Tribute to Antiques Roadshow’s Minou the cat who died aged 17

An Antiques Roadshow expert has paid tribute to his pet cat, who died after years of appearing in the show’s opening credits. Minou, aged 17, was best known for racing across the screen at the beginning of the BBC show, causing a Greek-looking vase to wobble.

The feline was owned by TV antiques expert Marc Allum and was put to sleep by a vet on March 2 after suffering deteriorating health due to his age. Not only was Minou a famous face on TV but he was also a popular face in his hometown of Chippenham, Wiltshire.

He was often found sitting on the wall of his home - obtaining much-wanted attention from passersby throughout the day. Paying tribute to his pet, Marc said Minou, affectionately known as Minty, was rescued as a small kitten in France.

He said: "He was the most beautiful cat. He became a symbol of how people like us who collect, live with an inquisitive creature who could meticulously and artfully wind his way through collections of 18th-century glass or ancient vases.

"In fact, that’s why he was featured. My life has been peppered with endless anecdotal accounts of cats that had broken family heirlooms. Minty never did and on the day we filmed him the vase had a fishing wire tied to it as we tempted him through the maze of items with cat treats.

"He’ll be massively missed. He was a wonderful one-in-a-million cat who was well known in our town of Chippenham, always sat on the wall affectionately relating to the many passers-by, and watched by millions on a Sunday night."