'Antiques Roadshow' faces repeats row

The BBC has come under criticism for reportedly using old episodes of the Antiques Roadshow to pad out its current series.

The Daily Mail reports that although new content was shown on February 8 and March 15, programmes already shown were rebroadcast on the four Sunday evening slots in between.

The BBC said it was clear in the corporation's own programme information and in television listings that some episodes had already been seen.

"A handful of repeats are being shown towards the end of this run. Audiences have enjoyed another opportunity to see these programmes, with up to 6.5million tuning in," a spokesman said.

However, John Beyer of Mediawatch UK said that the BBC should be "open and above board" when showing a repeat. "If they just slip in an old show whilst billing the series as new, then that is not being honest. That is misleading," he added.