BBC Antiques Roadshow's Fiona Bruce brilliant reaction to 100-year-old veteran's saucy remark as show marks VE Day with sweet format change
BBC Antiques Roadshow's Fiona Bruce brilliant reaction to 100-year-old veteran's saucy remark as show marks VE Day with sweet format change
A one-off special of the BBC show was aired on Sunday to mark 80 years since VE Day
Fiona Bruce was amused by the wartime story
(Image: (Image: BBC) )
Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce shared a light-hearted moment with a 100-year-old Second World War hero who made a cheeky remark. The popular BBC series took a detour from its usual appraisal of unique and rare items to transport viewers back to the era of the Second World War.
For the special episode, Antiques Roadshow: VE Day Special, items weren't valued because "to the owners they're priceless". As part of the show, Fiona had the privilege of interviewing former Bletchley Park code-breaker, centenarian Hazel Halter, who shared her experiences from that period.
Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire was the primary hub for Allied code-breaking during the war, employing mostly women for this crucial role. But despite the serious nature of their work, they managed to find moments of joy.
"So paint a picture for me of what life was like here at Bletchley Park. You've got all the different huts here, what was the atmosphere like?," Fiona asked.
"On the whole, there was six of us who kept to ourselves, we lived together." For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
"We'd see other ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) girls maybe, RAF girls, but we never mixed with them.", reports the Express.
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"You just kept yourselves to yourselves", Fiona added, to which Hazel agreed, before revealing that they occasionally attended dances with young American men.
"We did meet Americans at one stage because the Americans used to invite us to their dances."
Hazel Halter shared her memories of working at Bletchley Park
(Image: (Image: BBC) )
Fiona raised an eyebrow and said: "That sounds fun", as Hazel went on: "And they'd form two lines and walk down the middle and they'd pick out the one they wanted.
"What to dance with?" Fiona asked, chuckling when Hazel confirmed.
Hazel explained: "Then they'd present us with a corsage and a pair of nylons [tights]. We'd never had nylons before!".
"So we used to go to these dances. After that, there were other things they wanted which we weren't prepared to give", prompting Fiona to smile knowingly.
Fiona replied with a smirk: "I get the general idea", and Hazel quipped: "I think you do!".
You can catch up with theAntiques Roadshow: VE Day Special on iPlayer, now.
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