VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts...

I don't know what to do.

(HORN HONKS) VO: ..with £200 each, a classic car, and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

What a little diamond.

VO: The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

Back in the game.

Charlie!

VO: There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Oh!

VO: So, will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

Oh!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

VO: Yeah!

VO: Welcome to a taste of the west with Charles and Raj.

Last night I had a pint of Somerset cider.

CHARLES: Do you know what I really enjoy?

It's not cider.

I love cheese.

Well they make a very nice brie in Somerset.

CHARLES: Do they really?

RAJ: Yep.

VO: Those two gourmands in a Triumph Herald are actually here to gobble up bargains.

This is a treasure island and I just want to dig with you.

VO: Dig that, Charles Hanson.

Our auctioneer from Derby.

Antiques expert and Rams fan.

At the moment it's Hanson one, Raj nil.

CHARLES: Can it be two-nil in Somerset?

VO: Not if Raj Bisram, our auctioneer from Kent, has anything to do with it.

Antiques expert, llama aficionado and wizard of the slopes.

RAJ: I was a downhill racer.

CHARLES: Oh yes?

Which means that I'm going to go flat out to win.

VO: Highly competitive between these two.

Ha!

And it's only the second leg.

VO: Raj started out with £200 and he's already made a tidy profit, with £259.58 to spend today.

VO: While Charles, who began with the same sum, has done even better, with £317.46 at his disposal.

CHARLES: And boy, I love how you say Charles.

Say it again to me, Charles.

Charles.

Yeah, I like that.

Yeah.

You say it in a nice ring.

VO: Our journey starts out at Corsham in Wiltshire and takes in most of the southwest of England before ending up about 900 miles later at Crewkerne in Somerset.

But today we begin in the Somerset village of Blackford and journey south and east towards an auction near the Hampshire coast at Swanmore.

VO: Located deep in the heart of the Somerset Levels, Blackford's premier and quite possibly only antiques outlet is housed in an old primary school.

Good morning.

Hello.

Hello, good morning.

Good morning sir, how are you?

How are you, sir?

CHARLES: Good to see you.

What a wonderful building.

And I'm just greeted by astounding antiques.

VO: Yep, Les does have stock worth shouting about, especially the English furniture.

I just can't believe the quality.

I mean, the pair of credenzas over there.

I mean, they must be worth upwards of £50,000.

VO: I think that might even be on the low side, Charles.

Academic really, considering your budget.

CHARLES: They were strong in the arm in the Victorian times.

VO: With heavyweight antiques and prices to match, our Charles will have to be on top form here.

CHARLES: In this cabinet here is some really good blue and white porcelain.

Now, be careful don't drop it, Charles.

VO: Took the words right out of my mouth.

CHARLES: But when you're looking for blue and white you're looking for rare Chelsea blue and white.

You're looking for a rare Lowestoft blue and white.

And if you can find the rarer factories in blue and white, value can be 10 times more than the more bog standard so I'm just having a quick peak in here now.

VO: Oops!

CHARLES: Nice.

Put him up there.

They're lovely.

Put these...

I've got six saucers and matching tea bowls, one, two, three.

Wow, we've got six.

Aren't they gorgeous?

And if you think back to the times when us English were discovering the secrets in ancient Greece and Italy in the 1760s, and Worcester were making these tea bowls and saucers with these ruinous finds.

Look at the old metal riveting repairs to actually maintain them as objects of beauty.

VO: No price though.

Knowing Les, I reckon the six could be £1,000.

If you don't ask, you never find out.

Les?

LES: Yes, Charles?

CHARLES: If I said to you, pluck a price for six tea bowls and saucers... 200 quid.

VO: Interesting.

But I don't really want to sell them.

CHARLES: One more thing I pulled out.

LES: Yeah?

This little tea bowl here.

That would be Chinese.

LES: I think it probably is.

How much?

Could be 40 quid.

LES: The other piece is a good early lot.

Yeah, how much is that?

LES: Probably the same price.

CHARLES: 40 quid.

LES: Yeah, you could have that at the same price, yeah.

I'm from Derbyshire, you know, things seem to be a bit more expensive down here.

Really?

VO: You're not in Derbyshire now, Charles.

CHARLES: Thank you, Les.

LES: Well I'm working on it...

I shall think on.

I could take a chance.

My mind's ticking.

The gamble could be on.

VO: Sorely tempted, eh?

Remember though, your only loss in the last leg was almost £40 on a little Derby ewe.

Be careful, Charles, have another look around at least.

CHARLES: What I quite like are these figures down here.

You've got him and her.

They are still together.

And these are modeled by James Hadley who was a very important modeler at Royal Worcester.

They've had some restoration.

What a shame.

Look at that one there.

And look at the difference.

CHARLES: Les.

LES: Yes?

CHARLES: Only a quickie.

I'm really impressed with your Hadley his and her ladies.

How much are they for the pair?

£100.

CHARLES: £100.

And between friends?

110.

(CHARLES LAUGHS) Plus VAT.

VO: I like Les.

Time to take another peek at the old china then.

I might just ask Les if I could get a bit off because he's come straight in at £200.

Next door to these are also these bits of broken Chinese porcelain.

