Voiceover (VO): The nation's favorite antiques experts, £200 each, and one big challenge.

Testing!

Testing!

VO: Who can make the most money buying and selling antiques as they scour the UK?

Can I see 80?

75?

VO: The aim is trade up and hope each antique turns a profit.

But it's not as easy as it sounds and there can only be one winner.

Come on, let's go!

VO: So will it be the highway to success or the B road to bankruptcy?

Job done.

I'm now broke.

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Our two antiques experts this week are Charles Hanson and Jonathan Pratt, acting captain.

Aargh!

Auctioneer Jonathan Pratt's first passion is for furniture.

I'm in furniture mode now.

I'm happy!

(HE LAUGHS) VO: But since doing the Road Trip, he's discovered a brand-new talent.

(LOW DRONES) (SHARP VIOLIN) (TOOTS HORN) (FLAT CHORDS) VO: Don't give up the day job just yet, Jonathan, eh?

Charles Hanson has loved antiques ever since he was a boy, a couple of years ago, when his parents would take him round grand old country houses.

Oh, and did I mention, he's from Derbyshire.

The reason I like it, I'm a Derbyshire man.

A very proud Derbyshire man.

I'm a Derbyshire man.

Strong in the arm, a bit thick in the head.

VO: Both experts started this week with £200.

Like that.

VO: Charles did surprisingly well at yesterday's auction.

His carved oak candle box made a staggering £50 profit.

AUCTIONEER: All done?

CHARLES: It could be yours.

That's very good.

I'm very happy.

Thank you.

VO: He starts today with a respectable £278.32.

Jonathan's fortunes, however, were mixed as some of his items failed to do as well as he'd hoped.

AUCTIONEER: Any advance on £70?

On the net at 70.

AUCTIONEER: £70.

CHARLES: You lost a tenner.

VO: Despite that, he still has a commanding lead with £379.23 to spend.

That's over £100 more than his rival.

As the competition between them intensifies, this is Charles' very last chance to catch up.

This week's Road Trip started in Greyabbey, in Northern Ireland.

Ended up in Cockermouth, in the northwest.

On today's show, our chaps continue their tour around the picturesque northwest, starting in Blackpool and heading for auction in Cockermouth.

Ah, Blackpool.

It's the UK's all-time favorite seaside resort.

Ever since the mid-19th century, tourists have been flocking here en masse.

Mill owners would close their factories for a week every year and Blackpool is where their employees would escape to.

You want a good time.

You want penny slots, illuminations.

Look at them, JP.

You've got these gorgeous mermaids here in bikini tops.

What more do you want?

VO: Er, some sunshine perhaps?

No, just try it.

It's lovely.

Go on.

Go on, try a bit.

See you later!

VO: As Jonathan finishes his candyfloss, Charles heads off to Lytham St Annes.

The Laughing Donkey Family Bar.

Where else would you find that?

I've lost my candyfloss.

I've lost my candyfloss.

Hell fire.

VO: First stop, Diana Peters Antiques.

Our chap's expert eye soon spots the work of a master ceramicist.

CHARLES: Here we've got a most magnificent biscuit barrel.

And if you want the best of a biscuit barrel to take your biscuits from, acquire this Moorcroft Florian Ware biscuit barrel.

VO: Sure takes the biscuit.

William Moorcroft was renowned for the quality and artistry of his ceramic designs.

Florian Ware was one of his first ranges.

CHARLES: The design of it with these wonderful tube-lined scrolls, which are sinuous and free-flowing, is the epitome of art nouveau, which was developed in the late 1890s.

And I love it.

If it's in good condition, it's well worth the price.

Over £1,000.

VO: Well, that's all very well, Charles, but it's out of your budget.

How about something more modest, eh?

CHARLES: Isn't she lovely?

VO: Steady!

CHARLES: Here we've got a most magnificent nude.

Austrian bronze.

She's in full length.

Certainly dressed to impress... ..by not wearing a lot.

But in fact it's all to do with the great, fast-living, free spirit Jazz Age.

She's also musical.

(PLAYS GENTLE TUNE) So if you were a dancer in the 1920s...

Isn't she nice?

And £800 is the best price.

Well, it's beyond me really.

I shouldn't even be... You see, I'm wasting time.

I'm wasting my time here.

You know, I like antiques.

