Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin
Season 2 Episode 15 | 58m 28sVideo has Closed Captions
Journalists Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin get help from Philip Serrell and David Barby.
Journalists Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin, more used to the BBC Breakfast couch than antiquing, compete with the help of Philip Serrell and David Barby. They begin in greater Manchester and end up at auction in Bridgenorth, Shropshire.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin
Season 2 Episode 15 | 58m 28sVideo has Closed Captions
Journalists Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin, more used to the BBC Breakfast couch than antiquing, compete with the help of Philip Serrell and David Barby. They begin in greater Manchester and end up at auction in Bridgenorth, Shropshire.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipVOICEOVER (VO): Some of the nation's favorite celebrities... That's the pig for you.
This is the pig for me.
VO: ..one antiques expert each...
Celebrities!
It's made of wood.
VO: ..and one big challenge - who can seek out and buy the best antiques at the very best prices... See?
I'm worth £5!
That's nice to know!
VO: ..and auction for a big profit further down the road?
Oh!
VO: Who will spot the good investments?
Who will listen to advice?
Do you like that?
And I tell you what, it goes with your eyes.
Does it, yeah?!
VO: And who will be the first to say "Don't you know who I am?!"
Cuckoo!
VO: Time to put your pedal to the metal - this is Celebrity Antiques Road Trip!
Yeah!
VO: Tonight's celebrity antique road trippers usually keep us company while we crunch on our cornflakes.
VO: Taking a break from the BBC Breakfast couch, it's Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin.
BILL: Here we go.
Ho-ho!
Hey-hey!
VO: Currently roaring towards their challenge in this beautiful Triumph TR5.
BILL: So, antiques, eh?
LOUISE: My mum used to sell antiques.
BILL: Did she?
LOUISE: Yes.
BILL: Well, you'll... LOUISE: So I'm hoping... BILL: ..have picked up a lot from her along the way.
BILL: Well... LOUISE: What about you?
BILL: I can't do antiques, Louise.
Can you really see me, you know, picking out little treasures and that sort of thing?
VO: Well, he might not do antiques but he does do the news, and really rather well.
VO: Bill's been with the BBC for over 25 years.
BILL: Whenever I get taken in to an antique shop, as I am occasionally... LOUISE: Do you get taken in?
BILL: I...
There's an automatic egg-timer going in my head, thinking, you know, the oxygen will run out in about 45 seconds, and... VO: And Bill's competition on the road trip is his co-presenter, lovely Louise Minchin.
LOUISE: What...what you gonna buy?
You gonna buy furniture?
BILL: I...I mustn't discuss too much strategy with you.
As we are competing against each other... LOUISE: Have you only just noticed that I've been...?
BILL: Yes, you've been milking me for secrets!
VO: So while the competitive spirit kicks in early with our celebrities, let's see which experts will be lending them a hand.
VO: News just in - it's Phillip Serrell and David Barby, currently enjoying the delights of British summertime in a car that is a firm favorite amongst our experts - the Citro n 2CV.
DAVID: # There's a bright golden haze on the meadow... # PHILIP: D'you know, this is what I really like about the English summer, really - clouds everywhere, not a bit of blue sky, puddles all over the road and you as a traveling companion.
VO: In another lifetime, Philip Serrell was a PE teacher, before leaving it all behind to become an auctioneer.
PHILIP: You are very nervous, aren't you?
DAVID: Yes.
I hate feeling insecure.
PHILIP: You must've had a lifetime of that.
VO: An early starter, David Barby entered the world of antiques from school and became one of the youngest people to qualify for the Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers... WOMAN: Have we done well?
VO: ..at just 21.
PHILIP: The proximity factor is getting to me a bit.
DAVID: Yes, I think so as well.
PHILIP: I haven't been this close to you for a long time, and I must say, it's...
I...I've been happy with that.
DAVID: (LAUGHS) VO: Drawing on expert advice and testing their powers of negotiation, Louise and Bill have £400 each, two days of shopping, one upcoming auction and a lot to learn - fast!
LOUISE: What kind of expert are you hoping for?
BILL: Someone who knows what they're doing.
LOUISE: I think...I think they are called "experts"!
DAVID: I feel as though I know them cuz I have seen them on TV.
PHILIP: Yeah.
DAVID: Cuz they start at such an unbelievably early hour.
BILL: Have you got any particular preference?
LOUISE: Yes.
I need somebody who has got a sense of humor, I think.
BILL: Yes.
They'll need a sense of humor by the time they've finished with us, to be honest.
LOUISE: Won't they?!
DAVID: She was born in Hong Kong, I think.
PHILIP: How d'you know that?
You haven't been stalking again, have you?!
DAVID: No... PHILIP: I told you, you wanna watch, doing that.
You'll get yourself into a lot of trouble.
VO: So as our esteemed experts make their way to meet their celebrities, let's look at the journey ahead.
VO: We're kicking off this celebrity road trip in Altrincham in Greater Manchester.
We'll be popping into the county of Cheshire before heading south for an auction showdown in Bridgnorth, Shropshire.
VO: Our first stop is just eight miles southwest of Manchester city center, in the lively town of Altrincham.
VO: Established as a market town in 1290, this delightful place was once a center for industry.
BILL: Oh, hang on, I can't get out.
DAVID: Hello!
LOUISE: Oh, hello!
Philip, good to see you, good to see you.
I'm Louise.
Nice to meet you.
DAVID: Hello, Bill.
BILL: Hello.
I've got a hugely wet bottom, have you?
LOUISE: I've got...
I'm soaked.
Look, just check.
Does this look like I've wet myself?
LOUISE: Yes!
BILL: I haven't felt like this since I was about three years old!
Don't worry, when you get to my age, it happens!
VO: OK, enough talk about wet bottoms!
It's time to pair up our experts with their celebrities.
Best of three, best of three!
Come with me, just come with me, that's it.
OK, alright, deal!
Come on then.
Oh, Louise, I was hoping that was gonna be the case!
Oh, did you?!
Bet you say that to all the girls, don't you?!
BILL: Right.
DAVID: We're off.
VO: Well, now that's sorted, it's time to start shopping.
PHILIP: Do you think Louise is gonna be really focused at this?
Her mother used to sell antiques.
PHILIP: Oh, hold on!
BILL: Yeah.
PHILIP: You what?!
BILL: I know, I know.
This is...this is what we're up against here.
Here mother... And she's intensely competitive.
PHILIP: Here's our first shop.
PHILIP: Is that where you say "How much is that doggy in the window?"
Yeah!
PHILIP: Hello, little 'un!
VAL: She's called Pandora.
PHILIP: Pandora.
BILL: Hello.
VAL: Hi.
BILL: I'm Bill.
Val - Val Martin.
Val, Philip, how are you?
BILL: Phil.
VO: Now that they've met Val and Pandora, it's time for Bill and Phil to get down to business and see what delights Porcupine Antiques has to offer them.
BILL: You're in trouble here, cuz I really like chandeliers.
VAL: I'm besotted with chandeliers.
BILL: Yeah.
VAL: I like Marie Thérèse the best, which is that sort of style... # There may be trouble ahead... # VAL: ..metal with the...with the crystal on.
PHILIP: You wanna buy lighting or chandelier.
BILL: Chandelier.
PHILIP: Why chandelier?
BILL: Because I love them, they're beautiful.
The light twinkles so beautifully and... PHILIP: William, William, William!
It's romance, and style and elegance and history, isn't there, Val?
Undoubtedly!
BILL: Val, what is the price range that we're talking here?
VAL: Most of them are about 500.
PHILIP: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
VAL: They're all...
They're all '30s and '40s.
PHILIP: Oh, what a pity!
Show me your...a £500 chandelier.
That one.
BILL: That's a nice one.
