Fake or Fortune? is a BBC One television series which examines the provenance and attribution of notable artworks. Since the first series aired in 2011, Fake or Fortune? has drawn audiences of 5 million viewers in the UK, the highest for an arts show in that country. Fake or Fortune? was created by art dealer and art historianPhilip Mould and producer Simon Shaw, inspired by Mould's book Sleuth, which was the programme's working title during the development phase. It is co-presented by Mould and journalistFiona Bruce, with specialist research carried out by Bendor Grosvenor during the first five seasons. Forensic analysis and archival research is carried out by various fine art specialists. Each series first aired on BBC One, except the third series accidentally first aired on SVT.
Format
In each episode Philip Mould and Fiona Bruce focus their attention on a painting, usually related to one particular artist. They travel around the country and the world, studying the artists at exhibitions, meeting up with international experts and following up local leads. Series 7, episode 5 saw the show tackle their first sculpture, a work attributed to Alberto Giacometti. The team, assisted by Bendor Grosvenor in series 1 to 5, investigate the paintings on a number of fronts: establishing the provenance of the piece by working backwards from present day to the time of the work's creation; on a forensic level, with investigation and scientific tests on the materials used to help establish specific time frames; and examining the unique painting styles and quirks of the artist. This evidence is then presented to established authorities to help demonstrate the legitimacy of the work and its possible addition to the relevant catalogue raisonné.
Series overview
Episodes
Series 1 (2011)
There were four episodes in the first series, which started on 19 June 2011:
Series 2 (2012)
The first episode of the second series was shown in the UK on 16 September 2012. The series had three episodes:
Series 3 (2014)
The third series features four episodes. The first episode was first shown on 27 December 2013 on Sweden's SVT, with episodes 2 and 3 shown in the following weeks. Philip Mould described the appearance on Swedish television weeks ahead of the British premiere as a "weird BBC World cock-up". SVT on its website described the programme at the time as a "Brittisk dokumentärserie från 2012".
Series 4 (2015)
The series had four episodes:
Series 5 (2016)
Filming for the fifth series started on 24 November 2015. The four-episode series was broadcast on 17 July 2016.
The sixth series started on 20 August 2017. It was originally planned to have four episodes before one, "Giacometti", was postponed.
Series 7 (2018)
The seventh series consists of five episodes and started on 12 August 2018. Series 7 was broadcast at the same time that BARB changed their ratings system, the ratings have been sourced as follows: Episodes 1-3 are 28 day figures from BARB's old system. Episode 4 are 28 day figures from the new system. Episode 5 are 7 day figures from the old system.
Series 8 (2019)
On 25 July 2019 the eighth series began broadcast.
Reception
Describing the outcome of the first episode of series one as a "scandal", Sam Wollaston writing for The Guardian found the programme "incredibly interesting" and praised it "for being about just one case in which you can become totally involved, instead of flitting between three, which is what so many documentaries seem to do". In The Telegraph, Ceri Radford was described as being "flabbergasted" at the result of the first episode, but concluded her review by saying: "This may have been a disappointing finale, but it at least confirmed that this aesthetically pleasing, quietly enjoyable new series isn't afraid to thwart expectations." Tom Sutcliffe in The Independent had a mixed view as a result of the presentation of the facts, saying: "It was full of cliffhanger tension and thrilling moments of discovery. But I couldn't entirely shift the suspicion that some of it was just a little too good to be true." The first programme of the third series, shown in the UK on 19 January 2014, had 4.8 million viewers while the first programme of the fourth series attracted 4.85m. The record audience for the series was on 12 July 2015 with a peak attendance of 5.8 million viewers. Reviewing an episode of the seventh season, Michael Hogan of The Telegraph wrote: "Arts programming is an increasingly endangered beast on prime time television. This absorbing and enjoyable series flies the flag in quietly thrilling fashion."
International broadcasts
The programme had its North American premiere on Canada's TVOntario in 2011. It has also aired on PBS in the United States, and Series 4 has been available on Netflix since December 2018. The programme airs on ABC in Australia.
