‘I fell on my own sword’ recalls former Antiques Roadshow star as they open up on brutal axe from beloved BBC series
A FORMER Antiques Roadshow star has opened up on their brutal axing from the beloved series.
The hit show – which is now fronted by Fiona Bruce – still pulls in millions of viewers each Sunday night.
It sees members of the public bring their most treasured possessions before a crowd to be valued by a leading expert.
Starting all the way back in 1979, the show is now in its 46th series.
Michael Aspel hosted Antiques Roadshow from 2000 until he was axed in 2008.
And now Michael, 91, has opened up on his departure from the series, revealing bosses wanted him gone.
He explained to RadioTimes: “I fell on my sword, because I knew they wanted me to go.
“It’s ironic being eased out of an antiques show because of your age.”
Michaeal’s words contradict a previous interview where he said the decision to leave Antiques Roadshow was entirely his own.
He told The Standard back in 2012: “It’s the first time that I will have left a job without having another one to go to but it was absolutely my own idea.
“There was never any mention of me being too old for the series.
“Everyone tried to talk me out of it and there were times when I did seriously worry if I had done the right thing.
“But the truth is that after clocking up 200,000 miles and 200 shows, I’ve reached a point where it is getting harder to keep going.”
Before hosting Antiques Roadshow, Michael began his TV career fronting Come Dancing and Ask Aspel.