How much is this one here?
VAL: 800.
Why's that more expensive than that one?
Eh, cuz it cost me an awful lot more.
BILL: Right...
It doesn't matter.
I'm sold on the chandelier thing.
BILL: It'd look good in... Ho-ho-ho!
Has...has anybody got my headache tablets?
BILL: Shop number one, and we've already parted company!
VO: While the boys are divided over chandeliers, Louise and David are heading further into Manchester, to the suburb of Levenshulme.
DAVID: Now, are you good at negotiating?
I'm absolutely rubbish... DAVID: Really?
..at negotiating - rubbish!
DAVID: What happens when you go on holiday and you're at a...sort of market, do you negotiate then?
DAVID: Or do you just hand over what they're asking?
I...I don't know.
The worst thing is, I'd probably rather not buy than have to negotiate.
Oh..!
We've gotta buy today though, haven't we?
DAVID: Oh, gotta buy today, yes, yes.
Can you help me with the negotiating?
DAVID: Of course, of course.
I think basically, if we aim to buy things which are somewhat novel, might have a rarity value... LOUISE: OK. ..might have a sort of worth as regards the metal, like silver or gold... LOUISE: OK.
I do love silver, so... Oh, excellent, excellent.
VO: Well, let's hope there is plenty of silver at Levenshulme Antiques Village.
With over 20 antique specialist shops, spread over three floors of this old town hall, there's a lot of ground to cover.
Louise, what I suggest we do is we have a quick scan around here.
LOUISE: Do I go for like my shopping when I go into a clothes shop?
I shop very quickly.
DAVID: Yes.
OK!
DAVID: Right, start over here.
LOUISE: Let's go!
Fantastic!
DAVID: Right, I can basically scan all the way round here very quickly... LOUISE: Yeah.
..and I would say there's nothing in here - do you agree?
LOUISE: I agree.
DAVID: Right, OK. Let's move on.
I can't say there's anything here... LOUISE: No.
DAVID: No, let's move on.
LOUISE: Gosh, you're brilliant at this!
This is my kinda shopping!
...interesting in here.
This looks interesting.
LOUISE: Yeah.
Those are rather lovely, aren't they?
VO: Finally, something's caught their eye.
LOUISE: Does this work, this Zenith radio?
DAVID: What's your very best?
DEALER: My very best is 75.
Oh!
He's got it on for 65!
My very best is about...mm... DEALER: Go on, what?
LOUISE: Twenty.
Oh, behave!
VO: Ha!
This from the woman who claims she can't negotiate!
DEALER: You trying to kill me?!
My God!
45.
DAVID: 45.
LOUISE: OK. DAVID: Right.
LOUISE: OK, we'll come back to that.
LOUISE: I didn't know I could do that!
I lost 20 quid off the price in one go, I can't beli...I literally can't believe I did that!
Just shows what a good negotiator you are.
VO: As Louise and David head off to explore another floor of antiques, Bill's still chasing his chandelier dream.
BILL: £500.
That is surely not your best price though, is it, Val?
Shh!
Shush!
Shush!
I'm sorry, it's the indigestion!
BILL: Stop it!
I'm trying here!
£200.
VAL: ..Utter... Are you joking?!
No.
I know you're not, but the answer is no.
Even...even though...honestly and truly, you've got no chance.
BILL: 150.
Is he always like this?!
He's only just met me!
There's only one legal issue that we need to sort out, is any electrical goods that you sell at auction have to be PAT tested, and you have to pay to have it tested or they cut the flex off it.
So, if the electricity's a problem... PHILIP: Yeah?
..OK, how about..?
This is a real... PHILIP: Yeah!
BILL: ..sort of gaslight... PHILIP: Paraffin lamp.
BILL: Paraffin.
PHILIP: Yeah.
And that would be, what?
1870,1880?
PHILIP: So this is the chimney, isn't it?
And then this is the reservoir, and in here, this would contain paraffin.
VAL: Paraffin.
PHILIP: And that's the wick, and that's the, uh, the expression, isn't it?
PHILIP: Gets on your wick?
VAL: Wick.
PHILIP: And then we... What's lovely about this is that it's all complete, and that's just a really nice thing, isn't it?
PHILIP: Is the base original to the bowl?
Yes.
And I bet that'd probably be all of 40 quid, wouldn't it?
VAL: (GASPS) PHILIP: Would it?
BILL: Val, how much is it?
Eighty!
PHILIP: Trouble is, this old stuff doesn't make any money these days.
BILL: It's old.
VAL: No.
Now let's...
If that... Ah-ah!
I'm not getting down to 50!
No, I haven't said a word!
VAL: No, but I... PHILIP: Have I said a word?!
Have I said a word?!
VAL: Look at the...
He does the hands as well.
PHILIP: Have I said a word?!
VAL: Yes!
VAL: Because it's you two, I'd let it go for 60.
PHILIP: But I don't think we'd make a profit at that.
PHILIP: I think we would at 40.
Let me just... BILL: Look at the color of his money, Val!
BILL: That's lovely.
Look... VAL: I'm not impressed!
Have you seen how wonderful the Queen looks on these notes?
She looked better on the jubilee.
BILL: She...didn't she?
VAL: Don't you think she looked... BILL: She did in...she did.
VAL: Did you do a commentary on that?
BILL: I didn't, no.
PHILIP: Bill.
Keep her talking I'm off!
VAL: The guy from The One Show.
VO: I'm not sure you'll get that lamp past security, Phil!
BILL: Look, it's on its way out of the shop, here's the money, it's... we're so nearly there, Val.
£40.
We love you.
Go on!
She took it!
Sold!
Oh, you're an angel!
VAL: Thank you.
He's cold as well!
BILL: Thank you so much.
VAL: Thank you.
You are wonderful, Val.
You're a pain in the butt!
And you're like Mr Pickwick!
Mwah!
VO: Kisses for the dog?
With the boys bagging their first lot for auction, it's time to check on Louise's hidden haggling talents.
DAVID: Oh, isn't that wonderful, that Humpty Dumpty teapot?
I think that's quite fun.
And it's quirky.
LOUISE: He's sort of screaming.
VO: To the rest of the world, the British obsession with tea seems bizarre, but our love affair with the drink has produced a whole range of interesting collectibles, none more so than the novelty teapot.
DAVID: What sort of price range would you have to pay for a teapot like that?
Oh, that one, that's a Sadler one, yeah.
It's probably 1920s.
I could do you that for £40.
DAVID: Forty?!
I think it's gotta be half that.
DEALER: Half that?
DAVID: Yes.
LOUISE: Yes.
15.
You're a hard man!
DAVID: Well, Louise has mentioned £15.
DEALER: Eh?!
I thought you would have to resuscitate me then!
DEALER: Eh, tell you what, £20 and meet you halfway, how's that?
DAVID: Halfway... DEALER: Don't be too hard on me.
I've got to make a profit.
DAVID: Halfway would be 18.
Look at me.
18!
18!
18!
Buy us a cup of tea afterwards and you can have it for 18 quid, how's that?
DAVID: The way I look at it, it makes me smile.
DAVID: The only thing I want to check is A, the lid, there's no damage on the lid... LOUISE: Will I go and check?
DAVID: ..and B, the spout.
DEALER: As far as I know, it's OK.
He hasn't had any accidents like Humpty Dumpty, unfortunately.
LOUISE: There's a big bit there.
DAVID: Whacking great chip.
That's really properly chipped.
DEALER: Where?
DAVID: There.
DEALER: Dear me, you've got better eyesight than I have!
LOUISE: Yeah, it's properly chipped.
How about £15, then?
DAVID: Let's see if there's something else we can combine with it.
DEALER: Yeah.
LOUISE: Yeah.
