Hugh Scully

Died: October 8, 2015

HUGH Scully, who has died aged 72, was a journalist and broadcaster best known for the two decades he spent presenting Antiques Roadshow. However, he made serious documentaries too, most notably Thatcher: The Downing Street Years, in which Margaret Thatcher talked extensively for the first time on television about her fall from power.

Scully had started his career as a freelancer with the BBC in the regions, but rose to prominence through Nationwide, the prime-time news show that was popular in the 1970s and early 80s. He also presented a radio show about antiques with Arthur Negus, which led to Antiques Roadshow. Scully was the programme's warm, avuncular frontman for almost 20 years.

He was born in Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, the son of a wing commander in the RAF, and initially thought he might follow his father into the forces. However, he failed the interview and instead concentrated on journalism. He already had some experience as a boy, presenting a radio show for Boy Scouts, but struggled at first to get his first break.

Initially, he worked through a number of jobs, including vacuum cleaner salesman, while writing to newspapers across the country with no luck. Then, in 1963, he wrote to the BBC and, after somewhat inflating his experience, he was given a two-week trial in Southampton as a newsreader.

The fortnight was a success and Scully was offered a freelance contract as a newsreader in Plymouth; later he was promoted to be the main presenter on the south-west regional magazine programme Spotlight. He then began to make regular appearances on national TV through Nationwide after it launched in 1969.

Eight years later, he moved to London to take over as the national frontman of Nationwide and remained there for six years, appearing alongside Frank Bough, Sue Lawley and others. He also presented the programme's consumer rights offspring Watchdog, which was launched in 1980 and later became a successful show in its own right.

His connection with Antiques Roadshow began on radio with the Radio 4 programme Talking About Antiques in which he discussed the subject with the furniture expert Arthur Negus. It was a success and ran on Sunday afternoons for 17 years.

He began presented The Antiques Roadshow in 1981 and remained on the show until 2000 when he signed a deal with the online auctioneer QXL.com to host one of their websites (Michael Aspel took over the presenting duties on the Roadshow)

While presenting Antiques Roadshow, Scully had also established his television production company Fine Art Productions which produced a number of successful and well-received documentaries.

The most prominent of them was 1993's Thatcher: The Downing Street Years, which was inspired by the former Prime Minister's memoirs. Scully approached her with the idea for the series, but thought initially that he had not got the job when his attempt to make small talk over antiques fell flat. However, Thatcher liked him (and they later became friends) and she used the four-part series to condemn those who had brought her down. "It was treachery with a smile on its face," she said.

Scully's company also produced a documentary about the Falklands War, in which he interviewed all sides of the conflict, including members of the Argentinian junta. He also made a documentary about Labour's attempts to re-gain power before Tony Blair and New Labour and a four-part series about the first Gulf War in 1996.

Peter Salmon, director of BBC Studios and controller of BBC One between 1997 and 2000, said Scully had been a great servant of the BBC for more than 30 years: "He was a wonderful journalist and presenter, making his name at Spotlight and Nationwide before going on to spend an incredible 19 years at Antiques Roadshow, where he won a special place in the hearts of so many."

Sue Lawley, who worked with Scully on Nationwide, said: "He was a very good presenter - he did the most marvellous pieces for camera and he could write, which was terrific.

"His greatest coup, in his view, was when he persuaded Mrs Thatcher to give him the series of programmes they went on to do together on the Downing Street years. In the end he and Mrs Thatcher became firm friends."

Scully's son Oliver said his father had died while watching television at his Cornwall home. He is survived by his two sons; his wife Barbara Dean died in 2009.