Celebrity Antiques Road Trip

VOICEOVER (VO): Some of the nation's favorite celebrities... What if we were to say 150 for the two?

Then you've got yourself a deal.

VO: ..one antiques expert each... Use them for plucking out nose hair.

ANTON: # Da da da-da da-da... # CHARLES: I like it, I like it!

VO: ..and one big challenge - who can seek out and buy the best antiques at the very best prices...

This is a fine art!

(THEY LAUGH) VO: ..and auction for a big profit further down the road?

Potential for disaster!

VO: Who will spot the good investments?

Who will listen to advice?

What you've just come out with there, I cannot believe that!

VO: And who will be the first to say, "Don't you know who I am?!"

VO: Time to put your pedal to the metal.

This is Celebrity Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

VO: Tonight, it's a big showbiz "hello" from Hertfordshire, where we're joined by two vintage British actors.

RICHARD (RW): Morning, Annette.

VO: It's Richard Wilson and his long suffering on-screen wife, Annette Crosbie.

ANNETTE (AC): Do you remember that thing you were in on telly, and the wee girl said, "Don't talk to me when I'm driving!"?

VO: And Annette's getting to grips with the gears and pedals of this stylish 1963 Hillman Minx.

I've never driven one of those, ever.

Really?

I want out!

VO: Richard and Annette, of course, made their names together in the award-winning sitcom One Foot In The Grave.

VO: Over a career that dates back 50 years, Richard has earned a long list of credits, But a jury might not convict on that evidence alone.

There's no-one else I'd rather be in a situation like this, Richard, than you.

VO: Ah, bless!

Annette played alongside Richard as his wife for over a decade.

But her BAFTA-award-winning TV career began long before that.

Don't you start.

All this fussing about me.

I'm OK. RW: What area of antiques would you be most interested in?

Jewelry!

Jewelry?

Yes... of course.

Talking of antiques, I suppose we're sitting in one now.

AC: You're sitting next to one now!

VO: Steering this fine pair towards more traditional antiques are two of Road Trip's esteemed experts.

Good to see you.

VO: First call is for our own great character actor, James Lewis.

JAMES (JL): What do you think?

Toad of Toad Hall look?

VO: And our leading lady of antiques is Catherine Southon.

Together in this 1960s Morris Minor, they're revving up to meet their match.

There we go!

CATHERINE (CS): (CHUCKLES) James!

I... VO: With 20 years of buying and selling under his belt, James Lewis challenges himself to seek out the bizarre and the beautiful.

And don't be fooled by his cuddly exterior - he knows how to drive hard to get a good deal.

Another classic day in a classic car - or as I would call it, a heap of rust!

CS: (LAUGHS) VO: Oh!

VO: Experienced valuer Catherine Southon has a keen eye for the more discerning antique.

Specializing in scientific and medical instruments, she has a nose for the quirky and the intricate.

RW: We haven't met our experts yet, of course.

AC: No.

I think I should be with a man and you should be with a woman.

RW: There's a sexual chemistry will spring into place... ..if we're mixed with the opposite sex!

AC: (LAUGHS) I'm lucky if any chemistry is working in my body by the time I get out of this car!

JL: Who do you want - Richard or Annette?

CS: Oh, I'm a bit scared about him!

I think he's gonna be like your headmaster, isn't he?!

I just expect him to be this grumpy, miserable old swine!

"God's sake, don't go that way!

"What are you doing?!"

"Don't turn left!

I don't believe it!"

VO: Our teams have two days of antiques shopping, with �400 in their back pockets.

VO: Their aim - to strike good deals that'll make them a profit at auction.

This celebrity road trip starts in Potters Bar, in England's South East.

We'll then head into Greater London, before racing south to Heathfield in East Sussex, for the auction.

Normally our celebs and experts would meet on a local high street but today we've gone for a more industrial location, on the outskirts of Potters Bar.

JL: Look - they're here!

VO: This should be interesting!

OK, now remember - Richard, not Victor.

CS: No.

JL: Richard.

JL: Hello!

CS: Hello!

AC: Am I safe to get my feet off these pedals?!

CS: Yes, I know, that's the thing!

CS: Nice to meet you.

AC: And you.

Your first decision, or between us, is who goes with who.

RW: Oh, Annette's decided that.

EXPERTS: Oh!

I just thought that I should go with a man and you should go with a woman, simply because it's easier and quicker for some kind of chemistry to work if it's going to work.

If it's going to work!

OK!

If it's not, we'll just have to pretend.

We'll just have to pretend.

JL: Come on, then.

AC: Oh, right, then - are we off?

JL: Lead the way.

Come on.

AC: OK. VO: And without further ado, they all head into their first shop of the day - Canonbury Antiques.

Owner Martin is standing by to help them navigate his huge barn, rammed floor to ceiling with goodies.

RW: Oh, we actually get the money.

I didn't realize.

Yes!

Is this �400?

That is the whole... amount.

100, 200, 300, 400.

There we are.

Lovely.

I didn't realize that we actually carried the cash around.

CS: What did you think?

We paid by, sort of, tokens or something?

RW: Well, I thought... CS: Right, the rules are... We've got �400.

We can buy whatever we want.

I would like to buy up to five lots to go into the auction.

Five?

Yes.

What happens if I see something that costs �400?

That wouldn't be a great move, because then you're putting all your eggs into one basket, and if it goes CS: horribly wrong for us... RW: Oh, I see - we lose it all.

We lose everything.

I don't see anything remotely that I want to buy at the moment.

We've only walked three paces, Richard!

Here we are.

This...

This is interesting.

James's hat!

He's got quite a big head.

That's quite nice but he's got a massive head.

Gosh!

Good grief!

JL: Well, lots of big and bold things.

AC: Heavens!

JL: What have we got here?

OK, now, a lot of the things here are brand-new reproductions, so that... ..we need to try and find the antiques amongst the repro.

Yeah.