VO: As they head off to hunt for all the king's horses and all the king's men, Louise and David have stumbled upon something else.
LOUISE: So this is where you put the flowers in isn't it?
It goes into here?
DAVID: Right.
Now, if you look at the bottom, you can see this wear... DAVID: It's been around a long time, it's been around since the 1930s.
LOUISE: I like it.
It's quirky, it... DAVID: It's geometric.
You've got the faceting on the bowl.
DAVID: If you took the center out then filled it with lemons or tangerines on a table, it'll look devastating.
LOUISE: I'm learning loads, you know.
DAVID: And my charges are very reasonable!
LOUISE: I'm sure they are!
DAVID: So, we go for this and the teapot?
LOUISE: Yeah.
Special price - £30?
DEALER: £30 for the two, that's fine, yeah.
No problem.
£28 with a cup of tea!
DEALER: £30.
I think you'll do... 29 with a cup of tea!
DEALER: No, no.
She's trying so hard!
No cup of tea!
She really is!
DEALER: I know, she's very trying..
I mean, eh... VO: So, Louise and David have their first lot for auction - the glass flower bowl and the chipped Humpty Dumpty teapot.
VO: Let's hope they haven't set themselves up for a great fall!
VO: Back on the road with the boys, and Bill is getting his excuses in early.
BILL: I know nothing about antiques.
News I can do, that's my thing, right?
BILL: You deal with items of value.
That's how you make your living.
PHILIP: So that's just basically drop the whole lot in my lap?!
BILL: I drive and make the mistakes.
PHILIP: Yeah.
BILL: You...dig us out of them.
PHILIP: Thanks, Bill.
Yep.
Well, that's gonna work really well!
VO: The boys are heading 18 miles west to the picturesque town of Frodsham, in the County of Cheshire.
VO: Famous faces from Frodsham include Daniel "007" Craig, Gary Barlow and, em, Bob Carolgees.
VO: Bill and Phil are hoping to find some lots for the auction here, at Lady Heyes craft and antiques center, where there are over 40 antiques dealers.
PHILIP: I think Bill's a star and he makes me laugh.
He does need reining in a bit though.
Enthusiasm sometime gets away.
Phil?
Oh, look, he's off again on his own now!
PHILIP: (WHISPERS) What I've really gotta try and do is just keep him well away from... PHILIP: ..and... ..and... VO: Well, you might be in luck, Phil.
He's got his hands on something and it's not a chandelier!
Wow!
Look, look, look, look, look, look, look.
Look here.
Look... No, you come here.
PHILIP: Oh... BILL: Phil, come here!
This... BILL: Fitzroy MacLean.
"Eastern Approaches".
Do you know who Fitzroy MacLean was?
No.
Right.
Very well known... PHILIP: Yeah.
BILL: ..figure from World War II and beyond.
What do you think?
PHILIP: I think it's worth a pound.
Phil!
How much is that?
VO: Uh-oh!
Looks like Bill's spied the you-know-whats.
BILL: They're mini chandeliers!
No!
BILL: Why not?
PHILIP: No!
BILL: Why not?
PHILIP: No... BILL: They're lovely.
Mrs Turnbull loves chandeliers.
Oh, Lord!
BILL: Look at this one here!
This is only 40 quid!
PHILIP: OK, let's go.
BILL: Where are we going?
Let's go this way... Oh, no this one, this one.
I hate indecision.
VO: Moving on from the chandeliers, then.
BILL: Oh!
My wife loves blue and white dishes!
Yeah, but your wife can't g...
Your wife loves... BILL: Chandeliers.
PHILIP: ..chandeliers.
BILL: And blue and white dishes.
PHILIP: Yeah.
Oh, I gotta rein you in here!
VO: That's right, Phil!
You rein him in!
PHILIP: I can trust you, can't I?
BILL: To do what?
PHILIP: Not to go and spend... BILL: Not to buy anything?
PHILIP: Not to buy anything.
And you know why I can trust you?
Cuz you've got the money?
Absolutely right.
Come on, Mr William.
BILL: History - that's history!
PHILIP: I know.
The one thing that we really oughtta try and stay away from... BILL: Right?
PHILIP: Is furniture, right?
Why?
Cuz furniture is not going to be in the part of the auction that we're going to.
BILL: OK, so no furniture.
PHILIP: No furniture.
Whatever we do, no furniture.
Alright.
VO: OK, so that's agreed - no furniture.
PHILIP: I like this.
Pitch pine pew.
And pitch pine is typified by these sort of dark strands here...and there.
These would've been a lot longer.
BILL: Yes, they would have.
And so they cut them in half, so...to make them useable.
BILL: So it's been altered from the original?
PHILIP: Yeah.
Well, you can see there where it's all been altered.
BILL: Well then, doesn't that sort of normally reduce the value?
PHILIP: Well, no.
It does but it makes them usable.
That one, we wouldn't want.
PHILIP: Is there a lot of movement in these?
DEALER: What sort of price are you looking at?
PHILIP: Well, you've got 180 quid on it.
DEALER: We have.
It is...was 1850, Phil.
PHILIP: We couldn't countenance buying that, I don't think, at any more than, like, 60 quid.
I could knock 90 off it.
How much is that in proper money?
That would leave it at £90.
My maths...so £90 off that is 60 quid, isn't it?
DEALER: No.
BILL: Yeah.
BILL: Isn't it?
PHILIP: Can we think about it?
DEALER: Yes, certainly.
BILL: Let's sow that seed.
Sow the seed.
PHILIP: Cuz we shouldn't buy... BILL: Sow the seed.
Shouldn't be buying furniture.
Shouldn't be buying furniture.
But life's a gamble, isn't it?
VO: Well, I think the boys might just need some divine intervention with this decision.
PHILIP: Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today... ..to try and work out whether we want to pay 60 quid for this.
You get any feelings yet?
If I sit here long enough, I'll lose all feeling.
BILL: I just...it doesn't seem right to spend all that money on something that's not... the real deal.
BILL: It's not a proper antique.
It's been...messed about.
PHILIP: What we gonna do?
BILL: Maybe we should buy the pew after all.
CHOIR: # Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
# PHILIP: Louise, can I ask you to do us a real favor?
That's no problem.
PHILIP: But can you put it by for us for 24 hours?
It's just an excuse to get your phone number!
I'm not putting my phone number on it!
Yeah.
OK.
I like that.
PHILIP: Thank you very much.
BILL: Right, then.
Good.
PHILIP: I think that's a good result.
BILL: Yeah, we are, absolutely.
VO: So, with the pew reserved for 24 hours, it's time for a celebratory singsong.
PHILIP: # I remember you-ou!
BILL: # You're the one who broke my heart in PHILIP: # You're the one that made my... # What..?
I thought it was "made my dreams come true", isn't it?
# It's true, I don't know.
# PHILIP: I can't cope with this.
VO: Just don't give up your day jobs, eh?
LOUISE: I really enjoyed the shopping.
LOUISE: I thought it was gonna be - no offence, and everything - a bit boring but it wasn't at all, it was really interesting.
DAVID: Ha!
Thank you!
LOUISE: No, but I just like the way you approach it - go in, have a quick look, be very focused.
VO: Louise and David have had enough antique buying for the day, even though they've only bought one lot.
VO: They're heading to the Victoria Baths in Chorlton, Manchester.
LOUISE: Manchester's water palace.
DAVID: Oh, how wonderful!
VO: Built in 1906, when indoor bathrooms were still very rare, these public baths were a practical necessity as well as a luxury.
VO: Used initially for washing, not swimming, the Victoria Baths were a central part of the community until closure in 1993.
What a superb building, isn't it?
VO: Showing Louise and David around the baths is building officer Neil Bonner.
LOUISE: Hello.
How d'you do?
I'm Louise.
