h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is an entry about my favorite television show, Antiques Roadshow. It's the only program I bother staying home to watch--and I hope you find the entry as amusing as I find the show to be!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A591149

Cool entry on a show sucessfully transfered across the Atlantic.

One point, I seem to remember from a UK show on the worldwide versions of the show, that the USA experts get to "advertise" there day jobs, ie say which auction house, dealer or whatever they work for. Only a slight difference but a crucial one from the BBC version where the viewer is left wondering how these people know what they do. If my memory does serve correct then this should be added.

Any other differences (which may be hard if you haven't seen the UK version) should also be listed, otherwise with a bit of collaboration a "World of Antique Roadshow" entry could be made......maynot be a bad idea, let's see if any other researchers can comment, it has gone to many countries.

ChawkE

I have watched the show (many times!), and they don't really emphasize who the dealers are - the major ones that do a five-minute segment with a really interesting piece get a little credit (appears on the screen for about five seconds) but the guys on the side tables aren't even mentioned.

I have only seen the BBC version a few times--our PBS affiliate chooses to air it at an impossible time on Saturdays. I don't feel knowledgeable enough to comment on the original version, so I would need input from other researchers.

Well they can comment if they want, if not then your entry remains an excellent take on the US version.

ChawkE

This is a nice little article - I think it captures the feel of the show very well. I do have a couple of comments - I think that the current PC term is African-American, not Afro-american. (Afro is the hairstyle) I'd also like to see a couple of real stories from the Roadshow - my favorite is the one about the woman who found an old helmet in her attic, wedged between two rafters. It turned out to be a Spanish commemorative parade helmet (or something like that; I do remember it being Spanish) and worth something between $250,000 and $500,000.

Actually, "Afro-American" is a term of choice in reference to African-American art, literature, history, etc, or to the African-American population as a whole. It is an inclusive term for all things African-American, whereas "African-American" is more widely used as an identifier, or cultural/racial label, for those people who happen to be of African-American decent.

*thinks she should win some sort of award for using "African-American" the most times in a sentence*

*slinks off again*

My favorite was the one where a family moved into their new home and found a Civil War cavalry sword hanging in the attic rafters and found it was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (I don't remember the exact amount). I do remember the father just about passing out with shock and delight.

If the sterotype of the USA is true then surely this would have led to countless legal arguements with all the families who had lived there since the civil war

ChawkE

What do you mean? As I've always understood it, when you buy a house, you purchase everything within the lot line - including any cool stuff you might have forgotten in the attic. The family who lived there previously might have been a little upset, but heck - they could never get the case to court.

When has almost certain failure stopped some people trying

ChawkE

I like it. Good article. Did I misread or do they actually show you what they never show on the BBC - those who turn up expecting to own a Queen Anne dresser and finding out its made of banana boxes?

No, you read it right. The American version shows those momos who are trying to turn dross into gold. The camera loves to linger on their face when they find out their priceless antique is a piece of crap. Many hem and haw and say they'll take it somewhere else...

*wishes they would do that here*

We Americans aren't happy unless *someone's* getting humiliated.

What is this forum doing way down here?



Brilliant article!

Why thank you!

Especially considering it took me all of 30 minutes to knock out!

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