Well, you're on your own!

JL: (LAUGHS) AC: OK?

I'll just follow you.

VO: That's not really the idea, Annette.

There's no "I" in "team"!

OK, now these are early.

They're not very good but they're...

But at least they're old.

AC: Are those copies, those chairs?

Rush seat.

Yes, there's one, look.

They're 1800 in style.

If you put your hand over that cresting rail... JL: Feel it's rough?

AC: Yeah.

Imagine 200 years of hands going under there.

Yes, OK. Smooths it over.

Right.

So, yeah, brand new.

Probably made in... Are we gonna find anything old in here?

We'll try!

I mean, apart from Richard and me!

VO: Now Richard, at the other end of the shed, has found something antique - or is it?

There's quite a nice vase there.

Aren't Chinese vases very in?

The market is... is very strong at the moment CS: but for good 18th century... RW: For millions of pounds.

Millions of pounds.

But, I mean, that's brand new.

RW: I don't like it, now I can see it up close.

CS: No - we like it from a distance.

I think we'll keep our money in our pocket.

And move on?

And move.

Do you think they're buying something?

Do you they're getting excited?

If they are, they're making a mistake, probably.

Right.

I love this, Richard!

I love your attitude!

It's wonderful!

VO: I wouldn't be so sure, Richard.

James and Annette's perseverance might be paying off.

RW: Very good.

CS: There we are.

Of we go.

RW: Barnet, here we come.

VO: With the help of owner Michael, they've uncovered a pair of original French bedside tables.

They have a charm and an elegance.

Ormolu.

And erm... Not plastic.

Ormolu.

Gilded brass.

Which is ormolu.

VO: Dating from around 1870, these walnut pieces are hand-crafted with brass finishing and are topped with green marble.

Annette has a morbid fear of negotiating, but it's time for her to get stuck in.

Go, girl.

On a good day, they could make 150.

Oh, well that's where you need to be.

What do you think?

This is a fine art.

And I'm keeping out of it!

No.

VO: Michael has already dropped the price from �200 to 150.

Annette, be brave.

I promise you, you won't go wrong with those.

No, you see.

No, I can't do it.

I can't do it.

VO: That didn't go well.

JL: OK, �80.

Throw another fiver in for luck - 85, alright?

AC: Oh, I can't bear the suspense.

I'm going to have to go somewhere else.

Shall we toss a coin, or shall we just decide to buy them?

It takes the pressure off.

80, heads.

We'll lose that unless you catch it on the way down.

85 tails.

Go on then.

Hey!

I've lost again!

I always lose when I do that.

Well, why do you keep doing it?!

I always think that it's got to work one day!

At least we've done a deal, thank you.

VO: That's a great deal - less than half the original asking price.

So Annette and James have their first purchase, spending �85 from their pot.

You know, I think we're gonna have to start buying jewelry!

AC: (LAUGHS) VO: Ha-ha!

Richard and Catherine are back on the road, heading into the small town of Barnet in search of a shop more to their liking.

CS: Do you know which knob to pull for the windscreen wiper?

RW: I thought you were going to say for the roof to come up.

I could try a few.

CS: No no, not that one!

That's just done... VO: Barnet in Hertfordshire was once the site of an ancient horse fair... ..from which the rhyming slang of Barnet Fair - hair - originates.

I think that looks good.

Yeah, it's good.

(THEY LAUGH) I could put you in that and just wheel you around the antique shops.

RW: Yeah, OK. VO: And there's plenty more inside The Barn antiques emporium.

And perhaps with the help of Jim, this picky pair can find a treasure.

Mm.

VO: Of interest?

I'm not...

I'm not panicking, Catherine.

Oh good, cuz I am!

(THEY CHUCKLE) We just want something that's going to jump out at us, something really, really unusual and exciting.

Hello!

What have you got?

VO: It looks like Jim is doing the hard work for you!

JIM: Lead.

CS: Oh, they're lead.

I was going to say lead first.

RW: What are they?

JIM: Apparently years ago, the wealthy had them on the wall for their form of insurance.

This is Notts and Derby.

Where's that one from?

JIM: Sun Alliance.

VO: After the Great Fire of London devastated over 65,000 houses in 1666, people saw the need to take out insurance.

These plaques would be nailed on the outside of insured buildings and only then would the fire brigade put the fire out.

It's heavy, lead, isn't it?

CS: Hm.

Can't see an awful lot though, can you, on the... What do you think?

No, not to that extreme, but they've got to be old.

I'm not interested in that, I'm afraid.

I'm sorry to be brutal.

CS: Thank you very much indeed.

JIM: OK. VO: This looks interesting, if you like weights and measures.

CS: They're a nice big pair of scales!

JIM: The scales.

25 quid.

Or a pony, to you.

Do you know what a pony is?

�25.

I didn't know what a pony was.

What's the best you could give us on those?

Not this pony nonsense.

JIM: A score then.

CS: What's a score?

JIM: 20.

RW: 20.

You know that one, didn't you?

�20, yeah.

VO: Now we've discovered our ponies and scores, shouldn't we take a proper look at these scales?

CS: That's the reason why I looked at it, I thought the actual bowl was in quite nice condition, and I think because it's so big, that they're probably shop scales.

They're too big to be in a home, so you'd want them probably in a...

They are proper ones.

CS: They're the business.

JIM: That's the word.

They're not the most exciting thing we've seen, but they're probably the best thing we've seen CS: so far, aren't they?

RW: Yeah.

VO: Old fashioned scales have become more collectable, and in some domestic kitchens are more desirable than modern ones to measure your flour and sugar!

It's called kitchenalia.

CS: I could say something, but you could be terribly offended.

No, I don't get offended.

Don't you?

How does 10 sound?

I'll meet you half way.

RW: 15?

Can we think on those, and you mentioned you've got something else?

I have downstairs, yeah.

CS: Shall we follow you downstairs?

JIM: Yeah.

