THE secrets given up by a North East river will feature in an episode of a popular television antiques show next week.

Experts from Antiques Road Trip will be visiting the region in the episode on BBC1 next Tuesday.

Driving a slick Rolls Royce Corniche, Steven Moore and Roo Irvine start the second leg of their road trip in Barnard Castle. They visit antiques shops in Darlington, Hartlepool, Chester-le-Street and Durham, trying to pick up bargains before their items go under the hammer at Ripley Castle, in North Yorkshire.

Along the way, Midlands-based dealer Steven finds out about the work of Durham underwater archaeologist and academic Gary Bankhead.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Gary speaks to Steven about his findsGary speaks to Steven about his finds

Gary has found thousands of small objects in the River Wear under Durham’s Elvet Bridge over the last few years. The episode shows Gary at work on the riverbed, joined by Steven in a rowing boat.

He tells Steven about his finds, what they tell us about the city’s past and how many of them are now on display for the public.

Gary said: “When the Antiques Road Trip production team first contacted me to ask if I would like to appear in an episode, I jumped at the offer.

“For me, having the chance to raise the profile of our exciting Dive into Durham Project while also showcasing our stunning city of Durham to a national audience was simply too good an opportunity to miss.

“Although it was early in the season – we filmed in March – the visibility was really clear, and I was able to capture some great underwater footage, including the discovery of a hammered silver penny dated to the reign of Edward III.”

Darlington and Stockton Times: A still from the show, in which Gary explains the significance of his findsA still from the show, in which Gary explains the significance of his finds

He added: “Stephen Moore was great to work with and he really embraced the idea of getting into the River Wear to join in with the hunt for artefacts – albeit nice and dry in a rowing boat.

“This meant that he was on hand to greet me as I surfaced, and he took great delight in identifying several of the artefacts.”

l The Antiques Road Trip episode from the North East will be aired on BBC1 on Tuesday, January 18, starting at 4.30pm.