Going for a Song

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Going for a Song was an antiques quiz show initially made by the BBC from 1965-1977. It was a forerunner of the Antiques Roadshow. The original television series was hosted by presenter Max Robertson, with Arthur Negus appearing as the resident expert who was called on to give his opinion on the value of antiques. The programmes were recorded before a studio audience.

Robertson would introduce an antique to a panel of experts who would examine the object and give its date and value. Negus would then present its actual age and worth. Revivals of the programme were made in the 1990s, hosted firstly by Michael Parkinson [1] (1995-1999), and in 1997, by Anne Robinson [2], with antiques expert Eric Knowles in the Negus role.

All versions of the series were characterised by a caged bird automaton singing over the programme's opening and closing credits, accompanied in the original series by the first movement from Respighi's suite Gli Uccelli (or The Birds in English).