What I might do is use this pile as a bargaining tool to perhaps buy two lots.

VO: Round two.

CHARLES: I probably will take the tea bowls and saucers.

Could you do me anything on these bits of broken Chinese bits here?

225 and you can take the lot.

Oh dear.

LES: I tell you what, 200 quid.

CHARLES: For the whole lot?

LES: Yeah.

How about that?

The break would be something like 180 for that lot there, and £20 there.

LES: I would think that would be reasonably accurate.

CHARLES: OK. LES: You know you're going to.

Yeah, I will.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Les.

I've been done.

VO: I'm not so sure, Les.

They're certainly a big gamble for Charles, not that he seems too worried.

VO: But, while all that excitement's been taking place, VO: Raj has had a more leisurely start, making his way towards the village of Nether Stowey, where he's come to visit one of the most cherished places in the history of English romantic poetry, Coleridge's cottage.

RAJ: Hello, Stephen.

Hello, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Raj.

What a lovely place.

VO: The Devon born critic and philosopher, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, had just been discharged from the Royal Dragoons and was editing a failing journal when a meeting changed his life.

Everything turned around when he met William Wordsworth in Bristol in 1795.

And it was that point that the two of them realized there was something that each of them had, a spark of genius, and that was a hugely profound moment for both of them and they became friends from that moment onwards.

VO: Coleridge soon decided to leave Bristol and live in nature, moving his family to this cottage in the foothills of the Quantocks.

He took long walks in the countryside and wrote works like The Nightingale and This Lime Tree Bower, My Prison.

STEPHEN: The romantic poetry period is not about sort of Mills and Boon romantic love, it's much much more about our connection to nature, how it makes us feel.

And that's what he wanted to start writing about in a language that people understood.

Because all the poetry that went before was quite complex, the way it was structured, and this was just in the language of ordinary men.

So, Stephen, most of his famous work originates from here, the cottage?

Yes.

Frost At Midnight, which is one of his better known poems, was written in this parlor.

It's 1798, in February, and it's absolutely silent and the only thing that he could hear was the fire, the flame was the sole unquiet thing.

His son Hartley was lying next to him in his cot here and it was one of his most famous poems.

VO: These conversational poems were a great influence on Wordsworth, and soon he moved close by.

Together they caused quite a stir.

They used to go out at night.

From their point of view, that was experiencing nature at a different time of day.

But from the point of view of the village, they were a bit suspicious because at the time the French Revolution was going on and they just thought, 'are they spies?'

And they believed that they were mapping the area for the French to invade and someone from the foreign office was sent here.

They fortunately realized that they were just poets, and that was it, that was the end of it.

Bit crazy.

Yeah, yeah.

VO: The two poets published in 1798 a work which was a landmark of the English romantic age.

STEPHEN: This is the Lyrical Ballads.

It's a first edition and although it looks tiny and quite insignificant, in terms of English literature, it's huge.

VO: One of Coleridge's contributions, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, became so famous that a particular phrase entered the language.

"Day after day, day after day, we stuck nor breath nor motion, "as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean.

"Water, water everywhere and all the boards did shrink.

"Water, water everywhere, not any drop to drink."

VO: Coleridge spent just three years in Nether Stowey and although subsequently his collaborator became poet laureate, Coleridge fared less well.

He developed an addiction to the laudanum he'd been prescribed and then quarreled with Wordsworth.

He continued to write, however, and was encouraged by Byron to publish Kubla Khan.

Coleridge died in London in 1834, aged 61.

I think when people talk about Wordsworth, it's very rarely that you won't hear the name Coleridge in the same sentence.

The two of them are always linked.

It's Coleridge's work that endures.

It is his poetry that was written here, is still remembered today.

I suppose his legacy is that he was one of the crucial voices of the romantic poetry movement in this country.

VO: Now back on the lonesome road.

Our two travelers are together again.

Go right here, Raj.

Certainly, Charles.

CHARLES: Clear my way.

Just about.

You know, if you ever decide to give up antiques... Yeah.

..the military's for you.

I thought I might become a driving instructor.

VO: Yeah, and I might become a ballroom dancer!

Getting along famously, aren't they?

CHARLES: Around here, even if you see things outside, it's always worth maybe just stopping off and saying "look, let's knock on the door."

Yeah, maybe we could be like rag and bone men.

VO: Well, strangely enough, Raj has it on good authority that there may be a bargain around here somewhere.

CHARLES: Don't be long.

RAJ: No, I'll try not to be...

I've got shopping to do.

I've got shopping to do.

VO: Not sure Brian's workshop would be Charles' sort of thing anyway.

RAJ: Wowee, look at this.

I'd like to sell this, but I can't.

Well to be honest, it's a little on the big side for me.

This is the only one in the world.

It's the only one in the world?

Yeah.

And what exactly is it?

It's a portable steam engine, motive power, made by Paxman's of Colchester.

RAJ: Amazing.

BRIAN: And I have been in my collections gathering little bits for years.

And I've got a little steam boiler which will be very very attractive to the right people.

If you wanted it, I'd sell it cheap.

RAJ: Yeah?

BRIAN: Yeah.