CS: See what else you've got.

These are the golden oldies, these ones.

RW: Ah.

CS: How old are they?

JIM: I would say 1920s.

CS: So early 20th century.

Well, do you like them?

I do quite like them.

CS: Oh, do you?

RW: Hm.

CS: Do you do buy one, get one free?

What, you in the market now, selling vegetables?

How much do you want for those?

Er... �70, cuz I know you're gonna throw a figure back at me.

He knows how we work.

What would be your rock-bottom price on them?

RW: Rock bottom.

JIM: Bullseye.

A bullseye?

That's 50.

Oh, if you go that way, yes.

I think we should think about that.

Do you?

OK. VO: These two certainly don't part with their cash easily.

I have to rely on your expertise here, but of what we've seen so far, they make an interesting double.

I say...

Yes.

Right.

Jim?

Jim.

JIM: That's me.

RW: Jim.

CS: Would you take an extra fiver off, and call it 45 for the pair?

He looks a lovely man, doesn't he?

VO: A sprinkle of charm has sealed the deal on Richard and Catherine's first purchases.

�45 for two sets of scales.

RW: (CHUCKLES) Thank you very much, Jim.

VO: After successfully buying two French bedside tables in Potters Bar, James and Annette are heading north to try their luck in Hertford.

JL: Is he really as grumpy as he comes over on...?

AC: No, no, no.

No, no.

He's a great big pussy cat!

JL: (LAUGHS) AC: I'm the one who is grumpy.

JL: Really?

Oh, yes.

And I embarrass Richard with my grumpiness.

You're not too grumpy at the moment, and you're in a wet car, so you can't be that bad!

VO: The show must go on here in Hertford!

Which is the last place in England to see a person condemned to death for witchcraft, in 1712.

Luckily the judge thought the whole idea of witchcraft ludicrous, so her life was spared.

I wish she was around today to cast a spell on this wretched weather!

James and Annette are forging on regardless in search of their next antiques haven.

Yeah, you don't know of any antiques shops around?

Down there on the left.

On the left hand side, by the jeweler's.

Annette's off!

There it is, Honey Lane Antiques.

Good.

Left turn.

(THEY LAUGH) My name's Annette, how do you do?

DEALER: Hello.

AC: An unusual ring.

Not for sale.

I'll bet it's not.

Yes, it's very, very nice.

Yes.

VO: Annette has bypassed every antique and headed straight for her passion!

Ah, you are feeling at home already, aren't you?

Can I have a look at that square, is that an opal?

What is it?

That is an intaglio.

Oh, I see!

That's the kind of thing I love.

Oh, I'm sure.

Right, you go and find something, James.

VO: James is going to have to work hard to find something that'll get Annette back onside.

But Bonnie did mention a chatelaine, let's have a...

It's steel... ..but there was a fashion for steel around the 1820s, 1840s, when you would have steel nailheads faceted, and they would polish them to such a degree that they would sparkle like diamonds.

Right.

We've got a four piece chatelaine... ..with a piece missing.

VO: A chatelaine was worn by housekeepers as a practical accoutrement, with attached thimbles, scissors, pinwheels etc.

I've clunked around a stage wearing those, yes.

Have you?

Something like Jane Eyre or something.

Jane Eyre, have you really?

VO: With a price tag of �98 it's sparked Annette's interest and James is determined to get her to start negotiating.

There we are.

What?

It's up to you.

What, you mean I have to take the responsibility for it?

I can't do it.

Go on, you can!

I can't, darling.

You're Scottish, of course you can.

I don't know why.

I don't know what that's got to do with anything, but I can't.

I'm no good at it, I never was.

Really?

Off you go.

Funny thing is, you and I both hate the haggle.

I hate doing it too!

The lady's already come down.

You're quite right.

And it's only because it came in at a good price.

I agree.

You've sold it.

VO: James is going to have to work on Annette's haggling skills, but he did a good deal at �60, giving them their second item for auction.

VO: Richard and Catherine have set aside shopping and are heading towards London.

Oh sorry, that was your knee!

That's alright.

If I suddenly grab your knee while I'm trying to change gear, I do apologize.

VO: Oh, Catherine.

VO: They're en route to East Finchley to take a peek into a rather curious world of a certain collector who resides there.

Maurice Collins, a man obsessed with weird and wonderful household gadgets.

He's got over 1,500 of them from the 18th and 19th centuries packed inside his semi.

This Aladdin's cave contains everything from a 1930s hair waxer, to a time-saving envelope sealer.

And a Victorian "electropathic belt for extra vigor" that was apparently a cure-all medical device.

Hm.

MAURICE: Hi.

CS: You must be Maurice.

I am Maurice, sounds good, doesn't it?

This is fantastic, you have a museum in your home.

I'm just fascinated to know how you started, really, how you began to collect all this paraphernalia.

Come on in then and I'll explain it all to you.

Paraphernalia, Catherine.

That's a big derogatory, isn't it?

Is it?

VO: The story of this unusual collection started at a rubbish dump where, in 1976, Maurice unearthed a special bottle.

You must have heard the phrase "what a lot of codswallop".

Codswallop.

Well, the man who invented it was a man called Hiram Codd in about 1870, and the idea was to stop the gas escaping.

There's a marble in the top there.

When you wanted to drink it, you would burst that, and then you would pour your lemonade or MAURICE: your sparkling water.

CS: Right.

VO: So you wallop the bottle's top to dislodge the marble - cor, what a lot of codswallop!

So this actually inspired you to start collecting?

This is what started me off.

This is one that sort of seems to fascinate people, which is the 1920s satnav.

Huh.

Oh, it's a road.

This is obviously going to Dunkirk on the A2, to Canterbury, Surrey.

CS: So it's a little map inside a...

Yes, and you wear it.

CS: ..watch.

And the funny thing is, when you arrive, it says "stop".

(THEY LAUGH) CS: Right.

What if you don't want to go on that route?

