DALE antiques expert David Harper has taken to the internet to showcase his latest venture.
Barnard Castle-based Mr Harper premiered a new quiz show he has been developing on his YouTube channel earlier this month.
A popular TV figure, Mr Harper stood down as an expert on the BBC’s Bargain Hunt programme after 15 years last December, although he plans to continue filming episodes for the Antiques Road Trip series.
In the meantime, he has been working up ideas for new shows and has been using lockdown to hone his production skills at home.
“I am experimenting with ideas. I filmed a pilot for a show in November that is currently being edited and which I will pitch to TV companies,” he said.
“I have been filming for the past 16 years and just before Christmas I was really missing it, so I thought I would make my own little films of experimental game show ideas.”
This has resulted in his Antiques and Vintage Quiz show in which viewers are encouraged to test their skills at valuing objects.
For the first show, Mr Harper features some pieces sold by former Bargain Hunt colleagues, including Charles Hanson and Philip Serrell.
The show went live at 6.30pm on a Sunday night – deliberately timed just 30 minutes before the BBC shows the ever-popular Antiques Roadshow.
Mr Harper described it as an old fashioned quiz show which aims to get people involved.
“I have been astonished at the response. It’s been brilliant. People love it because of its simplicity and that you can play along at home,” he said.
“I thought people might be critical as it’s so simple, but I’ve had a number of people say they liked it because it is entertaining, not silly.”
Mr Harper plans to post a new show each Sunday for the next few weeks to see how it develops.
He is also planning another quiz show based on another of his passions – classic cars. This will be posted on a Thursday night.
Being locked down at home, Mr Harper has filmed and edited the shows himself.
“It’s been a big learning curve,” he admitted.
“I am not technical and I have not really been all that interested in the filming and editing process before, but I am really enjoying it.
“I am loving the freedom it gives me and I will see how it goes.”
To watch the weekly antiques quiz, go to youtube.com and search for David Harper.
