THE Antiques Roadshow will kick of its anniversary series - 40 years after it was first recorded - with a visit to Somerset.

The show will begin recording its anniversary series four decades on from the date of its first recording at Minehead Railway Station, home of the West Somerset Railway, the longest heritage railway in England.

Throughout the birthday year the team will visit Northern Ireland's Parliament Buildings & Stormont Estate, Floors Castle in Scotland, Cardiff Castle in Wales, Queen Victoria's former royal palace, Osborne on the Isle of Wight and the gardens at Nymans in West Sussex.

It will also film a special show outside the Queen Vic pub on EastEnders' Albert Square at BBC Studios in Elstree, where invited guests will bring objects from the world of film, music, theatre and TV to be appraised.

Antiques Roadshow was first recorded as a pilot show at Hereford Town Hall on May 17 1977, presented by Bruce Parker with antiques expert Arthur Negus.

Presenter Fiona Bruce, who will mark her tenth series on the show in 2017, announced the venues in a special episode of Antiques Roadshow looking back at the highlights of 2016 and updating the audience on stories from the year.

Bruce, who has presented the programme since 2008, said: "Where does the time go? Meeting fantastic people, hearing their stories, going to fabulous locations and, best of all unearthing hidden treasures clearly makes the time fly.

"I hope as many people as possible come along to see us in 2017 at one of our fascinating venues, it's a great, free day out, you can see behind the scenes of one of your favourite shows, and who knows?

"We'd love to make your 2017 extra memorable with surprising news about your treasures."

Simon Shaw, executive producer of Antiques Roadshow, added: "We are looking forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to each Antiques Roadshow in 2017, it's a real chance to be part of the programme's history and to have an informative, enjoyable free day out, seeing how the programme is made and meeting everyone who features on it.

"Even after almost 40 series, the winning formula of helping visitors unlock the story of their item's past and hopefully astonishing them with its value, is still as popular as ever."

More information on attending Antiques Roadshow can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow.

The list of 2017 venues and dates for the public is as follows:

May 17 - Minehead Railway Station, Somerset.

June 8 - Nymans, Sussex.

June 15 - Abbey Pumping Station Museum, Leicester.

June 21 - Black Country Living Museum, Dudley, West Midlands.

July 6 - Floors Castle, Kelso.

July 13 - Castle Howard, North Yorkshire.

July 29 - Parliament Buildings and Stormont Estate, Belfast.

August 31 - Helmingham Hall, Suffolk.

September 6 - Cardiff Castle.

September 14 - Osborne, Isle of Wight.

October 26 - Newcastle-upon-Tyne Civic Centre.