“Banter with Bonkers” featuring Andy McConnell, better known as The Glass Man from BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, lived up to its title – full of lively banter with a dash of delightful eccentricity!
Approximately 55 Rotarians and guests gathered at the Prince of Wales Youth Club in Canterbury for this special event, held as a fundraiser for the Youth Club.
Throughout his talk, Andy shared highlights from his colourful career, which has spanned numerous roles and countries.
Andy’s passion for antiques began early as both his parents dabbled in the trade, inspiring him to start buying and selling pieces as a teenager. However, his path to becoming an antiques expert was far from straightforward. For a period of time, he worked as a journalist in the United States, covering the rock & roll scene. Music has always been and still is close to his heart; in fact, when he appeared on the BBC’s Mastermind quiz, he chose “The Life and Times of Joe Cocker” as his specialist subject.
Andy’s adventurous life has also taken him to various other locations, including a stint working in the Caribbean. Eventually, his journey led him to join the BBC’s iconic Antiques Roadshow, one of the network’s flagship programmes and the third most popular show on British television, following only Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Andy became the show’s first glass specialist, and his unique, charismatic style quickly made him a favourite with audiences. Over the years, Andy has also delivered numerous lectures and authored books on glass, which remains his lifelong passion.
Throughout the evening, Andy shared many anecdotes and stories that kept the audience laughing. Walking through the room, he answered a range of questions with his trademark humour. When asked if he had ever broken anything during his career, he admitted, “Yes, I have!” and recounted an incident in a shop in Rye. Another attendee inquired about the most expensive and least expensive items he’d appraised. The priciest was pair of exquisite glasses, valued around £16,000, while the cheapest was a small piece of glass brought in by a little girl, valued at around 50p!
During the hour-long talk, Andy also shared personal photographs, beginning with snapshots from his childhood. His lively storytelling and rapid topic changes kept the audience captivated, and he clearly displayed great enthusiasm for his craft. He closed the evening by inviting more questions, which led to further laughter and connection with the audience.
The evening was described as “a truly happy one,” with attendees thoroughly enjoying the humour and energy of Andy’s presentation. As one participant put it, “The talk was bonkers at its best!”
The event was strongly supported by Rotarians, the Youth Club itself, and members of the local Inner Wheel…and it successfully raised around £1,050 for the Youth Club. “The money raised from the night is going to make a huge difference to many Children’s and Young Peoples’ lives,” said Joey Wicks, the Youth Club Coordinator, adding “fundraising is essential to our work right now, with all the local and County cut-backs to Youth Provision.”
Our President Maxine Blades, who had originally seen Andy’s talk in Dover and was inspired to invite him for this fundraiser, expressed her gratitude to Andy for providing such an entertaining evening free of charge. His generosity allowed the Youth Club to raise such a significant amount.
Overall, “Banter with Bonkers” was a memorable night and a wonderful example of community support and shared enjoyment.
You can also see pictures shared by Andy on his Facebook page here – scroll to Andy’s posts on the 13th October.
Picture: Andy (centre) pictured with Joey Wicks, POWYC coordinator (left) and our President Maxine Blades (right). Picture credit: POWYC/Joey Wicks.
