Collectors (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Collectors is an Australian television series that is shown at 8.00pm on Friday on ABC1
and repeated at 6.00pm on Monday on ABC2
. It investigates a variety of collection
s from museums and private collectors. It has been hosted by comedian Andy Muirhead
, a former biologist
, and features a panel of experts: Sydney-based fashion designer Claudia Chan Shaw
, antiques dealer and restorer Gordon Brown
and professor of sociology Adrian Franklin
. The panel formerly included museum curator
Niccole Warren and Lauren Carpenter, who still occasionally reports for the show. Past guests have included former immigration minister Amanda Vanstone
and former opposition leader Kim Beazley
.
On 11 June 2010, it was reported that host Andy Muirhead had been charged with one count of accessing child pornography. Collectors was off-air for a month and Muirhead took unpaid leave during proceedings. The website for the show was also taken down temporarily. These actions have been criticised for giving an impression of guilt. It was announced the following week that the show would return without Muirhead in July..
Collectors returned on 9 July 2010 without Andy Muirhead
as host. Hosting duties were largely taken by Claudia Chan Shaw and repeats of the episodes of the show featuring Muirhead have been pulled from programming schedules to be replaced with the new episodes.
In August 2011, the ABC that Collectors would be "rested" following a strategic review of the network's arts programming. The last episode in the series aired on 23 September, with the team behind the show producing a new program called Auctions for 2012.
Under the Hammer: Former journalist and auction expert Justin Murphy journeys to auctions where he selects an object for the panel to bid on. The panelist who is closest to the eventual price wins the segment for the week. This has been replaced mostly with a similar segment in which the pannelists buy items which are then sold on at auction, seeing who can get the greatest profit from them.
Passionate Collector: A collector is profiled.
Mystery Object: The panel is presented with an obscure object or collectible and is asked to identify it.
Roving Eye: Gordon Brown investigates antique furniture and other collectibles. This was discontinued in the 2009 series.
My Obsession: Another profile of a collector.
Show and Tell: Viewers send in photographs of objects and the panel identifies and values the object.
Collector Cam: Viewers send in videos detailing their collections. This is a competition and the winner's collection (voted by viewers) is displayed at the end of the year at the National Museum of Australia
in Canberra. This segment was discontinued at the end of 2006.
Reports by various panel members on certain areas of collecting are also included in most episodes.
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
and repeated at 6.00pm on Monday on ABC2
ABC2
ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
. It investigates a variety of collection
Collection (museum)
A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, replaceable and less exhibition oriented...
s from museums and private collectors. It has been hosted by comedian Andy Muirhead
Andy Muirhead
Andrew Robert "Andy" Muirhead is an Australian radio and television presenter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He has been the presenter of ABC Radio's breakfast program in Tasmania and also the presenter of the Collectors TV program since 2005.-Career:Muirhead has worked in TV and...
, a former biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
, and features a panel of experts: Sydney-based fashion designer Claudia Chan Shaw
Claudia Chan Shaw
Claudia Chan Shaw is an Australian fashion designer and television presenter.She was born in Annandale in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, and studied visual communications design at Sydney College of the Arts and export marketing at Monash University...
, antiques dealer and restorer Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown (television presenter)
Gordon Brown is the host of ABC television's Collectors , acting on the "panel" as an expert on Georgian and Victorian antiques. Born in Scotland, Brown owns an antique shop in Tasmania and is known for his frequently tongue in cheek manner of hosting his segment, formerly known as Roving...
and professor of sociology Adrian Franklin
Adrian Franklin
Adrian Franklin is a professor of Sociology at the University of Tasmania and a well known television and radio presenter of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, having done work for such programs as By Design on ABC Radio National and also for the ABC television series Collectors where, with...
. The panel formerly included museum curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
Niccole Warren and Lauren Carpenter, who still occasionally reports for the show. Past guests have included former immigration minister Amanda Vanstone
Amanda Vanstone
Amanda Eloise Vanstone is a former Australian politician and a former Ambassador to Italy. She was a Liberal Senator for South Australia from 1984 to 2007, and held several ministerial portfolios in the Howard Government. After her resignation from the Senate in 2007, she served as the Australian...
and former opposition leader Kim Beazley
Kim Beazley
In the October 1998 election, Labor polled a majority of the two-party vote and received the largest swing to a first-term opposition since 1934. However, due to the uneven nature of the swing, Labor came up eight seats short of making Beazley Prime Minister....
.
On 11 June 2010, it was reported that host Andy Muirhead had been charged with one count of accessing child pornography. Collectors was off-air for a month and Muirhead took unpaid leave during proceedings. The website for the show was also taken down temporarily. These actions have been criticised for giving an impression of guilt. It was announced the following week that the show would return without Muirhead in July..
Collectors returned on 9 July 2010 without Andy Muirhead
Andy Muirhead
Andrew Robert "Andy" Muirhead is an Australian radio and television presenter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He has been the presenter of ABC Radio's breakfast program in Tasmania and also the presenter of the Collectors TV program since 2005.-Career:Muirhead has worked in TV and...
as host. Hosting duties were largely taken by Claudia Chan Shaw and repeats of the episodes of the show featuring Muirhead have been pulled from programming schedules to be replaced with the new episodes.
In August 2011, the ABC that Collectors would be "rested" following a strategic review of the network's arts programming. The last episode in the series aired on 23 September, with the team behind the show producing a new program called Auctions for 2012.
Segments
Each show is made up of a number of segments:Under the Hammer: Former journalist and auction expert Justin Murphy journeys to auctions where he selects an object for the panel to bid on. The panelist who is closest to the eventual price wins the segment for the week. This has been replaced mostly with a similar segment in which the pannelists buy items which are then sold on at auction, seeing who can get the greatest profit from them.
Passionate Collector: A collector is profiled.
Mystery Object: The panel is presented with an obscure object or collectible and is asked to identify it.
Roving Eye: Gordon Brown investigates antique furniture and other collectibles. This was discontinued in the 2009 series.
My Obsession: Another profile of a collector.
Show and Tell: Viewers send in photographs of objects and the panel identifies and values the object.
Collector Cam: Viewers send in videos detailing their collections. This is a competition and the winner's collection (voted by viewers) is displayed at the end of the year at the National Museum of Australia
National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....
in Canberra. This segment was discontinued at the end of 2006.
Reports by various panel members on certain areas of collecting are also included in most episodes.