Latest news with #FlogIt
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Flog It! antiques expert Michael Baggott's silver set to be sold
A collection of York silver belonging to late Flog It! antiques expert Michael Baggott could be the "most comprehensive" set to be sold publicly, an auctioneer has who worked on the BBC series, died earlier this year aged 51, after a heart antiques collection, expected to sell for more than £200,000, includes an extensive selection of silver assessed by metal testers in York."It includes over 550 pieces from the late 17th Century to the closure of the [York] assay office in 1858," Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said. "The Baggott collection is probably the most comprehensive collection of silver assayed in York ever to come on to the open market," Mr Slingsby also includes items assessed in assay offices in Liverpool, Chester Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen. According to the auction house, highlights of the collection include a rare George II provincial mug, a Victorian novelty Jester pepper pot and a George IV gilt sideboard was born in Birmingham and his interest in antiques began at an early worked at Christie's auction house and was head of silver at Sotheby's Billingshurst, before becoming a private consultant, known as an authority on joined BBC daytime show Flog It! in the early 2000s, and valued various silver programme showed members of the public having their antique items appraised by experts before being given the option to sell them at auction, but it was axed amidst BBC One daytime schedule changes in this year, the head of BBC daytime and early peak commissioning, Rob Unsworth, described Baggott as one of the show's "most memorable characters".He was an "expert in all manner of collectables but in particular with unrivalled knowledge and enthusiasm for antique spoons and silver", Mr Unsworth added. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Charles Hanson thanks fans as he appears back on Bargain Hunt after being cleared of abusing his wife
Charles Hanson has made an emotional return to BBC daytime favourite Bargain Hunt just weeks after being cleared of abusing his wife. The antiques expert, 46, appeared on Monday's episode of the long-running show – marking his first television appearance since 2023. Hanson, who has also starred in Antiques Roadshow, Flog It! and Antiques Road Trip, had been off air while facing serious allegations of assault and coercive control against his wife Rebecca. He had denied all the charges. In February, a jury at Derby Crown Court found him not guilty on all counts after a three-week trial which laid bare the collapse of his marriage to the 42-year-old radiographer. The couple are now divorcing. During the trial, Hanson was accused of a decade of abuse, including putting his pregnant wife in a headlock, pushing and scratching her, and controlling her behaviour. He told jurors she was a 'fantasist' and claimed he had been a 'slave' to her demands. Following his acquittal, the TV star sobbed in the dock before punching the air in relief and embracing his parents, Phillip and Gillian, who sat in court throughout the proceedings. Speaking outside court in February, Hanson said: 'I'm delighted after a year and half that the truth has finally come out and can finally live my life and feel this burden has finally been lifted. 'It has been a tormentous time and all I want now is to readjust to what has been such an ordeal. 'These last 18 months have been extremely upsetting. I have missed my children and quite simply I can now get back to my life and I relish that. It has been very impactful. 'I am very lucky my parents have stood by me from start to finish – without my family it would have been a very, very testing time.' He added: 'When you believe in justice you know justice and here we are today. It has taken a long, long time and to anyone who knows me, who has believed in me, who has supported me, who has messaged me – thank you.' On Monday's Bargain Hunt, Hanson was back doing what he's known for – valuing antiques and wielding the gavel on the rostrum at Bishton Hall in Staffordshire, alongside fellow expert Christina Trevanion. Fans were quick to welcome him back, with many taking to social media to share their support. One viewer wrote on X: 'Charles, it was lovely to see you again on Bargain Hunt today, you have been missed so much.' Another said: 'Great to see you back on @BBCBargainHunt this afternoon, it was a lovely surprise. You were missed.' 'Ooooh Charles is back now he's been acquitted,' a third posted, while another added: 'Good to see @HansonsAuctions back on the BBC #bargainhunt.' Following the broadcast, Hanson took to social media himself to thank supporters. 'Evening all, I just want to say, thank you,' he said. 'I've had so many messages on social media having been seen performing today on television, it means an awful lot. 'So much kindness in messaging me, thanks so much.' Hanson, a former pupil at Ecclesbourne School, in Derbyshire, was just 24 when he first appeared on Antiques Roadshow and Bargain Hunt, selected as programme makers tried to make the show more appealing to a younger generation. At the time, he was working as fine arts manager at Wintertons Fine Art, which has auction houses in Lichfield and Bakewell, after completing a degree in Fine Art and Evaluation at Southampton University. From there, he trained for a year and a half at Christies in London, before returning to live in Derbyshire when he joined Wintertons. He went on to set up his own auction house, Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbyshire, in 2005 and now has 10 across the UK. Until his arrest in June 2023, he was a regular on Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip and Flog It! where he was known for his flamboyant auctioneering style. He also regularly appeared in both local and national newspapers after unearthing gems such as a pair of bloomers said to have belonged to Queen Victoria, which sold for £4,500, and a 12,000-year-old mammoth bone, handed to him during one of his regular valuation days at his auction house. Hanson, who is rumoured to have undergone a hair transplant in recent years, was also in demand as an auctioneer at charity evenings in Derbyshire and around the country, so much so that the judge at the start of his trial had to put on record that he had attended a dinner hosted by Hanson, though did not know him personally.