I'm wasting my time and your time.

Come on, Hanson!

There's no time for this.

VO: Quite right, Carlos.

Now, Jonathan takes time out from shopping to visit one of Blackpool's most stunning architectural and cultural achievements, the Grand Theatre.

Hi.

I've come out of the rain.

Jonathan Pratt.

Hi.

Nice to meet you.

Hi.

I'm David Fletcher.

Welcome to the Grand.

Would you like to come through?

Brilliant.

Yes.

VO: Tour guide David Fletcher has been working here for 28 years.

Blackpool has always been Britain's biggest show town after London's West End and the Grand was built to satisfy the late 19th-century demand for live entertainment, for spectacular, extravagant performances, which would wow any audience.

Many of the best-known names in British theater - Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, John Gielgud, Prunella Scales - have all played here.

JONATHAN (JP): Oh, my word.

We're now in the auditorium.

If you want to just come here where we can see everything from.

The theater was actually built by Frank Matcham.

It opened on the 23rd July, 1894.

VO: Frank Matcham was Britain's most prolific theater architect.

He designed over 150 theaters, including London's Palladium and Coliseum.

The Grand is one of his most impressive.

DAVID: He actually sat in that box there on the opening night, which is 116 years ago on the 23rd July.

JP: Oh, my word.

Well presumably then this is a cast-iron structure?

It is.

Notice there are no pillars supporting the balconies.

JP: This is Victorian engineering on, I'd say a grand scale, but on a small scale, but producing something extremely grand.

DAVID: This was a very large theater at the time it was built.

VO: And no trip to the theater is complete without a visit to the uppermost tier, also called the gods.

DAVID: Do you know why it's called the gods?

As with most things in theater, it originates in Ancient Greece.

Yes.

When they had a play in Ancient Greece, they would have representations of the mortals and the gods, because that's how their lives were ruled.

The persons playing the part of the gods would be suspended above everybody else.

They had a wooden tower, a long pole and a rope and, literally, they would be hanging on the end of this rope.

Not by the neck, but by their waist.

If you were up at the back of the amphitheater, the highest point, you were up with the gods.

OK. And that became corrupted over the years as "up in the gods".

VO: It's also the best place to admire the ornate baroque plasterwork.

And yet another example of Victorian ingenuity.

The latticework around the chandeliers is part of the ventilation system.

Pressure pumped in down below.

Body heat made it rise.

It used to go up, settle out at the top there.

The Victorians worked out everything.

You don't need all these electrical... DAVID: When we had it restored, they sucked two tons of dust out from up there.

VO: Cor!

Just under 40 years ago, the efforts of the local community saved the theater from the brink of demolition.

And that's good news for us.

Their visit to Blackpool now over, both our chaps head north to Morecambe.

Like its neighbor, Morecambe is also a thriving seaside resort.

Its most famous son is Eric, of Morecambe and Wise fame, who took his stage name from his hometown.

Our boys are visiting Morecambe Antiques Centre and luckily it's big enough for both of them.

But will it bring any sunshine into their lives?

CHARLES: All the best.

Good luck, Charlie.

Happy shopping.

Watch your patch, OK?

Cuz I'll be on it.

Yeah, right!

CHARLES: Very shortly.

JP: Ah, I'll go this way.

This is my area, OK?

This is my area.

JP, come nowhere near.

If you want a monumental, masculine specimen to grace your heavy, 19th-century, late-Victorian mantelpiece, buy this.

Look at it.

It's architectural.

The Arabic numerals.

Carrying handles, too, because the weight of this clock... (SNAPPING) The handle's come off.

It's so heavy the handle's come off.

So now I ought to really own up, right?

I'd better own up to it.

Great(!)

There goes my great afternoon so far.

VO: Charles, you've broken it!

Let's see what Jonathan's up to, quick!

JP: That is, presumably, reproduction.

You've got a nice shape which looks very, very art nouveau.

It's basically an art nouveau case that's been repainted.

It's not asking for a lot of money, £29.

But in good order with the original inlay, you know, it would be sort of £40 at auction or something.

VO: Luckily for Charles, the sympathetic shop owner has let him off about the clock and he's trying desperately not to break anything else.

This I like very much.

It's a very nice, twin-handled bonbon dish.

It's silver-plated, beautifully pierced.

It's WMF, German art nouveau.

