I am an Antiques Roadshow superfan and I spent the day behind the scenes… and this is what REALLY happens during filming

A man who is a huge Antiques Roadshow fan visited the set for the day and revealed what really goes on behind the scenes of the show.

Stephen Fugill, 50, is a longtime fan of the hit BBC show and was delighted when his daughter Megan told him she was filming in her native Derry.

He applied for free tickets through their lottery and was thrilled when he found he got them, and took Megan with him to the event.

Giving insight into the shoot, Stephen revealed disgruntled attendees threw objects after the assessments, said a family was shocked by their huge profit and told how he hunted an expert for a photo.

Speaking of his joy at being selected, he told MailOnline: ‘I’ve been watching the Antiques Roadshow for years and always wanted to be on the show as I’ve been collecting antiques for a long time.

“I like to think I’m a bit of a Del Boy or a wheel dealer, so I was abuzz to get on the show.”

“When my daughter told me the show was coming to Derry I was so excited. The tickets were free but you had to enter the ticket lottery so I didn’t think I’d get one.

“I was over the moon when I found out we had tickets and knew right away which antiques I wanted appraised.”

Stephen gave a glimpse of what really goes on behind the scenes of the program after spending the day having his own antiques appraised by the experts.

The eager fan arrived at the event almost two hours early to make the most of the day, queuing from 9.30am before the 11am start with daughter Megan.

“I went there with my daughter, who was not happy because we started queuing at 9:30 a.m.,” he explained.

“When you enter the Roadshow, you check in, check in your items, and then you are assigned to a booth where there is an expert appraiser in the type of antique you own.”

Stephen took two of his own antiques to appraise and discovered that one of his items was worth £28 more than the £2 he had paid, while another was unfortunately worth less than he had hoped.

He said: ‘I brought 2 items, a hand painted vase which I had bought years ago for £2, I didn’t think it was of much value but I was interested in discover its history.

Fan: He got free tickets and took his daughter Megan to the event with him, telling how his highlight was meeting glass expert Andy McConnell

Appraisals: Stephen took two of his antiques and found one was worth £28 more than the £2 he had paid, while another was sadly worth less than he had hoped

“The ceramic expert was very knowledgeable and was able to tell me it was made between the 1920s and 1930s, hand painted by two different people and was worth around £30.

“The other item was a sweet tray which I thought was hand painted and worth around £100 but was disappointed to find it was a print and was worth less than a ten .”

Stephen revealed the highlight of the day was meeting glass expert Andy McConnell, confessing he chased him around the square to take a picture with him.

“All of the experts were really friendly and helpful, my favorite was glass expert Andy McConnell,” he shared.

“He was the expert I was most looking forward to meeting, when I spotted him I ended up almost chasing him around the place so I could take a picture with him which really embarrassed my girl.”

“He was so well versed and equally witty in person, he really brought the craic to the show.”

At one point he spotted the camera crew filming an appraisal and was quick to rush in, but unfortunately fell on his ankle in his excitement and nearly dropped his own vase.

Stephen also tiptoed through the crowd to ensure he had the best view of the television while soaking up the busy atmosphere of the day.

As he explored the site, Stephen visited a range of stalls and listened to the history and appraisals of other people’s items, while taking his antiques with him.

He told how crowds were ‘shocked’ when a Chinese turtle vase passed down from generation to generation by one family was impressively valued at between £6,000 and £9,000.

However, not everyone was so lucky, as Stephen shared that two disappointed women threw their antiques in the bin after discovering they were worth less than £5.

Ravi: At one point he spotted the camera crew filming an assessment and was quick to rush in, but unfortunately fell on his ankle in his excitement

Delighted: Revealing some filming secrets, Stephen (pictured) said he was surprised to hear none of the ratings had been made as he explained how the show’s visit had become a dream reality

He said: “There were two older ladies who were quite characters and were very serious – one had a ceramic pig and the other had a painted jug.

“They thought these items were worth thousands of dollars, but were told they were worth less than a five, so they ended up throwing them in the trash before leaving.”

Revealing some filming secrets, Stephen said he was surprised to hear that none of the ratings had been made as he explained how visiting the show was a dream come true.

“It was interesting to see how the show works behind the scenes and I was surprised that none of the ratings are set and they’re all completely candid,” he said.

“It was a really good day, I really enjoyed it more than watching the show. I was on cloud nine and felt like a kid in a candy store.