On the road once more
Tuesday January 31, 2006 by Paul Martin
Great news – another 90 shows commissioned for 2006. So plenty more family heirlooms and cherished antiques going under the hammer. I’m back on location all over the UK discovering astonishing artefacts from Roman remains to rock and roll memorabilia.
So after a wonderful Christmas break, catching up with the family and then a quick rest by the Indian Ocean, which was fantastic, it has been back to business. I have already been filming the first shows and have been at the Parish Church of St Giles in Wrexham. After a brief interview with Cannon Geoffrey Marshall about the unique history of the parish church – it was a crash course in bell ringing from head bell ringer and tower captain, David Spalding. I was given the chance to join in and ring the changes from the gothic tower of this 500 year old church, which is a real architectural delight! It’s not surprising St Giles has been described as one of the seven wonders of Wales – it was a fantastic experience and one I’ll cherish for many years to come.
The people of this part of the country are so friendly, and judging by the crowd that turned up at the Memorial Hall in Wrexham, are very keen Flog It fans! Some 850 people bravely turned up in the cold weather, which is such a promising start to the year. And we saw many fabulous items. Not the usual Clarice Cliff, Troika and White Friars etc, but we saw fine art all the way with period furniture, oil paintings and a selection of silverware. I just can’t wait until the auction! The man with the gavel will be auctioneer Anthony Parry, a lovely guy and one of our experts, who has been working behind the scenes on Flog It for 3 years.
To top things off, during my stay in Wales, I even learnt how to build and erect a tent! But not any old tent, this was a Yurt – (a modern reproduction of one,) that dates back centuries, with origins in Mongolia. This was hand made and crafted with locally grown ash and hazel from a managed woodland just outside Llangollen. It was also back to basics with primitive hand tools used by skilled craftsman Stewart Whitehead who owns the woodland and not only makes these portable tents, but actually lives in one as an extension to his romantic cottage, tucked away, nestling in the hillside. And if you fancy a basic model, that sleeps 3-4 people, it will set you back £31000 – a lot of money, but would last a life time! I hope you enjoy the show!
Ready Steady Cook
I so enjoyed being on the show with a race against time to cook my Sea bass! The programme is on BBC2 on Wednesday 1st February. I hope you do see (or have seen) the programme where you can see me in the green corner competing against Catherine Gee. A very big thank you must go out to Ainsley Harriott and all the team – it was such a fun day.
Through the Key Hole
I am not sure at the moment when the six programmes I recorded for Through the Key Hole are going to be transmitted, but keep an eye on the TV listings. Hopefully I will find out soon and I will let you know. I teamed up with Roger Black and Judith Charmers on the panel and we did well! It was an honour to meet and work with Sir David Frost, he was a real gent and a warm and generous host.
Paul
