Martin Roberts has paid a heartfelt tribute following the death of Clive Emson, the beloved auctioneer from the BBC programme Homes Under the Hammer, who has passed away at the age of 79.
Clive Emson died peacefully on Wednesday, May 13, surrounded by his family. The news was shared by his co-star Martin Roberts, who took to Instagram to express his sorrow.
Posting a photograph of the late auctioneer, Roberts wrote: 'So, so sad to hear of the passing of Clive Emson. He truly was the Doyen of auctioneers. God bless you, lovely man.'
Fellow presenters and fans soon flooded the comments with their own memories. Lucy Alexander described him as 'What an absolute legend of a guy,' while others recalled his humour and presence on the show.
One admirer commented: 'I met him a few times and always found him a really pleasant and quite funny.' Another added: 'That's sad news! He was great fun to film all those years ago.'
Clive Emson was a fixture on the enduring property programme for more than two decades, becoming known for his signature phrase, 'have gavel, will travel'.
Beyond his television work, he ran his own firm, Clive Emson Land and Property Auctioneers, which operated from Kent to Cornwall.
In 2019, he was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for his services to vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in Kent, particularly through his role with The Young Lives Foundation (YLF).
Speaking about the honour, he said: 'The thing that's amazing is that I'm not sure who put me up for it. It was a complete and utter surprise. I've kept the charity work under the radar.'
As president of the YLF, he explained his approach: 'When you talk to children, they say what they think, which is lovely. I'm completely non-judgmental. I'm not a social worker, a parent or a teacher. For a lot of the children, I'm the only person in their lives who is not paid to be there.'
He added: 'These children in care have no meaningful contact with their family. Their schools change and social workers change so these independent visitors are the only stable person in their life.'
