The British logo...
...and the current American logo
Famed long-running British programme where people get their valuables appraised. Starting with a 1977 documentary, the show proper has been running since 1979, going from town to town in Britain (and Canada and Australia) having appraisers tell people just what treasures they have and how much they're worth (which usually eclipses those people's expectations).
The show has spawned many international versions, including an extremely successful American version which debuted on PBS in 1997. (PBS also shows the British version in some locales.)
Not to be confused with Antiques Road Trip, which is British only and involves driving, shopping, and auctions.
This show provides examples of:
- Affectionate Parody: The show's format makes it easy to be parodied, and several commercials have popped up in the U.S. parodying the Roadshow.
- Audience Participation: In October 2020, WGBH livestreamed a special where viewers watching could submit their own guesses for how much an item was worth.
- Big Fancy House: One of the main settings for roadshows, along with museums and civic halls.
- Continuity Nod: Previous "finds" are often referenced and sometimes an item which appeared twenty or even thirty years ago will turn up again.
- Cool Old Guy: Henry Sandon. His popularity with Roadshow visitors is legendary - many of the people who work on the show have attested to the fact that he's the one everybody wants to meet, even if they've brought in something unrelated to his specialism (which is ceramics).
- Crossover: One episode of Frasier featured the Cranes appearing on the show.
- Doom It Yourself: Sometimes antiques are ruined by improper 'restoration' or cleaning, such as polishing old bronze or refinishing woodwork, thus destroying the aged patina that gives them such appeal.
- Excalibur in the Rust: Averted; if you don't take good care of your antiques they will be worth a lot less.
- The Host: Many.
- Later-Installment Weirdness: Starting in season 24, the American version no longer has an onscreen host; instead, a narrator (Coral Peña) is used.
- Long-Runners: British version since 1977; American version since 1997.
- Shout-Out: The above-mentioned episode of Frasier showed the highbrow brothers and their working-class dad engaging in an argument about what show to watch on TV, each maintaining the others wouldn't be interested in their kind of programming, only to discover that they all actually wanted to watch Antiques Roadshow! They proceed to make a Drinking Game from it, taking gulps of beer/wine whenever someone says "veneer."Frasier: (clearly starting to feel it) Next week, we gotta pick a different word!
- Worthless Yellow Rocks: What the previous owner of many of the antiques thought they were.
