This Antiques Road Trip star has a famous father - details

Nicky Morris
·3-min read
Man and woman standing in field
Izzie Balmer & Mark Hill (STV Studios)

Antiques expert Mark Hill is a regular fixture on our TV screens thanks to his appearances on various BBC daytime shows, including Antiques Roadshow and Antiques Road Trip. But did you know that he's not the only famous name in his family?

Mark's father is a big name in the world of Formula 1. Keep reading to find out more…

Mark's famous father

Mark's dad is Roger Hill, who was the Chief Mechanic for the Tyrrell F1 Team, which won three world championships in the 1970s. He joined the team in 1968 and stayed for 30 years.

Mark Hill and Irita Marriott
Mark Hill with fellow expert Irita Marriott (@iritamarriottantiques/Instagram)

New Zealand-born Roger shared a close professional relationship with racing driver Jackie Stewart, who won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with Tyrrell. Roger was "more or less his personal mechanic", according to Autosport. 

Roger previously told Motor Sport magazine: "I guess I was in awe of Jackie at first, but it was a great little team, we all pulled on the same piece of string and Ken was tough but fair. It was a family. I never saw Jackie throw his helmet around, never saw him lose his temper, even when things weren't going well."

Izzie Balmer and Mark Hill
Mark joined Antiques Roadshow in 2007 (@markhillantiques/Instagram)

TV star Mark credits his father for his appreciation and love of craftsmanship. He told Decorative Fair in 2021: "My father is a retired Formula One engineer and always taught me that to understand an object properly, you have to understand how it was made, and the often complex techniques required to create both in this mercurial medium added further appeal."

The TV star also told HELLO! that both his parents encouraged him to pursue his dreams. "My father came over to England from New Zealand in 1964 to pursue his dream of working for a Formula One team, so he encouraged me - they both did - to do what I wanted to do," he said.

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Mark's career in antiques

Mark's love of antiques began at an early age, with the TV star selling his first antique at 15. "As a kid, I would find these things - I'm afraid I was a very geeky kid -and I research the story, find out all about it teach myself," he told HELLO!. "I remember, I bought a pocket watch when I was about 15 or something and then sold it for more money and I thought to myself, 'Could I make a career out of this?

"I've always loved a story which I think it's a very human thing. For me, it was all about the object and the story behind the object," he added.

Man in suit wearing glasses
Mark discovered his passion for antiques at a young age (BBC / STV Studios)

Mark went on to study History of Art & Architecture at the University of Reading, but before he graduated, joined one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers, Bonhams.

"I started right the bottom and I mean, literally right at the bottom," he told us. "I was cleaning and standing on auction views, but it was probably the best apprenticeship that I think I could ever get and I'd recommend anybody to do it because you just start off handling so many different things, learning from clients and learning from specialists."

Woman in blue coat, man in suit smiling at camera
Mark is a fan favourite on Antiques Road Trip (BBC / STV Studios)

While he began his career as a porter, Mark went on to become a specialist at Bonhams before moving to the Collectors Department at Sotheby's.

The antiques and 20th Century design expert made his debut on Antiques Roadshow back in 2007. Over ten years later in 2022, he joined the cast of Antiques Road Trip. 

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