of displays showing past Christmases.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Alex Goddard, you're curator here.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27You've had fun dressing all these rooms from different eras.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30When did this idea of decorating a room for Christmas begin?
0:38:30 > 0:38:34Well, for hundreds of years people have been decorating their houses,
0:38:34 > 0:38:38often with seasonal greenery, so foliage that is evergreen...
0:38:38 > 0:38:39So what, holly and ivy?
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Yeah, absolutely, and sometimes herbs like bay and rosemary
0:38:42 > 0:38:43also would've been brought in,
0:38:43 > 0:38:47and people have been doing that since medieval days, really.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50They liked the idea that evergreen foliage represents the fact that
0:38:50 > 0:38:55winter won't stay winter forever, and that it holds symbolism
0:38:55 > 0:38:59about fertility and everlasting life. In a pagan way, really.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01We're in a Victorian room here
0:39:01 > 0:39:04and it was in the Victorian era that it all really took off
0:39:04 > 0:39:07with trees and decorations such as we might recognise them now.
0:39:07 > 0:39:08Yeah, definitely.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11I think people think that Prince Albert was the first person
0:39:11 > 0:39:13to bring the Christmas tree to Britain,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16and he was certainly responsible for popularising it.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Him and Queen Victoria and their family
0:39:18 > 0:39:21were well known to have Christmas trees in their home.
0:39:21 > 0:39:26People saw that illustrated in the Illustrated London News in 1848,
0:39:26 > 0:39:27and people all thought,
0:39:27 > 0:39:30"Yeah, my family can be like the Royal family too,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32"and I want to have that in my house."
0:39:42 > 0:39:43Tell me about Christmas cards.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45When did we first start sending those to each other?
0:39:45 > 0:39:48They were invented by Sir Henry Cole, who some people may know as
0:39:48 > 0:39:51the founder of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55He got his friend to design the first one in 1843,
0:39:55 > 0:39:59and they began to be sent, and of course Henry Cole was infamous also
0:39:59 > 0:40:03for being the founder of the Penny Post, so I think he was obviously
0:40:03 > 0:40:06quite an entrepreneurial gentleman to invent the Penny Post
0:40:06 > 0:40:09and then invent the very thing that could be popped into the Penny Post.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14So, it began really in the sort of mid-19th century,
0:40:14 > 0:40:15and really seemed to take off.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28What about Christmas stockings?
0:40:28 > 0:40:32Well, Christmas stockings I think were very popular in America,
0:40:32 > 0:40:35and they first started to become popular in Britain
0:40:35 > 0:40:37in the first years of the 20th century,
0:40:37 > 0:40:39so by the Edwardian period,
0:40:39 > 0:40:44people were putting little gifts and trinkets and satsumas and walnuts
0:40:44 > 0:40:47into Christmas stockings, and hanging them by the fireplace.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02It became much more likely that people would have an artificial tree,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05especially by the 1930s, because it was just more convenient.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07And what, getting that from the first department stores,
0:41:07 > 0:41:09that kind of thing?
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Yeah, big department stores were really starting to set up shop.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16Mass production had meant that many more goods were available to people
0:41:16 > 0:41:20to buy, so presents were being given and received much more readily.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22And baubles for the tree, that kind of thing?
0:41:22 > 0:41:23Yeah, baubles too.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Again they were made in Germany often,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29and they could make baubles and tinsel
0:41:29 > 0:41:32and all the kind of shiny things that we associate with Christmas today.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Looking at your '60s room, that brings back, you know,
0:41:44 > 0:41:46the memories of Christmas from my first years.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49Yeah, things were a lot simpler then, weren't they?
0:41:49 > 0:41:53That sort of kind of explosion of mass consumerism, didn't it?
0:41:53 > 0:41:54Decorations, but toys as well.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57Yes, certainly, people were used to, I think,
0:41:57 > 0:42:01beginning to have Christmas lists and receiving large numbers of toys
0:42:01 > 0:42:04and getting the popular toy each Christmas
0:42:04 > 0:42:06was certainly starting to happen around then.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10But people still enjoyed, you know, fairly simple things as well,
0:42:10 > 0:42:13like paper chains and balloons and the slightly more home-made
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and down to earth aspect of angels made out of doilies
0:42:16 > 0:42:19and the Three Kings made out of the insides of toilet rolls
0:42:19 > 0:42:21and that kind of thing.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23Oh, yes, I remember doing that from Blue Peter.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26Copying them all off Blue Peter! Alex, thank you very much indeed.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Now, as much as we love finding great objects,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40sometimes the owners make just as fascinating viewing.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Here are a handful of our colourful characters from the year.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Well, I have to say, this is a fairly impressive cuckoo clock.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49Are you a collector or have you acquired it recently?
