Inside Bargain Hunt Eric Knowles' life, career, hobbies and family tragedy

Eric Knowles is known for starring on Bargain Hunt and Antiques Roadshow (Image: BBC) Antiques Roadshow: Eric Knowles analyses fish vase

Eric Knowles has been a regular face on our screens thanks to his appearances on Bargain Hunt, Antiques Roadshow and other BBC shows. The ceramics expert rose to fame on Antiques Roadshow in the 1980s and has since appeared on many other popular programmes, such as 20th Century Roadshow and Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

The presenter and antiques expert from Lancashire landed his career in antiques after being made redundant in the 1970s and this tough job loss later led to a respected TV career.

With many fans, many will be wondering about the 71-year-old’s rise to fame, his TV career and what he likes doing in his down time.

How Eric Knowles entered the world of antiques

Born on February 19. 1953 in Nelson, Lancashire, Eric once quipped his career in antiques was "largely a matter of fate and circumstance”. He was made redundant from his engineering job in Lancashire and took up a role as a porter in the ceramics department of Bonhams Auction House in London in 1976.

Just five years later, he became head of department and was later offered a full directorship. By 1992, Eric had established a Bonhams auction house office in Bristol.

He later joined Dreweatts and Bloomsbury in 2013, before becoming the executive chairman of The Hoard in 2019.

He said: “My career in antiques was largely a matter of fate and circumstance that saw my interest in history and architecture lead me out of redundancy with an engineering company up in my native Lancashire to a job in London as a porter at Bonhams auction house.

“I was to stay with the company for the next 32 years. Working for an auction house guarantees that no two days are ever the same.”

Eric Knowles loved examining artefacts on Antiques Roadshow (Image: BBC) Eric Knowles' respectable TV career

Eric first found fame on TV when he regularly appeared as a ceramics expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow in the 1980s. But he never thought his role would be so popular, let alone the TV series.

"When I started doing it I thought this could run for two to three years," he previously explained. "I never thought it would be for 27 years. It is a formula that seems to work. It is always the BBC's most popular factual programme."

His popularity on the BBC show saw him later appear on other daytime shows, including Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and 20th Century Roadshow.

Eric later became a regular guest presenter hosting Bargain Hunt and helped the red and blue teams turn their buys into profit.

On what his alternative career would be, he said: "Had I not followed a career in antiques I might have taken two different routes one being in the big outdoors and the Forestry Commission or the indoor studio working in Radio as a DJ."

Eric's sad family tragedy

Eric’s personal life was turned upside down when his son Seb died after a car crash in 2015.

Seb Knowles, 26, died after his Mercedes collided with a lorry on the M40 in Buckinghamshire in 2015.

He worked as a DJ, having supported the Wycombe Wanderers, and played gigs around London under the name DJ Sparky B.

He had worked with big names like Ultrabeat and The Artful Dodger and had a weekly radio slot on Time FM before he made the move in 2013 to Wycombe Sound.

At the time, tributes flooded in for Seb, describing him as "talented".

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Heirloom detective Eric Knowles examines antique (Image: Submitted)

One of which came from the National Association of Disc Jockeys (NADJ) wrote on Facebook: "All of us at NADJ would like to send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Seb Knowles (DJ Sparky B) who tragically died earlier today.

"It's always a tragedy when someone is taken so young. He was a talented DJ who will be missed by all who knew him."

From gardening to writing - Eric Knowles' life outside of TV

Eric has been married to his wife Anita Knowles for many years. Anita works as the company secretary for their business, Eric Knowles Antiquarian Services Limited.

The 71-year-old specialises in ceramics and glass and has opened a gallery, The Pantiles Arcade, in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

He is also a published author, having covered subjects such as Victoriana, Royal memorabilia, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and René Lalique.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Ambassador for the Prince's Trust almond works with several other charities including Headway, FABLE (For a better life with epilepsy), the New Mozart Orchestra and Wycombe Scanappeal.

Eric has another son called Oliver, and the family prefers to keep out of the spotlight.

Explaining what he enjoys doing in his free time, he added: "My wife would argue that there is never such a thing as free time."

"But I do enjoy getting stuck into our garden. In truth, I am more of a vegetation controller than a gardener who is always in more need of a machete than a pair of secateurs."

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Inside Bargain Hunt Eric Knowles' life, career, hobbies and family tragedy

Inside Bargain Hunt Eric Knowles' life, career, hobbies and family tragedy

Inside Bargain Hunt Eric Knowles' life, career, hobbies and family tragedy

Inside Bargain Hunt Eric Knowles' life, career, hobbies and family tragedy

Inside Bargain Hunt Eric Knowles' life, career, hobbies and family tragedy