BBC to screen Antiques Roadshow from Christchurch Mansion

The episode was filmed in September and attracted hundreds of socially distanced visitors making the most of the suspension of lockdown restrictions during the summer.

Fiona Bruce hosts the Antiques Roadshow team from Christchurch Mansion this weekend (Image: BBC)

The programme’s host, Fiona Bruce, had put out a plea six weeks earlier for people to have a rummage through their attics and spare rooms to search out any historic or collectable items - saying: “There are some remarkable items still out there waiting to be discovered.”

Normally, 5,000 people would visit on a regular filming day. However, producers were forced to film this series on a smaller scale and residents have had to apply for the show online, with those with the most intriguing antiques invited to take part.

Fiona Bruce said: “It will feel very different in one sense, but when we’ve made programmes like this before – we do it three or four times a year – people don’t really seem to notice.

“The items we end up with are such humdingers and have such great stories.”

Christchurch Mansion forms a spectacular backdrop for the programme, which boasts some very intriguing items including an heirloom Rolex, memorabilia related to Donald Campbell’s land speed record and a necklace worth £500,000.

There is also a rare Roman relic dug up in the garden and a pocket watch with a hidden secret.

The episode, which was originally due to be filmed in July, saw the Antiques Roadshow pitching its tent in front of the mansion and the programme’s famous logo emblazoned on the lawn.

The Antiques Roadshow had previously visited Helmingham Hall in 2017, and had set up shop in the Ipswich Corn Exchange in 1985 and in 2004.

This latest Ipswich episode is transmitted on BBC 1 on Sunday, January 17 at 7pm.