Fans were surprised that nothing was being valued on last night's show, while many were also moved to tears by a tragic story told in the World War Two special filmed at Dover Castle
The Antiques Roadshow is one of the most traditional shows on telly, but last night it did something very unusual – yep, the experts didn’t actually value the objects!
One of the best parts of the Antiques Roadshow is arguably trying to guess whether granny’s favourite pot is worth a tenner or a million quid, but the BBC1 hit broke with convention for Sunday’s episode.
That is no doubt out of respect to the subject matter – the special episode, filmed at Dover Castle in Kent, marked 80 years since the start of World War Two.
Among the objects was a photo album belonging to an Austrian soldier featuring a previously unseen picture of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's infamous meeting with Adolf Hitler in 1938.
Meanwhile, fans were remarking on the fact that nothing was being valued.
While there was debate about whether the show should be valuing the items, there was no argument that the special was packed with a string of moving stories, including how the memory of Spitfire pilot Mervyn Wheatley, who was shot down in 1940, is being kept alive by his distant relatives.
And expert Bill Harriman was left in tears at the end of the show by the story of nine-year-old evacuee Audrey.
A series of letters, brought in by a guest, told the tragic story of Audrey, who was sent on a ship to Canada to escape the war.
Bill read out a letter dated 19th September 1940 which told Audrey's parents that she had been killed.
An emotional Bill said: "And it says, 'Dear Mr Mansfield, I am very distressed to inform you that in spite of all of the precautions taken by the ship carrying your child to Canada was torpedoed on Tuesday night September 17th. I am afraid your child was not amongst those reported as rescued.'"
Bill added: "What a sad, sad thing."
Like Bill, many people were deeply moved by Audrey's story.
The Antiques Roadshow continues on BBC1.