VO: WMF stands for Wurttemberg's Metal Goods Factory.

Based in southern Germany, they were the world's largest producer and exporter of metalware and this is a snip at just £10.

CHARLES: Surely it's worth between 20 and 30 on a good day.

So we'll wait and see with that.

VO: As Charles deliberates, Jonathan spots something for the suave man about town.

JP: That's rather sweet.

It's a coromandel dressing box.

VO: Coromandel is a valuable hardwood from India, Sri Lanka and southeast Asia.

JP: They're sort of multi-functional pieces of furniture for carrying around when you're going off with your staff somewhere.

JP: It's just this chap here.

DEALER: Right.

I'll just have a quick peek in one of these.

There you go.

All silver covers.

It's Victorian.

A lovely fitted case.

VO: With £379.23 left to spend, can Jonathan afford it?

DEALER: Oh, yeah.

JP: Right.

I've had a word with the vendor.

She had £500 on it.

She "had"?

She has.

That's what she's got and that's what she wants for it.

£500?

Blimey.

I haven't got that sort of money.

VO: But with £100 less to spend, Charles is being rather more modest with the items that he's looking at.

What we have here is a very nice Anglo-Indian colonial chair.

It's magnificent.

Think of the carving of this.

Probably done at the time of the Raj, the 1880s, 1890s.

It could be mine for £60.

VO: And the bonbon dish?

Jo...

..I'll buy them both.

If I said 50 for the chair and seven for the bonbon basket?

JO: I can't.

No, no.

Well, I'll pay £60 cuz I think it has mileage.

So 60 for the chair, seven for the bonbon dish?

JO: Yeah, done.

JO: Thank you very much.

CHARLES: I'm very happy, Jo.

JO: That's good.

CHARLSS: Thanks.

CHARLES: Really, really good.

JO: Thanks.

This could be Hanson's crowning glory.

This could... ..be my success.

Seat comes off.

Didn't realize that.

It doesn't matter.

Look at these legs.

They're elephants.

Again, a bit loose, but it doesn't matter.

I'm missing an ear here as well.

Doesn't matter.

I'm missing one here as well.

Doesn't matter.

It's a really, really good chair.

VO: Er, shouldn't you look before you buy?

From India to a country that's rather closer to home.

JP: That buckle there.

Quite a nice, straightforward shape.

Probably quite wearable.

The question I'm asking myself, "Is it silver?"

The reason I ask it is the decoration is this sort of black, checkered pattern.

It's called "niello".

It's a pattern which they use.

Kind of a Russian influence.

VO: Niello" comes from the Latin for "blackened".

It's a technique in which a mix of materials, like copper, lead and sulfur, are fused, usually onto a silver base.

This buckle costs a very reasonable £18.

(JP SIGHS) £12 or £13?

DEALER: Leave it with me.

JP: OK.

I'll see what I can do.

Cheers.

Thanks very much.

Last of the big spenders, eh?

VO: You said it, Jonathan.

Right.

Had a word.

Yes, he's happy with £13.

£13.

OK. Well, I'll take that then.

Thanks very much.

VO: But Charles, who's not satisfied with just two purchases, is on a mission to spend, spend, spend!

I've just been told that, literally, over here in number 27 is a guy called John who lives here and has a house full of antiques.

CHARLES: Hello.

Is it John?

JOHN: It is.

John, good to see you.

May I come in?

It's Charles.

JOHN: Yeah.

Come through.

CHARLES: Good to see you.

Wow-ee, John, I can't believe it.

Your house is awash with antiques.

VO: And, yes, this is literally John's house.

Absolutely everything is for sale, so he tries not to get too attached to his furniture, because he never knows when someone's going to come around and buy it.

CHARLES: I love the lady over here as well.

JOHN: That one is a lot more.

CHARLES: I love your lady.

JOHN: A lot more money.

CHARLES: She is just absolutely adorable.

JOHN: She's fabulous.

CHARLES: She is a statement.

To wake up to her and come downstairs and see her.

Yes, I have embraced her a few times.

I can imagine.

She's a great-looking lady.

VO: Gosh!

And she could be yours for 650!

Pounds, that is.

From one old bird though to another.

She is obviously the epitome of a fine art deco lady.

She really is beautiful.

Has a lovely figure, doesn't she?

Yes.

