Latest news with #HilaryKay
Daily Record
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
BBC Antiques Roadshow guest refuses to sell Titanic letter worth incredible fortune
Antiques Roadshow expert Hilary Kay met a guest whose father worked on the Titanic and survived the sinking of the vessel Antiques Roadshow's Hilary Kay had an eye-opening encounter with guests whose father, Sidney Daniels, was employed as a plate washer on the Titanic at the age of just 18. Sidney was one of the survivors of the tragic sinking and his offspring brought along a letter he penned to the beloved BBC programme. Recalling the fateful night, his daughter stated: "It was a Sunday, he was sound asleep, there was a banging and shouting and it was the night watchman. They were all a bit bleary-eyed because at first they thought it was a drill. "It wasn't until he got up on deck, there were hardly any people around at first and then officers came and turned to him and said, 'Go to these cabins'." She then explained how Sidney had been tasked with waking sleeping guests on the ship, as she went on: "Of course it was hard to wake people, they were asleep. Some reacted in different ways. One or two said 'What does this young man know? He's 18, the boat is unsinkable, we're not going up on deck'. "Others were saying, 'We've got children, they're going to get a chill if they go up on deck'. So he helped the children with the lifejackets and ushered them up on deck." Hilary chimed in on the episode which was re-aired on Sunday night: "You can imagine the scene of chaos and despair because people realised there weren't enough lifeboats." Sidney's son replied: "That was his job, to try and get people into the lifeboats and the water was rising all of the time. When all the lifeboats had gone, the water was up around his knees and he thought, 'It's time to go'. "So he dived off the side of the boat, swam away from it, came to a lifebelt and to my Dad's mind, it was too close to the boat, he was afraid when the boat went down, the suction would take them down so he said to this chap, 'It's no good here, let's swim away'. "Apparently this chap followed him and they just kept swimming. He said he saw a star in the sky which he thought was his mother and swam towards this star and eventually came to this life raft which was upside down and managed to cling onto that." "When he was on there, he said, 'I'm tired, I want to go to sleep,' and the chap next to him said, 'Don't go to sleep lad, if you do, it will be your last'. "So they sat there singing hymns trying to pass the time away." The duo had brought along a letter which had remained tucked inside Sidney's uniform pocket when he leapt from the Titanic, the Express reports. Hillary, clearly stunned by the letter, began to speak about the artefact's significance and value: "It's an extraordinary item and anything related to Titanic has this extraordinary effect on people. It is an extraordinary moment to behold something which is so linked into an extraordinary moment in history." She estimated its worth, saying: "We're talking about around £10,000, is the realistic value."
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Antiques Roadshow expert shares staggering value of letter written by late Titanic potwasher who survived the wreck - but his children REFUSE refuse to sell
The son and daughter of a Titanic survivor gasped when an Antiques Roadshow expert told them the value of their father's letter that made it off the ship - but the siblings refused to sell. Antiques expert Hilary Kay met with the children of Sidney Daniels, who was hired as a plate washer on the Titanic at the age of 18. When the ship began going down, Sidney was instructed to help guests out of their cabins and into life jackets. And when the time came for him to leap off the vessel, a handwritten letter to his family remained intact in his uniform pocket. More than 100 years on from the nautical tragedy, Hilary spoke to Sidney's children about his story. 'It was a Sunday, he was sound asleep, there was a banging and shouting and it was the night watchman,' said Sidney's daughter in an older episode that re-aired on the BBC this weekend. 'They were all a bit bleary-eyed because, at first, they thought it was a drill. 'It wasn't until he got up on deck, there were hardly any people around at first and then officers came and turned to him and said, "Go to these cabins".' Sidney's daughter explained how exhausted guests, roused from a deep sleep, didn't believe the frantic teenager urging them to leave their cabins. 'Of course it was hard to wake people, they were asleep,' she continued. 'Some reacted in different ways. 'One or two said "What does this young man know? He's 18, the boat is unsinkable. We're not going up on deck." 'Others were saying, "We've got children, they're going to get a chill if they go up on deck." 'So he helped the children with the lifejackets and ushered them up on deck.' Moved by the tale, Hilary painted the picture of 'chaos' and 'despair' when those on the ship realised there weren't enough lifeboats. 'That was his job, to try and get people into the lifeboats and the water was rising all the time,' said Sidney's son. 'When all the lifeboats had gone, the water was up around his knees and he thought, "It's time to go." 