Eric Knowles

Knowles joined the London auction house Bonhams auctioneers as a porter in the ceramics department in 1976 and became head of the department in 1981.[2] By 1992 he was given responsibility for setting up Bonham's offices in Bristol. He returned to London to continue with directing the Decorative Arts Department, leaving in 2013 to join Dreweatts and Bloomsbury. In 2019 he joined The Hoard (scottishantiques.com) as executive chairman and will be opening a gallery The Hoard on The Pantiles in Royal Tunbridge Wells in early 2020. [3]

He first earned fame as a ceramics expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow. He has also appeared in such programmes as, Going for a Song, Going, Going, Gone, Noel's House Party,[4] Call My Bluff and 20th Century Roadshow. He has presented the 20 episodes of Restoration Roadshow on BBC for several weeks in the summer of 2010 (ending 3 September).[5] He is the challenger setter and adjudicator on BBC Two's Antiques Master assisting host Sandi Toksvig. As of 2012, he is on the UK TV show Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.[6] After Tim Wonnacott left Bargain Hunt, Knowles became one of a number of 'guest presenters' hosting the show.

Knowles is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Ambassador for the Prince's Trust. Knowles is associated with several other charities including Headway, FABLE (For a better life with epilepsy), the New Mozart Orchestra and Wycombe Scanappeal.[2] He has lectured at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the British Museum, and important national museums in Australia, Canada, the US, South Africa, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and had the Freedom of the City of London bestowed in 2000.

He is a published author on subjects such as Victoriana, Royal memorabilia, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and René Lalique.

On 3 May 2015, it was reported that his son Seb was killed in a road accident.[7]

• Scottishantiques.com