Hour-glass figure, I think is what you call it.

VO: You seem to have a bit of an eye for the ladies today, Charles.

# For there is no one # Else but you # To make me feel... # JOHN: I would let you have that for £50 as a gift.

Do you think, John, she's completely period?

Just the actual patination and gilding on her extremities is all ever so clean and all so uniform.

What I'm doing now is, I'm just putting my tooth, resting my tooth... Middle tooth...

I'm not sure which one yet.

But just by doing this...

..I can now tell that it's very soft to touch.

It's not cold.

It's not chunky.

It's not clinky.

That's plastic.

So again, that could be Bakelite.

VO: Bakelite was an early plastic used extensively throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

But even if the base is original, the figure might be later.

CHARLES: I'd like to buy it still because it's decorative.

I do like the female form.

I think she's stylish.

I think she's evocative and you might even say, "Charles, well, let's go into together at £25."

But you tell me.

No.

I'll do you £30.

And, John, do you know what?

He's going to change his mind!

It might be the biggest mistake I've made so far, but I think she's stylish enough...

I think she's attractive enough, and I think her decorative appeal might outweigh any concerns over age.

John, I'll buy it for 30.

You're a great sport and I think that has some mileage.

VO: For our two chaps, there's just one more day's shopping before the final auction.

Let's hope they sleep well, eh?

VO: It's another fine day and both Charles and Jonathan are in high spirits.

JP: Today, I am happy.

I am confident.

We're on to apparently one of the biggest antique centers in the North.

VO: So far, Jonathan has spent a trifling £13 on the niello silver buckle.

So he's left with the commanding sum of £366.23 to shop with.

Charles however has been rather more profligate.

Surprise, surprise.

And has spent the grand total of £97 on three items - a bonbon dish, a carved Anglo-India chair...

This could be Hanson's crowning glory.

VO: Plus a bronzed art deco figure.

He's left with a respectable £181.32.

Perfect.

Today, our boys are leaving Morecambe and heading inland to Lancaster.

They've just found out that the auction they're buying for is a general household sale.

Great.

And Jonathan spots something that might be just the ticket.

JP: This looks like a piece of G-plan or Ercol or something.

"Ercol light elm coffee table, £75."

But the thing is, that's a kind of retro, vintage style, which I think is possibly fashionable.

VO: Ercol became a household name in post-war Britain.

It moved away from the heavy, ornate, pre-war styles towards a new, clean-lined, simple elegance.

This is sort of what you call speculative.

This could come and bite me.

VO: Time to negotiate with dealer Alan Blackburn.

Out of my comfort zone with something like Ercol, but... Yeah, it is.

It's clean and it's modern and...

It's what people want.

Look, it's got £75 on it.

Yeah.

We could do better than that.

Would you do as good as...?

Crikey, I mean, £40?

I think you're pushing it, but 50 I think we could do.

45?

Go on.

Let's do 45.

OK. Go on.

Let's go for it.

VO: As it's the final day before the auction, Charles isn't wasting time either.

CHARLES: What I like here is a nice pair of weighing scales.

VO: Although the scales are based on a Victorian design, they're actually brand Harry Spankers, which means they're new.

CHARLES: These are gilt metal on the cast-iron stands.

They were £22.

They're now £16.

And I spoke to Alan... ..and he informed me I could have them for £5.

It's not my taste, not my style, but I feel I'm buying for the auction we're going to.

VO: Jonathan, however, is diverted by something rather less practical, rather more arty.

JP: That to me is probably Chinese-made.

That's, at auction, a £30 violin, OK?

But... ..bows are quite collectable and this one is stamped.

VO: Although the violin is modern, the early 20th-century bow is made by W Seifert, one of Germany's most respected bow makers.

JP@ What people don't realize is that there's a lot of work that goes into making a bow, because they have to take a bent piece of wood and make it straight so that they get the tension on it.

JP: The case says 85.

ALAN: Yeah.

The violin says 65.

Right.

Well, I think we can do a bit better than that.

I would think £45.

Can you do 40?

ALAN: Yeah, OK. JP: Good.

OK. Well, done.

Thank you very much.

VO: And that's £40 for the case, the bow and the violin!

JP: Job done.

We'll see about that one.

VO: Our boys aren't giving Alan an easy time of it today.

Oh, no.

This is the table and chairs here we discussed...