To be honest, I haven't got a clue what it's worth, but what are we talking about?

A tenner?

Could I buy it for a tenner?

BRIAN: A little bit more than a tenner and I expect you could get 150 to 200 for it.

RAJ: What about £20 and I'll just take a chance?

Done.

We have a deal.

Fantastic.

Thank you very much.

So it's a vertical... BRIAN: Vertical steam boiler.

RAJ: How old is it?

BRIAN: Oh, there you are.

Now there's no maker's plate but I would say it's got to be 100 years old.

VO: At least it's an antique then.

RAJ: Charles?

CHARLES: Raj.

RAJ: Close your eyes.

CHARLES: Are you being serious?

I can hear something jangling in the back.

CHARLES: Raj?

RAJ: Keep your eyes closed.

What's going in the boot?

There's a fair weight in there.

VO: Yeah, mind the back axle.

Brian, thank you very much.

VO: Point to Raj, I reckon.

CHARLES: Why don't you... Yeah, just pump it a bit.

RAJ: Pump it a bit?

I'll tell you what I am going to pump in a minute.

VO: That little encounter took place just outside the south Somerset town of Somerton.

VO: Although nowadays a fairly sleepy place, Somerton was once the county town.

Some even think that back in 900AD it might have been the capital of Wessex.

CHARLES: Good morning.

MAN: Good morning.

Sorry, afternoon.

I beg your pardon.

MAN: No problem.

CHARLES: And your name is?

MAN: I'm Paul.

Paul, Charles Hanson.

Pleased to meet you, my friend.

VO: Now Charles got off to a runaway start earlier so what, we wonder, will his tactics be here?

I've had a fairly eventful morning of big spend.

I think now it's time to pull myself in and just perhaps find something that's slightly...steady.

But ready to go go go.

VO: Mixed messages, I'd say.

I quite like, is it for sale, I think maybe you're using it in your shop, this lucky dip bin.

PAUL: It could be.

CHARLES: Could it be for sale?

PAUL: It could be.

I quite like it because it's just... OK, it's not very old.

What could it be?

1960s?

'80s?

'70s?

Maybe '70s.

Was it your era, Paul, the '70s?

< Yes.

(LAUGHS) There we go, there we go.

I'm normally very much into my antiques, Paul, you know, an antique by definition needs to be 100 years old.

This isn't, but to me it radiates a period, it radiates a style.

And almost, for me, it's a yesteryear object that takes you back to your childhood.

PAUL: Yeah.

CHARLES: What's the best price?

Between mates?

Ooh... £70?

And you get the free gifts?

CHARLES: Really?

As well?

PAUL: And you get the free gifts as well.

VO: This could get complicated.

CHARLES: What are the gifts, Paul, inside?

Can't tell you that.

You have to pay 50p to buy one.

(CHARLES LAUGHS) CHARLES: I reckon there must be at least the best part of 150 presents in here, mustn't there?

I don't think there's that many.

About 80.

So 80?

So I might give the gifts a miss.

I could then almost have £40 off?

£30 off.

Really?

What's his name, by the way?

Has he got a name?

PAUL: No.

CHARLES: No name.

PAUL: You could name him.

I might call him Charlie.

VO: So £40, and on the shortlist.

VO: And elsewhere in Somerton, Raj is on the prowl.

Raj, nice to see you.

It's Andrew.

Welcome to Market Cross Antiques.

Hello Andrew.

Nice to meet you.

Lovely looking shop you've got here.

ANDREW: Oh, thank you.

VO: Oh yeah.

No seaside clowns though.

Ah well, I'm sure he'll find something.

It's really nice to actually come in a shop and see so many antiques.

VO: Well, a quick look at the sign would have done it, Raj.

RAJ: There's a nautical cookery book here.

It's a lovely little thing.

I've never seen a nautical cookery book before.

This dates from about 1920, 1930.

It's an unusual little piece.

Isn't this lovely?

It says here, "The nautical cookery book, "for the use of stewards and cooks of cargo vessels."

Stewed oysters or clams with white wine sauce.

So they didn't eat too badly, did they?

It's got £20 on the ticket.

I might be pushing it but if I can get this for a fiver, I might do quite well on this.

I'm beginning to think that everything I buy is a fiver.

VO: You're not alone there, Raj.

VO: How is the lucky dip going on?

Over here we've got this almost magical figure on a carpet, which appears to be a little eastern cobbler, isn't he?

Yes he is.

CHARLES: Priced at £85, Paul.

What would be the best on him?

50?

CHARLES: 50, yeah.

You see, you're good.

VO: Not everyone's cup of tea.

But he was designed by the famous CJ Noke.

Plus, when it comes to Royal Doulton, there's always a guide price to help out.

So there he is.

HN1706.

Here, his retail price is 275.

When it comes to auction, you normally drop it by about 75%.

It's a good price, food for thought.

So, the cobbler versus the clown.

VO: It's like an episode of Batman in here.

Holy knickknacks!

He's already got plenty to ponder.

If I did buy and took a risk and bought the Doulton cobbler... PAUL: Yeah.

..and bought the clown, what would be your best prices, to an old mate?

PAUL: £80 the pair.

