Mr Atterbury will be in town giving a lecture on what goes on behind the scenes of the British television show for members of the Society of the Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Societies.

ADFAS national chairman and Queanbeyan resident Pam Neilson is looking forward to hearing about all the nitty gritty details. She is keen to find out what happens when the cameras aren't rolling.

"I'm absolutely fascinated about how these shows work and I want to know some of the gossip behind the scenes too," she said.

"[Paul] is a bit of an Antiques Roadshow celebrity being that's he's been on there for so many years. I think people will be delighted to hear stories about the show from the horse's mouth."

Mr Atterbury will give his talk and there will be time for a short question and answer session. Unfortunately, there won't be any time for him to examine any antiques.

The event marks the first of six lectures by international and national speakers through the year for ADFAS.

This lecture is also being used as a trial to gauge if there's enough interest to establish a local ADFAS branch. It will be known as 'Molonglo Plains' if it gets off the ground.

"There is a demand in this area for this type of society...," Mrs Neilson said.

"It's for anyone who wants to learn about art or anything related to art.

"It's for people interested in performance and visual arts and preserving Australia's cultural heritage."

Although Mr Atterbury's visit will be short, Mrs Neilson said there will be enough time for a quick tour of Queanbeyan.

"There'll be time to show Paul around the town and I think he will enjoy it given how much history there is in Queanbeyan," she said.

Paul Atterbury's public lecture 'Behind the Scenes at the Antiques Roadshow' will be held on Thursday, April 3 at the Airport International Motel from 2pm.

Entry costs $20. For tickets contact Lucy Costas on 0437 538 529 or email satsoc@ozemail.com.au.