The fundamental difference between a house and a home lies in the personal touches. Carefully selecting pieces of furniture, ornaments and fabric to complement the décor of a room can be a real pleasure.

But nothing quite brings the well-loved warmth of history to your home like an antique piece discovered at an auction or fair.

David Dickinson, celebrity antiques dealer, knows this fact only too well and has dedicated decades of his life to hunting down the best bargains.

When I speak to David he's in the middle of filming a host of new episodes for the 2016 run of Dickinson's Real Deal, now in its 12th series. And after eight years at the helm of the show, the 74-year-old is still more than happy to talk at length when it comes to advice for prospective antique buyers.

“Whatever you buy, buy something within your pocket,” stresses the Cheshire-born dad-of-two.

“Choose something that you personally really like – don’t worry too much about the taste of other people or what they think you should be buying. I think that’s the secret to this.

“Buy wisely, try and go for something as original as possible and buy quality. It tends to be a little expensive on the day, but long-term quality never lets you down.

“Try not to purchase things which have been played around with: re-polished, pieces added, pieces taken away. Try and find something in nice, original condition and remember quality. Quality will see you through.”

Immersed in the antiques business for more than 20 years, David has seen many trends come and go.

“I suppose my area was unusual decorative furniture and objet d’art,” he muses.

“When I was in this business years ago, there were a lot of people who had display cabinets with lots of nick-knacks, and interesting curios, were they of any real use? Probably not.

“Now you have got a young market. I think the average young couple wants to have a nice dining room set, occasional chairs are always popular, but they’re not as eclectic as their parents were.

“I wouldn’t say minimalist but they don’t want clutter.”

But the expert, who has been in the jungle for I’m a Celebrity... and on the dance floor for Strictly Come Dancing, has a word of warning for those looking to buy pieces of modern art and says: “When it comes to contemporary art sometimes it’s in the eye of the beholder and you do really need some advice on something like that.”

Antiques have been a life-long passion for David, whose interest was first sparked growing up with a grandmother who enlisted his services polishing her brass and copper ware.But it was only after he met his wife, cabaret star Lorne Lesley, that his interest began to flourish, leading to David opening his first shop in Disley, near Manchester with childhood friend Chris Haworth.

“When I first got married we were looking for all types of items to furnish our new home and I used to attend a local sale room on a regular basis looking for items that would fit within the Edwardian house that we bought,” explains David, who was adopted as a baby by parents Joyce and Jim Dickinson.

“I started generally buying for my own home but I always had an interest and then drifted into the trade and opened a small shop.”

His shop was a hit, and he progressed to open an emporium in Wilmslow with Chris remaining as his business partner. In 1991 David shut up shop and went on to sell antiques at prestigious art fairs around the country.

When I ask him about the pieces he has bought over the years and whether any stick out in his memory, his answer is wonderfully fitting with his flamboyant personality.

“I bought a Minton Peacock, an item about 6ft tall,” recalls the star. “I had to travel to Australia to buy this piece which I had researched and found and then I airfreighted it to America and sold it to a collector.

“In those days it might have been about £20,000, whereas today they’re probably £150,000 but you couldn’t hold on to something like that because you had to keep turning your money over and taking your salary or your wages and buying more goods to make a living!”

In 1996 a chance encounter with a TV producer at a barbecue led to his first slot on national television, a two-part show aired on the BBC. His on-screen career went from strength to strength and his long-running ITV series is now nearly in its tenth year.

“My job, apart from being the host, is to look after members of the public. I’m very keen on making sure they get the right money for what they bring along.”

David’s jolly TV persona, vivid tan, exuberant dress sense and memorable catchphrases – he’s a real bobby dazzler! – have secured him a spot in the hearts of many and he admits he is frequently stopped and asked for antiques advice in the street.

“Although you want to be kind, sometimes outside of your working hours you want to switch off and say ‘Hang on, I’m not doing this during my rest time’,” he chuckles.

David will be filming an episode of Real Deal at Rushcroft Foundation School, Rushcroft Road, Chingford, E4 8SG on Saturday, October 24 so grab your bobby dazzlers and go along to have them valued.

Details: david-dickinson.net, itv.com