I remember it, Charles.

Albeit briefly earlier.

If I come round here.

Now I said to you, I'm going to a very... CHARLES: Have a seat, Alan.

ALAN: Yeah, why not?

I'm going to a household general sale.

This might be my last buy following the scales.

VO: Although the table is 17th century in style, it's a modern 20th-century copy.

CHARLES: Compared to yesterday, I've done a U-turn.

I've gone from buying antiques to getting a bit desperate and saying, "Alan, I'll offer you £60 for the whole lot."

Charles, go and make a profit.

CHARLES: Really?

ALAN: Really.

Alan, thanks ever so much.

I'll take it then.

VO: You certainly seem to have your business head on today, Charles.

Unlike Jonathan.

Basically, this is quite a pretty little thing, I suppose.

It's a cast-iron and enamel stick stand.

VO: Made in France in the 1920s, it epitomizes art deco style and it could be yours for £120.

Ooh la la!

JP: See, it's all umbrellas at the bottom?

Or, if it's French, parapluies.

I like that.

It's kinda stylish, isn't it?

The last auction I did, I bought things that I really liked and I ended up having my fingers burnt a little bit.

VO: Yes, Jonathan, you did.

JP: I think it's beautiful!

I paid £130.

AUCTIONEER: 120.

JP: No, no, no!

If you could tell me your best price.

I like it, but I'm prepared to walk away.

75.

Oh, I'm going to... £75.

OK, thank you very much.

Alright.

Oh, dear.

VO: Charles has finished his shopping and is heading north towards Kendal and Levens Hall.

It's one of the area's loveliest stately homes and it's also known for its topiary.

CHARLES: What a pad.

Apparently, the finest Elizabethan home in Cumbria in existence.

VO: Susie Bagot, wife of the current owner, Hal Bagot, is going to show him round.

Although the house is open to the public five days a week, it's still very much a family home.

The house was built by wealthy landowner James Bellingham in the late 16th century.

SUSIE: This was his gent's residence that he was going to pour his all into.

It really is so ostentatious, isn't it?

SUSIE: This was a man who thought he was going somewhere.

It really is showing his wealth.

VO: James Bellingham employed local craftsman to make the elaborate Italianate plasterwork and carve the intricate oak paneling, in which he also features.

SUSIE: But he must have had quite an ego, mustn't he, to have included himself in the carving?

And that is James Bellingham, with his little Elizabethan ruff and his short sort of, you know... CHARLES: He looks quite spindly, doesn't he?

VO: No need to be personal!

By the late 17th century, the house had passed to his great-grandson, Alan Bellingham, who was a notorious gambler.

He squandered his wealth and ending up losing Levens Hall to his kinsman Colonel James Grahme in a game of cards - one gamble that didn't pay off.

Colonel Grahme added extra wings to the Elizabethan house and filled it with fine furniture and works of art.

SUSIE: James Grahme refers to his "golden parlor" in his correspondence.

Oh, my goodness me.

It's Spanish Cordoba leather.

Each square is said to be the skin of one goat.

VO: Cor, must be a whole herd!

What an expensive form of wall hanging and Cordoba, in Spain, was one of the main centers of production.

Skins were covered with silver leaf, which was then varnished with a transparent yellow lacquer making the silver look like gold.

It's the finest collection of leather in Europe.

It would have been really vibrant, very alive and when the candlelight was flickering... SUSIE: Stunning.

CHARLES: It was...

Stunning now.

We always have candles when we eat in here.

What secrets have been discussed within these four walls?

SUSIE: Just think of it.

CHARLES: That's what I love.

Smoke rising, candles flickering.

CHARLES: Exactly.

SUSIE: Secrets being whispered.

That's what I thrive on.

Hands-on history, it's great to see.

VO: While Charles sees the sights, Jonathan hits the shops in Kendal.

Hi, there.

VO: At Sleddall Hall Antiques Centre something exotic catches his eye.

JP: These are Japanese, probably early 20th-century, Cloisonne vases.

Cloisonne is a process of, basically, you have a copper base, hence the copper red showing through.

And then they overlay wires and then fill all those in with molten glass, basically, colored glass to make this pattern.

Then they polish it.

But the thing is, cuz it's glass, as soon as it breaks, it's gone.

Condition is absolutely so important for these.

