Antiques Roadshow

RAF Coningsby 1 (38x3)

: 20, 2015

The Antiques Roadshow visits RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, an operational station home to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, where treasures include a portrait by John Singer Sargent, a teddy bear that flew with the Dambusters and an outrageous decanter from Las Vegas. Fiona Bruce introduces the programme from the back of a Dakota aircraft in mid-flight, setting the scene for an episode that includes a stuffed toy that flew on the Dambusters raid and original designs for the Vulcan bomber scrawled on a newspaper. A portrait of a 1920s socialite by celebrated artist John Singer Sargent catches the eye of Grant Ford, while a bronze bust known affectionately as Gus turns out to be closely connected to the world's most famous Impressionist painter. Miscellaneous specialist Mark Hill is dazzled by a show-stopping crystal decanter bought on a holiday in Las Vegas, while a coat found in a skip turns out to have been worn by an officer in the American civil war. There's a big surprise in store for an Australian visitor who bought a pair of earrings for a fiver in a charity shop in Perth, and John Benjamin introduces the episode's edition of The Imposter, presenting Fiona with four sets of rubies - only one of which is a genuine, highly valuable Burmese gem.