Lapada and the BBC

Earlier this year Sarah Percy-Davis of Lapda wrote to Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC, expressing the concern of many Lapda members that programmes such as The Antiques Roadshow, Bargain Hunt and Cash in the Attic do not make members of the public aware of the various charges and costs of buying and selling at auction. She asked the Director-General to encourage the editors of these programmes to give a more balanced representation of the trade.

A few weeks later Sarah received a reply from mark Thompson which made it clear that the programme makers responsible for all three programmes, and also for Car Booty, another BBC programme, had been shown her letter. Inevitably, they all defended their positions.

With regards to Bargain Hunt the letter stated: "The programme intends to continue to remind their viewers, where appropriate, of the costs of buying and selling at auction." The makers of Antiques Roadshow said they believe that most of their valuations are dealer valuations, as opposed to auction prices, and Cash in the Attic claimed they regularly include the line: "remember if you're thinking of buying or selling at auction, there are various fees to be taken into account, such as commission."