Northumberland antique shops set to feature in new Channel 5 auction show

The Beehive, Alnwick Vintage and Antique and Hedgeley Antiques were over the moon when they heard that they are due to feature on The Great Auction Showdown.

In the show, people are encouraged to look through their belongings to see if there’s anything worth a lot of cash. The show also explores antique shops in the hopes of finding something that they can make money on in auction.

Mark Hobrough, the owner of The Beehive, was visited by the crew on March 20 for more than five hours. An item was purchased for the show – but Mark is sworn to secrecy.

He said: “I’m very much looking forward to it being aired. It’s always fun when you get aired. Everyone was very nice. We know what we pay for things and how much we pay for them so it’s always interesting to hear what a professional thinks.”

The crew also popped into Alnwick Vintage and Antique, again walking away with a couple of items.

Helen McKenzie, owner of the shop, said: “Oh it was such good fun. It was so nice to meet Paul Martin and Andy Mayall. We’ve had the Antiques Roadtrip in before so it’s always nice to see them and it’s so exciting to see if they make any money or not. It’s amazing what they do find.”

A few days later, the crew visited Hedgeley Antiques, Powburn, leaving with yet another item.

Having a different expert with him each week, Paul Martin told the Express that the antiques industry and the show increases diversity and helps the environment.

He said: "And I think the antique trade is one of the most wonderful industries in the world because it's sustainable.

"It's green, our carbon footprint is incredibly low because everything was made at a time when there was no electricity.

"So, I have a different expert with me every week, which is quite nice.

"It means we go to a different region. So there's a regional diversity going on, as well. So you get to learn about the area."