Alan Titchmarsh wants to bring the 'gosh factor' with his new antiques-based game show, Masterpiece With Alan Titchmarsh.
The TV presenter and gardener is the mastermind behind the new show, which sees teams of antique fans go head to head in a series of challenges where they must decipher the age and value of different objects.
Alan Titchmarsh in front of Firle Palace for his new series, Masterpiece (ITV)
Alan said he had been enjoying the moments on Antiques Roadshow where people find out that family heirlooms are worth a fortune – and 'fall to the floor' with shock.
He explained: “And then I thought, well what about a show that’s based on that, and has got more things of that kind of value, and we’ve got one or two things that are six figure items, and they’re not quite what you would imagine a six-figure item would be.
“I like gosh factor, I like when people are watching television, just having their scrambled egg – if you can stop the fork halfway to their mouth, with a kind of – ‘Wow I never knew that!’”
Alan Titchmarsh (Matt Faber/PA)
The series is filmed at stately homes, with members of the public having a go at winning the £1,000 prize.
The presenter added: “It’s very much a game that draws you in as a viewer, that you play along, and you say, ‘No! Don’t have that one, have that one’. I definitely wanted viewer engagement, and I hope it’s got that.”
Alan admits he’s no expert himself, but as presenter, he asks to be kept in the dark so he doesn’t give the game away.
He said: “I ask not to be told at the beginning what it is, that way I can’t put my foot in it. Or give them a clue.
“So I can play along as well, and I’m in the game.”
Masterpiece With Alan Titchmarsh airs on weekdays at 3pm from today (February 15) on ITV.