Bad luck.

You're going.

VO: Still, you do have a choice of destinations.

MAURICE: These are the cartridges.

CS: That's brill...!

RW: Ah.

CS: Don't you just love that, Richard?

RW: Hm.

CS: We could do with that in our car, actually.

I must ask about this.

This is a Victorian electricity giving machine that will cure all problems.

RW: Oh.

MAURICE: You have any type of illness, you hold on to your two items like that, your colleague turns that, and before you know where you are, you are sparking.

VO: Oh lordy.

It sounds electrifying.

I'll stick to my tablets, thanks very much!

I'd like to show you the pride of my collection, the one that I love, and I'm totally sort of excited by, always, which is the clockwork teasmade from 1902.

VO: Ho ho!

When a patent was lodged for this device, it was called an automatic tea-making apparatus.

Catchy, huh?

It wasn't until 1932 that a different inventor developed the simple to understand term, "Teasmade".

And it took off.

MAURICE: Have you ever seen anything like that before?

RW: Never.

CS: Beautiful.

MAURICE: Isn't it gorgeous?

CS: Beautiful.

And the way it works is you wind up the clock, set the alarm, the alarm goes off, and a lever knocks another lever which causes a match to strike across that bit of emery cloth, which lights the fire underneath, which boils the kettle, and when the kettle boils, it tilts into the teapot.

That's beautiful, isn't it?

Isn't it beautifully made as well?

How extraordinary.

VO: A few more items have caught the eye of Catherine and Richard but they're just not sure what they are.

RW: Something that would be useful to me.

Um...

I don't know what it is though, but this is like a sort of suedy feel to it.

MAURICE: Which would do what?

CS: Clean something, buff something up?

Very good, very good.

Can I demonstrate?

Please.

What would happen is, is you would put your fingers in there like that, and your fingers in there like that, and you would buff your nails automatically.

CS: I love...

Brilliant.

That is absolutely brilliant, and I find things like that fascinating, they're just so brilliant.

So let's try something on you.

Yes, OK. See if you can see what that is.

RW: (CHUCKLES) MAURICE: It does open.

RW: It's a little... That's it, well done.

So is it for the nails, again?

Not for the nails.

To make... To roughen something?

Not quite.

What do you do every day?

Do you mean after I take my drugs?

(THEY LAUGH) Er...

In the morning.

Clean my teeth?

Shave?

MAURICE: Aha!

So it's that.

MAURICE: That's it, exactly that.

Just roll it up and down.

This is a nice one.

CS: Give me something easy.

MAURICE: See how good you are with this one.

OK, so, perfectly flat.

It's for wedging under a piece of cake that you're cutting?

I'll give you a clue.

It's used MAURICE: on a dining room table.

CS: That's a very good guess.

It's much more utilitarian than that.

Oh.

And would have been used in the very upmarket home, where they didn't want to exhaust the poor sophisticated people eating at the table, because who would want to lift up a soup plate to do the dregs?

Oh.

So all you do is you put it under the soup plate, and as you do it...

So you don't have to tip it?

You don't have to, you just tip it.

How... That's incredible.

RW: Mm-hm.

Ah.

I know exactly what this is.

This is a horse's hoof file.

As it so happens, you're not far out, but you're not absolutely correct.

You're at the wrong end.

CS: Teeth!

Quite right.

It's a horse's toothbrush.

Yes, because they show their teeth a lot.

Do you want to take your fingers off that now?

VO: What an intriguing insight into the weird and wonderful world of inventions.

CS: That was amazing, wasn't it?

Fascinating.

Fascinating - what an extraordinary collection.

VO: Back in Hertford, James and Annette have discovered a shop that specializes in antique maps.

Gillmark Gallery holds an incredible collection of originals and prints from around the globe, amassed by its owner Mark.

There might be a couple of things upstairs, if you want to pop up there?

Oh.

I don't like the look of those stairs.

The first thing I thought, that they look like pianola rolls.

Yeah, they're actually small maps.

A lot of people use them, you can use them for wallpaper.

I've seen these do quite well at auction.

Jeez.

There's about 60-odd maps.

Good grief.

I have seen them go for sort of �5 a roll at auction.

Really?

But I've never seen a big collection like this, I've never seen 60-odd.

So you could be standing here with a treasure trove?

VO: These unusual little rollers are actually used to make simple outline prints of countries from around the globe.

How much do you want for them?

Well, I've got 345 on them.

What were you thinking?

I was thinking we'd take a couple to the auction and see how they go, and if they go terribly well, we'll be back!

You want to sell the lot?

I don't really want to split them up, no.

JL: I think they're just such a specialist thing.

AC: I think you're probably right.

Shame.

VO: With a lot of these maps and prints beyond their budget, James has honed in on a quirky little compass, priced at �75.

AC: Oh, it's lovely.

About as hi-tech as our car.

It could be our satnav!

Still works, though, doesn't it?

It does.

VO: Navigational compasses were first invented by the Chinese over 1,000 years ago.

This Georgian mahogany pocket compass dates from around 1775.

It would be nice to think that somebody in the battle against the Americans, the War of Independence, might have had that in their pocket.

It's a wonder it survived, isn't it?

What could be your best on that?

35.

Oh.

32.

OK. Deal.

Is that alright?

Yes.

Super.

VO: That's a great price for a George III pocket compass and gives Annette and James their third lot for auction.

Right.

VO: And with more clouds rolling in over Hertfordshire, both teams are off to rest their weary heads after their first day's shopping.

Night-night all.

VO: It's a new day in Hertfordshire and sadly the rain is back.

AC: It is probably one of the wettest days of my 55 years in showbusiness!

Yep.

How much have you bought?

Well, I can't say, really.

AC: Oh, come on.

RW: Not a lot.

Just between you and me.

Not very much.

So you haven't spent a lot of money.

I think Catherine's a bit worried.

Want to put up with me driving this?

