Ronnie Archer-Morgan

Ronnie was born in Kensington in the 1950s to a Sierra Leonean mother and Welsh father. Tragic circumstances required him to be placed in a home for infants in Woking, Surrey. Then followed a move to a children’s home in Southport, Lancashire at the age of three. Forced to return to London at almost six years old, some years of deprivation were experienced until almost twelve years old, when again he found sanctuary in a children’s home in Surrey.

His first job (at 17) was as a photographic technician, model maker and technical draughtsman at Imperial College, London. After two years there, he enrolled at Hornsey College of Art and completed a foundation year. He then worked as a fashion designer for a well-known London menswear brand and also ran a fashion boutique in the Greek Islands. Returning from Greece, he was recruited as a DJ at the famous Marquee Club and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. He also took dance classes for a while with Molly Molloy. In addition, he trained as a hairdresser at Vidal Sassoon and the popular-with-celebrities-salon, Smile. Following that, he worked as a hair stylist on films and TV commercials.

Always interested in antiques, and with a thirst for knowledge, he immersed himself in learning about art and art history and was invited to become a consultant on timepieces at Sotheby's Auctioneers. He was also a buyer of vintage accessories for Giorgio Armani stores worldwide.

Ronnie is a regular presenter on BBC's long running popular series, “Antiques Roadshow”. He is regularly asked to opine about topics ranging from Old Masters, Impressionist and Modern Paintings, Sculptures. Modern Design, Ceramics, Jewellery and Applied Arts, Textiles, Islamic Arts, Tribal and Folk Art to Jazz R and B Music, Modern Dance, Anthropology - his expertise is seemingly endless.

Further areas of interest are: The Fauves, The Futurists, The Cubists, The Vorticists, The Supremitists, The Expressionists, De Stijl, Pop Art, Kitchen Sink, Ecole de Paris. He particularly loves connecting these early “Moderns” with tribal and exotic schools of art. The history of design, whether it be jewellery or everyday objects, is of great interest, as is fashion.

He’s been asked to present programmes discussing post war music which again he approaches by understanding its history and of course, using his personal experience. Being involved in meeting and presenting legendary musicians such Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Bill Hayley at venues such as Wembley Stadium give him the advantage of a lived experience in bringing the subject to life. In fact, he brings that lived experience to all that he does and wants to do.

His lived experience in the Care system informs his campaigning about the sector and the need for reform. He recently spoke at Guildhall, London, sharing a stage with Michael Gove, Nicola Sturgeon and Fatima Whitbread recently and will speak on the subject at the House of Lords in October. He is an Ambassador for the charity Action For Children and his memoir entitled “Would It Surprise you to Know…?” was published by Penguin Books in 2023.

He has another book in the pipeline based on the work of Picasso and feels the world is his oyster and he’s keen to embrace it all!