NEIL: Hello.
Welcome to Victoria Baths.
DAVID: David Barby.
LOUISE: Thank you.
Hello.
VO: Neil has been involved in the campaign to save Victoria Baths for almost 15 years.
VO: The baths were built with three distinct sections: first class males, second class males and a third pool for females.
VO: Each class of users had their own entrance, swimming pool and wash baths.
NEIL: This is the second class pool.
This has been floored over... DAVID: Right.
NEIL: ..and made into a sports hall.
Very different from when I swam in it.
So you actually learnt to swim right here, did you?
NEIL: That's right, in 1961.
I got my 25 yards length certificate!
Wonderful!
VO: Thanks to years of campaigning and work by The Friends of Victoria Baths and the Victoria Baths Trust, the building has been partially restored to its former glory.
DAVID: This is the first class males.
LOUISE: So you say first class males and second class males.
What's the difference?
NEIL: If you got a bit more in your wage packet that week, you could be a first class males... For a week if you like?
..for the week, yes.
OK. And the difference was in the bath rooms as well.
The first class males had taps on, so they could turn the water on and fill it as many times as they wanted.
DAVID: Right.
So what about the second class?
The second class males, they had to shout, and say "More water, please, for number three!"
And they used to come along and turn the water on and fill it up.
Right.
If you asked too many times, then they used to come along and turn on the cold water.
And that would ruin things!
And that used to get you out!
NEIL: They used to come for their weekly bath and then used to go out on the town afterwards, you know, after being dolled up and clean for a change.
VO: There has been over £5 million spent on the restoration of Victoria Baths so far.
The hope is to restore the building fully and to bring at least one of the swimming pools back into public use.
NEIL: So this is the female pool.
Before chlorination, then they used to empty the whole pool at once.
NEIL: The first class males got the fresh well water... LOUISE: Yes?
NEIL: ..then after three days, it went back to the tanks, it was aerated, filtered and heated, went into the second class males... ..then after three days, it went back to the tanks, then back into the females.
So... That's appalling!
NEIL: So the females got third hand water.
DAVID: Oh, dear, dear!
Oh, no!
That's disgusting!
NEIL: But after all the circulation... LOUISE: Did they know?
NEIL: Yes, they did.
VO: It's not only the surroundings that have been saved.
Victoria Baths is also home to photographs and objects from its past, including this collection of old swimwear.
What do you think?
LOUISE: Oh, my good...oh, look at this little number!
VO: Just your color, dearie!
DAVID: That's...that's about 1930s, isn't it?
LOUISE: Very, very sort of... LOUISE: Oh, my goodness, that is just...really beautiful, and it's got wires in and everything, you can see.
You wouldn't really want to wear that in a pool though, would you?
Go and ruin it!
LOUISE: Now, this looks kind of a bit more familiar to me.
DAVID: Well, I think that's 1950s, wouldn't you?
LOUISE: So, something that maybe my granny might've worn, do you think, maybe?
Yes.
My mother would've worn that!
VO: And on that note, it's time to say goodbye.
DAVID: You know, it's been a most wonderful experience.
NEIL: Thank you very much.
DAVID: Thank you very much.
Thank you so much.
NEIL: Thank you.
LOUISE: Thank you very much.
VO: As the sun sets on day one of our road trip, I'd say for Louise and David it's all gone rather swimmingly!
VO: And it's time for both teams to find a place to lay their weary heads.
Night night.
VO: As a new day dawns on our Celebrity Road Trip Bill and Louise are slightly distracted from their antique buying.
BILL: This is incredible.
BILL: What is that big, big bright thing in the sky that is getting in my eyes?
BILL: How is it going then?
LOUISE: David is brilliant.
He does my style of shopping.
LOUISE: Which you go into a shop and you just go...juuuu, like this one, juuuu, like that one.
DAVID: Oh, Louise is absolutely charming, she is delightful.
DAVID: She is so decisive and she knows her own mind.
PHILIP: Did many people think that it was a young girl out with her father, or not?
LOUISE: Is that the same for you or not?
BILL: No, I go in and I say I like something and I get harrumphing and frowning and coughing and spluttering and all that sort of thing.
BILL: There is a deep respect and affection growing between us as well, I think.
BILL: He is just having to be very patient.
PHILIP: But Bill is mad keen, if it's blue and white or a chandelier he's in heaven.
PHILIP: In an ideal world if it was a blue and white chandelier that would be the ultimate thing.
LOUISE: David, the trouble is I reckon is he's got a soft heart.
BILL: Has he?
LOUISE: Yep.
BILL: Oh, right.
LOUISE: You know... BILL: Maybe you could take it out and lend it to Phil for a while!
VO: So far both teams have barely touched their original £400 stake.
Phil and Bill parted with £40 on one auction lot - the art nouveau glass oil lamp.
VO: And despite deciding not to buy furniture, they put a reserve on a refurbished pine church pew.
PHILIP: It was just an excuse to get your phone number really.
I'm not putting my phone number on it!
VO: As for Louise and David, they've spent even less than their competitors - just £30 for one auction lot - the 1930s glass flower bowl and the novelty Humpty Dumpty tea pot.
Leaving them with a whopping £370 still to spend!
She is trying so hard, she really is.
No cup of tea?
DEALER: Very trying...
I mean, uh... VO: Back on the road, and with money burning a hole in their pockets, both our teams are heading to east Cheshire to an antiques fair in the lovely village of Mobberley.
VO: Oh hello!
The Mobberley village antiques fair takes place once a month in the Victory Hall with over 20 stallholders.
So there should be plenty for our teams to splash their cash on!
Ah, how're you?
Dear me!
Shall we go in the shop?
Yes.
LOUISE: Let's have a look then.
VO: With both teams diving straight in, I think this competition is about to heat up!
BILL: Phil, got something that might come in handy for you.
Excuse me just a minute.
VO: Oh, Bill's spotted something.
Surprise, surprise, it's blue and white.
BILL: This'll be useful for you.
PHILIP: Not a chandelier, please.
No, it's not a chandelier.
Oh, good.
It is blue and white.
Yeah?
Oh, alright, yeah.
But even you can find a use for this.
Yeah, You know what the problem with this is, don't you?
BILL: What?
PHILIP: There's no saucer.
What do you think though?
I mean, it's unusual.
I tell you what I really think.
You are not going to be satisfied till we've got a piece of blue-white, are we?
No, no.
PHILIP: And it's a gazunder, or a chamber pot.
BILL: Yes.
PHILIP: Goes under the bed.
OK. Oh, I see.
Yeah.
VO: The gazunder is probably more popular as a plant pot in today's homes.
PHILIP: This is Mason's Ironstone.
BILL: It's got a nice design on it, hasn't it?
PHILIP: Yeah.
It's like a blue dragon, almost aping the Chinese of 200 years earlier.
BILL: But more modern, yes.
It's just a question of what the price might be.
The lady here's slightly camera shy but...
Camera shy?
Well, it's £28.
I mean, if we could get it for perhaps... 12 or 15?
Oh, look at that look, that wince!
BILL: You've hurt her!
That wince!
You've hurt her!
PHILIP: Cut to the quick!
PHILIP: But I mean, I think £15 would be... if you could do that, that'd be fantastic.
BILL: £15, that's fair.
PHILIP: £15.
Oh, you're an angel.
There we are.
Well done.
I'll pay the lady.
VO: The boys have bought their second lot - £15 on the chamber pot.
And it's blue and white, Bill!
LOUISE: I saw you!
You just bought something!
BILL: I might've.
LOUISE: Go on.
What was it, what was it?
It was nothing.
It's a...it's a little nothing!
VO: Look out - eagle-eyed Minchin is about!
DAVID: Oh, look, turn around.
DAVID: That, I think, is quite nice.
