Lovejoy
★ 7.4 · 1986 · 50m · Comedy · Drama · Mystery
The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.
Episodes
1. The Firefly Cage54m · Having hired Eric Catchpole as an apprentice, Lovejoy sets out to unravel the meaning of a Japanese firefly cage.As Lovejoy and Eric are in hot pursuit (on Eric's motorbike) of a lovely lady with something they want, they hit a pool of water in the road and give a drenching to Jane (Lady Felsham), who is busy unveiling a plaque. When, later, Lovejoy rings the doorbell at Felsham Hall, complex chemistry begins, and Jane is soon showing Lovejoy around her attic...
2. The Axeman Cometh52m · Lovejoy buys a Welsh dresser at Charlie Gimbert's auction, and hidden inside it he finds a rich Arab head-dress, festooned with gold ducats. Catesby, recently out of prison and the son of the dead man whose property was being sold at Gimbert's, says he was promised the dresser. Lovejoy sells it back to him, but without the head-dress. Catesby is soon looking for Lovejoy armed with an axe. He is in good company, as one of Her Majesty's Inland Revenue officers is also after Lovejoy.
3. The Sting53m · Lovejoy sets out to help a young woman to trace a pair of Meissen figures which she sold to raise cash for a drug habit. When he comes across evidence of a double-cross by Charlie Gimbert, he decides to get even.
4. Friends, Romans and Enemies54m · A robbery at the local museum seems to be connected with the death of a local forger, and Lovejoy goes on the trail of a hoard of Roman coins in the Isle of Man. Two Americans are also after the coins.
5. The Judas Pair52m · The wife and brother of a man killed with a fabulous pair of Regency duelling pistols engage Lovejoy to find them and thus bring about the downfall of the murderer. In the process, Lovejoy puts Jane's life at risk and challenges Dr La Grange to a duel.
6. To Sleep No More51m · Sam Wendell, an old forger, dies of a heart attack while being pursued by a mysterious priest, leaving behind one of his small forgeries. Sam had told his wife it was the key to a fortune, and the priest soon tries to break into the Wendell house. Lovejoy aims to unravel the puzzle, by way of helping Sam's widow (who's left with very little) to recover anything of value. Along the way, Lovejoy dresses up as a priest.
7. The Real Thing49m · Needing a break from Charlie, Lovejoy takes a job for a few days at a new antiques market in Norwich owned by a client of Jane's. He soon realizes the boss is a con-man and sets out to expose him. Along the way, he also tries to trap a second crook who is selling fake paintings.
8. The March of Time49m · Lovejoy finds a bundle of old love letters hidden in the back of an antique clock. He quickly falls for the owner, but are the letters genuine? Under the name of 'Captain Lovejoy', he sets out to find the answer.
9. Death and Venice (1)48m · Lovejoy travels to Venice to investigate the murder of a friend. The dead friend had bought a painting Lovejoy believed was a fake. In Venice, he is drawn into an ambitious art swindle, and identical twins Caterina and Lavinia are behind the scam.
10. Death and Venice (2)48m · In Venice, Lovejoy gets a job working for Caterina and Lavinia, with a view to busting their scam, and meets a Scottish forger called 'Lucky' Luciano. Lovejoy and Lucky together unravel the mystery of the Island of Rats.More Like This
Look at Flower in Fog
2009 · ★ 8
Huang Lide is an antique collector who schemes to take control of an auction company by selling counterfeit antiques. His plot to bring down the honest general manager, Tang Jingming, ignites a fierce conflict between the forces of integrity and corruption in the antique world.
More info →
Antique Bureau Midgame
2020 · ★ 6.7
A young heir, burdened by his grandfather’s disgraced past, uncovers a major antique forgery scheme tied to a fake painting in the Forbidden City. Teaming up with unlikely allies, he dives into the shadowy world of counterfeit artifacts, racing against a powerful auction house to expose the truth and protect China’s cultural treasures.
More info →
Pagodatree Aroma in Autumn
2004 · ★ 7.7
Set in mid 1940's China, Aroma In Autumn is the story of Tung, a rich pottery merchant who ends up making a living on the streets. He befriends a fellow street dweller and his sister, not knowing that this is only the beginning of a life full of bitter bet...
More info →
The Vintage French Farmhouse
2023
Antiques en France. On a buying trip to Provence, dealers are on the hunt for hidden treasures in its fabulous markets. Can they turn a profit from their purchases?
More info →
Salvage Hunters: The Restorers
2018 · ★ 6
Modern day treasure hunter, Drew Pritchard is one of Britain's leading architectural salvage dealers, traveling the length and breadth of the country in search of weird and wonderful objects. Drew loves the thrill of the hunt and while he gets his hands dirty in the country's architectural backwaters, a crack team of restorers are back at base giving old and rare finds a new lease of life. We've seen them at work on Salvage Hunters, restoring, repairing and refining Drew's finds but for the first time, Salvage Hunters: The Restorers is going behind-the-scenes with this expert team to see what it really takes to transform junk into gems.
More info →
Irish Pickers
2020
Follow Dublin-based antiques expert and historical dealer Ian Dowling and his team as they travel the length and breadth of Ireland looking for amazing Irish treasures to buy and sell.
More info →
