East Lancashire antiques dealers step into the TV spotlight (From Lancashire Telegraph)

East Lancashire antiques dealers step into the TV spotlight

7:00pm Thursday 10th January 2013 in News By Sophia Rahman, Reporter

AUCTIONEERS and antiques dealers from East Lancashire are set to feature in a top daytime TV show next week.

Antiques Road Trip sees hosts Mark Stacey and Paul Laidlaw travel round the country in a red sports car and compete to auction off items bought for under £200 for the most profit.

Film crews spent four days filming in East Lancashire including Walton & Walton Auctioneers in Burnley as well as Ribble Valley Antiques and Edmund Davies & Son in Clitheroe.

The programme, now in its sixth series, is a spin-off from Antiques Roadshow, BBC One’s highest rating programme after EastEnders, attracting 2.4 million viewers at its peak.

An episode featuring Walton and Walton auctioneers, based in Parker Lane, Burnley, will be aired on Monday at 4.30pm.

Phil Walton, proprietor, said: “They made very good choices for their items.

“I held the pieces up in front of the camera that they had selected to auction off.

“It was strange being filmed for TV but the crew were very nice indeed.

“The experts went around chatting to the audience and the crew worked very hard getting all their footage, we made sure they had plenty of tea and scones to keep them going.

“We had a very excitable atmosphere in the salesroom.

“I don’t think they usually get such welcoming treatment, I think they found it was much more light-hearted and friendly here in Burnley.”

Samlesbury Hall’s West-Wing Antiques dealers were among the businesses who feature in the series.

Sharon Jones, director of Samlesbury Hall, said: “It took all day to film it, having to repeat footage because of continuity, but the crew were absolutely lovely.

“We had the only sunny day of last year when they came, which was lucky. We were inundated with calls for antiques the day after it was broadcast.

“It’s great because we’re a registered charity and we don’t have the funds to reach such a wide audience.”

Earlier this year, Antiques Road Trip picked up the British Academy Scotland Award for Features/Factual Entertainment.