0:42:49 > 0:42:52I've got several clocks. This is the most valuable.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55The first thing you need to do is to make the patient say "ah".
0:42:55 > 0:42:56Right, OK.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Ah, ah! Say ah! OK.
0:42:59 > 0:43:00He won't go off at two o'clock.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02- When does he...? - I'll tell you that.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04It only goes off... Is that because it's not meant to?
0:43:04 > 0:43:06I don't think it's meant to.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08- OK, so it only goes off... - Three o'clock.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10Three o'clock, six o'clock and nine, you think?
0:43:10 > 0:43:12No, every hour.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14- Every hour, but not at one and two. - Not at one and two.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17OK, that's a new one on me. I love it!
0:43:17 > 0:43:18LAUGHTER
0:43:18 > 0:43:20And then you sort of pick it up
0:43:20 > 0:43:22and then you insert it very gently like this,
0:43:22 > 0:43:26and you sort of wind it round like this and then...
0:43:26 > 0:43:29- And is it going to make a noise? - It makes a hideous noise.
0:43:29 > 0:43:30CREAKING
0:43:30 > 0:43:31Oh!
0:43:31 > 0:43:33- There. It comes out.- Oh!
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Unfortunately, I was in a really nasty road accident
0:43:37 > 0:43:42and I ended up having a bad head injury with brain damage, it was,
0:43:42 > 0:43:46and I was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Which could have taken you actually in any direction, really.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51It could've done, it could've done.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Fortunately it wasn't alcohol or drugs or anything nasty,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58it was Poole Pottery, which is much healthier.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02This strikes me as more than a collection. Is this an obsession?
0:44:02 > 0:44:05Er... A massive obsession.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08So big I can't even get it in the house.
0:44:08 > 0:44:101,500 pieces.
0:44:10 > 0:44:111,500?
0:44:11 > 0:44:13And counting. Not sure.
0:44:13 > 0:44:14Whoa.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16And you love it because?
0:44:16 > 0:44:20I just love the shape, the colours and it's also very tactile.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22I really like the feel of the...
0:44:22 > 0:44:25you know, the feel of the finish. It's very beautiful.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28- Show what you do with it. - What do I do?- You kiss them.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30I go, "Morning!".
0:44:30 > 0:44:31LAUGHTER
0:44:32 > 0:44:34Not to all of them.
0:44:34 > 0:44:35Not to all of them.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37And how long have you been married?
0:44:37 > 0:44:38Not very long!
0:44:38 > 0:44:39LAUGHTER
0:44:39 > 0:44:40Oh, dear.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43And eventually I decided, if it's hated that much,
0:44:43 > 0:44:46if it's disliked that much, there must be something to it
0:44:46 > 0:44:49and I made a conscious decision to buy every piece
0:44:49 > 0:44:50I could lay my hands on.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54He lives in our bedroom, and he lives in our front room.
0:44:54 > 0:44:55You have this clown in your bedroom?
0:44:55 > 0:44:57- Yeah.- OK.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00So how did these works of art happen?
0:45:00 > 0:45:04Well, Peter Blake came to the shop that I work at and then
0:45:04 > 0:45:07we all, sort of, got chatting. And we had a few things done.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10And we asked him to sign our arms and then we were then going
0:45:10 > 0:45:13to go after meeting him and get them tattooed so...
0:45:13 > 0:45:16OK, so as soon as he'd written them on your arms,
0:45:16 > 0:45:18you banged them permanently down.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20Yeah, straight away pretty much.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22- In ink with a tattoo. - Yeah, that was my lunch break.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25It was a birthday present off somebody.
0:45:25 > 0:45:26Yeah.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29That's why they thought that I would appreciate it,
0:45:29 > 0:45:32and I was quite shocked, cos when I opened the door,
0:45:32 > 0:45:34the person was holding it like a bat, and I thought,
0:45:34 > 0:45:38I kind of saw my life flash across my eyes,
0:45:38 > 0:45:41and then I thought, actually no, that's not a bat, it's a wooden leg!
0:45:41 > 0:45:44I bought it at an auction.
0:45:44 > 0:45:49I was in a long-term relationship and received an ultimatum that
0:45:49 > 0:45:52I had to buy a place for us to live in,
0:45:52 > 0:45:56and I duly saved up the deposit for somewhere,
0:45:56 > 0:46:01but ended up blowing it on the table at an auction.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03LAUGHTER
0:46:03 > 0:46:05How did the relationship go?
