Best friends go behind the scenes at BBC Antiques Roadshow in Welshpool

Among the thousands of fans of the long-running programme that was being filmed at the National Trust’s Powis Castle and Gardens in Welshpool were Joan Gregory and Eileen Simmonds.

The pair watched the Antiques Roadshow team, including the show’s experts and presenter Fiona Bruce, uncover the fascinating stories behind valuable personal items.

Joan, 94, said: “Eileen and I had a lovely time. After watching the programme on the television for so many years it was such fun to visit the set and see it being filmed.”

Eileen, 81, added: “I really enjoyed the day out and it was such a treat to see all the people getting their treasured items valued.”

Joan Gregory and Eileen Simmonds with staff from The Oaks Care Home

Behind the scenes as filming takes place for BBC Antiques Roadshow at Powis Castle and Gardens in Welshpool.

The day of filming took place during an extreme heat wave, in the Edwardian Formal Garden, famous for its lawns, rose beds and century old apple trees, with views of the medieval castle and seventeenth century Italianate terraces in the distance.

The public will have to wait until the show is broadcast on BBC One later in the year to find out what discoveries were made.

Joanne and Eileen's trip to the castle was organised by Daniel Hart, Registered Manager of The Oaks Care Home in Newtown, Powys.

Daniel said: “We love taking our residents on exciting and fun trips around the county and when we heard that Joan and Eileen loved the Antiques Roadshow we surprised them with tickets to watch it being filmed.

“It was a lovely day out and so exciting to see such a wonderful TV programme being filmed in the setting of Powis Castle."

First broadcast in 1979, Antiques Roadshow remains one of the most popular factual programmes on BBC One, with some six million people regularly watching on Sunday evenings.