antiques experts... Alright, fair enough.

It's a really cute subject.

VO: ..behind the wheel of a classic car.

NATASHA: Make it so.

MARGIE: Here we go!

VO: And a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Frankly terrifying.

VO: The aim, to make the biggest profit at auction.

VO: But it's no mean feat.

I've lost money!

VO: There'll be worthy winners... Get in there!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

Could have been worse.

VO: Will it be the high road to glory?

PHILIP: Ooh.

VO: Or the slow road to disaster?

TIM: Ugh!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

VO: Cuckoo!

VO: If you go down to the Buckinghamshire woods today... Don't be surprised to find Charles Hanson, closely followed by James Braxton.

JAMES: Charles, could you stop going through the puddles, cuz I'm getting really wet here.

Every time you go through a large puddle, I get the residue.

JAMES: Oh, thanks, thanks!

VO: Don't be surprised, either, to find that they have not one, but two vintage cars.

Nice!

An MGA, which dates from 1959, a time when seat belts weren't mandatory, and a 1962 Austin Healey.

I'll tell you what, Charles, it's a special car, this.

Is it?

JAMES: This...

It's huge.

It's sort of like riding a lion.

VO: Speaking of which, one of them has grown a bit of a mane.

Another turn-up.

CHARLES: I just felt, you know, as we dig deeper through the great Buckinghamshire landscape, JAMES: Yeah.

CHARLES: ..like the undergrowth, the beard is my disguise to help me find those treasures.

It's almost, for me, a return to the Neolithic.

I never had you down as a Neanderthal.

VO: Neolithic, please.

Sounds nicer.

Charles is a hirsute auctioneer from Derbyshire, with a keenly attuned antiques radar...

There's treasure here.

VO: ..and bags of road-tripping experience.

VO: While James, a clean-shaven antiques expert from Sussex... Oh, that's very good nick.

VO: ..fond of cheese, and the classics, has also taken several...trips.

Ooh!

Hah...

But after just one auction, this time round... JAMES: Oh, dear.

VO: ..James is already in the slipstream.

Maybe his new motor will give him just the impetus he needs.

CHARLES: Your car's got a bigger engine than mine.

JAMES: Unfortunately, I'm bringing up the rear at the moment... ..both on the lane and in the sell.

VO: Yes... VO: ..after starting out with £200, James is currently the proud possessor of just £180.40.

VO: While Charles, who began with the same sum, has grown it to £293.50, as well as cultivating... ..those whiskers.

Could you give me a trim later?

I'm not a Turkish barber shop.

I'm not going to be grooming you, Charles.

VO: No, and by the look of it, you need to concentrate on your buying.

Their journey began in Brackley, and today, they'll be mostly heading out east, towards the Suffolk coast.

Then it's southerly, clockwise around the shires of southeast England, before heading around London for a final auction in Bourne End.

CHARLES: Come on!

VO: This time the rummaging roster includes stops in quite a few counties, but they'll be starting over in Wendover.

VO: Tucked delightfully into a gap in the Chilterns, with the ancient ridgeway footpath running along the high street, and location of Antiques at Wendover, of course.

Ah, here's the posse.

You can't get a sheet of Bronco between them, you know.

CHARLES: Come on, off you go!

JAMES: Come on, quick, quick!

VO: Good to get some exercise.

VO: There's plenty of room inside, of course.

What I love is it's a proper antique shop.

You've got proper Victorian cabinets, and whatever they display, they show it well.

VO: Exactly.

Cue James.

VO: Remember, everything's slightly more special in a box.

We've got a rather nice, what is it, 19th century, nine carat gold swizzle stick.

This was to take the bubbles out of champagne.

Why would you want to take the bubbles out of champagne?

I don't know.

Have a white wine, instead.

But this took the bubbles out of champagne.

You put it in there and then you went "zhhh", like that, and that just took the bubbles out.

VO: Invented on a rum plantation in the 18th century, using a branch of the swizzle-stick tree.

I never understand.

Champagne's lovely.

Why would you want to take the bubbles out?

The bubbles, as we all know, give you the energy.

295.

It's a nice gold object, beautifully made, beautifully marked.

So something of a different era.

The roaring 20s.

All those flapper girls drinking champagne.

VO: Not got the funds for flappers just yet.

VO: What about our flapper?

One thing that's caught my eye is this dish here, actually, and it says, "18th century Chinese", and I can just see in the mirror, on the back, a little floral sprig mark.

And I think that floral sprig mark would confirm, rather than being 18th century, that blue and white nice shallow bowl is from the reign of Emperor Kangxi.