0:46:05 > 0:46:09I ended up being married to the table rather than the young lady.
0:46:09 > 0:46:10LAUGHTER
0:46:10 > 0:46:12But then again, it had better legs.
0:46:12 > 0:46:13LAUGHTER
0:46:15 > 0:46:17Ooh, ooh!
0:46:18 > 0:46:21And you hate it, why did you bring it?
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Um, well, Linny just mentioned the Antiques Roadshow
0:46:24 > 0:46:27and I've watched the Antiques Roadshow every week, all my life,
0:46:27 > 0:46:31and the fact that we've, like, made it to this point and met you,
0:46:31 > 0:46:33because - I just... I love you...
0:46:33 > 0:46:34LAUGHTER
0:46:34 > 0:46:37..and I really feel like you brought me up in a way,
0:46:37 > 0:46:38you know, I really do.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40That's made my day!
0:46:40 > 0:46:42Did it have a romantic happy ending?
0:46:42 > 0:46:46Well, it did eventually because by virtue of buying this table,
0:46:46 > 0:46:51I met my current wife, and we've got two beautiful daughters, so...
0:46:51 > 0:46:53Oh, wonderful, wonderful!
0:46:53 > 0:46:55And how many have you got at home?
0:46:55 > 0:46:57820 different models at home.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59It was at one time, the world's largest collection
0:46:59 > 0:47:02and featured in the Guinness Book of Records for four years.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04I know you are married.
0:47:04 > 0:47:05I am married, yes.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09Now what's it like being married to a collector of...
0:47:09 > 0:47:12of anything, but of this kind of material?
0:47:12 > 0:47:15I mean, did you know he was a collector when you knew him?
0:47:15 > 0:47:16Yes, I did.
0:47:16 > 0:47:17What did you think of that?
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Well, I thought they were teasing me,
0:47:19 > 0:47:22when they told me that he had this collection of handcuffs,
0:47:22 > 0:47:26you know, so I was quite surprised when I saw them, yes.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28And you realised that...
0:47:28 > 0:47:30That it was true, yes.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35So if you're stuck for a Christmas idea for a gift this year,
0:47:35 > 0:47:38how about starting your own collection of leg irons?
0:47:38 > 0:47:39Maybe not.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42But how about a free gift that might just enhance your enjoyment
0:47:42 > 0:47:44of the Antiques Roadshow?
0:47:44 > 0:47:47So far over one and half million of you have played our red button
0:47:47 > 0:47:49valuation game and from the New Year,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52we're pioneering the BBC's first free app,
0:47:52 > 0:47:55which will allow you to play on your smartphone or your tablet.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59You can find out how to download the app by visiting our website -
0:48:02 > 0:48:04As we approach the close of this look-back on our year,
0:48:04 > 0:48:07time to remember some of our greatest finds.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09We've witnessed some amazing values.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11Why not visit a Roadshow this coming year?
0:48:11 > 0:48:14Because this could happen to you.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17And I suppose too, that you must know what it's worth.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19No, I'm sorry, I haven't got a clue.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21- Do you want me to tell you? - Yes, please.
0:48:21 > 0:48:22£60,000 to £80,000.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24Oh, my goodness!
0:48:24 > 0:48:29I would stick my neck out and say if you had to buy this is the Sablon
0:48:29 > 0:48:32in Brussels, I think it would cost you between
0:48:32 > 0:48:3430...
0:48:35 > 0:48:36thousand...
0:48:36 > 0:48:38..and maybe 35.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40Wow, that's amazing!
0:48:40 > 0:48:42I really think it could make that.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47I'll be quite comfortable in saying this should be insured for
0:48:47 > 0:48:49at least £200,000.
0:48:49 > 0:48:50Yeah.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53It is such an important piece of English furniture,
0:48:53 > 0:48:56so it takes my breath away, it's absolutely stunning.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58You've got several thousand pounds,
0:48:58 > 0:49:00possibly ten thousand pounds...
0:49:00 > 0:49:01Gosh!
0:49:01 > 0:49:03..if there are enough in good condition.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05I've got another one at home.
0:49:05 > 0:49:06LAUGHTER
0:49:06 > 0:49:11But it melts at over £10,000 at today's price of gold.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13That's quite an increase.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17I think we're probably looking at something that's got to be worth
0:49:17 > 0:49:20£25,000, £30,000.
0:49:20 > 0:49:21Oh, dear!
0:49:21 > 0:49:22LAUGHS
0:49:22 > 0:49:26I'm convinced this IS a Renaissance work of art.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28No!
