Fake or Fortune? Catch up, Series 12: 3. Music Memorabilia on BBC 1

Fake or Fortune?

Series 12: 3. Music Memorabilia

The team take on an entertaining new challenge when they plunge into the fast-growing market for rock music memorabilia. Can they prove that a curious silver guitar once belonged to Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones – and could a baby grand piano now owned by 90s pop star Chesney Hawkes have once belonged to John Lennon of The Beatles? \n \nIt’s an investigation that leads them to some colourful characters from the 1970s music scene, but with memories very hazy in the era of The Beatles and The Stones, can the team get any closer to the truth?\n\nThe first instrument is a baby grand piano currently owned by pop star Chesney Hawkes, most famous for his global smash hit I Am the One and Only. The family story says that the piano was originally acquired by Chesney’s father, musician Len Hawkes, from John Lennon’s Berkshire home, Tittenhurst Park, where he wrote and recorded his solo album Imagine. Chesney has always believed it to be Lennon’s piano, but without concrete proof, it remains just a family story.\n\nThe second instrument is a Hawaiian steel guitar called Silver Queen, in a case decorated with a moon and stars motif. It belongs to sisters Niki and Kerry, whose father worked as a gardener and handyman for Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood in the 1970s. They were always told that their father was given the instrument when Ronnie left the UK, and they believe that it was played by him. But just like Chesney, all they have is a family story, and all previous attempts to get clarity from Ronnie Wood have been unsuccessful.\n\nAfter meeting the owners, Philip begins the investigation by finding out exactly how we can prove these items are the real deal. He meets Claire Tole-Moir, head of popular culture sales at Bonhams auction house, and she explains the levels of proof needed to establish authenticity – and the range of potential values, depending on how they can be connected to their famous owners.\n\nAt the same time, Fiona begins to delve into the archives. She discovers that the piano was made by Broadwood and Sons, whose records stretch back to the 1700s. There is a serial number engraved on the piano, and by cross-referencing this with the archives, she’s able to see that the piano was made in 1901 and sold to a Miss E Hassell. But who was she, and does she have a link to Tittenhurst Park and the Lennon family? \n\nPhilip continues investigating the guitar, meeting the CEO of Rickenbacker, the firm who first manufactured the distinctive silver Hawaiian steel guitars. Further leads come from guitar historian Keith Smart, who offers the theory that the Silver Queen might actually have belonged to Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards instead.\n\nBack on the trail of the piano, Fiona tracks down studio engineer Mike O’Donnell and artist Dan Richter, two men who spent years in and around Tittenhurst Park, to ask whether they have any memories of the instrument. Did they ever see Lennon playing it, and can they confirm that the piano was even on site and that the Hawkes family story is true? \n\nAs the team gather evidence and search for the truth, an approach is made to The Rolling Stones, and Claire Tole-Moir returns to give her verdict on the case for Chesney’s piano.

Source: BBC 1

Most recent episodes of Fake or Fortune?

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 13: 6. What Happened Next? Helen Mcnicoll

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould return to the story of a beautiful painting by Canadian impressionist Helen McNicoll and find out what happens when owner David decides to offer the ...

25-08-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 13: 5. What Happened Next? A Double Whodunnit

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould revisit their 2017 investigation into two rare portraits of Black British women from the 18th and 19th centuries. Huge cultural shifts have happened ...

24-08-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 13: 4. Portrait Of A Lady - In Pittsburgh?

In the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Fiona Bruce meets Laura and Pat, who purchased a painting of a young woman grieving over a funerary urn. It cost $200 from an estate auction, and i ...

21-08-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 13: 3. A Modern Masterpiece For £35?

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a mysterious unsigned landscape that was snapped up at auction for just £35. Could it be a lost work by Frances Hodgkins, the trai ...

14-08-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 13: 2. A Tale Of Two Renoirs

Typical Renoir – you wait ages for an undiscovered masterpiece, and then two come along at once. The question is, are they genuine? One of them, both of them, or neither?\ ...

07-08-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 13: 1. The Mystery Of Churchill’s Garden

A mysterious inscription, a famous name and a colossal price tag. Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould embark on a high-stakes quest to authenticate a 'lost' painting believed to be the ...

31-07-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 9: 4. A King’s Last Supper

The team head to the beautiful island of Anglesey at the northernmost tip of Wales, where Huw Lewis has a sheep farm. Huw frequently spends his evenings scouring the internet f ...

17-04-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 9: 3. Landseer

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a painting that could be the work of the celebrated artist Sir Edwin Landseer. If it is, they will have rediscovered a much-loved Victor ...

10-04-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 9: 2. Gerome

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a small oil painting of a man praying in a mosque, a scene filled with meticulously painted and intriguing detail. Its owner, Jon Swihar ...

03-04-2025

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 9: Episode 1

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould head to the beautiful Norfolk countryside on the trail of one of the 20th century’s greatest artists, Henry Moore. They are investigating an i ...

27-03-2025

BBC 1

All episodes