'So he dived off the side of the boat, swam away from it, came to a lifebelt and to my Dad's mind, it was too close to the boat, he was afraid when the boat went down, the suction would take them down so he said to this chap, "It's no good here, let's swim away." Sidney's son told how his father and the other man kept swimming together in the darkness. 'He said he saw a star in the sky which he thought was his mother,' he continued. 'And he swam towards this star and eventually came to this life raft which was upside down and he managed to cling onto that. 'When he was on there, he said, "I'm tired, I want to go to sleep," and the chap next to him said, "Don't go to sleep lad, if you do, it will be your last." So they sat there singing hymns trying to pass the time away.' The presence of the letter, Hilary pointed out, means Sideny was rescued and brought to safety. The letter lay on the table between Sidney's children and Hilary - the ink smudged and the edges frayed but, despite its journey, in good condition. Of the letter's value, Hilary said: 'We're talking around £10,000 - is the realistic value.' At this, the siblings gasped, before immediately responding: 'It's very nice but it's not going out of the family, it's going to a museum. 'Dad would have been pleased to know it had gone in there.' The letter was addressed to Sidney's family and contained mostly 'tittle tattle'. Water damage had caused the stamp to fall off. Hilary was 'delighted' at the siblings' decision, which meant countless more people could enjoy the miraculous memento from the historic event. 'It's an extraordinary item and anything related to Titanic has this extraordinary effect on people,' Hilary said. 'It is an extraordinary moment to behold something which is so linked into an extraordinary moment in history.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Antiques Roadshow expert shares huge value of Titanic letter but guest refuses to sell
Antiques Roadshow expert Hilary Kay met with a guest whose father Sidney Daniels was hired to work on the Titanic as a plate washer at the age of 18 Antiques Roadshow's Hilary Kay had an emotional encounter with a guest whose father, Sidney Daniels, was employed as a plate washer on the Titanic at just 18 years old. Sidney was one of the survivors of the tragic sinking, and his daughter brought along a poignant letter he penned to the beloved BBC series. She recounted: "It was a Sunday, he was sound asleep, there was a banging and shouting and it was the night watchman. They were all a bit bleary-eyed because at first they thought it was a drill. "It wasn't until he got up on deck, there were hardly any people around at first and then officers came and turned to him and said, 'Go to these cabins.' Of course it was hard to wake people, they were asleep. "Some reacted in different ways. One or two said 'What does this young man know? He's 18, the boat is unsinkable. We're not going up on deck.' Others were saying, 'We've got children, they're going to get a chill if they go up on deck.' So he helped the children with the lifejackets and ushered them up on deck." Hilary reflected on the harrowing event, adding: "You can imagine the scene of chaos and despair because people realised there weren't enough lifeboats." Relaying the harrowing tale of survival, one of Sidney's kin recounted: "That was his job, to try and get people into the lifeboats and the water was rising all of the time. When all the lifeboats had gone, the water was up around his knees and he thought, 'It's time to go.' So he dived off the side of the boat, swam away from it, came to a lifebelt and to my Dad's mind, it was too close to the boat, he was afraid when the boat went down, the suction would take them down so he said to this chap, 'It's no good here, let's swim away.'". They continued with the gripping narrative: "Apparently this chap followed him and they just kept swimming. He said he saw a star in the sky which he thought was his mother and swam towards this star and eventually came to this life raft which was upside down and managed to cling onto that." The story took an emotional turn as they shared: "When he was on there, he said, 'I'm tired, I want to go to sleep,' and the chap next to him said, 'Don't go to sleep lad, if you do, it will be your last.' So they sat there singing hymns trying to pass the time away." Accompanying their visit, the relatives brought a poignant piece of history - a letter from Sidney's uniform pocket as he leapt from the Titanic, reports the Express. Expert Hilary weighed in on the artefact's significance and value: "It's an extraordinary item and anything related to Titanic has this extraordinary affect on people. It is an extraordinary moment to behold something which is so linked into an extraordinary moment in history." She estimated it's worth: "We're talking about around £10,000, is the realistic value." Upon hearing the valuation, the guest firmly stated: "It's very nice but it's not going out the family, it's going to a museum." Antiques Roadshow is broadcast on Sundays at 8.15pm on BBC One.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Antiques Roadshow guest wide-eyed as expert gasps 'I need time to come down from this', floored by 'trickiest item she's ever had to value' - before giving eye-watering verdict
