BBC Antiques Roadshow host Fiona Bruce hit with complaints from viewers

The BBC has clarified Fiona Bruce's role on Antiques Roadshow amidst some viewers' grumbles.

The beloved series, with Fiona at the helm, is currently being replayed on BBC One, while fresh episodes are slated for later this year. Since her debut in 2008, Fiona Bruce has become a staple of our TV screens. Yet, a few fans feel she's hogging the limelight, with tweets claiming "Antiques Roadshow is even more about Fiona Bruce than before."

A viewer tweeted: "When are they going to go the whole hog and rename it Fiona Bruce's Antiques Roadshow?" Another fan posted a gif of people exiting a room, captioning it: "Fiona: Time for my favourite part of the show ... everyone else at home:.." Despite the chatter, the BBC earlier confirmed that Antiques Roadshow will be back on tour this summer for its 47th run, with Fiona Bruce returning as the host.

Upon the announcement, Fiona shared her excitement: "A new series of the Antiques Roadshow begins again and I, for one, can't wait." The experienced host shared: "Travelling the length and breadth of the UK to see what the great British public have pulled out of their attics and off their shelves. I know we'll see items of great quality and value but I'm always drawn in by a moving personal story too. They are what often stick longest in my memory. And I'm determined to improve my record on 'basic, better, best'. Surely I've got to get more of them right this year."

Fiona Bruce

In a recent update from BBC Studios, series editor Robert Murphy said: "We want the roadshow to be for everyone, and we want to see those special items that mean something to you. Last year we saw a dazzling range of items: jewellery bought for a few pounds at a car boot sale, an Olympic torch, a Rolex that had been through a lawnmower, punk T-shirts, a 2,000-year-old carved stone head, a silver jug used in a royal ritual."

"And most memorably, a Victoria Cross medal awarded to a Sikh solider in the Second World War that was valued at a quarter of a million pounds. We can't wait to see what treasures you've got to surprise and delight us at this year's shows." Despite some criticism, Fiona Bruce has been widely commended for her role on Antiques Roadshow. In a particularly poignant episode last year, she shared that the show's experts chose not to value items during an emotional tribute.

The episode was filmed at London's historic St Thomas's and St Bartholomew's hospitals, where a nurse brought in a moving historical object. Fiona told viewers: "Given the emotional and often moving testimony you'll hear tonight, our experts won't be providing any valuations," and noted that "the most humble items will reveal powerful stories. Nurses are there as we enter the world until we leave it, they care for us when we're at our most vulnerable and when we're most in need."

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