Sign language

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

BBC Two HD

Fake or Fortune?

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

Journalist Fiona Bruce and art expert Philip Mould investigate mysteries behind paintings.

Fiona Bruce teams up with expert Philip Mould to investigate mysteries behind intriguing works of art. Are they potentially priceless or crafty copies?

Series 9

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

BBC One London

London

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

BBC One Channel Islands

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One Cambridgeshire

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

BBC One Oxfordshire

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Yorkshire

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

BBC One North West

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

BBC One Wales

Wales

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

BBC Two England

England

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Fiona Bruce

Philip Mould

Nicky Illis

Judith Winnan

Fake or Fortune?: Series 9: Landseer

Documentaries

Episode 3

Landseer

BBC One - Fake or Fortune?, Series 9, Landseer

Has a painting by Landseer, thought destroyed by a flood in 1928, been rediscovered?

The team investigate a powerful scene of the aftermath of battle. Could it be a work by the Victorian artist Edwin Landseer that was previously thought to have been destroyed by a flood in 1928?

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a painting that could be the work of the celebrated artist Sir Edwin Landseer. If it is, they will have rediscovered a much-loved Victorian masterpiece that was thought to have been destroyed by a catastrophic flood almost a century ago. 

The painting depicts the terrible aftermath of battle, with fallen soldiers and horses evoking the horror of war. The scene, known as Time of War, was first painted in 1846 by Landseer, the artist who created one of the most iconic images of 19th-century British art, The Monarch of the Glen, and whose lion sculptures still sit proudly in Trafalgar Square today. Landseer was an infant prodigy who became a favourite of Queen Victoria, and he painted the royal family and their beloved pets throughout his life.

The painting is owned by Kathy and Barry Romeril, who bought it in 1987, when they were still married. Now divorced, the painting has stayed with Kathy at her home in Ascot, while Barry now lives in Florida. The couple first spotted the picture in a sale at Ascot racecourse and had no idea of any connection to Landseer. Kathy explains to Fiona and Philip that she has a love of horses and was moved to tears by the grey horse staring out at her in such a desperate state. She decided there and then that the painting was coming home with her, and she bid £720 to secure it. But if the painting is proven to be a lost national treasure by Landseer, it could be worth as much as £80,000. 

The original Time of War hung at the Tate gallery in London and was there in 1928 when the city suffered one of the worst disasters in its history. On the night of 7 January, the Thames burst its banks at Lambeth and crashed through the walls of the Embankment, flooding the houses that lined the river at that time. Fourteen people died, and thousands were left homeless. Water also surged into the lower galleries of the Tate, damaging hundreds of works from the national collection. By all accounts Time of War was destroyed - but was that really the case? Could Kathy and Barry’s picture be the lost Landseer? 

Fiona follows the clues through the archives to establish exactly what happened to Landseer’s original painting. It’s a trail with plenty of unexpected twists and turns, including the revelation that other pictures thought to have been destroyed that night most definitely were not. One very notable example is now on display at the National Gallery. Philip, meanwhile, scours the picture itself for evidence that this is the hand of Landseer. As he casts his expert eye over the large canvas, he can see that the painting has unquestionably been damaged in the past. Could it be evidence of the Tate flooding? The investigation gathers pace, and the evidence is presented, but will it be enough to prove that Kathy and Barry’s picture is a long-lost national treasure?

Fake or Fortune?: Series 9

BBC One

Philip Mould and Fiona Bruce team up to investigate more art world mystery and intrigue.

Philip Mould and Fiona Bruce team up to investigate more thrilling cases of art world mystery and intrigue.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Fake or Fortune?

Series 9

Landseer

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC Two HD

About BBC Two