This year Fred Olsen Cruise Lines will offer cruise lovers three cruises with the special topic of antiques. All three cruises will feature antique experts from the Antiques Road Show on BBC Television. These experts will share their passion and knowledge with guests who are interested in the subject.

This forms part of the award-winning Vistas onboard enrichment programme.

Collecting antiques is a hugely popular pastime in the UK – the popularity of antique auctions and fairs have never been higher and TV programmes such as the Antiques Road Show, Flog It! and Cash in the Attic have millions of viewers. Lars Thrap, an expert on the Antiques Road Show, has become somewhat of a national celebrity.

So if you are interested in antiques there can surely be no bigger dream than to take a cruise to some of Europe’s oldest cities, brimming with antique and art collections, in the company of four of the country’s foremost experts on antiques.

The experts who will accompany you on the cruise are:

Lars Tharp – born in Denmark, this lecturer, historian and broadcaster was one of the first experts on the Antiques Road Show. He is actually a trained archaeologist who ended up as Director of Sotheby’s, and later, the Director of the London-based Foundling Museum.

Will Farmer – a farmer whose fields of specialisation are furniture, glass, covering ceramics and decorative arts.

Marc Allum – a trained auctioneer who has been with the Antiques Road Show for 12 years.

Clive Steward-Lockhart – specialises in works of art, pictures and Oriental ceramics. He joined Sotheby’s in 1973 and in 1982 he moved to the auctioneers Dreweatt Neatre.