David Long was surprised to see Johnny Depp wetting himself on one of his antique chairs. Depp was starring in the film The Libertine, which Long was watching in his front room. He thought he recognised the chair as being the same as the one he had bought on eBay and had shipped from France. So he decided to bring both chairs to Antiques Roadshow in Compton Verney to find out more about them.

Lucy Bowden, multi-camera director, working in a tent on site. Right; dolls made for a window display

Antiques Roadshow has a special place in Britain’s cultural history. For more than 40 years it has been on the nation’s screens attracting viewers of all ages and backgrounds. Its audience peaked at 15 million in the 1990s, before the advent of the internet, social media, and on-demand streaming services, but it still enjoys a regular audience of 6 million viewers today.

No one who is not being filmed is allowed to walk on the red carpet

When the show launched in 1977, its first presenter was the journalist and broadcaster Bruce Parker. It has often attracted well known presenters, including Angela Rippon, Michael Aspel, and since 2008, Fiona Bruce.

Part of the show’s appeal is its narrative jeopardy: you don’t know if the object you are seeing is something incidental with a charming back story or a genuinely valuable antique. Some unexpected surprises have included the discovery of a Lalique vase, which was bought for a pound in a car boot sale and later sold for £25,000, and a portrait by an unknown artist bought by a priest for £400 in a Norwich antique shop (partly for its frame), which was later identified as a painting by Van Dyck that was valued at £400,000.

A brightly coloured visitor

Lilly, 14, May, 11, Harry, 7, Ethan, 14, and dogs Ronny and Nelly, from Bilston. They are home-schooled and their mums thought it would make a educational day out

Volunteer stewards gathering by the reception tent

But the key to Antiques Roadshow’s enduring success is not the valuations or the famous finds but the stories behind the objects – their individual histories and their relationship to the people who have brought them in. This is the most important part of the format, which has evolved over time, moving from church and village halls to National Trust properties, mansions, and art galleries.

Pat McKeeman, director of photography and jib operator, and Andrew Lucas, jib assistant, pushing the jib across the lawns

Anna Winterburn, a makeup artist who has been working with Fiona Bruce for the last six years, makes sure the presenter’s hair is in perfect order, and right; touching up the makeup on Will Farmer, ceramics and glass expert

It was every child’s dream to find a treasure chest in their loft Pat McKeeman

Steven Cook, lighting technician

The format adapts to its subject matter. When the programme dedicated an episode to the Holocaust, the show’s experts did not value any of the items they showcased, as their financial value was meaningless compared with their profound historical significance. An episode recorded in 2018 was dedicated to the centenary of (some) women getting the vote. That episode was filmed in parliament and was crewed almost entirely by women.

Anne Gilbert from Dunchurch with a toy monkey given to her brother when he was born in 1940

An expert examines a painting brought in by a visitor

Fiona Bruce and expert Hilary Kay film Basic, Better, Best, where Fiona guesses which antiques are the most and least valuable. In this case with classic model trains. Will she guess right?

Visitors watch the filming

Dolls that were made for showing fashions in a window display and, right; Ryan Hurley, a rigger, carrying a wooden head across the lawn

But what we see on our television screens is only one side of the story. From drone operators, on-site editors, antique experts and the huge numbers of volunteers stewards, we went behind the scenes at Antiques Road show when they filmed two episodes at Compton Verney in Warwickshire on 2 July.