VO: Next up, Jonathan spots something that's in good condition... ..an engraving.

JP: Going to be 1890s or something.

It's probably just when the motor car was on its way in.

Special price to you, £40.

Oh, OK. How does that sound?

VO: Special price, eh?

The signed engraving is of Cross Street, Old Chapel, Manchester, a mere 100 miles from the auction in Cockermouth.

Handy.

Oh!

Not really £40.

So where would you like to be on that?

I think I'll try £30.

Go on then.

Let's do that.

£30.

That will be fine.

OK. VO: And that's it.

The final day's shopping before the auction that will decide this week's winner.

But before that, our chaps reveal what they bought.

You know, Charlie, that I...

I'm a fan of furniture, like yourself.

Quite right.

CHARLES: Wow!

JP: Yes!

This is 1970s.

It's the sort of nice coffee table for the front room and it's made by that magic company - Ercol.

JP, I think it's evocative of our decade, our decade when we were both born.

Yes, '72.

Has it got much stature at the moment?

No.

I paid £45.

CHARLES: You didn't?

JP: I did.

OK. Well, JP, style.

VO: Huh!

Next up, another piece of furniture.

CHARLES: Look at that.

JP: Nice and clean, isn't it?

Beech wood... CHARLES: JP, there's more to it!

I have bought a very, very heavy, planked-top, oak, trestle dining table... Let me see that.

In a Puritan style.

VO: It's too big to show Jonathan, who has to make do with a photo.

CHARLES: The six chairs and a table cost me £60.

Yeah, you might have something there.

Look at that.

Well, that's quite nice, isn't it?

Cast-iron and a lavender enamel umbrella stand.

Art deco.

Bought in France.

I absolutely adore this.

Do you know what, it's really iconic.

It's striking.

It's lightning.

And this to me is the epitome of great art deco design.

What did it cost you?

JP: £75.

CHARLES: That's good.

There you go.

Basically, what I have here is a very, very nice, cast-iron set of scales, OK?

It might not be very old at all.

No.

It might be 30 years old, if that.

Yeah.

I would say £20-£30.

Is that all?

Yeah.

I know you've probably paid a fiver for it so, yeah.

CHARLES: £5.

Did you really pay a fiver for it?

You monkey!

£5!

JP: Here we go, Charlie.

CHARLES: Oh, golly!

JP: The finest...

It's Chinese, isn't it?

It's a Chinese violin.

Oh, the bow's good, isn't it?

Yeah, well played.

CHARLES: I think the bow's worth £100.

At least.

But what's it cost you?

JP: 40 quid.

CHARLES: Yeah, that's good.

My only concern is, in a general, parochial sale, will it get missed?

JP: Oh, that's nice, isn't it?

CHARLES: Yeah.

CHARLES: It's catalogued as being German WMF.

JP: Yes.

It's stylish, although not art nouveau.

It's near classic.

It's got a blue glass liner, which might be a replacement.

But I think it's a nice twin-handled bonbon dish.

It cost me seven.

JP: Yeah, OK. That's nice, isn't it?

JP: Little engraving.

Signed by the artist.

CHARLES: Cross Street, Old Chapel, Manchester by Fred W Goolden.

I like it, JP.

Now, I steer away from pictures.

Why?

Because I think pictures, unless they're by a particularly well-known artist, in a general sale, you know, I know, can flop.

JP: I paid £30.

Fine.

I think, £30.

I think there's £20 in that, certainly.

CHARLES: Right, now.

I think the base is period.

What worries me, JP, is this figurine.

She's so glitzy and tidy.

I think she's not period in being 1940s.

I haven't paid a great deal for her, but I think I may have bought a dud.

What would this cost in a retail outlet?

Oh, crikey.

What, on Blackpool seafront?

JP: £15.

CHARLES: Yeah.

CHARLES: I paid 30.

JP: Mmm.

VO: Next up, Jonathan's buckle.

CHARLES: That's nice, isn't it?

Age-wise, what are we talking, JP?

1915, '20?

JP: Yeah.

CHARLES: It is silver.

I imagine it was quite cheap.

JP: 13.

CHARLES: Good.

CHARLES: You can see the color, the patination.

There are some minor issues.

Do you know what, it might only make £20 in the sale, but I love it.

JP: I think it's very nice.

It's very decorative.

