Cash in the Attic (UK)

This show has it's ups and downs and they are due to whoever is hosting. Alister Appleton was always the cute, quirky guy, who was like the long lost cousin coming over to help rumage. Then he left in search of bigger and better things! He was followed by a small parade of hosts who just didn't bring his spark to the show. Worse yet was that we also got an american version, which doesn't need anymore mention. Now in 2007 Alistair is doing promos for the show for the upcoming season, I actually saw an episode with him that I haven't watched before and it said 2006,so Alistair is back and now the auction houses of Britain might have a little life in them!!!

I am an avid viewer of daytime TV and i have to say that Cash in the attic is one of the highlights of the day. Currently it is screening after Neighbours which is a tough act to follow but it holds its own. The show really depends on who the expert is and who is the host. Jonty Hearnden is by far the best and Paul hayes is just trying too hard to be Jonty. Jennie Bond is the worst thing ever to happen to Cash in the attic and i hope she is dropped as soon as possible. Entertaing viewing during a good daytime TV session. Enjoy!

I've gotten in the habit of tuning into Cash in the Attic on BBC America during Saturday afternoons, while doing a few chores around the house. This show never fails to amaze and amuse. Things get especially funny when that little pill of a valuation expert, Jonty, solemnly assures some family that their early Victorian rosewood cabinet or whatnot is a prime example of a one of its kind masterpiece that is sure to bring £1000 at auction--or I, Jonty, am a total cretin. Then, it happens. Just call Jonty a cretin, when the family and team go to action and the table creeps in for a sell at £175. Grandpa, grandma, and granddaughters,whose ancestral belongings Jonty has rummaged through, stare him down like he's an agent of Satan.



Or there is version #2, the greedy family member, who has just found out, for example, that the glass collection he thought was worthless, and which his wife hates, is perhaps worth £200. Mr. Greed immediately decides that the junk he was about to toss out in the garbage must meet a "reserve bid" of £250 (£50 higher than the estimate!) at auction before he'll let it sell. And, of course, it comes in at £220 and Mr. Greed has to take his junk back home with him.



Finally, there is version #3, the family so greedy for a vacation on some godawful cruise or to buy a hot tub, that they take their great granddad's war medals from World War I, along with his final precious belongings, passed down from generation to generation, and desperately seek to unload them for a couple of hundred British pounds.



What greedy, lustful people this show depicts! Selling their heritage for a week on a cruieliner, a new deck on the back of the house, or a tune up for their 30 year old Mercedes.

I love this show and it gives wonderful insight to the world of antiques. I love to hear them speak of the history of object. This show is much better than the American version. Jonty Hearnden and Paul Hayes make this an enjoable show. All the presenters are very knowledgeable. The auctioneers are very ggod as well.

Cash In The Attic must be the most unrealistic show on daytime television. The basic premise is that people who need money for a particular holiday or home improvement, can raise it by clearing out their house and allowing an antiques expert to value anything they think may sell at auction.



Fair enough, you might think. But these families a) never need the money and b) always have an attic full of antiques. Never in the whole run of this show has the antiques expert shown up and said "Actually, everything you own is worthless tat." There always seems to be an ancient piece of Stag furniture, or a Stradivarius in the loft, or maybe even a Rembrandt hidden behind the settee.



On average, each haul brings between £500 and £1,000. Maybe they should go to some more downmarket homes, then it might be a real challenge!

The American version of Cash In The Attic is a truly unique mix of lifestyle / reality / educational / and “money making” programming. There is not another show on television you can point to and say “Cash In The Attic is just like (fill in the blank) ”. For a Tv critic this is a very rare thing to say.



Usually, shows with as many moving parts as Cash In The Attic don’t move well at all. The fact that Cash In The Attic weaves together the emotion of families debating to part with an heir loom, fascinating factoids about a Victorian table, the surprise of valuable discoveries in ones own attic, the brutal suspense of the auction, and the sheer entertainment value of a charismatic host (John Sencio) is no small feet for the producers.



The first thought that comes to mind after watching an episode of the American version of Cash In The Attic is "Fun". I emphasize “American” version because Cash In The Attic it is based on a British program by the same name and by the same producers - yet the British version is decidedly different and very dry.



From the get go the viewer knows they are in for a ride when The Cash In The Attic van comes roaring up to house and the host and appraiser pop out to greet the family. The viewer instantly learns how much money the family is trying to raise and for what purpose (landscaping, refrigerator, sun windows, etc.) Then we are off to the races.



Most people I know are not “antique junkies” and it’s a credit to Cash In The Attic that they will sell anything the family is willing to part with - thus keeping the viewers ability to relate very high. Many of us do not have classic orange Czechoslovakian glass but many of us do have an old toaster, bike, or mirror collecting dust in the attic.



The frenzy of the search for items to sell is excellent entertainment. Watching the family discover items they literally forgot they had creates very amusing strolls down memory lane. The most riveting moments come when we discover an item that is dear to the heart of the owner… yet has been hidden in a closet for a decade. Watching the wife describe how an old clock was in her grandmothers house, her mothers house, and how she (suddenly) wants to put it up in her house while the husband is reminding her that they need to raise $4,000 for a new master bathtub is compelling suburban drama.



One would think after the rollercoaster ride of finding items to sell (or not to sell) that the highpoint of the ride would be over. Not so. Cash In The Attic keeps you wondering until the very end if the family will reach their target for that special project. You want “real” in your reality programming? Put a family heirloom up at an auction expecting to raise $500 dollars and look at the face of the owner as it sells for only $95 bucks. That’s real! Conversely I love the concept of “found money”. This is when an item of the previous homeowner is discovered in the attic and according to the expert appraiser has incredible value. Watching an item the family never owned, that’s estimated to sell for $1,000 (yes one thousand dollars) triple in price (yes, three thousand dollars) is “reality TV” magic.



In every episode, whether the family reaches their target or not, some version of the special project is done to satiate the viewers subconscious craving for logic. Honestly, every time I see the “before & after” shot of the special project at the end of an episode it’s almost an afterthought – “oh yeah, that’s why they went crazy for a day”.



I also need to mention the host of Cash In The Attic, John Sencio. I’m not usually a “pro-host” viewer or critic - for my taste, too often hosts just get in the way. I have to confess though, that John Sencio is absolutely fantastic on Cash In The Attic. The guy is funny, smart, and really keeps the party moving. Also (not to reinforce antiquated viewer stereotypes… but I will), as a woman I like looking at attractive men. Curiously, with a show that is as well designed as Cash In The Attic, I simply don’t think it would be nearly as effective without John Sencio - kudos to the producers for landing this guy.



The American version of Cash In The Attic is a true accomplishment. This is a show on Hgtv (that is antique centric) that my husband and kids will actually watch it with me and really enjoy! Wonders never cease.

Cash In The Attic can be seen weekly on Hgtv.



Elaine Gold

TV Critic,