The Independent
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
BBC pays tribute as Bargain Hunt personality dies after filming new episode
Stuart Withers, an antiques seller featured on the BBC's Bargain Hunt, died shortly after filming a new episode. The broadcaster announced the news on X/Twitter, shortly after airing the episode in Shepton Mallet, Somerset. 'Following the filming of today's episode in Shepton Mallet, antiques seller Stuart Withers very sadly passed away,' said the official Bargain Hunt account. 'We send our sincerest sympathies and condolences to Mr Withers' family and friends.' The cause of death has not been disclosed. Fans of the show shared tributes to Withers on social media, with one person writing: 'So very sad just watched this episode now, offering my condolences." Withers's death comes just weeks after the passing of Michael Baggott, an antiques dealer who featured on the BBC series Flog It!. The news was confirmed in a statement on his X/Twitter account, with the BBC subsequently paying tribute on social media. 'Heartbroken to share that Michael died yesterday in hospital of a heart attack following a stroke in October,' the statement read. 'He was a dearly loved son, brother, nephew and uncle who will be deeply and profoundly missed.' Baggott appeared on the BBC's popular antiquing series Flog It!, offering expertise around antique British silver, boxes and early spoons. Rob Unsworth, head of BBC daytime and early peak commissioning, described Baggott as 'one of Flog It 's most memorable characters, expert in all manner of collectables', and who had an 'unrivalled knowledge and enthusiasm for antique spoons and silver'. "Though the series hasn't been in production for several years, we hope Michael's family can take comfort from how much viewers have continued to enjoy his appearances on this ever-popular show,' he added.
The Independent
28-02-2025
- The Independent
Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson cleared of abusing wife
A Bargain Hunt auctioneer accused of putting his pregnant wife in a headlock has been found not guilty of subjecting her to years of violence and coercive and controlling behaviour. Charles Hanson's wife Rebecca told Derby Crown Court she was left 'paralysed with fear' when he 'went for' her while she was five or six months pregnant with a child that she later lost. She claimed the alleged incident in 2012 was the start of escalating violence in her marriage to the 46-year-old television personality, known for appearances on Bargain Hunt and Flog It. She told the court her also threatened to burn her with embers from a fire, repeatedly 'grabbed' her, locked her in a hotel room, and pushed her in series incidents over the following decade. Hanson denied any wrongdoing, telling the court the headlock was simply a hug and he was 'almost a slave' to his wife who left him 'a beaten and broken man' by controlling him. A jury of seven women and five men unanimously cleared him of controlling or coercive behaviour between 2015 and 2023, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault by beating. Mr Hanson smiled at his parents and gave a thumbs-up gesture from the dock as the not guilty verdicts were returned on Friday after a three-week trial. The celebrity auctioneer's parents, who were sitting in the front row of the public gallery, wept and hugged their son after he was discharged from the dock. Mr Hanson spoke of his relief outside the courtroom, telling reporters: "I'm delighted that after a year and a half the truth has finally come out. "I can finally live my life again. I feel this burden has finally been lifted. "It has been a tormentuous time and all I want now is to readjust to what has been such an ordeal. I am so relieved that this is all over."
Sky News
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Flog It! antiques expert Michael Baggott dies aged 51
Michael Baggott, antiques expert and star of the BBC TV show Flog It!, has died at the age of 51, a social media statement has confirmed. Baggott died in hospital after suffering a heart attack - and had also experienced a stroke in October, a post on his Facebook page said on Wednesday. He was well known among fans of the programme, which aired from 2002 to 2020, and had a particular interest in speciality silver and spoons. Rob Unsworth, head of BBC daytime and early peak commissioning, said he was "deeply saddened" to hear of his death, describing him as one of Flog It's "most memorable characters". He said: "Though the series hasn't been in production for several years, we hope Michael's family can take comfort from how much viewers have continued to enjoy his appearances on this ever-popular show." Auctioneer Charles Hanson, who also appeared on Flog It! and owns Hansons Auctioneers, described him as a "giant of our antique industry". He recalled how Baggott was "never afraid" to call out an expert when they were wrong - including himself. "Michael's thirst for knowledge for the 'object within' merited far more TV time too for a true and proper expert," he added. Baggott's career saw him progress to Christie's auction house and then become head of silver at Sotheby's Billingshurst. He worked as a private consultant in antique silver, carried out his own research, and was a published author.
