Producers of the Antiques Roadshow, due to arrive in the Stormont Estate on Saturday, have requested an extra day of filming time after their researchers discovered 90 unusual antiques in the basement of Parliament Buildings.
The hit BBC show, presented by former newsreader Fiona Bruce, appraises antiques brought in by local people and other artefacts found in the building in which the show is being filmed.
Mrs Anne Teek, a researcher for the Roadshow told us: “We were over at the Stormont Estate this week for a pre-production meeting when we decided to visit the canteen, located in the basement of Parliament Buildings. Upon opening the doors, we were astonished to find approximately 90 dust-covered antiques just sitting around on chairs in the canteen. We immediately called in the help of an expert who told us they may be what is known locally as an MLA.”
“Apparently, whilst they may not have any intrinsic or monetary value, each MLA does have its own individualities, traits and uniqueness. Some of them are known to date as far back as 1690 whilst others may be from the post-1916 era. We have requested some additional time and resources to research these relics in a bit more detail.”
A spokesman for the Stormont Estate said: “These antiques have been lying in the basement doing nothing since the Assembly Election back in March. They’re just gathering dust and, if I’m honest, the place is starting to stink up a bit. Hopefully they’ll be shipped out soon enough as they’re now starting to cost us a fortune in storage.”
The Antiques Roadshow event opens at 9:30am on Saturday 29th July.