Silver mounted, and... LOUISE: It's pretty, isn't it?
DAVID: Yes.
You've got trailed lute glass.
DAVID: Can you see that, underneath?
It's quite unusual.
I like that.
DAVID: You do?
That's 48.
What's the very best you can do on that, sir?
DEALER: 30.
It's 30.
DAVID: Birmingham frame.
LOUISE: I love silver frames.
LOUISE: When I was little, my mum used to buy these, and she used to buy really damaged ones, and I don't know how I did it, but I used to try and restore them for her and make the backs.
DAVID: Oh, right, right.
And again, what's your best on the frame?
Em...are we buying two items or what?
LOUISE: We might buy two, you see.
I'd like to see the two for 50.
DEALER: I could do the two for 60.
DAVID: Can you split the difference at 55?
Go on, it's my lucky number.
It was my number at school.
I suppose so, seeing it's you.
LOUISE: See?
I'm worth £5!
Well, that's nice to know, in't it?!
A whole £5!
DAVID: OK, we'll have those, thank you.
VO: Finally, a purchase for Louise and David, and silver too, giving them their second lot for auction.
Don't you like this?
Yeah, I do.
VO: Back with the boys and a different sort of frame has caught their attention.
BILL: I've got at home...got a section of a quilt done by my grandmother.
Really?
She was of Swedish heritage, born in Wisconsin.
And she made a quilt for the family, and we've got it up on the wall like that.
And I like that, quilting.
PHILIP: Can we have a look at it?
VO: This seller is popular today!
BILL: But it says here "1880s textile panel in an early 19th century maple frame".
PHILIP: I'm not sure it's maple, actually.
PHILIP: I think that might be burr yew wood.
PHILIP: Yew wood is...is scarce, right?
And if you think about it, it's an obvious reason why it's scarce, and it goes back to, like, the Agricultural Holdings Act, cuz yew trees weren't planted everywhere.
Mm.
The berries are poisonous to cattle, so the only place you find yew trees are either in churchyards or country house gardens.
And because yew takes such a long time to reach maturity, compared to ash or chestnut or whatever, it's a rare timber and it commands a premium.
So I...I am hoping that might be yew wood.
BILL: You would.
PHILIP: You what?
You would, wouldn't you?
Well, I just love you!
DEALER: So it's worth more?
BILL: I'm sure it's not.
PHILIP: Well, the issue is that.
BILL: Yes - damaged.
That's the real issue.
PHILIP: What's the best you can do for us?
DEALER: The very best on it would be 65.
BILL: No, no, no... PHILIP: I thought he said "55".
BILL: 55.
PHILIP: Did you hear it as 55?
DEALER: Well, I'll split it in the middle - 60.
BILL: 60?
PHILIP: D'you like it?
BILL: I do.
VO: News just in, then - Bill Turnbull likes something that isn't blue and white!
I think that's a gamble but I love...I would love to own it.
Let's do it.
Let's do it.
I'd love to own it.
Excellent.
£60.
PHILIP: Right.
Thank you very much indeed.
Thank you.
DEALER: I hope you do well on it.
PHILIP: Thank you.
VO: So while the boys take a gamble on the frame, Louise is sniffing out more silver.
LOUISE: Ooh, silver, silver, silver!
DAVID: Right, right.
DAVID: We're just looking at that propelling pencil in there.
That's rather nice, isn't it?
D'you like that?
LOUISE: I know I just said I like chunky things, but that's nice and delicate, isn't it?
VO: And something else delicate has caught the girl's eye.
LOUISE: It's definitely quirky, isn't it?
Its quirky color.
LOUISE: It's original, and... Yeah.
So it could either be for ladies... Oh, could it be for ladies?
Yeah.
LOUISE: Oh, then I really like it.
DAVID: Or for gentlemen.
And you took that... LOUISE: Oh.
DAVID: And you'd thread it through those high-necked blouses of Edwardian period.
LOUISE: Oh, my goodness, that's... DAVID: We're just contemplating possibly buying the two.
DAVID: This one I think is interesting but it's not hallmarked, so it really knocks the value, so I was hoping that we could negotiate probably em...round about, what, 40?
LOUISE: Yeah, maximum.
DAVID: 40 for those and...I'd like to see that round about 38, so we're looking at 78.
Oh.
80.
Sorry, I'm...I'm still thinking in terms about 78.
OK. DAVID & LOUISE: 78.
Right, Louise, would you like to shake the lady's hand?
DEALER: Thank you, Louise.
LOUISE: Thank you.
DAVID: One for luck!
Thank you very much!
VO: And luck might just be on their side.
LOUISE: Go on, tell me - you think they're a bit more special than you gave on, don't you?
I...yes, I think they're citrine.
LOUISE: Right.
Which is a... DAVID: A semi-precious stone.
LOUISE: Oh, really?
DAVID: Eh, with a gold stud going through it.
So I think they're a little bit better than we thought.
Oh, I love working with you!
I wanna show you something that I think you might hate but I kind of like.
Oh, right, OK, here we go!
DAVID: Oh.
LOUISE: Oh-ho, the disappointment!
What would you do with it?
VO: Is that even an antique?
DAVID: Oh, I think it's the most dreadful color imaginable.
DAVID: It's got lot of scrapes and scratches at the bottom.
LOUISE: Yeah, yeah.
DAVID: The thing I do like about it, it's typical 19th century glass...
Yes.
DAVID: ..and the technique of the glassmakers at that time, DAVID: probably Stourbridge... LOUISE: Right.
DAVID: ..to create that crimpled edge, and then apply that loop handle when the metal - because we call glass "metal" - was still in its molten state.
LOUISE: See, you're talking yourself into it now.
I'm just talking about the techniques of glassmakers.
LOUISE: I sort of love the fact that you hate it.
Wh...?
VO: While Louise tries to convince David about the glass bowl, the boys are...having a tea break.
How d'you think they're getting on?
Have they bought in here?
Well, the thing about working with Louise is that she's always very confident.
Really?
You see, that's funny, cuz she sort said exactly the same thing about you!
PHILIP: Right, so I think we need to make a decision on the old pine pew.
60 quid, I think that's cheap.
Given the pressure that we're coming under, we should probably go ahead and do it.
PHILIP: You think so?
BILL: Yeah.
I'm gonna phone her up and see what she'll do.
Right.
VO: So, with Bill and Phil decided on the pine pew from yesterday, Louise is still trying to talk David into buying that glass bowl.
Pass the sick bag!
I love it.
You want it?
It's really quirky and funky and crazy.
LOUISE: And how much for this?
28.
I'd like it for less, you see.
26.
LOUISE: Oh, there you go!
It's lovely to meet you.
DEALER: Cheers.
LOUISE: Thank you very much.
LOUISE: Thank you.
DEALER: Thanks.
VO: So as Louise and David buy another lot for auction, let's hope Bill and Phil haven't left it too late for the pine pew.
Say a prayer, eh?
PHILIP: Did you get my voicemail about the, um..?
DEALER: I did, yes.
And was £60 OK?
DEALER: That's OK, yes.
PHILIP: Oh, that's fantastic.
CHOIR: # Hallelujah!
# PHILIP: If we can get someone to pick it up... DEALER: We'll meet you halfway with it, so that... What, you'll...what, £30?!
DEALER: ..to save you some time... No, not on price, you monkey!
Sorry!
PHILIP: Thank you every so much.
You've been very kind to us.
DEALER: Thank you.
BILL: Alright.
PHILIP: Bye bye.
BILL: Bye bye.
VO: After securing the deal on the pine pew, Bill and Phil have four lots for auction and £225 still to spend.
What?
Yeah, yeah... Have you finished shopping?
Well no, no, you can never finish in this business.
Well, that's right.