CHARLES: Oh dear.

What do I really want to do?

Your absolute bottom is...?

70.

That's it.

VO: Getting tense.

Time for a spot of Somerset air.

CHARLES: It's a difficult decision.

I've got to think about my big find, my Worcester, and how I put those in the sale, but these two objects, if the price is right, they can come down a bit.

I might take the two and then work it out later.

VO: Gird your loins, sir.

Is there anything you could do on the £70?

Aw... (LAUGHS) Em... We'll go down to 60.

That's a good price.

CHARLES: Yeah.

But I just wonder if I could perhaps acquire them both for £25 each?

Put your hand there.

Thanks a lot.

PAUL: Thank you sir.

CHARLES: Deal done.

VO: £50 the two.

They got there.

Now, I wonder what Raj has unearthed.

RAJ: I've spotted a pair of watercolors by a listed artist.

This is by, I believe it's Abraham Hulk.

VO: It could be either Hulk senior or junior.

Incredibly, there are a whole dynasty of 19th century Anglo Dutch painters of maritime scenes.

The price for the two is £110.

I'm going to really chance my arm on these.

VO: Time to pipe Andrew aboard.

I quite like these.

They are very nice and decorative and the auction that they are going to is on the coast so I think they might be perfect and they've been well framed.

But...but I'm going to be cheeky.

OK. Cheek away.

Cheek away.

I could do you a good deal on these.

You can?

I bought them, they came with another watercolor I really wanted.

Right.

This could be the big one for you, that gets us ahead of Charlie Hanson.

Really?

ANDREW: Yeah.

I think it could.

VO: Hear that?

He's practically on your team.

I mean, would you take £20 for them?

Yeah, go on.

As it's you.

I'll do that for you.

RAJ: Really?

ANDREW: Yeah.

Really?

You've got yourself a deal.

RAJ: Really?

ANDREW: Yeah.

VO: Shake his hand, then.

RAJ: Now I feel bad.

Now you feel bad, so you want to give me some more, don't you?

Well I was going to go higher, but I'll tell you what I'll do.

I'm going to be fair.

I'm going to give you 25 for them.

If you're happy to pay 25, we've got ourselves a deal.

VO: Well that is a first.

RAJ: I've seen something else then.

ANDREW: Really?

RAJ: While I'm on a roll.

We're on a roll now, aren't we?

RAJ: Yeah, can I show you this?

ANDREW: Yeah, 'course you can.

RAJ: Yeah, it's just a nice little nautical cookery book.

Can I offer you a fiver for that?

I can go and make a phone call... Would you?

..and find out for you, yeah.

I can't believe I got the pictures for £25.

They've got to do well.

ANDREW: Oh Raj.

RAJ: Yes?

Andrew.

I've given our dealer a phone call and the best she can do is 10 quid.

I've got to squeeze you on this one.

ANDREW: OK, mate.

RAJ: Eight?

Yeah, go on then.

RAJ: Yeah?

ANDREW: Yeah.

We've got a deal.

Thanks very much.

I'll sort her out for you.

RAJ: And while you're here, is there anything else nautical that you can think of?

I'll take a bit of a look around and see if I can find something.

Yeah, you never know.

It'd be nice if there was something...

Absolutely.

If I could make... ..make a little bit of a job lot up.

VO: More?

He can't stop buying today.

ANDREW: I was just thinking there's a nice flag here.

It's got a bit of age to it.

St George's flag.

Could be a naval flag.

It's the sort of size that they use for naval signaling flags.

RAJ: Yeah, that might go perfect with the book.

Can I make you an offer?

'Course you can.

Would you take a fiver for it?

Yeah, go on.

I'll take a fiver for that.

VO: So Raj now has his watercolors and another nautical lot, of the cookbook and the flag.

I think he's been inspired by the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

RAJ: I don't think there's any great age to this but it's...it's just a pretty little sloop.

I mean, I should think this is as modern as anything.

VO: A sloop, from the Dutch "sloep", is a sailing boat with a single mast.

The ticket price is £24.

If I can get this for a tenner, it'll add, it'll just give some more oomph to the lot I've got.

VO: Or sink it.

RAJ: Andrew, this naval lot...

This is growing now.

Yeah, it's growing into a convoy.

OK?

This little sloop here.

ANDREW: Oh, the little sloop?

RAJ: What about a tenner?

The absolute death on it is half price, 12.

RAJ: I'm not going to quibble on that.

OK, mate.

Thank you very much.

RAJ: Thank you.

ANDREW: Lovely job.

OK, that's good.

VO: Not a bad haul, Raj.

VO: Now, back to the driving lessons.

You know when you ever pull a junction like back there, always go into first gear.

RAJ: Really?

CHARLES: You'll be OK. RAJ: You just let me know when you want me to do an emergency stop and I'll do one.

CHARLES: Fine.

Not quite yet.

RAJ: You ready?

(BRAKES SQUEAL) VO: Right.

Night night.

VO: Today is someone's very special day.

CHARLES: It's your birthday!

RAJ: It sure is.

CHARLES: The sun is shining, you're antique road tripping with your new best mate and it's your birthday.

How old are you today?

RAJ: Cut!

