Career
Eric joined Bonham’s auctioneers as a porter in the ceramics department in 1976 and became head of the department in 1981. By 1992 he was given responsibility for setting up Bonham"s offices in Bristol. He has since returned to London to continue with directing the Decorative Arts Department.
He first earned fame as a ceramics expert on the British Broadcasting Corporation"s Antiques Roadshow.
He has also appeared in such programmes as, Going for a Song, Going, Going, Gone, Noel"s House Party, Call My Bluff and 20th Century Roadshow. He has presented the 20 episodes of Restoration Roadshow on British Broadcasting Corporation for several weeks in the summer of 2010 (ending 3 September).
He is the challenger setter and adjudicator on British Broadcasting Corporation Two"s Antiques Master assisting host Sandi Toksvig. As of 2012, he is on the United Kingdom television show Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.
He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Ambassador for the Prince"s Trust.
Knowles is associated with several other charities including Headway, FABLE (Foreign a better life with epilepsy), the New Mozart Orchestra and Wycombe Scanappeal. Knowles is fan of football team Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
On 3 May, 2015 it was reported that Eric"s son Seb was killed in a road accident.