How...how much have you spent in here, then, Barbs?
Well, we've spent too much, really, haven't we?
DAVID: That last book of maps you... LOUISE: I know, and that chandelier was really expensive but gorgeous, wasn't it?
PHILIP: Right.
Was it a blue and white one?
VO: Time to hit the road, and time for the boys to change tactics.
BILL: I think though, for it to be a proper test, I have to do the next negotiation on my own.
BILL: You can mutter... PHILIP: Yeah.
BILL: ..right?
You can roll your eyeballs a bit... PHILIP: Yeah.
BILL: You can quiver a little bit...brrrrrrrrr!
All that sort of thing I will take, but you've got to let me do it cuz I won't feel I've achieved and learnt properly from you, as a master unless I have been tested myself.
BILL: # Everybody was kung-fu fighting, deedle-ee, dee-dee, # dee, dee, dee-dee!# VO: On that note, Bill and Phil are moving not fast as lightening but within the legal speed limit, eastwards for a full 10 miles to the town of Macclesfield.
Good old Mac.
BILL: I'm in charge now.
PHILIP: Well, I'll ask the questions then.
BILL: Yes.
VO: And with the boys swapping roles, let's hope Hidden Gems Antique Shop has plenty for Bill to cast his expert eye over.
BILL: Hello, this is Phil.
Hello.
Andrew.
BILL: I'm Bill.
Let's have a look and see here.
VO: And straight away, he is in there.
BILL: This is an interesting piece isn't it?
And what timber is it made of?
It's made of wood.
PHILIP: I quite like that Bill, what do you think?
Well that is, it is a wardrobe and really useful, you hang things in there.
There is a drawer down there to put clothes on and you can put your suitcases on the top, that is what we used to do.
Well, you are picking this up, honestly.
VO: Oh, he knows his stuff.
BILL: Andrew, have you got anything in particular you'd like to get rid of that we could help you with?
I've actually got that charming gentleman over there.
BILL: The charming gentleman.
ANDREW: And he could be a fiver.
That is six quid too much.
BILL: It has a certain negative quality about it which I find attractive.
Really?
BILL: No.
I think we will leave that one, Andrew.
ANDREW: Are you sure?
Yeah, you're very kind, but I think no.
VO: Probably a wise move Bill, I'd say.
BILL: I do rather like that piece.
PHILIP: You do?
BILL: I do.
What you could do is you put your umbrellas and walking sticks in there and then when you have a party you can roll it out, roll out the barrel!
You can roll out the barrel!
PHILIP: You really are scraping it now aren't you?
Scraping the bottom of it!
Scraping it!
What do you think that might be worth then, Bill?
Well there is what it is worth and what we would pay for it isn't there?
BILL: I'd give you a fiver for it.
A fiver!
Yes.
I would take 15.
BILL: Andrew, meet you halfway, tenner, five, 15, halfway £10.
Fair dos.
£10.
BILL: £10.
ANDREW: £10.
BILL: £10.
Well done.
As it's you.
BILL: As it's me.
BILL: Thank you very much indeed.
Deal.
PHILIP: You're a star, you can come with me again.
Oh, I don't think so.
Well done you.
Well done you.
VO: Yeah, bravo Bill for bagging the barrel for a bargain £10.
But he's not finished yet.
With Phil outside and Bill left to his own devices, what's the worst that could happen?
BILL: See our friend over there, I think he needs a good home.
I do as well, definitely.
Definitely worth every penny.
VO: Oh no, he's bought that ghastly figurine.
VO: Down the road in the town of Knutsford, Louise and David are checking out Knutsford Antiques center.
LOUISE: Hello.
GORDON: Hello.
LOUISE: Louise.
GORDON: My name's Gordon.
Nice to meet you, Gordon.
I'm one of the managers.
VO: And it's not long before they stumble upon something.
DAVID: Oh, look at the bottom.
Little character underneath - "Keep me clean and use me well.
And what I see I will not tell."
That really is lovely isn't it?
It's pearl ware.
But there's a crack down there, can you see that?
LOUISE: And then this is..?
DAVID: It's been restored, you can feel it can't you?
VO: Common in the days of the outside loo, a chamber pot would save a trek in the middle of the night.
VO: Pots like this one made very popular wedding gifts.
VO: "Dear lovely wife, pray rise and..." What?!
I don't think Mrs W would approve of that.
But we are looking at something in the region of 1810.
LOUISE: It's really, but it's been dropped, look, it's been dropped and completely smashed, hasn't it?
LOUISE: Does it matter that it's that damaged?
DAVID: A perfect one would probably be about 800.
Would it really?
LOUISE: Yeah.
So risky.
DAVID: It has got to be under 100.
Oh, I'd get it for under 100.
VO: Someone's confident, eh?
The price on the tag is £180.
Let's hope the dealer is in a generous mood!
GORDON: Oh yes, just hold on a moment.
There you go.
Hello, it's Louise Minchin here.
LOUISE: We're looking at this Victorian pot.
Basically we'd like to know what kind of price you can do it for.
LOUISE: That's what's worrying us, that it's broken.
Hold on.
He says he paid 120 and he could sell it for 120.
DAVID: I still think because of the damage, that it's a little bit expensive at 120.
LOUISE: I'm going to put you over to David, hold on.
Hello.
You wouldn't let it go, if we split the difference at 100?
DAVID: So you're prepared to accept £100?
Alright, I'm just going to put you on to Gordon now.
LOUISE: 180 to 100, we're tough aren't we?
VO: So after successful negotiations Louise and David have secured the 19th century chamber pot for £100.
Now that's taking the urine.
DAVID: This is a huge, huge risk.
Huge risk.
VO: It's a risky business.
With six lots in total for the auction, Louise and David call it a day on their antique buying.
VO: A treat lies ahead for Bill and Phil.
They're making their way to Atcham in Shrewsbury to indulge in one of Bill's passions - bee keeping.
PHILIP: You have a level of expertise in an area not known to many people and I'm... BILL: Expertise is putting it very strongly.
PHILIP: Expertise, let me tell you.
VO: Bill's kept his own bees for over 10 years and has even published a book on the subject and today they're here at Attingham Park to meet Bryan Goodwin, the president of the Shropshire Bee Keepers' Association, don't you know?
Hello Bryan.
This is Phil.
Bryan, how are you?
Lovely to meet you.
BRYAN: This way.
VO: Historically, bees have been of interest to man for over 5,000 years, mainly for the honey they produce.
VO: Humans have eaten it, bathed in it, fixed their wounds with it and traded in it since history was recorded.
BILL: Well, this a marvelous looking little building you've got here.
What is it?
It's quite attractive really, it's a beehouse and it's build to house straw baskets or skeps, which in fact need protection from the rain.
VO: This 19th century Regency beehouse is one of only two in the country.
VO: Before wooden framed hives, many British beekeepers used these straw woven skeps.
BRYAN: In contrast to the 18th and 19th century hives, we're now using a modern movable frame hive where the frames are made of wood and you can lift the frames out of the hive so you can in fact examine what's going on and perhaps influence what's going on in the colony.
BRYAN: These cells are made of beeswax and the bees make that themselves and place it inside that wooden frame and then later in the season, they fill the cells with nectar, which they turn into honey and they process it and then they seal it in the frame - and this is a typical example - where the bees have put honey in those cells and sealed it over with a layer of beeswax and that preserves it.
PHILIP: When did they first start to use beeswax to polish furniture?
BRYAN: Beeswax has been used not only for polishing furniture but if you go back many centuries, all the abbeys and all the churches had to use candles made of beeswax because it was produced by pure virginal insects, which the bee is, or it was thought to be in those days.
VO: The honey made by the bees on the estate is sold locally.
Did you know that a spoonful of honey made from your local bees can help you cure hayfever?