Well, that's a great joy, of course.

CS: And you've spent how much so far?

JL: Just under �200, I think.

Well, we spent �45 yesterday.

�45?

I know, I know.

It's pathetic, that's why I want to make some big purchases today.

Yeah.

VO: So Richard and Catherine have �355 of their budget to spend after buying just two auction lots.

After weighing up their options, they settled on two sets of scales.

Would you take an extra fiver off, and call it 45 for the pair?

So he looks a lovely man, doesn't he?

VO: Oh yeah?

A large pair of early-20th-century brass scales and a smaller Avery set from the 1940s.

VO: James Lewis and Annette Crosbie have spent �177 on three lots for auction.

Lots of big and bold things.

Heavens!

VO: A pair of French bedside tables.

A polished steel chatelaine and a small but charming mahogany compass, leaving them with �223 to spend from their original �400 budget.

(SPLUTTERING) CS: Oh, please don't break down.

JL: Oh, my...

Slow down, slow down.

CS: Oh no!

JL: It's died!

CS: Oh no.

VO: Uh-oh!

No garage in sight and they abandon the car and try a more desperate means of transport!

Help!

They are so mean.

Please.

JL: Please.

CS: Hey!

Oh.

You're lifesavers, thank you.

VO: Thank goodness for the generous-hearted Great British public.

Thanks a lot guys, bye.

VO: Finally, Richard and Annette also arrive at Bluecoat Antiques in Birch Green where owner Sandra is helping our experts recover from their ordeal.

Our experts are supposed to be here.

Oh, look!

Look.

Ah!

BOTH: I don't believe it!

I hear you've been hitchhiking.

Oh, just...

I have to say, it's been fun.

VO: No time to wallow - there's shopping to be done.

James and Annette decide to leave the others to it.

I'm looking for something upmarket, serious.

Yes, with a bit of class.

DEALER: You've come to the right place.

Really?

Excellent.

DEALER: Follow me.

RW: OK. Ah, here we are.

Look.

Repousse.

CS: Repousse.

Very nice.

DEALER: Yeah.

So that's all...

The pattern's all been done from behind, CS: been beaten out.

DEALER: All beaten out, yes.

Are we talking about Edwardian here, or is it later?

DEALER: 1900.

RW: 1900.

CS: So late Victorian.

DEALER: 1900.

CS: And how much is on that?

DEALER: 425.

CS: Oh gosh.

RW: Oh, no, no.

I could push that.

CS: We're looking for something just slightly shy of 100.

I've got a set of preserve spoons.

RW: Hm.

CS: They're pretty.

DEALER: Sheffield, 1922.

That's very good condition.

VO: This pair is from the 1920s art-deco period - priced at �49.

RW: Personally, I wouldn't, but I can see people... CS: Buying those.

..buying those.

Er, especially since they are in the box, and they do look as though they've stayed in the box.

CS: Mm.

What would you be able to do on those, Sandra?

Um, 40 on those.

40.

CS: Oh gosh, that's not much.

We can still think.

DEALER: Alright.

Think about those.

VO: Richard's off in search of a better deal.

Um, what about that little footstool?

The gout stool?

RW: Gout stool.

CS: I like it.

DEALER: It's in mahogany.

CS: Isn't that lovely?

How much is on that, Sandra?

That's 165.

VO: Gout stools were big business for ladies and gentlemen in the 19th century, as overindulgence in rich food and booze led to a type of arthritis in their feet, so they needed to elevate them.

To have a chance, it needs to be under �100 I think, don't you?

I could do it for 100.

How does that feel?

That's jolly kind of you, but I don't think it's quite there, to be honest.

I think...

So maybe the condiment spoons?

What would really be your rock bottom price for us?

Well, 38 is really the best price I could manage on that.

CS: What do you think, Richard, would you like to buy them, or..?

I've got a good feeling about them.

Would you do them for a nice round 35?

I could do them for a very tight 36.

Oh!

How's 36?

I think that's very good.

�36.

I've got the money here.

CS: Wonderful.

DEALER: Oh, that's very good.

VO: Richard and Catherine now have three lots in the bag and �319 left to spend.

RW: Thank you.

VO: Meanwhile, James and Annette are heading off their shopping route towards Ayot Saint Lawrence, to visit an inspirational place.

VO: Shaw's Corner is the former home of politician, philosopher and writer George Bernard Shaw.

In the early 1900s Shaw penned many notable plays including Major Barbara, The Doctor's Dilemma, and Pygmalion.

At that time he was living here in this Edwardian villa.

Showing James and Annette around today is assistant house steward Lizzy.

Hello, come in, come in.

Come out of the rain.

VO: The house is much as Shaw left it.

In fact, it was just six months after his death in 1950 that it opened as a tribute to a man, who in his heyday, was one of the most famous, most photographed, and most quoted men in the world.

The best way I think to describe how famous he was was the reactions to his death.

So he died in November 1950 and when he died, the lights were put out in Times Square and Broadway, the Indian senate rose, all the Australian school children were given the day off school.

He was that famous and his death was counted as being that much.

And this was left exactly how he left it?

Exactly as he left it, to the point of... we still have the mud from his last walk.

No!

Oh, yes.

It's quite creepy, but wonderful LIZZY: at the same time.

JL: It's strange!

We're off to the dining room, come and have a look through into here.

VO: In his dining room, he often enjoyed a long lunch while penning newspaper columns and political works surrounded by pictures of peers and people who inspired him.

Shaw is the only person in the world to have won an Oscar for a screenplay and a Nobel prize for literature, so you will not see this anywhere else, it's totally unique.

He's still the only person to have won both.

Oh, is that what a Nobel prize looks like?

That is a Nobel prize certificate.

AC: Gosh!

LIZZY: He turned down the prize money, he had to be coerced into taking it.

He didn't have much value of the Oscar, he said he didn't write for competitions.

It's been quite bashed about a bit, because Shaw used it as a doorstop as well.