I think you'll get probably £40 to £60.

CHARLES: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

JP: You've paid?

CHARLES: 60.

VO: They're being very polite now, but how do they really feel about each other's purchases?

Six chairs and an oak table.

£60 is a pittance, it's worth more than that at auction.

The bow in the right sale would make money.

In Cockermouth that bow's going to come a cropper.

OK, they're modern, repro.

For a fiver though, it's got to make money.

Who's going to win this auction?

Me!

VO: Are these brave or foolish words, Charles?

We'll soon find out.

JP: Are you trying to tell me you reckon you could possibly win with today's show?

CHARLES: JP... JP: No, no, no.

JP: That is entertaining.

CHARLES: JP, you never know.

VO: Our chaps started off in Northern Ireland and they've been wheeling and dealing all the way to Kendal.

Today, they reach Cockermouth, their final destination, and the auction that will sort the men out from the boys.

CHARLES: The sun is burning brightly, the hills and pasture land are alive to welcome you and I to our final auction and, do you know what, I'm getting quite emotional about this.

VO: Lordy.

Mitchells Fine Art Auctioneers was established in 1873 and it's very much a rural concern.

They even sell livestock, although not in these rooms.

But what does auctioneer James Moore think about our chaps' purchases?

JAMES: Ercol table, coming back into fashion.

It's a good, clean item.

Nice color to it.

I think that'll do well.

The bronze Deco figure, my least favorite item today.

I would have thought that it was most probably a reproduction.

The umbrella stand... it's quite garish.

I feel that it might be a little bit too much for the sale today.

Dining table and the chairs, I think that's the best item that they've brought today.

It's modern, but that doesn't matter.

VO: Jonathan started this leg of the trip with £379.23 and spent a grand total of £203 on five items.

Charles, however, started with £278.32, rather less than Jonathan.

He spent a confident £162, also on five items.

With the competition still too close to call, both our chaps are feeling the tension.

CHARLES: How are you feeling?

Charlie, I am absolutely... ..bricking it.

VO: That I think means he's scared.

First up, Charles's bonbon dish, which cost him just £7.

£15 bid... Come on, let's go.

Come on.

£15 bid.

18.

20.

22.

24.

26.

Come on!

30, 32, 34.

JAMES: 34?

CHARLES: Hanson's off.

VO: And that's a sweet little profit for you, Charles.

Tighten your belt, Jonathan, it's time for your silver buckle.

JAMES: 12, 14, 16, 18.

CHARLES: Well played.

JAMES: £20.

20, 20, £20.

Any more?

JAMES: 22, 24.

CHARLES: Well played.

26.

£26.

Are you all out for 26?

CHARLES: That's a good price, JP.

VO: And Jonathan's doubled his money.

Next up, Charles's £5 scales, but will they tip the balance in his favor?

Oh!

£5, eight, 10, 12... 14, 16, 18.

CHARLES: One more.

Come on, let's go.

22.

Are you all out at 22?

VO: So far, each item has made a profit.

Will it be fourth time lucky for Jonathan's umbrella stand?

JAMES: £50 bid.

CHARLES: Good.

55, 60, 65.

CHARLES: Well, played.

JAMES: 70.

JP: Don't stop there!

JAMES: £70.

It's been raining.

It's perfect.

On commission then at £70.

No!

VO: Bad luck, Jonathan, old chap.

Oh, dear, don't cry.

Next up, Charles's £30 bronzed, Deco figure.

The auctioneer doesn't like it, but will the bidders?

£20 bid.

CHARLES: Come on.

JAMES: 22, 24... CHARLES: Come on!

JAMES: 26, 28.

JAMES: 30.

CHARLES: Come on!

34.

JP: There you go.

It's profit now, Charlie.

36, 38, 40.

£40.

42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 56.

This is getting interesting, JP!

Bid at 56.

VO: Charles HAS had success with the ladies today.

Well done.

But with five items to go, there's still everything to play for.

Can Jonathan redeem himself with his violin and bow or will he continue to play second fiddle?

Huh!

£20 bid.

Bid there at 20.

25, 30, 35, 40.

42, 44, 46.

48... JP: He's being tight-lipped now.

He's thinking about it.

JAMES: 50, 52.

JP: It's worth more.

56, 58, 60.

Come on, come on!

62, 64.

£64.

Bid at 64.

