Yorkshire celebrity antiques presenter David Harper from Middlesbrough collaborates with David Elstob to create new online antiques game show filmed in Ripon

Middlesbrough-born celebrity antiques presenter, David Harper, has been featured on numerous shows including Through the Keyhole and Ready Steady Cook.

He has presented on The Heaven and Earth Show, The One Show, Inside Out and Countryfile Summer Diaries and won the first series of Antiques Road Trip in April 2010, where he raised £2,488 for Children In Need from a starter budget of £200. He has also appeared on Bargain Hunt, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and Cash in the Attic as an antiques expert.

David is joining one of the region’s most popular auction houses Elstob & Elstob to film a brand-new internet-hosted antiques game show.

It will be filmed at the Ripon-based auction house and members of the public are encouraged to join in either as contestants or as part of the audience.

David Harper started collecting coins and stamps when he was just five years old and bought his first antique at the age of nine.

“I have been involved with broadcasting for over twenty years and love entertaining audiences and sharing my passion for antiques and history,” he said.

“Much of my career to date has been spent on TV and radio but I am now keen to take the familiar game show format online, for a faster, more informal and interactive feel that will reach even wider audiences.

“I wanted to base the show within an auction house setting and as I already had an excellent working relationship with Elstob & Elstob they were an obvious choice for a media partner. They also have a very innovative approach to buying and selling antiques and are always looking to try new things, which is very important for an experimental project such as this.”

The show will consist of two contestants who will compete in three different challenges. The first two rounds will feature objects brought by members of the audience on the day. They will be shown to the contestants individually who will be asked to describe what it is, how old it is, where it is made etc. When they have done this, antiques expert and auctioneer, David Elstob, will explain what the object is and award the contestants points based on the facts they got right.

In the final round, the contestants will be given an object to examine together while David Elstob describes it to the audience. He will then ask a question about the object and the contestant who gets the closest answer to his will win the point. Extra points will be given during the three rounds for particularly funny or interesting additional information.

At the end of the competition, points will be added up and the winner will be invited to choose a prize from the auction house’s collection. The losers will also go home with a less valuable prize chosen mainly for its entertainment value.

Also a section of the show will be dedicated to the YouTube audience, when David Harper will describe an item and viewers will get to answer questions using an online comments section. A winner will be chosen after the show and prizes will be posted out anywhere in the world.

There will be audience participation during the show whether they are in the live audience or at home watching on YouTube.

“This is the bringing together of the ‘studio’ and global ‘online’ audience that is particularly ground-breaking in the world of antiques quiz shows,” David Harper said.

“It will also be live and unscripted so it should make for very exciting viewing!”

The six-part series will be shot over three days at the Ripon saleroom and filming dates will be on Thursday, September 15, Wednesday, October 5 and Wednesday, October 19 from 10am to 3pm.

Light refreshments will be provided throughout the day and the audience will be able to come and go as they please. No need for attendance confirmation in advance.

“We hope to welcome as many people to the auction house as possible on the filming days. I am sure it will be hugely enjoyable for everyone involved. Just come along and join in the fun,” David Elstob said.

For anyone who is interested in taking part as a contestant, you can get in touch in advance with the auction house on 01765 699200 for more information or email: info:elstobandelstob.co.uk.

You can watch the series by visiting David Harper’s YouTube channel. The first series will be screened weekly from Friday, October 7 at 7pm.