‘Please don’t email me’: the secretive collectors of obscure TV memorabilia

It’s hard to imagine that Mr Blobby is worth three times as much as John Lennon. In 2011, the Beatle’s tooth fetched £19,000 at auction, while on 26 January this year, someone on eBay agreed to pay £62,101 for an original – but crucially never used – 90s BBC costume of the pink and yellow Noel’s House Party star. So, perhaps it’s not surprising that the buyer ended up backing out, and tens of thousands of pounds weren’t spent on a bulbous belly, wobbly eyes and that trademark polka dot bow tie.

Then again, perhaps it is. Little known to most of us, there is a ferocious, often highly secretive trade in British TV props. In 2019, for example, a painting from the 80s sitcom ’Allo ’Allo! sold for £18,000 – The Fallen Madonna With the Big Boobies is officially worth just a grand less than a molar pulled – or the £3.5m someone once paid for a Batmobile – but it’s still big money.