And to crack walnuts.

It wasn't quite the treasure that everyone expects it should be.

I bet he did.

Probably threw it for the dog as well.

VO: For those of us who appreciate a little showbiz, Shaw won the Oscar for his screenplay of Pygmalion - a story that was adapted some 50 years later into the musical My Fair Lady.

House manager Sue is keen to show off Shaw's most treasured possession - an incredible book signed by the great and the good for his 70th birthday.

SUE: There's some music from Richard Strauss, there's some paintings from Pechstein, there's some beautiful things in here.

I mean to see this, it just shows... ..how incredibly important he was.

SUE: Absolutely.

What does the Einstein one say?

SUE: We don't know.

JL: We don't know yet?

We don't know yet.

We haven't had it translated yet.

VO: Shaw does have a tastefully furnished study, but often feeling hemmed in by its four walls, he sought solace in his garden shed.

Here he wrote many classics.

And he used to come down in all weathers.

We've got pictures of the garden covered in snow with a path still cleared to come to the writing hut.

I did a house clearance at a place called Birdsgrove House in Ashbourne, and it was the headquarters of the World Pharmaceutical Society, and they would have any ailing pharmacist would come back and stay at this place, Birdsgrove House, by the river, and they had six of these in the grounds, and that'll be why.

So fresh air, sunshine was very much a belief of the time, and this is what this was for.

But was translated into creating masterpieces.

VO: From this humble setting, Shaw created stories which made him a household name and here at Shaw's Corner, his personality is still very much alive.

VO: The road trip now rattles on eastward to the town of Sawbridgeworth.

VO: It sits on the Hertfordshire and Essex border that made its money from the malting industry.

With over �300 to spend, Richard and Catherine have headed into Herts and Essex Antiques.

The pressure's on.

It's day two, and the shops are about to shut.

This is getting desperate now, Richard.

Yes, I'M getting desperate now.

Desperate measures.

It's serious.

It is, isn't it?

I was looking at him.

But I don't think it would sell.

Potential sale, no.

Right.

OK. What do you think about these little novelty...

Yes, I think they're quite nice, but if they're not solid silver, does that not make them...

They're not solid silver.

Or... we've got a clock, barometer, and a thermometer in the middle.

RW: Not so keen on that.

CS: No.

Prices are high, aren't they?

RW: 395 is just silly.

A silver plated thistle vesta.

It's plated.

If it was silver, I'd have bought it.

But it's plate.

It's not easy, is it?

Especially when the clock's ticking.

VO: It certainly isn't, specially when you two are SO fussy.

CS: Richard?

RW: Yes?

Things are getting a little bit desperate, so I might quickly run next door and see what they've got.

OK. CS: Is that alright?

RW: Yeah.

God, this is miles away, I thought it was next door!

Hello!

I want something fabulous.

Can you show me something fabulous?

Oof, I feel under... CS: enormous pressure.

DEALER: Have you found ANYTHING?

No, nothing at all.

VO: And to add to it, the competition are heading to the same shop.

Look out!

JL: Well, we've got our final opportunity to buy something really exciting.

I need to get you into the bargaining mood.

AC: You need to do a lot more than that, pet.

You need to turn me into an optimist.

VO: Richard has joined Catherine in the shop next door.

I just picked up this, I thought, "Brilliant, "it's got everything going for it."

It's beautifully etched, Mappin and Webb, wonderful perfume bottle - damaged.

No.

RW: No.

CS: No.

No.

Shall we go back?

What, the very first place we went in?

Yeah.

Right.

Thank you very much for having us!

I'm glad we bought something this morning, otherwise we'd be in serious trouble.

Look... who it is!

They look worryingly happy.

Yes.

We're stressed out.

VO: James and Annette wisely steer clear of opposition and make a beeline for Riverside Antiques.

AC: Oh God, I will never walk again.

Oh, are you stiff?

Antiques upstairs.

Are we going upstairs?

There's got to be something here somewhere.

There's got to be.

OK.

I feel like a child, just frantically not trying to lose sight of its parent.

Did he go in here?

Where are you, Ja...?

Are you stuck in there?

Would you just come and look at this?

An improvement.

God, it's tight.

VO: Oh dear.

I think that's what they call a bad fit.

I think they're in need of a little guidance from shop owner Shirley.

Come on, Shirl.

I am going to show you something that is really nice and even I was going to buy this.

Alright, OK.

Useful item on your desk.

Everybody likes a desk set.

JL: It's just not very commercial.

I like it, cuz I like elephants.

VO: With ink wells and a hook for a pocket watch, this Anglo-Indian coromandel wood standish is a kind of desk tidy from the late 19th century.

With the shop closing shortly, Annette and James scour the cabinets one last time.

OK, let's have a think.

Little group there for �20.

But they've all got faults - salts bottle, chipped.

Frame, no back.

Those that are worn, and the comb.

But they are all silver.

But...

Right.

They've all got faults, but they're 20 quid.

They're not a lot of money.

No, right, why are you still looking at me?

You are the one who sells this kind of thing.

Encouragement.

No, yes, yeah, fine.

Or no?

No, it's a yes.

VO: By adding another ornate comb, this silver lot has a ticket price of �32 all in.

DEALER: Was it the one on the right?

This one, wasn't it?

JL: Yeah.

VO: And as a last minute decision, James has added a �20 pocket watch to the wooden standish, making it worth a punt.

JL: But it hasn't got something to hang it off.

Right, done, deal.

Deal, deal, deal.

It's never been so tough to spend money.

Thank you sir, I'll just check that they are real.

VO: Well done James, you've got your five lots for auction and shaved �7 off the ticket price of this little lot.

Even with time against them, Richard and Catherine are still being choosy.

What we've got to face up to is yes, we're pressured.

CS: Mm.

RW: We've just got to stop thinking about being pressured... CS: OK. RW: ..and go for it.

Would it be really stupid to gamble everything on those tongs?

