Graham Charles Lay (

Willesden Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has formed ...

Greater London Greater may refer to: * Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality * ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film * Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record * "Greater" (song), by MercyMe, 2014 * Greater Bank, an Austra ...

, UK, 19 January 1960 – 27 November 2016) was a British

antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

s expert specialising in

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

armour Armour (British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specificall ...

and

militaria Militaria, also known as military memorabilia, are military equipment which are collected for their historical significance. Such items include firearms, swords, sabres, knives, bayonets, helmets and other equipment such as uniforms, military ...

, and

military history Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians no ...

, probably best known for his many appearances on

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...

s ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local peopl ...

'' television programme, where he had been one of the team of experts since 1988. He was regularly seen wearing a '

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Te ...

' badge. He appeared as an expert on other BBC TV antiques programmes such as '' 20th Century Roadshow'', ''

Priceless Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local peopl ...

'' and '' Bargain Hunt''. In Series 1, episode 6 of ''20th Century Roadshow'', recorded at

Imperial War Museum Duxford Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, arti ...

, he valued a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 ...

MkIX aircraft at between £1,000,000 and £1,500,000: the highest price for anything ever valued on the show.

Books

He contributed to several books such as ''Antiques Roadshow Collectables'', and wrote auction reviews and articles for newspapers and periodicals, including writing for ''Black Powder'', the magazine of the

Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain The Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain was formed in 1952 and is the governing body for muzzle loading within the UK. It is recognized by the Muzzle Loaders Associations International Committee. Its objectives are to encourage an int ...

.Their website
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Personal life

Death

He died at the end of 2016 having suffered from

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. ...

since birth and he was remembered in the Antiques Roadshow highlights special on 28 December 2016, shown on BBC1. File:Graham Lay having make up applied.jpg, Being made-up before a recording File:Graham Lay recording.jpg, At a typical Antiques Roadshow recording File:Spitfire MkIX B built by Vickers, Castle Bromwich 1943.jpg, Discussing the value of the famous MH434 Spitfire MkIX B with the owner and

Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh HonFSE (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster, TV presenter, poet, and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a gardening journalist, he established himself as a media personality through a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lay, Graham 1960 births 2016 deaths Antiques experts People from Willesden