Alderney resident Mick Barnes meets Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce. (0918712)

SEVERAL islanders enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame this week. Sue Roff and Mick Barnes, as well as numerous other locals, were featured on BBC2’s Priceless Antiques Roadshow, which aired on Wednesday evening.

The programme was particularly special for Sue, as she was prominent in encouraging the BBC to film in Alderney.

‘When I heard that the Antiques Roadshow was coming to Guernsey, I got together with a few friends and wrote a cheeky letter to the BBC, asking them to come here as well,’ she said.

‘We said Alderney would be an interesting place to visit and that they might find some valuable things here.

‘The cheekiness paid off and they came here to film in June, at the same time as the Roadshow was filmed in Guernsey.’

A film crew met a number of locals in Sue’s shoe shop, Tom’s Cabin, and followed them on their journey to Guernsey for the programme.

And, as Sue explains, the Ridunians received special treatment.

‘The majority of people who attend the roadshow don’t get close to the celebrities – only the people with valuable items get to go on TV.

‘However, we were allowed to meet all the celebrities and presenters. We were also fast-tracked to the front.’

Mick took over a Nazi SS badge for valuation. The Second World War artefact had been left in the island during the Occupation.

‘The expert said it was quite rare and probably worth a few hundred quid,’ he said.

‘I’ve had it quite a few years. It’s the kind of thing you keep hold of. I had a rough idea of its value but it was nice to get it confirmed.’

Sue thought this week’s programme was a great advert for the island.

‘It was really good. They mentioned Alderney 10 times and we were on for about 10 minutes. My brother, who works in PR, thought it was brilliant exposure,’ she said.

‘The cameraman and soundman have also said they want to bring their families for a holiday and this is just the type of thing we need to get more people here.’

Mick added: ‘The programme was better than I expected. I thought there would be a quick flash of Alderney, but they used quite a lot. It was nice publicity for the island.’

Sue also expects Alderney to be featured again. ‘The producer has said we will be included when the show visits the south-west, so hopefully there’ll be more film crews visiting in future.

‘Also, not all the footage from last year has been used, so we’re expecting to see more of it in upcoming shows.’

She said the programme had boosted Alderney, after it missed out on being featured in ITV’s Islands of Britain show.

‘Unfortunately Martin Clunes didn’t come here and didn’t mention Alderney in his programme. I’ve been trying to get some coverage for Alderney for a while. This was wonderful.’