0:49:29 > 0:49:31I would think about £25,000.
0:49:31 > 0:49:32Whoa!
0:49:35 > 0:49:40As a copy, this is worth somewhere in the region of, let's say,
0:49:40 > 0:49:41£500 to £1,000.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43- Really?- Yeah.- Ah.
0:49:44 > 0:49:45Yeah.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47Perhaps I like him a bit more now.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49- You do?- Yeah.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Actually, I don't think it is a copy.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54So we'll bump it up a bit.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57Shall we say somewhere between £20,000 and £30,000?
0:49:57 > 0:49:59No!
0:49:59 > 0:50:02I wasn't going to do the gasp, but I've gasped!
0:50:02 > 0:50:07If I said £8,000 to £10,000, would that make you happy?
0:50:07 > 0:50:08You're darned right!
0:50:08 > 0:50:09LAUGHTER
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Oh, that's amazing, yeah. Absolutely amazing.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15My aunt had a good eye, obviously.
0:50:15 > 0:50:16She had two good eyes.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18LAUGHTER
0:50:18 > 0:50:22Platinum, pearls, diamonds,
0:50:22 > 0:50:251915, Boucheron.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31I think that your piece of jewellery is worth...
0:50:31 > 0:50:34£35,000 to £45,000.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36CROWD GASPS
0:50:38 > 0:50:43For me, this is the most wonderful thing that I've seen on the show.
0:50:44 > 0:50:45Wow.
0:50:45 > 0:50:46APPLAUSE
0:50:54 > 0:50:57Perhaps you'll be the next person to hear exciting news
0:50:57 > 0:50:58about your family treasure.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01Wagons roll for the next series in May,
0:51:01 > 0:51:03and we're delighted to be able to share with you,
0:51:03 > 0:51:05for the first time, our venues for 2013.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13From Scone Palace in Scotland, to Exeter Cathedral,
0:51:13 > 0:51:16we'll be touring the country, and we'd love to see you.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18Entrance is free.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25I hope you'll be able to join us at one of our venues.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28More details can be found on our website.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Before we go, Christmas is undoubtedly the most exciting
0:51:31 > 0:51:34time of year for a child. Pretty keen on it myself.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37And we've noticed a bit of a growing trend with young collectors
0:51:37 > 0:51:41arriving at Roadshows, eager to show their proud finds.
0:51:41 > 0:51:42Here are three recent visitors.
0:51:42 > 0:51:47I found most of these in the corner of my brother's field,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50where his horses graze, and there's a river, and the river
0:51:50 > 0:51:54kind of washes away all the soil, and it pulled out some crockery,
0:51:54 > 0:51:57so we thought of digging there, and we kept on finding bottles.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00And these came out there and got you hooked on digging them up?
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Yeah, bit addictive.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Congratulations, because I think this is a first.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08I don't think I've ever met anybody of your age
0:52:08 > 0:52:10that's bought such amazing things,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13in the 20 years that I've been doing the Antiques Roadshow.
0:52:13 > 0:52:14Thank you.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16I've got a collection, roughly 30 of them.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19And I obviously I collect them, I've been collecting them
0:52:19 > 0:52:24about four years and learning about them, and it's just my hobby really.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26Where do you store them?
0:52:26 > 0:52:29I keep six of them in my bedroom.
0:52:29 > 0:52:30Right!
0:52:30 > 0:52:32And I keep all the rest in my shed.
0:52:32 > 0:52:33OK.
0:52:33 > 0:52:34How old are you?
0:52:34 > 0:52:35Ten.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37It's very exciting, isn't it?
0:52:37 > 0:52:38Yeah, very exciting.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42Just the thrill of when you pull them out the ground is amazing.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45Especially with some rare ones, like these Codds.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49I went to a local auction and I saw something silver for sale.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52It was a piece of English silver and I bought it and I decided to
0:52:52 > 0:52:55resell it and I quite liked it, so I continued doing that.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57Then I was looking at auction houses across the UK,
0:52:57 > 0:52:59and I came across pieces of silver like this, with the enamel on
0:52:59 > 0:53:01and I decided I really liked them
0:53:01 > 0:53:03so I started buying them to keep, really.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07This one, this is 1880s, I believe, or maybe 1890s.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09It's a Follows and Bates, Manchester.
0:53:09 > 0:53:10Right.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13And I only know of seven of these in existence.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16- These are the poison bottles, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Because of the little stripes on them.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20Yeah, they've got ribs.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23That's so blind people would know not to drink it,
0:53:23 > 0:53:25otherwise they'd die.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28This one at the back here, one of these recently sold
0:53:28 > 0:53:31on an online auction site a few months back, for...
