CHINA IN SIX EASY PIECES,
BBC4 (first broadcast July 2013)

- my sequel to Treasures of Chinese Porcelain (BBC4 2011).  During which I visit a calligraphy school in Hangzhou where The Master shows me how to write my Chinese name properly  (left his elegant version).  Some twelve years ago, on learning why I always got a smile when hearing my English name (sounds like las sap, Cantonese for trash bin) I asked my friend Fumei Williams to devise a proper Chinese name for me: 'Su' - the closest sound we could get to 'Tharp', and 'Bo-le'  - a mythical Chinese hero 'able to spot a good horse at a thousand li'   - a talent spotter.  The 2013 Antiques Roadshow is in full swing!