This Morning (19.06.25)
A last minute trip to London for my live-TV debut.
Here I am with the This Morning hosts, Ben Shepard, Cat Deeley and Dan Hatfield pawnbroker.
On Wednesday afternoon, after a couple of weeks of sporadic messages with producers, I was invited to come to London for a feature on Thursday’s installment of This Morning. I was sent down on the train, with about 90 minutes notice and a suitcase full of antique paraphernalia. I had been asked by This Morning’s appraiser and pawnbroker Dan Hatfield to discuss a selection of Victorian and Edwardian items in my collection.
My call time was just after 8am on Thursday and the imposing Television Centre in White City. It was great to be where so many events in BBC television history has played out, the Record Breaking tap dancers, the Radiophonic workshop and waterlogged time capsules in the Blue Peter garden to name but a few.
A surprising lack of 500 tap dancing children.
There was lots of waiting in the Green Room, with various ITV daytime personalities drifting in and out. A rehearsal for our segment took place on the studio floor and I had my grungy-Flapper look tweaked, with the help of Make Up Artist Gemma, adding lashes and securing a wandering baby curl.
My outfit was a torn 1930s brown lace fishtail evening gown, gathered with an Edwardian Nurse’s belt and embellished with antique jewellery and my Bradford 2025 pin. As nice as my 1910s leather boots are to look at, they were absolutely the wrong thing to be wearing. I was, however, smart enough to bring a 30s umbrella for use as a parasol and a pair of chic 60s Polaroid sunglasses (previously my Granny’s some 60 years prior). This dress is SO special to me, it is the first dress I ever bought for myself aged about 14/15.
Featured in my collection is a Victorian novel, Grimes’s Trip to America, written entirely in the Yorkshire dialect and perhaps my most prized position as it is the first antique I ever bought, aged 7.
Around 10.50 contributors Glynn, Lynne and myself were taken to the cameras, the 5 cameras rolled towards displays of our respective collections. The floor fell silent,
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and…
Watch my appearance on ITVX: https://www.itv.com/watch/this-morning/1a1960/1a1960a10002
In the afternoon I ventured out in the baking London heat over to the Central Saint Martins’ degree shows, which I will write about on Out and About #3, then to The Pub with my London friends Rain and Izémrasen. I could never think I was more glad to be passed a pint of cider in that blistering heat.
