BBC Antiques Roadshow Christmas Special 2023

The end of the year can be a time for gathering families together and reflection. In this festive special, the roadshow looks back on some of the most memorable, intriguing and moving stories to have appeared in recent years to find out: ‘what happened next?’ Uppark House in West Sussex, a glorious Georgian manor, fully decorated for Christmas, provides the seasonal backdrop.

From photo slides of young boys about to be shipped to Canada at the turn of the 20th century to the story of a pioneering female pilot in World War II, the team learn what happened after the cameras stopped rolling.

Fiona Bruce welcomes book expert Fuchsia Voremberg to Uppark to share the story of explorer Violet Cressy-Marcks and to see the menu for a festive dinner held by Scott of the Antarctic before he set off on his doomed journey to the South Pole.

Asian militaria specialist Runjeet Singh shares family stories and artefacts he treasures from the Sikh midwinter festival of Lohri, celebrated throughout northern India and beyond.

The episode also includes an update on one of the most moving stories featured on the roadshow, about a woman abandoned as a baby in Hong Kong who found a new life in England. The few items she has from her childhood include a photo of the air stewardess who held her during the flight – and at Uppark, she meets the family of the stewardess for the very first time.

Finally, the show includes a host of previously unseen items with a festive theme, from toys and gifts perfect for Christmas to some previously unknown lecture notes by JRR Tolkien in the author’s distinctive handwriting. These unique notes reveal what was going through the mind of the author while he penned some of his most best-loved works of fiction, now known throughout the world.