Michael Baggott: BBC Flog It! star dies from heart attack after several weeks in hospital

Michael Baggott appeared on Flog It! from 2017 until the show was decommissioned in 2020.

Having been ill for a while, he suffered a stroke in October and was admitted to hospital. Now his family have confirmed his death in a post on social media , which reads: “"Heartbroken to share that Michael died yesterday in hospital of a heart attack following a stroke in October. He was a dearly loved son, brother, nephew and uncle who will be deeply and profoundly missed. There will be a memorial service in the coming weeks, the details of which will be shared here."

The news brought a groundswell of support and sympathy from both TV viewers and professionals who appreciated his knowledge of antiques.

An account under the name Blagdon Hill Antiques posted: Such very sad news, so sorry to hear this. He will be missed, he came across as a lovely guy with a great depth of knowledge & happy to share it, which is generous and rare! Sending condolences to his family & friends.”

And another person posted: “My sincere condolences to all the family. Such a wonderful person who was so generous with his knowledge. He will live on in our hearts. May he rest in peace.”

Flog It! co-star Charles Hanson said in a statement online: "Rest in peace. A giant of our antique industry, our 'Arthur Negus' and never afraid to call out an expert who got it wrong including myself. Michael's thirst for knowledge for the object within merited far more TV time too for a true and proper expert."

He worked in the saleroom at auction house Christie's while still at university, and after graduating ran Sotheby's south silver department for four years, after which he began to work as a private consultant dealing in antique silver. He was passionate about silver and research historical artefacts, in particular early spoons. He also wrote books and articles on the subject.

In December, Michael said he had been left bedbound at Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham for five weeks having suffered a stroke. In a video shared on social media, he said he had been given barely any water and was "dying of thirst". In an emotional video, he said: "It's been a week now and I've been able to take fluids for two days. I was left without any water at all and have become badly dehydrated.

"It's been a week now and I've been able to take fluids for two days. I was left without any water at all and have become badly dehydrated. For the last three days, I've been given a litre of water, which has been insufficient to stop me being dehydrated. The gaps between being given water have been 15 hours, 17 hours with no water, 12 hours with no water and currently 15 hours with no water intravenous."

Michael continued: "I'm dying of thirst in a British NHS hospital and no one seems prepared to do anything about it. I want to say the nursing staff, the junior doctors here, have been the saving grace. They all want to help but they can't. The senior management and the senior doctors, who I never see, always refuse water, always refuse treatment. One told me yesterday If I don't buck up my ideas, in three weeks I'll never be able to walk again. Of course the junior staff told me that was nonsense, but it's symptomatic of the treatment in this place. All the staff are busting their gut to help you, the management and the senior surgeons are not."

But just after his update, he said that he was in a "happier" mindset and was feeling "more hopeful" after becoming hydrated. Speaking to fans, he commented: "Hydration at last, Radio 3 blaring and slightly happier, slightly more hopeful. Thank you for everybody who either came or sent a message. Hopefully the way back starts now."