(CHARLES AND RAJ LAUGH) VO: Our experienced expert certainly had a good day yesterday, acquiring some watercolors, a cookbook, a flag, a sloop and a steam boiler.

To be honest, I haven't got a clue what it's worth.

VO: Those set him back £70, leaving almost £190 in his wallet, while Charles was equally acquisitive, plumping for a clown, a Doulton figurine and enough tea bowls to open a cafe.

I'm from Derbyshire, you know.

Things seem to be a bit more expensive down here.

Really?

VO: That lot cost £250, so he's got just under £70 left for today's bargains.

RAJ: I have to say that spending my birthday with you today is a real pleasure.

RAJ: What are we stopping for?

CHARLES: Sorry, I was reading a sign back there.

I thought it was a stone.

I thought it might be for sale.

Sorry, Raj, what were you saying?

RAJ: Yeah, you carry on.

VO: Later, they'll be making for an auction in Hampshire at Swanmore, but the next stop is at Wareham in Dorset.

VO: Between the rivers Frome and Piddle sits the delightful town of Wareham.

I wonder if our birthday boy will find a pressie.

Good morning, Jake.

MAN: Hi there, how are you going?

Very well, thank you.

JAKE: Nice to meet you.

RAJ: Lovely to meet you too.

Very nice little shop you have here.

Anything that you think would be a good little buy for me?

We've got what I thought was a Chinese or Japanese cup there.

We did have an Oriental expert look at it and she actually said it was English.

I'm not saying it's going to be worth as much as the Ming one that went for about 20 million.

RAJ: If only.

That would definitely upset Charles.

Yeah, I think it'd upset me as well, a little bit, to be honest.

VO: Quite, Jake.

The ticket price is £49.

Odd he's after blue and white as well.

RAJ: Yeah, it's a 19th century copy, isn't it?

JAKE: Yeah.

RAJ: But it's unusual to have these marks on the bottom.

JAKE: If I was going to put money on it, I would have said it was Japanese.

RAJ: What could you do it for?

To give you a chance, I could definitely come down to 20 for you.

I guess they said it was what, mid 19th century?

Yeah, I reckon it could be a little bit older though.

It could be like 200 years old.

RAJ: It's got a lovely little design on it too.

It's got the Japanese lady there, it's blue and white, blue and white is... Lots of people collect blue and white.

VO: Well, we know two anyway.

RAJ: £20, you say?

Yeah.

I reckon you'd have a chance at that.

RAJ: You've got a deal.

JAKE: Alright.

Brilliant.

Thanks very much, Jake.

Thanks very much indeed.

JAKE: Cheers.

RAJ: It could create a buzz at the auction.

VO: I think Charles has similar hopes, Raj.

What else do they have?

RAJ: Here's a nice old piece.

In fact, funnily enough at our auction rooms, we have a collection of gavels.

VO: I wonder when he'll finally splash some serious cash.

What do you think is your rarest piece in here?

These are actually quite nice.

We had these looked at.

They're actually solid silver.

JAKE: It's actually a Danish silver mark.

RAJ: Yeah, it's quite an unusual design.

What have you got on those?

169.

They could be Georg Jensen.

Georg Jensen is one of the most famous Danish makers.

Just as a matter of interest, what would be the best on these?

JAKE: I might be able to do 100 on them for you.

If I was going into an auction where the auction was going to be online, I think I'd snap those up.

RAJ: I think because I'm not sure, Jake, I'm going to have to leave them, OK?

VO: Aw, I thought we were getting somewhere then.

Chess set suit you better, sir?

RAJ: It's not that old.

It's definitely a sort of turn-of-the-century one.

I would say this is probably, you know, early 1900s.

Looks like it's a boxwood.

JAKE: What have we got on there, 29?

RAJ: 29.

Could certainly come down to 20 for you.

RAJ: To be honest, I would want to be paying more about 10.

How about meeting in the middle at 15?

I think there's definitely a profit in this, Jake, with that at 15, there's no doubt about it.

The thing is, I don't know if you know, but I'm up against Charles Hanson.

VO: I suppose Charles ought to be flattered by such tactics.

JAKE: Alright then.

To give you a chance, I'll do it for a tenner.

How can I turn down a chess set for £10?

JAKE: There is actually a wooden board down there.

It doesn't actually belong to the chess set but it might be something that you could look at.

That's not a bad board.

Can you do that for a tenner?

Yeah, I'll throw it in.

Brilliant?

JAKE: Yeah.

RAJ: Fantastic.

JAKE: Alright.

RAJ: Great.

VO: So, £20 for those and £20 for the cup and saucer.

£40.

Brilliant, thanks a lot.

Lovely.

Thanks again.

VO: He's got quite a pile now.

VO: Meanwhile, just outside Wareham, Charles has come to find the tiny cottage that was once the home of a legendary British war hero.

Good morning.

WOMAN: Morning, Charles.

CHARLES: Alison?

ALISON: Pleased to meet you.

I feel like saying I'm Hanson of the Road Trip.

VO: Yes... Clouds Hill was where TE Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, came after his famous exploits during World War I. ALISON: He came down here in 1923, found the cottage as a place to retreat from what he called the brutality of the barrack life and it's very individual inside.