VO: These 19th-century Russian silver tongs are extremely rare.

They are lovely, I like them.

VO: And being fully marked with maker's initials, they've got a price tag of �375.

Wow!

You could use them for plucking out nose hair.

CS: I think they're far too special for that.

They feel wonderful.

VO: They decide to take a punt and ask Nick, the shop owner, to put a call in to the dealer.

Will their luck be in?

Well, it was 375.

He says normally he would only do it for 340, he is willing to drop another �40 off it and make it �300.

It's too much of a gamble.

Unfortunately, Russian silver is very collectable.

CS: Very desirable.

Very desirable and very expensive.

We said we wanted something of fine quality, didn't we?

We did.

If we could get that below �300...

I will try.

That's a huge risk.

VO: Nick calls again.

And the dealer's lowest price is �290.

Why don't we take the biggest risk?

CS: OK. And actually if we bomb, we have rehearsed how we are going to deal with it beforehand.

Well, you're a good actor, so you must be quite good.

CS: Can you do crying?

RW: I'm gonna rehearse you in super cool.

No no, super cool.

DEALER: Done.

RW: Done.

DEALER: Fabulous.

CS: Yay.

Yes!

Well done!

CS: That was amazing.

RW: Whoo!

VO: And with that bombshell, it's time for the two teams to reveal their lots.

(THEY EXCLAIM) CS: Gosh, you have bought lots.

JL: Have we?

RW: Can I ask what that object there is?

AC: You wouldn't know, but almost every costume drama I've been in, I've had to wear one of these.

Chatelaine, round the waist, you know, if you're the housekeeper.

Very nice.

How much was that?

It was quite a lot, �60.

Ha-ha-ha!

You ain't seen nothing yet.

JL: Yes.

CS: Yes.

And what is this made of, could I ask?

Coromandel or ebony, same sort of family of woods, but Indian, turn of the century, probably around 1900.

For the standish and the pocket watch it was 33.

CS: Ooh...

I think it's worth more.

That's good, that's the idea.

It's a good buy, you're saying?

I think so.

VO: I can sense a touch of the old green eyed monster here - and there's more.

The job lot of silver, the mahogany compass and their biggest purchase, the French tables.

And how much were they?

85 for the pair.

And what's their history?

JL: French, walnut, 1875.

CS: I like the fact they are marble topped.

JL: Yeah.

CS: They've got a side of quality there.

And nice being a pair, I thought they might make 150.

Well, we're going to lose on everything.

No, you're not!

CS: Yes, we are.

RW: Yes, we are.

A weights and measures theme, I like those.

We thought they were quite impressive.

Now, what do you think they're worth?

I think they're worth, er, �70-100.

Do you really?

Yeah, I think they are lovely.

Really nice.

We paid 30.

What is all this fuss about, about paying too much?

Don't you worry, we've got more things, we've got bigger fish to fry.

When you say you are going to lose on each one, what do you think you are going to make?

We're not gonna lose on that, we're not gonna lose on that.

We are not going to lose on those art-deco preserve spoons.

JL: OK, are they solid?

CS: Yeah.

How much did you pay for those?

36.

But we might lose on... RW: Russian.

JL: Cor!

AC: Oh, they're beautiful.

CS: Honestly James, what do you think?

Wonderful.

What did you pay?

300?

Pretty much.

JL: Did you?

yeah.

290.

It's a huge gamble.

It's out of our hands now, isn't it?

Yes it is.

VO: So what do they really think of each other's lots?

The first thing that struck me was the quantity.

RW: Yes.

CS: They had a huge amount of items there, didn't they?

RW: Yes.

I think we've done alright, you know.

Yes.

We?

You've done very well.

Oh no!

It's a team effort.

Very well done.

Ours looked more... chosen somehow, solid.

�295 on a pair of sugar boats.

Yes...

It's a lot of money to spend on one thing.

AC: You've got to take a plunge.

Yeah.

JL: I hope it pays off for them because they deserve it to.

I think I probably would have bought the pen tray, I think that's got quite a lot going for it.

Would we have bought any of the items that they had?

No.

VO: The teams started this road trip in Potters Bar.

They're now motoring on towards Heathfield in East Sussex to the auction, their final stop.

Why?

Why?

Why did I buy those tongs?

(THEY CHUCKLE) I really need a couple of Russian oligarchs to bid against each other.

I'd quite like to meet a Russian oligarch.

I don't think there's a chance.

VO: The location of this antiques showdown is Watson Auctioneers, where our celebrities and experts meet up for one last time.

Each team is chasing glory and the chance to win tonight's Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.

Hello.

How are you?

It looks a bit like a cattle market.

Is this it?

Are we... Is this really it?

It is.

VO: Both teams began this journey with �400 in their pockets.

Two days later, Annette and James have spent �242 on five auction lots.

It's never been so tough to spend money.

VO: Richard and Catherine have parted with an impressive �371 on four auction lots.

You could use them for plucking out nose hair.

VO: Yeuch!

Well, there's a full house here today so let's see how both teams fare.

Auctioneer Peter Hebden has cast a professional eye over their purchases.

I like James's tables very much.

They're very much of the moment, I think they should do quite well.

The mixed lot of five pieces of silver probably unfortunately go for scrap, probably make �40-60.

The ebony standish, it's nice that it's complete, and it's good also that it comes with the upstand for the watch.

Catherine's table top and grocery scales, it's a pity they didn't have some bell weights, that would have enhanced them even more.

Catherine's tongs, again, of the moment - Russian items are extremely sought after.

They should sell quite well.

VO: Well, time will tell.

Quiet please.

The auction's getting under way.

VO: First up, James and Annette's late 19th century wooden standish, complete with pocket watch.

That one there at �50.

50, 30.

�30, 30 I've got, thank you, 35.

38.

40.

42.

Five.

VO: Wow, this looks promising.

45.

48.

50.

Very good.

55.

