Antiques Roadshow guest left speechless as 'incredibly rare' script given a four-figure valuation

An Antiques Roadshow guest was in disbelief when he was told just how much his "thank you" work experience gift was really worth.

Filmed at Roundhay Park in Leeds, the popular BBC series invited guests to showcase their unique items to experts, hoping to learn more about their history and potential worth.

Expert's reaction to the find

Starting the evaluation, expert Clive Farahar remarked: "I can't believe that I'm actually handling the original script from one of Dad's Army's programmes.

"This is all in handwriting. This is David Croft, presumably, who wrote it? Well, tell me all about it."

The guest explained: "Well, I acquired it back in the mid-1990s. I had a work placement at the BBC attached to the comedy department. I did the week with David Croft's office.

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"I wrote to David to thank him and afterwards he sent me that as a thank you.

"At the time, I was thinking of maybe going into scriptwriting."

An insight into the script's origins

Examining the script for the episode Sergeant, Save My Boy, Farahar beamed, saying that it features "all [Croft's] first thoughts".

"This is quarrying at the coalface. This is where all the thoughts lie, where everything is tidied up, it's tremendous," he said. "And he sends you a wonderful letter here, which you've also included."

Reading the letter, the expert shared: "'Thank you for your letter. I'm enclosing a script of a Dad's Army programme.'

"'Unfortunately, the first page is missing," he noted, to which Farahar humorously responded: "Clumsy."

Croft clarified that the script was for an episode aired a few weeks prior and was written in his "own bad handwriting", prompting Farahar to chuckle: "Well, I can't read it."

The script's unexpected value

Describing it as "absolutely wonderful", Farahar examined the script more closely, thrilled to find the famous line "stupid boy" included. The guest revealed that although he didn't pursue screenwriting, he was inspired to work in television.

"These pieces of paper are probably terribly rare. I can't imagine that there are any more around, really," Farahar commented.

"These would all be typed up and all the actors would have a copy, and they'd all make their own notes on it and that sort of thing.

"Whereas this, the original nugget from which the whole thing came, was just completely discarded.

"They gave it to somebody who popped in for a week or so, work experience and all that sort of thing. This is amazing. Absolutely amazing."

The final valuation

Wrapping up the evaluation, the BBC expert admitted: "Well, I suppose I've got to value it, which is the most difficult thing because I don't think I've got anything to compare it with.

“I would say you have something between £5,000 and £10,000.”

The guest was visibly taken aback, pulling a face and widening his eyes as he exchanged glances with his companion on the show.

Farahar continued to explain: "Which sounds like a lot of money, but when you think how rare these scripts can possibly be, this, which I think is the most golden piece of Dad's Army, this is where the heart of Dad's Army is. So congratulations."

At a loss for words, the guest could only muster a stunned: "Wow."

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.