VO: I'm not just pretty face you know.
Shouldn't we sort of be dressed up like Darth Vader or something at this point?
BILL: But we were going to go commando today, Phil, cuz you can do that, can't you Bryan?
When the bees are in a good mood.
Oh, you can, yes.
They're not in a good mood very often though.
BILL: No, I'm sure they will be today when they know you're coming.
PHILIP: Yeah, great stuff.
BILL: Last year, I went to see one of my bees when I was dressed up in a suit and tie, having just come back from work and I thought 'it's a nice day, they look happy, I'll just give them a quick check', lifted off the lid and then all was fine until one of them said "well, what's he doing here dressed up like that?"
And smacked me on the nose.
PHILIP: You're bonkers.
These blokes are mad.
VO: That's true too.
Well, let's hope these bees aren't as curious as Bill's.
PHILIP: How many bees would there be in there?
BRYAN: There would probably be an excess of 60,000.
You see, now you're looking nervous, but that...
The bees... this is a nice, calm, slightly overcast day.
BILL: It's warm, the bees are flying, they're going in or out, minding their own business and this is, to me, the perfect country setting.
Exactly.
Lovely day, and just the beauty of nature at work.
BRYAN: And it's a pleasure to keep bees when they are calm and placid like that.
Bees are not super-aggressive like wasps, they are relatively quiet.
PHILIP: I like bees calm and placid and I think the perfect place to keep them is probably about 10 yards back here actually.
PHILIP: Thank you.
Thanks for asking me along.
VO: Yeah, wasn't that a sweet treat?
But it's time for the boys to buzz off and meet up with the competition to reveal all.
BILL: Are you ready?
So we shall reveal... LOUISE: What have you got?
DAVID: Oh.
BILL: So, how many pieces have we got here?
LOUISE: Oh God.
Five.
Oh hang on, there's one missing.
BILL: There we are, master stroke.
Don't you love it, Phil?
BILL: Just a fiver.
We'll make a profit on that.
PHILIP: Really?
Trust me, we will.
BILL: I think this is... PHILIP: Horrible.
BILL: ..the epitome of courage.. DAVID: Well, I think it's the epitome of your taste, Bill.
BILL: What do you think of the barrel?
DAVID: I think the barrel's super, how much did you pay for that?
That's going to make a hell of a profit.
BILL: Is it really?
LOUISE: Is it?
Yeah, because people collect walking canes, bung it in there.
DAVID: The one thing that I think is absolutely super is the Victorian patchwork.
Why, what's so special about that?
DAVID: It's the actual colors and fabrics that were used at the beginning of the 19th century.
It's damaged though, isn't it?
DAVID: Do behave.
It's characterful.
PHILIP: Never confuse pattern with damage.
I've been trained, trained.
PHILIP: Clearly not very well.
LOUISE: This is a little... a pew then.
I think it's very nice, it's been stripped down.
It's lovely, cozy... With your beloved.
Yep.
BILL: With our friend here, you see.
DAVID: Oh yeah, that's three gnomes.
VO: And on to Team Minchin.
LOUISE: Ooh hoo!
DAVID: Right, there we are.
BILL: A chamber pot.
DAVID: A chamber pot.
Gosh, they're all the rage these days aren't they?
BILL: If we joined forces, we could do buy one, get one free.
PHILIP: What did that cost you then?
LOUISE: Yes, that could be the Achilles heel.
DAVID: Um, we paid £100 for that.
That's good I think.
Do you?
Yeah, I do, cuz it should make £30, shouldn't it?
That's what I fear, that's what I fear.
LOUISE: Do you think it looks more cracked than when we bought it, doesn't it?
That's what you call a cracking lot.
VO: Phil, leave the jokes to me, eh?
Do you think it's going to make it to the auction?
BILL: And that little green treasure here, is that Humpty Dumpty?
The color's a bit firm for me.
LOUISE: It's a bit gaudy, isn't it, firm.
But I'm sure somebody will like it.
Thanks Bill.
DAVID: Um, this is not my choice I might add.
So you're trying to distance, you're trying to distance from that aren't you.
This is not my choice.
I love the way we both got one that we went out on a limb.
How much did you pay for that one?
Fantastic amount, fantastic amount... £26.
We had a row about this.
£26?
LOUISE: Yeah.
BILL: Good lord.
Well, let battle commence.
VO: So, what do they really think about each other's lots?
Louise?
LOUISE: Bill's statue, oh it's awful, it's gopping, isn't it?
BILL: I like their little green teapot, it's nice.
Yeah.
DAVID: Chamber pot, I think they're going to make a profit.
LOUISE: Put that next to ours and it looks pristine, doesn't it?
God, why did I buy it?
Why did we buy it?
You know what'll be the winner, don't you?
Cheerio.
Our friend.
VO: Well, good luck everyone.
VO: So, after kicking off the road trip in Altrincham in the outskirts of Manchester, sadly our celebrities' adventures come to an end at our final stop, Bridgnorth, Shropshire.
And it's here at Perry & Phillip's auctioneers that our teams will go head to head.
Barbs, you just stop there.
No, seriously, you just stay there.
DAVID: This is incredibly kind.
PHILIP: No, no, no, no.
What time is it?
Well, it's getting on for the auction.
So, where are they, where are the celebs?
Well, breaking news in Bridgnorth, celebs miss auction.
Well, they might be inside, do you think?
PHILIP: Well, fingers crossed.
VO: Yes, fingers crossed indeed.
AUCTIONEER 18...20.
VO: While our experts wait for their celebrities, auctioneer John Ridgeway has a look over each team's purchases.
JOHN: Well, I think you've got a bit of a challenge with the shooting gentleman there, because it looks like he's carrying a sawn off shotgun.
He's probably going to rob a bank rather than go for a brace of pheasants.
JOHN: To comply with the rules on the propelling pencil, because it's unhallmarked we really have to sell it as white metal rather than silver, but it is a very pretty little lot in a nice case.
JOHN: Chamber pots aren't a particularly good selling line at the moment.
JOHN: The luster chamber pot I think will do a lot better than the other one.
Although it's been badly damaged I think it'll still sell well.
£30-50, something in that sort of band.
PHILIP: No, no, oh... VO: Both teams began this journey with £400 in their pockets.
VO: And two days later, Phil and Bill have spent £190 on six auction lots.
BILL: Wonderful.
VAL: Thank you.
VO: Louise and David meanwhile have parted with an impressive £289 also on six auction lots.
I sort of love the fact that you hate it.
What?
What time is it?
DAVID: It's getting on.
Tell you what, this cuts it a bit fine, doesn't it?
PHILIP: Mind you, it does have its plus points.
DAVID: What?
If they're not here they can't blame us.
VO: With time running out before the auction, our experts take their seats, and where are our celebrities?
VO: That's not them.
Ah!
VO: News flash, Louise Minchin and Bill Turnbull make it to auction by the skin of their teeth!
Well hello!
And welcome.
VO: How sweet.
Time to kick off this auction.
And first up it's Louise and David's novelty Humpty Dumpty teapot and green glass flower bowl, together, forever.
20 I've got, thank you, at £20 at the back of the room.
JOHN: At £20 I'm bid, 25, £30.
JOHN: At £30 I'm bid, I'll take five anywhere now.
At 30 I'm bid.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, all done with them at £30?
VO: Well not as great a fall as Humpty, perhaps, but sadly no profit for Louise and David.
VO: Next up is old Etonian Turnbull's art nouveau oil lamp.
JOHN: £30 to get him away, somewhere?
At £30 I'm bid only.
Ladies and gentlemen, at £30 only for the... Are you all done with it at £30 this time?
JOHN: Thank you.
VO: Oh, it's a blow for the boys.