60...5.

70.

75.

80.

�80.

At �80.

Yes!

We've doubled our money.

Well done James.

Well done.

VO: What a fantastic start for James and Annette with a piece they weren't even sure about.

I think your scales are going to do well.

There's a profit in there.

VO: Richard and Catherine are confident they can give good chase with their first set of scales from the 1940s, complete with a full set of weights.

What do we say for those?

�40.

40.

30.

20 I'm bid.

�20.

At �20 bid, 20.

22.

25.

28.

30.

32.

At 32, 35.

38.

40.

42.

At �42, five now.

At �42, selling at 42.

JL: There you go.

RW: There you go.

CS: There we go.

RW: That's a start.

Brilliant.

VO: They've not quite doubled their money, but it's a profit nevertheless before commission.

VO: Next up, James and Annette's small but perfectly formed George III pocket compass.

What do we say for that one?

�50?

50.

30.

Oh go on.

�20 start, 20 I've got, �20.

At �20 bid, 20.

22.

25.

28.

PETER: 30.

32.

5.

38.

JL: Go on, go on.

�38.

40.

42.

45.

48.

50.

�50.

5.

At 55.

Last time is it then at 55.

JL: Oh!

(GAVEL) RW: There you go.

Very good.

JL: There we go.

CS: It's still a profit.

It's on the up, that's good.

VO: Don't look so disappointed, James - you're up again with a �23 profit before auction costs.

It all hangs in the balance now!

JL: Oh!

RW: Oh!

Sorry, I couldn't resist it.

VO: Oh dear, James.

But he's right, and it looks as if today's crowd are also weighing up Richard and Catherine's brass scales from the early 20th century.

And what do we say for those?

�50.

50, 30.

20 I'm bid, �20.

At �20 bid, 20.

22.

25.

28.

30.

32.

35.

38.

40.

42.

45.

48.

At �48, 50 now.

Come on, more.

At �48, going to sell this time at �48.

Oh!

Didn't even make 50.

VO: They may not have made �50, but it's still a profit.

This is going well.

Lot 90 is the um... steel bright-cut chatelaine.

VO: It's Annette and James's third lot - the decorative chain from the 1830s.

�60.

60, 50.

JL: Oh!

PETER: �30.

JL: No!

PETER: 30 I've got all over, 32.

35.

38.

40.

42.

45.

48.

50...5.

60.

At �60, at �60, five now?

Last time at �60.

JL: No!

(GAVEL) Oh.

That's a very painful loss, guys.

VO: It sold for what they spent on it, so after costs that's a loss.

VO: Richard and Catherine's art-deco spoons are up next.

What do we say for those?

�40.

40.

30.

20.

20 I've got, �20.

22.

25.

28.

PETER: 30.

At �30, 32.

CS: Come on!

35.

At �35.

38, is it?

CS: Come on!

PETER: At �35, gonna sell at 35.

JL: Oh, it's going so wrong now.

Oh dear.

VO: I couldn't have said it better myself.

They need to be doing a lot better if they're ever going to beat James and Annette.

Well, so far, we're both in profit, so we're in the right direction.

We have a big risk coming up.

You've got big risk, but you've also got really big potential.

Potential.

Potential for disaster!

VO: But before we get to their big-risk item we've got James and Annette's job lot of silver.

All six items set them back just �32.

And that lot there at �40.

40.

30.

At �30, two.

35.

38.

40...2...5.

48.

At �48.

JL: Go on!

PETER: At 48, �50.

At �48, done then, is it?

At 48.

VO: Another tidy profit before commission.

VO: And now for Richard and Catherine's biggest gamble - the Russian silver gilt sugar tongs bought for a breathtaking �290.

Richard certainly has an eye for the finer things in life.

And what do we say for those?

150.

150.

�100.

CS: Come on!

PETER: �100.

50 I'm only bid, at �50, 55.

At 55.

60...5.

70.

75.

80.

85.

90.

95.

100.

110.

120.

130.

At 130, 140.

150.

160.

160.

At 160.

At �160, silver gilt.

PETER: 170.

CS: Come on!

They're worth more!

170.

At �170.

At 170, you're out this side.

At �170.

At 170.

JL: Go on.

CS: Come on.

Come on!

Last time, at 170.

VO: Ouch!

�170.

That's a staggering loss, but hats off to Catherine and Richard for having the guts to have a go in the first place.

I like their style.

Here we go.

The last lot.

Good luck.

VO: So can James and Annette make a profit on the 19th-century walnut bedside tables?

150 for those.

150.

�100.

PETER: 100, thank you, bid.

JL: What?!

At �100 bid.

At 100.

At �100, looking for 10.

110.

120.

130.

140.

150.

�150, at 150.

At 150, bid, 160.

At �150 this time, at 150.

CS: Well done.

RW: Well done.

Very good.

JL: Yay!

AC: Well done.

JL: Well done, you.

I had nothing to do with it!

You helped!

VO: That's a great profit of �65 before costs.

So who's come out on top?

Both teams started their road trip with a �400 budget.

After paying auction costs, Richard and Catherine have lost �129.10 on the items they bought, leaving them �270.90 in their pot.

VO: Meanwhile, James and Annette have made a profit of �80.26, giving them a grand total of �480.26, making them today's outright winners.

Well done James and Annette.

Cor!

VO: All the money our celebrities and experts make on their road trips will go to Children In Need.

Well done.

Well done you two, you did extremely well.

Congratulations, Annette.

Well, I feel really sorry for you and your tongs.

It was a brave move.

Fair dos.

Your team won.

You did brilliantly.

Congratulations.

You made profit on everything.

Annette's just desperate to go!

Yeah, out of the rain, yeah.

It's been a pleasure.

Thank you very much, darling.

Really enjoyed it.

VO: So thank you everyone, and despite the rain, it's been great fun.

Till the next time!

VO: Yes, Annette - until next time.

Cheeri-ho!

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