An Antiques Roadshow guest was left wide-eyed as an expert gasped 'I need time to come down from this' in response to the 'trickiest item she's ever had to value'. A repeat episode of the BBC show, which sees specialist appraisers value heirlooms and heritage items, went to Belton House near the town of Grantham, Lincolnshire. Expert Hilary Kay met with a woman who had brought in a very unique item - the funeral standard of 17th-century English statesman Oliver Cromwell. He led parliamentary forces in the English Civil Wars in the mid-1600s against King Charles I, helping to overthrow him before his execution in 1649. The soldier and politician then led the Commonwealth of England that was quickly established, serving as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death in 1658. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Hilary began the segment: 'Sheltering from a passing shower and sheltering with an object which is, I feel, almost radioactive with power. 'It's a very interesting phenomenon to be this close to something that is really quite important. 'I'm recognising, immediately, the personal standard of Oliver Cromwell. 'It's a name we all know but let's just put him into his place in history. 'He was one of the signatories to the death warrant for instance to Charles I. 'Very much involved with the regicide, killing of the King, and then he became in 1653 what was known as the Lord Protector of England. 'It was after the Civil War and he ran the country essentially from 1653 to 1658 and that is his importance in English history and why this object has such resonance.' The woman explained how such an incredible object came into her possession: 'It was in a collection about seven years ago. My father actually bought the collection of militaria. 'We now own it as a family. It's actually kept in one of our spare rooms and as you say, it's one of those objects that make you tingle.' The antiques expert agreed: 'It does make you tingle because this is the standard that was part of the funeral procession of Cromwell's on November 23, 1658, and this was extraordinary.' Pointing to all the regal imagery on the object, she continued: 'Here was the non-King being revered really as a King with a royal crown. 'It is an extraordinary image that we have here which was totally against everything that he stood for.' The pair discussed how the standard had been stolen by a young boy in the crowd during the funeral procession, with Hilary saying: 'It's just brilliant.' The guest added: 'My whole family's been into history for generations and my maternal grandparents are actually founding members of The Sealed Knot, the re-enactment society for the Civil War.' Hilary was delighted to hear this further detail: 'Which is amazing, what a coincidence! It was meant to end up with you.' In a heart-warming, sincere moment, the woman replied: 'Absolutely, I believe so. The pair discussed how the standard had been stolen by a young boy in the crowd during the funeral procession, with Hilary saying: 'It's just brilliant' 'Because we're the kind of people who really want to look after it and preserve it and make sure it's seen by everyone it should be seen by for generations, I guess. 'It's a real treasure, it's a pleasure to own.' Incredibly complimentary about the historic item, Hilary said it had been 'beautifully restored' - and will continue to need good looking after. She added: 'However great your spare room is - and I'm sure it has almost museum-like qualities - I do think, even if it went on loan somewhere, I think it deserves to be looked after.' With all this anticipation built up, about an item with such historical value, the valuation could not come sooner - and it did not disappoint. Hilary said: 'This is about the trickiest thing I've ever had to value. 'It is certain to fetch £25,000 but how much more would it go for?' The wide-eyed guest was rendered absolutely speechless, with Hilary saying: 'It's going to take me a little while to come down from this. 'It'll take a couple of bars of chocolate and a cup of tea but this has been a really special moment with a really extraordinary object, don't you agree?' It comes after another repeat episode saw a guest gasp 'I can't believe that!' as he learned the staggering value of a watch bought for £300 - while the crowd erupted into applause. The instalment of the BBC show, which sees specialist appraisers value heirlooms and heritage items, went to Brodie Castle in the Moray area of Scotland. In the episode that reran on Sunday, expert Richard Price was asked to assess a 1960s Rolex GMT-Master watch. The guest said he had owned the timepiece for 32 years, having inherited it from his uncle, who he thought most likely received it as a gift in the sixties. Inspecting it further, Richard was delighted to find it unaltered - a rare outcome, as watches are often modified when their owners take them in for servicing. The appraiser told the guest how watch repairs normally go: 'They would've changed the bezel and they would've changed the dial with an upgrade. 'You would've had it back thinking, "Oh, it looks new." Collectors hate that.' As to this particular timepiece, by contrast, Richard noted: 'It's absolutely original - spot on.' The expert estimated the watch would have cost around £300 to £350 when the guest's uncle bought it back in the sixties. The guest simply replied: 'Wish [my uncle] bought more.' But even the single watch proved a good investment - as Richard valued it as now being worth £12,000 to £15,000. The owner was left in utter shock, as the crowd broke into applause. He exclaimed: 'I can't believe that, can't believe that.'
