You always knew that the weekend was ebbing away when the stately horns and trumpets of the Antiques Roadshow theme tune would waft through the house. The Antiques Roadshow was and continues to be a thoroughly British institution, running almost continuously since 1971 at teatime on Sundays with 45 series under its belt. Growing up, it was one of the few shows that got everyone around the TV in anticipation of the unassuming treasures the experts would identify.

Lovejoy and The Antique’s Roadshow

For me, and many others, the peak of this show was in the late ‘80s and 1990s when it bookended beautifully around a delicious Sunday Roast with inimitable Lovejoy! 

I always aspired to proudly parade my complete, unchipped set of NatWest piggy banks before Hugh Scully and his band of merry men. And after being awakened much like Eric Catchpole, to the mystery, drama, and value of antiques through watching Lovejoy, a trip with Nan to the local car boot or flea market was transformed into an exciting treasure hunt. 

Whether the scheduling of the two shows on the same day was random or an insightful scheduling quirk, it was an ingenious combination and opened up the rarefied world of antiques to inner-city yokels like me. Ian McShane’s Lovejoy was so accessible that he had me pestering my grandad for his Reader’s Digest Treasures in Your Home!

Lovejoy appears on The Antiques Roadshow

So you can imagine my delight at finding this hilarious Lovejoy cameo in a 1991 Antiques Roadshow trailer. Perfectly timed:

I guess it was only a matter of time before Lovejoy’s Suffolk antique circles collided with Tink-like experts gathered from the nation’s museums and auction houses for The Antiques Roadshow.  An amazing piece of Lovejoy trivia!

Lovejoy’s Antiques Roadshow

And Lovejoy himself has never been far from playing the role of expert and appraising the etchings of ladies old and young throughout his Essex and Suffolk stomping grounds. Here are some memorable episodes where Lovejoy and Tink run their own roadshows:

Series 2 Episode 1 ‘Just Desserts’ While serving 8 months for a crime he did not commit, Lovejoy earns the governor’s favor and time off for good behavior by appraising the antiques of the Wisley Green Women’s Institute, including the choice discovery of a ‘guinea purse’.

Series 4 Episode 13 ‘Lovejoy Loses It’ Though Tink warns him, Lovejoy embraces the limelight as an antiques expert on daytime TV and things go terribly wrong…

The Antiques Roadshow in Lovejoy Country

And The Antiques Roadshow is no stranger to heading onto Lovejoy’s turf over the decades. It’s no surprise because Suffolk is legendary for its antique shops, ancient fairs, and renowned auction houses, which of course were the perfect setting for Lovejoy. Over the years, The Antiques Roadshow has visited Suffolk destinations including:

• Helmingham Hall (2019)
• Christchurch Park in Ipswich (2021)
• Ickworth House – Suffolk
• Clare – Suffolk
• Kentwell Hall in Suffolk (2008)
• Christchurch Mansion (upcoming 2023)
• Somerleyton Hall, Lowestoft, Suffolk (2010)
• Long Melford