Snapshots of the rich and generous

Lin Ferguson PHOTO/FILE

Philanthropic multimillionaires were the subject of two programmes screened on Prime Television.

The final of the documentary series The Aristocrats on August 30 featured the British Rothschild family and their family pile Waddesdon Estate in Buckinghamshire where art treasures abound inside and out.

The second programme was the reality series Secret Millionaire on Saturday, August 31, at 7.30pm.

The Rothschilds' Waddesdon Manor was a veritable cheek-by-jowl fabulous art collection worth several kings' ransoms.

Running the show was Lord Jacob Rothschild, a rather intimidating man who clearly did not tolerate fools of any description and only became mildly animated when talking about a priceless art acquisition.

It was interesting to note that at each gasp-inducing frame of multimillionaire art pieces, including paintings, etchings, sculptures, pottery, china, ancient indigenous art were, we were told of the great Lord Jacob's philanthropic benevolence bestowed on the general public (at a price, of course).

This programme celebrated his magnificent final bequest (he's getting on a bit, you see) by taking us through a glossy new archive building, Windmill Hill, where every brick, pane of glass and design of each room had been overseen by him in microscopic fashion.

Watching him direct the placing of a piece of sculpture (a black ape) to recline beside an ornate and completely useless rectangle pool was nothing less than tiresome, and kind of stupid.

Waddesdon Manor is the cornerstone of The Rothschild Foundation and was bequeathed with its priceless contents to the National Trust in 1957.

Lord Jacob, one hand in trouser pocket, tie knotted with precision, spoke with family pride about the marvellous art they had provided for the public and how wonderful it all was because there had been some very tough times during the 1930s affecting the Rothschilds' fortune - which today is still in the billions.

Philanthropist number two was Kevin Green, a self-made multimillionaire who is one of the UK's largest residential property landlords and a multi-business owner.

The 48-year-old dyslexic Secret Millionaire was homeless in 1984 but today his property portfolio runs into the hundreds of millions.

He has a wealth of experience in the property investment world and heads a number of successful companies and other non-property related businesses.

Before making his fortune in business he was a successful dairy farmer. In 1999 he won a Nuffield Scholarship in agriculture and studied the attitudes and personalities of high achievers. He also interviewed the likes of Bill Gates and Sir Richard Branson.

This dad-of-three said he needed to give back to the community.

He headed to Barnstaple, in Devon, as a voluntary worker at organisations helping the homeless, at-risk youth and a hospice for children. When he reveals his real self he hands over decent-sized cheques, saying it feels great to give when you realise people's needs first-hand.