CHARLES: That's a good profit.

OK.

It's a good buy for £64 though.

VO: So Jonathan's still in the race, although Charles is edging ahead.

Now it's Charles' carved chair.

He fell in love with it, but Jonathan was less convinced.

CHARLES: This could kill me, but I don't mind.

JAMES: £50 for it?

CHARLES: No.

JAMES: £20 bid then.

CHARLES: Wrong object.

JAMES: £20 bid.

CHARLES: Come on.

For the chair at 20.

Please one more.

Crazy.

32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42.

JP: There you go.

It's getting there.

Come on, it's a wonderful chair.

JAMES: £44 then.

At 44.

44.

CHARLES: Crazy.

46, 48, 50, 52... JP: It's still going, Charlie.

JAMES: 54.

JP: It's creeping up.

JAMES: 56.

There you go.

JAMES: 56.

Are you all out?

CHARLES: It just shows.

VO: Blast!

That's Charles's first loss.

It's a general household sale, and I've come a cropper.

VO: Item number eight is Jonathan's engraving.

He paid £30 for it and is hoping it will attract local interest.

Quite why I don't know.

£10 bid for the engraving.

12.

14, 16, 18, 20, 22... JP: Nice subject.

24, 26, 28, 30, 32.

That's alright.

JAMES: £32 then.

At 32.

JP: Yeah, there we go.

JP: That's about right.

JAMES: £32.

At 32.

£32.

VO: Yup, it's a profit, Jonathan, but only miniscule.

And now comes the battle of the tables.

VO: The first one to go under the hammer is Jonathan's Ercol coffee table.

30, 32.

32, 34... That's a really good price.

It's not!

40, 42, 44, JAMES: 46... JP: Yes!

JAMES: 48... JP: Yes!

50.

CHARLES: This style, I can't believe that.

52?

CHARLES: That's a massive, massive price.

Get away.

(JP LAUGHS) VO: And it's another small profit for Jonathan.

Now it's time for Charles's oak table and six chairs.

They're not antiques, but they sure are practical.

So you need to clear probably 180 on it to win the show.

It is so, so exciting because it is so close.

Everything's on this.

At £150 on commission.

Bid at 165.

JAMES: 70.

CHARLES: Come on!

Come on.

JAMES: 75, 80.

CHARLES: 80.

JAMES: 85, 90, 95, 200.

CHARLES: £200!

JP: Don't believe it.

JAMES: 205, 210.

15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40.

VO: It's not looking good for Jonathan.

JAMES: 45.

JP: Oh, you son of a gun.

60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85... ..90, 95, 300.

CHARLES: £300!

JAMES: Rounding it up.

305.

It was the last lot of our entire series.

My heart is going... JP: I feel it.

I can't believe it.

I can't believe it, seriously.

VO: Whooo!

Charles has made a staggering £245 profit.

Easily the biggest of the week.

JP: Oh, you're a so and so.

You really, really are.

I hate you, Charlie.

VO: Ah!

Jonathan started this leg with £379.23, which was marvelous.

After the auctioneer's commission today though, he made a loss of £2 and finishes today with £377.23, and that's tough.

God... VO: Charles started the leg with £278.32.

He made a whopping profit of £227.63 after commission and comes out on top with £505.95.

JP, thanks for the memories!

JP: I really could cry!

VO: It's been a week our two chaps won't forget... ..as they dashed across the country, making friends...

Between friends.

Between friends.

CHARLES: Between friends.

DEALER: Between friends?

Yeah.

VO: ..and having fun along the way.

They both tried to break more antiques than they bought.

(SNAPPING) (SMASHING) VO: But through the highs and lows of five auctions... Get in there!

Oh, no!

VO: It all came down to a simple oak table and six chairs.

As the week draws to a close, Charles, who came last in the first series has snatched the number one slot.

Road Trip rookie Jonathan is in second position... for the time being, at least.

The feeling is just complete, utter contentment.

VO: Don't gloat.

But remember, there are still another five weeks to go.

Next week, it's the turn of the flamboyant Charlie Ross.

Oh!

VO: And the man who will try and get something for nothing, Mark Stacey.

No price?

It's free.

VO: They will be traveling through the Midlands and Wales, hoping to turn antiques into profits, but things don't always go to plan.

Oh, you've thrown it into reverse!

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