An Aberystwyth antiques specialist has become the new star of the popular TV show Salvage Hunters.
Alister Dryburgh started dealing antiques as a side hustle while he was a postman – 20 years on, he is the new face of an antiques show that is taking the UK and Europe by storm.
Alister, 50, born and raised in Capel Bangor, said: “The thing I like about the programme is that it’s real – I don’t think a lot of people understand that.
Alister (right) with Salvage Hunters co-presenters Drew Pritchard (centre) and Viki Knott (left) (Curve Media)
“Wherever we go the cameras go, rolling all the time, there’s no cuts or multiple takes.
“Every penny I spend on the show is out of my own pocket, it’s not staged.
“I’ve been friends with Drew for 20 years, so we have good craic together.
“It was a bit overwhelming to begin with, being filmed by 10 staff in the same room when I’m rubbish at public speaking as it is, I’ve since become friends with them all.
“We go all over the UK and Ireland and visit places I’d never have been able to before.”
The show features two antique specialists driving across the UK in a van sourcing antiques from unlikely places from country houses to foundries, woollen mills and museums.
Salvage Hunters is now filming its 20th season, with a cult-like following in mainland Europe.
Alister “went viral” during the pandemic after creating videos about his antiques from his back garden.
He inadvertently caught the attention of the producers who were looking for a new presenter to work with the show’s other host, Drew Pritchard, after previous co-host Tee moved on.
Alister has now filmed two seasons of the show, with his episodes airing for the first time in summer 2024.
He says he has his grandparents to thank for getting him interested in antiques to start with: “They always had antiques in the house, so I’ve always been aware of good things.
“But working as a postman was when I really got into it.
“On my rounds in the back of beyond 20 years ago when the internet was young, you’d be amazed what I’d pick up, restore and sell.
“Back then postmen were a lifeline to rural communities so you’d be friendly with your customers.
“They’d have things they were getting rid of or didn’t know what to do with so I began buying loads of stuff off people.
“I ended up going to work not so much to deliver mail but to see what I could find.
“Every day is different, it’s a great trade.”
Alister’s shop, Exchange Stores, is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10.30-4pm (Alister Dryburgh)
Though the show keeps him busy, Alister still runs his antiques shop, Exchange Stores, in Capel Bangor, which is filled with finds from the villages on his doorstep.
As well as having a family, TV show and shop, the former postie still shares his amazing finds via his Instagram page @westwalesantiques.
You can catch Alister on Salvage Hunters on Quest TV at 9pm on Wednesdays, with a new series starting on 15 January.