VO: Lawrence was stationed with the tank corps nearby, they're still here, when he rented this old forester's cottage.

And every detail from the Greek inscription over the lintel, which means "why worry?"

to the interesting plumbing reflects his unique personality.

CHARLES: Wowee, Alison, it's just... ..a cottage like no other.

It is, a tiny cottage with just four rooms.

CHARLES: It's so dark in here, isn't it?

Why is it so dark?

ALISON: Cuz there was no electric lighting.

We've kept it the way that Lawrence had it, with no electric light.

And when was the building given to the trust?

In 1937, his brother gave it to us, so just two years after his death, so we've been looking after it for nearly 80 years.

So in fact, there was no time to see any alterations, it's just how he left it in '35.

ALISON: We have it very much like that.

VO: Well, almost, because this room, the book room, once contained 2,000 volumes.

So when many of the more valuable tomes were removed to the Ashmolean Museum, Lawrence's friends replaced them with images of the man who brought about the Arab revolt against the Turkish army.

ALISON: He was by no means the only British officer helping the Arabs, but he was unique in that he had learned their language, he had absorbed their manners and he adopted their dress, and he enabled them.

He just was this unique character, which they adored.

Exactly.

He didn't try to tell them what to do.

He recognized that they were tribes people, used to travelling about, so he developed guerrilla tactics, and he earned the respect of the Arabs because he showed that whatever they could do, he could do as well.

VO: And the archaeologist who could ride a camel as well as converse in at least eight languages created a bolt hole to match.

CHARLES: Is this a bedroom then, or...?

Well, Lawrence didn't do anything in a conventional way.

No.

ALISON: Not a conventional bed, a huge divan, it must be about six-foot square, covered in leather.

Yes.

And he used it more as a couch, somewhere to sit and look at his books.

Really?

So he would almost sort of recline on this couch...

Yes, maybe talking to friends and in the middle, you can see there is a sleeping bag and he stitched those word, "meum" onto it.

Which means?

Mine in Latin.

Really?

Just... Upstairs you'll see there's one that goes with it, "tuum" for a guest, "yours".

CHARLES: Even this chair, I've never seen such an angular art deco chair.

ALISON: That was made for him.

CHARLES: Made for him?

ALISON: He was very slight.

When he came back from the war, he was probably only about 80lbs.

He'd lost a phenomenal amount of weight.

80lbs?

ALISON: But lovely, isn't it?

It's got sheepskin, so it'd be all lovely and warm on his back.

He would have had it turned round, feet on the fender, reading his book with this, which he designed this and had it made by some friends.

CHARLES: What an ingenious man.

ALISON: And he even had a little gadget there so he didn't have to hold his own toasting fork up.

This comes out.

You pop your toasting fork in there to toast your bread.

I just feel so close to the great man.

It really is quite a special feeling.

VO: But crumpets aside, Lawrence was no cook.

Instead he lined a huge larder with aluminum to store tinned food and added a bed for his overnight guests.

Lawrence did his entertaining upstairs in the music room.

CHARLES: It's so different.

What I love is this huge gramophone.

I've never seen such a big horn.

It's almost like a bachelor pad.

Absolutely, he often describes in his letters sitting here with friends, playing music, saving certain ones until it was dark because they had more impact.

CHARLES: Really?

VO: At Lawrence's soirees, the likes of EM Forster and Robert Graves would apparently sit around clutching a tin of olives.

Thomas Hardy too.

Although there is a bathroom, I wonder how they coped without a loo.

CHARLES: So no toilet but hot water?

ALISON: Absolutely.

He always said that if he had the luxuries, he could do without the essentials, and his luxuries were his hot bath, his books and his music.

CHARLES: I like his style.

I better go.

It's been wonderful, thank you so much.

I think nature is calling.

Oh, let me show you where the spade would be, by the front door.

Thank you very much.

VO: Now, fortunately for our two, Wareham is a convenient distance from the Hampshire town of Ringwood where they will be enjoying one last shop, together.

Oh dear.

RAJ: To be honest, if you go up there and park up there... CHARLES: I'll go out your side as well.

RAJ: (LAUGHING) If you... CHARLES: Agh!

VO: Steady on.

RAJ: If you can park up up there, I'd appreciate it.

CHARLES: Wait for me!

VO: Lordy.

He won't let me in.

VO: Control yourself, please.

RAJ: Sorry about that.

CHARLES: Our best behavior, OK?

Yeah, best behavior.

Hello, Carol.

Hello, I'm Carol Miller.

Hello, how do you do?

I'm Raj and... CAROL: Oh, which way are we going?

Now who's this?

Hello, Charles.

RAJ: Oh sorry, Charles.

Go on, Charles.

VO: We can hardly blame them for getting a little overexcited.

It's a very nice shop after all, with a bit of French influence here and there.

RAJ: You like oysters, don't you?

Well, I don't but my husband did.

Oh, your husband did.

Because I've noticed it in all the rooms, there's these beautiful oyster dishes.

CAROL: Yes.

That's quite a nice one, that oyster plate.

That's quite nice.

That's French.

RAJ: Dating it, I would say, between 1890 and 1910?