0:53:31 > 0:53:33I believe it was around £300.
0:53:33 > 0:53:34Wow.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37So, well done, keep doing it and one day,
0:53:37 > 0:53:39we might see you on the Antiques Roadshow as an expert - who knows?
0:53:39 > 0:53:41Thank you.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44And then this one at the front here, very rare,
0:53:44 > 0:53:49only seven of them as far as I know, so that might be more like £500.
0:53:49 > 0:53:50Good Lord!
0:53:50 > 0:53:53So, altogether this is maybe £800 worth of lawnmowers.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58You are a true expert and a true collector and I know,
0:53:58 > 0:54:02you know, I sympathise and understand that entirely because
0:54:02 > 0:54:06about other things I felt similar as a child, so I'm truly inspired.
0:54:06 > 0:54:07Thank you.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10APPLAUSE
0:54:13 > 0:54:17Well, this young man caused quite a stir with our audience
0:54:17 > 0:54:19when we first met him at Falmouth and I'm delighted to say,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Seb, you've joined us again today.
0:54:21 > 0:54:25Welcome back, and so many people were so struck by your knowledge
0:54:25 > 0:54:26and your self-possession
0:54:26 > 0:54:29when it came to talking about your collection of lawnmowers.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Why did you choose lawnmowers?
0:54:31 > 0:54:34Well, I've always been interested in vintage machinery,
0:54:34 > 0:54:36traction engines, tractors and so on,
0:54:36 > 0:54:39and I've also always liked collecting things,
0:54:39 > 0:54:42and lawnmowers was something that combined both hobbies.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44And what is it about lawnmowers particularly that
0:54:44 > 0:54:46excites your imagination?
0:54:46 > 0:54:50They're easy to collect, they're nice machines, good to repair,
0:54:50 > 0:54:55to work on, and there are just various different things
0:54:55 > 0:54:57that make them nice to collect.
0:54:57 > 0:54:58Interesting for you.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00Well, a few years back on the Antiques Roadshow,
0:55:00 > 0:55:03we met a man called Brian who's one of Britain's greatest collectors.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05- Radam?- I think it might be. - Brian Radam, yeah.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08He owns the British Lawnmower Museum up in Southport.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11I can see I'm not going to be able to teach you anything, Seb,
0:55:11 > 0:55:14but he was so impressed by your collection of lawnmowers,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17he decided he'd like to add to your collection.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19- Oh, right! - So there's a little something here.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21- Oh, right, yes.- Under the tree.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24- I wonder if you'd like to open it and have a look.- OK.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27Just rip the paper, go on, in good old Christmas tradition.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Now this is the JP Maxees.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34I knew you were going to tell me about it!
0:55:34 > 0:55:37I can't quite tell, it looks like a 12 or a 14-inch.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40We've got the handles as well, incidentally.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42- Yes, yes. - They're just too difficult to wrap.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45Yes, they had a design which had handles like that and like that,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48and it was the steel plate handles.
0:55:48 > 0:55:49And...
0:55:49 > 0:55:53Now, the interesting thing about this, actually, erm...
0:55:53 > 0:55:57I think this cutting cylinder is removable.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01Well, I was told, Brian told me, that the company that made these
0:56:01 > 0:56:03was the kind of Rolls-Royce of its day.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06They were. I've got two of these already.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08- Have you? Just the same? - No, no - different models.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10So this is a good addition to your collection?
0:56:10 > 0:56:11Yeah, yeah.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14- So, an early Christmas present. - Yeah, OK, thank you.- For you, Seb.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17Ladies and gentlemen, you are watching a future expert
0:56:17 > 0:56:18for our Antiques Roadshow.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21- I'd say in about... What are you, 12 now, Seb?- Yes.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23In six years' time, bring your lawnmowers to the Roadshow.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26I probably won't be on it any more, but Seb will be there
0:56:26 > 0:56:29with his marvellous collections to tell you all you need to know
0:56:29 > 0:56:30about your collections!
0:56:30 > 0:56:32What a Christmassy way to end our year!
0:56:32 > 0:56:35Do join us for more Roadshow revelations,
0:56:35 > 0:56:36because we're back on air next week,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39and don't forget to try our new play-along game
0:56:39 > 0:56:40on your smartphone or your tablet
0:56:40 > 0:56:43that maybe waiting for you under your tree, who knows?
0:56:43 > 0:56:48It's all new for 2013. From Seb and from me and the lawn mower, bye bye.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Subtitling by Red Bee Media Ltd