The show's format includes a traveling tour of antiques experts. In every city that they stop in, local residents are asked to bring their possessions that they think might be valuable. The owner of the item then gives some back story on the item including how they came to possess it, where they think the item comes from and how much they think the item might be worth. An expert will then give them an accurate account of the origin of the item and its current value.
"Antiques Roadshow" got its start in 1977 as a BBC documentary. The documentary focused on presenter Bruce Parker and antiques expert Arthur Negus at an auction house in London. The TV show began airing as a series in 1979 in the United Kingdom. The show has retained the same format as the original season ever since. There has also been a spin-off show called "20th Century Roadshow" which aired over several months in 2005. The show focused on more modern collectibles.
The show, which started as a documentary, has developed into a long-running educational and entertaining TV series spanning several decades. It is now an international sensation. Adaptations of the show can be seen in America, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Finland. In 2005, PBS launched a spin-off show called "Antiques Roadshow FYI." The show runs highlights of previous "Antiques Roadshow" episodes and offers advice on collecting antiques for viewers.
The show has been running for several decades, originating in 1979 as a TV series and 1977 as a documentary. "Antiques Roadshow" as a program typically runs for 30 minutes per episode. Over the years, there have been longer 1-hour specials. Once a year, in the show's hometown of London, the show hosts a children's Christmas special that has become a tradition. This special has been airing since 1991, though it did not run in 2007.
The show is a significant tool for people wanting to find out how much their so-called valuables are worth. More often than not, the people featured on the show express a disinterest in actually selling the item to make money off of it. They are often more interested in just knowing how much the item is worth and some of the history of the item, such as who created it, how old it is and where it originated from.