CAROL: Yes, that's about right.

RAJ: Yeah?

Lovely colors... CAROL: It's difficult to tell exactly.

But they are good colors and that one's in good condition too.

RAJ: How much could you do this for?

Really, it's marked 65... 45.

And that's a good deal for today.

Could you do it a little bit less?

What do you mean by a little bit less?

It's not going to be a tenner.

VO: Has she seen him in action then?

RAJ: Would you do £30?

Oh I don't know that I could do 30.

I'll do 35 just to be... RAJ: 35?

CAROL: Just to be nice, yes.

You're sure you're happy with that?

CAROL: Yes, yes.

In that case, definitely, we have a deal at 35.

Jolly good.

Thank you very much indeed, Carol.

VO: Now, what's Charles up to?

CHARLES: Quite like this lamp over here, Valerie.

It jumps out because it's probably Eastern.

If we lift it up very carefully without damaging the...oops.

VO: Oh!

Oh dear!

VALERIE: Damaging the shade...

There you go, look, I'll put it on there for safekeeping.

OK?

It is a very nice Japanese bronze vase, probably Meiji period, so 19th century.

Beautifully patinated in this luster, oily bronze.

I'm so sorry, but it isn't for sale.

And she wouldn't be open to an offer at all?

Not at all.

Oh, what a shame.

VO: That is unfortunate, although his rival may not see it that way.

Have you bought up already?

I think I might have done.

Are you serious?

I'm serious.

OK. Well, the world is my oyster.

Funny you should say that.

VO: Quite.

Now, Charles hasn't actually added to his purchases here, so let's have a look at what they'll be taking to the auction.

VO: Raj parted with £145 for a steam boiler, a flag, a sloop, and a cookbook, some watercolor, a cup and saucer, a chess set and board, and finally, an oyster dish.

VO: While Charles spent £250 on a clown, a Doulton figurine, some oriental tea bowls and six Worcester tea bowls that he's dividing into three lots of two, get it?

So, what did they make of each other's buys?

There's no doubt about it that Charles has a reputation for being a bit of a clown.

CHARLES: I just can't believe that steam boiler.

I think it cost £20.

Market value, probably today, is more like £10.

I do like the Worcester blue and white bowls.

They are lovely.

I do like the 18th/19th century style tea bowl and saucer.

In fact, it's more like 1920s.

Full of eastern promise - I doubt.

VO: After setting off from Blackford in Somerset, our experts are now heading for an auction close to the Hampshire coast at Swanmore.

CHARLES: The car is purring.

You're driving it like a man.

Your feet look better on the pedals as well today, I don't know why.

Are you wearing different shoes?

No.

VO: Welcome to this fine Edwardian pumphouse, now converted into a quite different use.

Feeling pumped up?

RAJ: Yeah.

VO: I wonder what auctioneer Dominic Foster thinks will prosper here.

Period ceramics don't sell that well.

Things like the period Worcester might be a little bit slow.

My favorite item today is probably the cast-iron boiler cylinder.

It's quite an interesting object, it's quite useful, could be used as a stick stand, or in the garden or something like that.

VO: Hey, I didn't see that coming.

So boiler time for Raj.

Heavy enough, but how hot can it be?

I've got 40, 50 and I've got £60... CHARLES: No!

Wow.

RAJ: Nice.

62 there is.

65 anywhere?

Well done.

65 here.

68?

70.

I can't believe it.

£70 here.

Two anywhere?

Keep going, keep going.

AUCTIONEER: 75... CHARLES: You are.

78 anywhere?

Come on!

Sorry.

75.

I'll sell it then at £75.

Give me a high five.

(GAVEL) 2008... Wowee.

VO: Riveting result, what?

Next up, it's Charlie the Clown.

Look at me, son, while I'm talking to you.

Bids on it here, I've got 40, I've got 45... Come on.

Let's go.

48 there is.

50 anywhere?

50, there is.

Two... Good man.

Keep going, keep going.

55, 58, 60?

At 58.

60 anywhere?

VO: Gottle o' geer!

Oh, is it my lot?

Is it the wrong lot?

AUCTIONEER: 55, sir?

CHARLES: Oh no!

VO: No, it's definitely yours.

AUCTIONEER: 65 anywhere?

CHARLES: Oh no!

Sell it at £62 then.

(GAVEL) 165.

Was that for the clown?

AUCTIONEER: It was.

CHARLES: Yes it was!

RAJ: It was.

CHARLES: It was!

Do try and keep up.

CHARLES: Sorry, sir... AUCTIONEER: That's alright.

VO: Nice profit, Charlie.

Next it's Raj's little maritime collection.

Couple of bids here.

20, 24 here.

Well done.

Profit.

AUCTIONEER: 26 anywhere?

RAJ: No.

26?

28.

30?

Two.

34.

36.

38.

40.

Two.

Yes, yes.

44, 46, 48, 50.

You've got a gift, you have.

Yes.

Two.

No?

At £50.

Sell it at £50 then.

Bit more, bit more!

(GAVEL) 1256.

Well done, chief.

VO: Yep, doubled his money.

How will his Hulks fare?

What were they priced at originally?

110.

