Of course it had to be a chequered flag – a stylish and perfectly suitable opening to the Antiques Roadshow at Brooklands motoring and aviation museum in sunny Surrey today.
As soon as it was dramatically swept down, thousands of visitors, excitedly clutching their antiques and collectables, made their way to the tables of waiting specialists. It simply could not have been a better day, with the sun in the sky and smiles on faces. Of course, some smiles were even wider as people left!
I was manning my usual post on the many Miscellaneous tables alongside Hilary Kay, Paul Atterbury, Judith Miller, Jon Baddeley, Katherine Higgins and Max Donnelly. Although I didn’t manage to film anything this time around, I saw some mighty fine pieces ranging from pop memorabilia, to Clarice Cliff ceramics, to an 18thC scarifier (look it up!) – and even a mummified cat!