The oil lamp has made a loss of £10.
PHILIP: You are smiling because at the minute you are beating us one-nil.
VO: So with Louise and David in the lead, it's time for their second lot, the silver photo frame and the crystal and silver vase.
£30 to get them away.
At 30 I have, and 35.
JOHN: 40, 45, 50, five, 60, five.
PHILIP: Ooh, you're in profit, Barbs.
They are worth more.
JOHN: At 70 I have.
All done at £70 this time?
DAVID: (YORKSHIRE ACCENT) Ee by gum that's good.
VO: Ee by gum, selling the lot for £70 means a £15 profit for David and Louise before commission.
PHILIP: Don't worry, Bill, everything's under control here.
Of course it is.
Look it's, it's like a game of football, you know, you go a goal down it doesn't mean to say you've lost.
It's a game of two halves.
VO: Well let's hope Bill and Phil have better luck with the blue and white purchase, the chamber pot.
JOHN: Can't tempt you with this one, for 10?
JOHN: I heard a fiver.
At £5 I'm bid.
I'll take eight anywhere now.
At a fiver only.
Are you all done with it at a fiver?
Well, that's a big disappointment.
Not half as much as it is for us.
BILL: How can anybody not want to buy a blue and white chamber pot?
VO: I have no idea Bill, but I do know that selling the chamber pot for £5 keeps the boys behind Louise and David.
Could you please wipe the smile off your collective faces?
Do I have a supercilious smile?
PHILIP: Yes, all the time.
VO: Well let's see if David's still sporting his super silly smile after their next lot - the unmarked silver propelling pencil in its original case.
£30 to get him away somewhere?
Oh!
JOHN: At £30 I'm bid.
35, 40, at £40 I have for the propelling pencil.
JOHN: 45.
At £45 then.
At £50.
JOHN: Is there five anywhere now, at £50 only.
JOHN: Are you all done with it at £50 this time?
Thank you.
We are getting hammered here.
You know we are.
Yeah, I know.
Yeah, we're getting hammered here.
VO: The propelling pencil makes Team Minchin a £12 profit, before auction costs.
It's just a really good job that Bill and I aren't competitive really.
VO: And on to Bill and Phil's early 20th century bargain barrel.
At £20 I'm bid for the barrel, sticks stand, I'll take five anywhere now.
At 25, £30 I've got, 35, 40.
All done with them at £40?
That's a relief matey, isn't it?
LOUISE: Well done.
VO: A relief indeed boys.
The barrel has made Bill and Phil a £30 profit before commission.
Wow!
Next up, Louise's Victorian colored glass.
LOUISE: I feel a bit sick.
£20 to start me for the glass basket?
Thank you, £20 I'm bid.
£20.
At 20 I have.
I'll take £25 to get on.
At £20.
Come on, come on.
JOHN: At £20 I'm bid for.
Are you all done with it?
To a maiden bidder at £20.
There was a lady there bidding.
Did you bid?
LOUISE: She bid.
JOHN: Sorry?
PHILIP: Hammer's fallen.
LOUISE: She bid.
DAVID: She bid.
My apologies, I keep asking you to wave your card, not your finger.
We'll start again at £20 I have, the bid upstairs, at £20 I have.
25, thank you.
At 30, at £35 only.
JOHN: All done at £35 this time?
Thank you.
Start the car, Bill, we're going.
VO: Just as well David's hawkeye spotted that.
Saved a loss.
Do you know, in a football game, when the referee makes a decision, that's it.
You don't get the offside or the penalty thing again.
VO: Time for Bill's figurine.
If that makes a profit I'm gonna whistle three chords out of Rule Britannia, having eaten three... DAVID: Cream crackers.
PHILIP: ..cream cracker biscuits, dry.
VO: We'll hold you to that, Phil!
Is there 20 for him somewhere?
Surely.
Surely.
PHILIP: Can't believe it.
Well, we'll take 10 if somebody's got a tenner, will we?
Shhh!
Don't spoil it.
JOHN: Is there £10?
DAVID: Oh, I can't believe it.
JOHN: I can see her this time.
At £10 I have.
I knew this would do well.
Get in there, girl.
Not any more, she's not.
Get in there.
Yeah!
Thank you very much.
I knew that would do well.
I told you.
I said we should have bought this.
That is a 100% profit.
It's a banker.
100% profit.
I knew that all the way down the line.
VO: So with the figurine selling for £10, the boys make a £5 profit, before auction costs.
Cream cracker anyone, Phil?
VO: The next lot for auction, Louise and David's case of citrine and gold buttons.
Or are they yellow glass?
£50 to start me for them.
£30 I'm bid.
At £30 I have for the buttons.
Come on, come on.
JOHN: 35 anywhere now?
At 35, £40, at £40 I'm bid for the citrine and gold buttons.
DAVID: Oh!
They're so cheap.
JOHN: All done with them at £40?
VO: Oh dear, David had such high hopes for those!
I'm finding this more stressful than my day job.
VO: Maybe stick to the BBC Breakfast couch then, Lulu.
Now, could the boys' Regency framed textile give them a chance to take the lead?
£30 to start me, somewhere?
£20 I'm bid.
At 20, I have, 25, 30, 35, 40, at £40... You might get more than that, you might get more.
For the burr walnut framed sampler at £40, then.
All done with them at 40?
This is a wicked, wicked business.
It's a wicked business.
VO: Maybe not.
Phil and Bill lose another lot in this "wicked" business.
Everything hangs on what you get for your chamber pot.
VO: Louise and David's final lot at auction is their big spend, the late Georgian chamber pot, bought for £100.
£30 to get it away, thank you, £30 I'm bid.
35, 40, 45, 50.
At £50 I'm bid, 55, 60?
No?
At £60 I'm bid.
JOHN: At £60 in the room, is there five anywhere?
This is a little disappointing, at 60.
JOHN: All done with them at £60?
Thank you.
Fifty quid for the pew now.
Oh, it's awful, isn't it.
VO: Oh.
A disappointing loss for Louise and David.
I feel really bad for them, don't you?
Broken my heart.
VO: So it's all eyes on the final lot for today, the 19th century pine pew.
Could this win the competition for Bill and Phil?
Very pretty, very pretty.
Well, you can start at £30 again if you like, at £30, I can see, but I'll take 40 anywhere now.
At £40 I'm bid, 50, 60, at £60, 70, at £70 I'm bid, is that 80 anywhere?
JOHN: At £70, are you all done with it at £70?
VO: Despite it not being a furniture auction, the pew makes the boys a small, but tidy, profit of £10 before commission, keeping them in the lead and giving them a victory.
You have good luck in life and you have bad luck.
That was really bad luck.
VO: Both teams started their road trip with a £400 budget.
After paying auction costs, Louise and David have lost £55.30, giving them £344.70 at the finishing line.
VO: Bill and Phil also made a loss, £30.10 after auction costs, leaving them with a total of £369.90, making them the winners!
VO: Well done Bill and Phil and commiserations Louise and David.
VO: It was a close run race - but sadly no profits were made this time.
I think we had a lucky charm that made all the difference.
I tell you what, I think that might have been the thing that just swung it for us, and I'm glad that I persuaded you to buy it.
VO: Now before these road trippers head for home, there's just one last thing.
BILL: Here you go.
Yes.
LOUISE: You've got to eat the biscuits.
Rule Britannia.
You could just try one if you want.
# Rule... # BILL: Cheerio DAVID: Bye bye.
LOUISE & BILL: : Bye.
BILL: It's been illuminating.
LOUISE: It's really fun.
BILL: Right, do you want silence?
LOUISE: Yes.
(BOTH LAUGH) subtitling@stv.tv
- Home and How To
Hit the road in a classic car for a tour through Great Britain with two antiques experts.
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