And they cost you 25?

RAJ: Yeah.

CHARLES: Crikey!

Yeah.

CHARLES: I like your style.

RAJ: It's the way I smile.

Again, couple of bids here.

I've got 40 and five, £48.

CHARLES: Wowee.

It's good.

AUCTIONEER: 50 anywhere?

50 there is.

Two anywhere?

52.

55, sir?

Yes?

No, 55.

58.

60.

Two.

65.

68.

70.

Two anywhere?

At £70.

Two anywhere?

Come on, come on.

Selling then at £70.

(GAVEL) Yours, sir.

VO: Not quite the smash he was after, but not bad.

You're like the ocean around here.

You're so calm and serene in your profitmaking machine, which you are.

Because I know I'm up against admiral of the fleet.

Well, I tell you what, Hanson's walking the plank at this rate.

VO: Enough.

Time for Raj's chess gambit instead.

35, 38 here.

40 anywhere?

In profit.

Yeah, good.

38's OK. 40 anywhere?

40 there is.

Two.

44.

46 anywhere?

Sell it then at £44.

(GAVEL) I salute you.

VO: Rightly so.

Another profit.

Now, what about Charles' china, part one?

I've got 38, I've got £40 here.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Two anywhere?

42 there is.

44.

46.

48.

50.

RAJ: Oh, Charles... AUCTIONEER: Two.

54.

56.

58.

60 anywhere?

Ooh.

No?

At £58 here.

60 anywhere?

CHARLES: One more.

AUCTIONEER: At £58... (GAVEL) 1252.

CHARLES: That's good.

RAJ: Well done, very good.

VO: Yep, not bad for the make-weights of the deal.

Time for Raj's blue and white.

It might not be Ming but here goes.

15.

I've got 18.

20 is there?

20 anywhere?

Oh no, this isn't going to do so good.

I've got two.

24.

At 24 here.

26 anywhere?

That's good.

Sell it then at £24.

(GAVEL) VO: At least it's a profit.

But how will Charles' big buy fare?

The first of his three pairs of tea bowls.

Bids on the book.

Yes.

AUCTIONEER: 35.

38 here.

40?

CHARLES: I'm in trouble.

40 there is.

Two.

44.

46.

48.

50.

And two.

AUCTIONEER: 55.

58.

60.

And two.

RAJ: Here we go.

Yeah.

Profit.

65.

68.

At 65.

68.

70.

And two.

75.

78.

80.

And two.

Charles.

85.

88.

90.

No?

At £88.

90 anywhere?

Two fat ladies, 88.

Sell them at £88 then.

(GAVEL) Yours madam.

But they're still great value, they're still great value.

VO: More of that and he'll do fine.

Second lot.

I've got 50 and I've got £60.

Two anywhere?

62.

65.

68.

70.

Two.

75.

78.

80.

Two.

85.

88.

90.

At 88.

90 anywhere?

Two fat ladies again.

It's two fat ladies.

At £88 then.

(GAVEL) I've now got four fat ladies.

VO: Yeah, very respectable.

He's set fair for a big profit if this pair delivers.

£40 for them somewhere?

40 bid.

Two there is.

44.

46.

48.

We're warming up.

50.

Two.

55.

58.

60.

Two.

Oh no.

65.

68.

70.

AUCTIONEER: No?

At £68.

CHARLES: Oh no.

70 anywhere?

At £68 then.

(GAVEL) I didn't make six fat ladies.

VO: No, I think in bingo, that's called saving grace, strangely enough.

Raj's big spend, the oyster dish.

I'm not going to make a loss on it but it's a lovely thing.

It could make a loss, let's be honest.

Sorry?

It could make a loss.

Sorry?

It could make a loss.

30.

34 here.

Well done, profit.

No, no, no, not yet.

No, it's not a profit.

There, you've done it.

36 there is.

38.

40.

Two anywhere?

At £40 here.

Two anywhere?

Oh it's worth more than 40.

You've done it.

It's worth more than 40.

It's magic.

Well done.

(GAVEL) Thanks for coming.

VO: Definitely worth shelling out for.

Raj is just in front on this auction but it's never over until the cobbler's cobbled.

Couple of bids with me... 40 and 45.

That's good, I'm happy.

Yeah, yeah, that's good.

48.

50 anywhere?

50 anywhere?

50 here.

And five, sir?

55.

58 anywhere?

I'm really pleased.

Sell it at £55 then.

(GAVEL) Yours, sir.

VO: Profits all round.

So, who's coming out on top today?

The competition is sparking.

Come on.

And sparring.

Let's go.

VO: Charles began with £317.46 and after paying auction costs, he made a profit of £93.58 so he still leads overall with £411.04.

VO: But Raj wins the day.

Having started out with £259.58, he made, after paying auction costs, a profit of £103.46, leaving him with £363.04 to spend next time.

Wow.

CHARLES: You're on the road now.

You're showing me the way.

And the way is Dorset.

VO: Next on Antiques Road Trip - a little of what you fancy.

RAJ: He's into fresh.

MAN: Is he?

But I don't mind if it's a bit old.

VO: And not everyone's cup of tea.

It's not minging but in fact, this is Ming.

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