Interview with Clive Downham, Furniture, Scientific and Mechanical Antiques Expert

Why did you want to be part of Millionaire Hoarders? 

I was lucky enough to be invited back for the second series and it’s a genuinely nice experience. You meet very interesting people, visit places you'd never be able to otherwise, because you wouldn't know they exist, and hopefully get to do some good. To do something genuinely nice which makes a difference to somebody's life is heartwarming, because as an antique dealer you don’t often get the opportunity to see the benefit or the good that comes from the deals you make. There is good, but it’s not always obvious. 

On the night before you film, does excitement or intrigue well up over what you might find? 

You always wonder what you’re going to bump into, and will you know it when you see it. To walk past something which is apparently worth loads, and you've just discounted it, would be difficult. 

If, for example, I looked at fine fabric I would have absolutely no chance whatsoever. I could walk past a stunning dress that might be worth millions. So, you have to pick your battles when you go into these large places and sometimes call upon other people to ask, “How do you feel about this?” 

These collections and homes can sometimes be massive, so do you worry you’ll miss a treasure? 

No, because it's always going to be there, isn't it? You've not fundamentally done anybody a disservice if you don't know everything in the entire universe, because that's just not possible. You give people guidance. 

To come aware thinking you’ve done a shoddy job is worse, so nobody wants to do that. You always go into these projects wanting to be as good as possible, and that does mean getting grubby and poking around the places other people won’t. You’re not going to find pieces sitting around in front of the fire drinking tea - you have to go into the grubby buildings out the back, up the loft, and down the cellar, because the obvious places have been picked over. 

How much pressure do you feel to find something which could change the contributors’ lives, especially when they’ve shared their hopes and dreams? 

To be part of the journey is nice and it’s nice to walk away feeling like you and the contributors are friends. You're there in an advisory capacity but, at the end of filming, you come away feeling like friends because you've had some fun, and you've helped solve the problem. 

I don't think you necessarily should feel that it's incumbent upon you to solve the problem. You didn't create that problem, in the same way a doctor doesn't feel responsible for every person that comes through the door, because they didn’t make them ill. People are there presenting symptoms and I'm attempting to give them the right medicine. 

Were you ever daunted by some of these enormous properties? 

When you do this kind of work there are always time challenges, but no, not particularly. If you do it thoroughly and with diligence, then you shouldn't feel daunted. That doesn't mean just because it's serious work it can't be fun. 

What do you hope the audience takes from the series? 

I hope they're going to learn some stuff! This isn’t all about value, this is about the human story, people's emotional connection with items, and raising funds for particular dreams. This isn’t a shallow programme where all we’re interested in is the value of items; the audience is going to be educated, experience a little tug at their emotions, and feel happier by the end of the programme than they were at the beginning. This should be heartwarming.