Now, Emperor Kangxi ruled in the Qing dynasty from 1662 to 17...Have a guess... CHARLES: 1722.

VO: Time for Mike, with the great shirt, to open up.

MIKE: ..There we go.

Is the cabinet for sale, by the way?

No, I'm afraid not.

CHARLES: What I quite like, Mike, is this one here, because on the reflection of the mirror, I could see it's got that mark on the back, which is a small little leaf, like... Look, it goes with your shirt.

You know, you've got a style... ..of Asian style of the 18th century.

It's got a small hairline crack here.

MIKE: Lovely object.

CHARLES: It's cracked.

MIKE: Yeah, it's a shame.

CHARLES: Oh, what a shame.

CHARLES: How much is it?

MIKE: The dealer has £95 on it.

CHARLES: And the best price on that?

75, death 70.

CHARLES: Could it be 60?

I will split the difference.

65.

CHARLES: Hmm.

But I can't go any lower.

VO: Perhaps a cup of China tea will help?

CHARLES: What I love about this, Mike, is you've got western figures on this tea bowl here.

So you'll just see on here, Mike, these two western figures.

It's very fine porcelain, and I think it was made, probably, in, like, the early Qianlong dynasty.

MIKE: Mm-hm.

CHARLES: So, late Yongzheng, circa 1740.

I like it, Mike, the only concern is the chip on the saucer.

It's priced at 65.

The best on that could be?

Hmm... (MUTTERS) ..45 is the death.

Right, OK.

So, if I bought the two.

MIKE: Yes.

CHARLES: That's 65, that's 110.

MIKE: 65 and 45 is 110.

And that's the death?

105.

CHARLES: I'm a happy man.

MIKE: Excellent.

Thank you.

Going, going, going... MIKE: Gone!

CHARLES: Thank you.

VO: First cash splashed by Charles.

Oh, we've moved on from gold, I see.

JAMES: Look at this.

That is a big fella.

It looks like aluminum, it's got the weight of steel.

JAMES: Now, is it dropped or is it forged?

I don't even know the difference, but it needs a jolly big nut... CHARLES: What have you dropped?

What have you dropped?

JAMES: No, nothing.

It needs a big nut.

Bigger than your nut.

But I'm not the nut.

You're the nut.

VO: Who is the nut?

Answers on a postcard, please.

OK, on a more serious note, how's it going?

Loving Wendover.

CHARLES: Do you know what I love about this antique shop, James, is it's just full of the real, rich antique... What, no knobbly knick-knacks?

CHARLES: No knobbly knick-knacks... VO: And with that ringing endorsement... CHARLES: Bye!

VO: ..Charles takes his leave.

And his china.

VO: Please drive carefully!

He still has almost 190 left.

Nice and gently, Charles.

But whither his chum?

JAMES: That's very nice and orangey, isn't it?

VO: Still on the lookout...

So, this is a malt shovel.

Every village, every town, had a malting house, and here is the maltster with his lovely shovel made of ash.

So, a lovely native wood, ash, but the funny thing is it has these shields, and what does it say on the shields?

It says Winners, Staff and Works, and then, on the label, it says here Young's Brewery.

Now, Young's Brewery, famous London brewers.

This is a football trophy, Works versus Staff.

So these are marked silver, so they started off '48-'49.

VO: Ticket price, £68, plus beer is quite on trend these days, I believe.

Over to Svetlana.

So, a maltster's shovel, £68 on it.

Who does this belong to?

Are they a good stall-holder?

Yeah, his name is Mike.

Do you think Mike might take 38, Svetlana?

SVETLANA: Um...

I think we're looking at, realistically, probably... SVETLANA: ..45.

JAMES: 45.

45.

SVETLANA: 45, yes.

I, Svetlana, I can do 45.

I'd love to do 45.

SVETLANA: Super, super.

JAMES: Brilliant.

VO: So, a malt shovel it is.

Looks pleased, doesn't he?

Ha!

Time to "shove" it in the motor - ha!

- and wish Wendover farewell.

VO: Whilst we catch up with his chum, who's taking a brief break from antiques acquisition, VO: just outside the village of Great Horwood.

VO: To see the headquarters of an organization which trains dogs to save human lives, in the company of the charity's founder and CEO, Dr Claire Guest.

VO: Nice!

CHARLES: Claire, these are beautiful dogs, but what happens here?

CLAIRE: So, we use the dogs' sense of smell to detect the odor of human disease.

Now, it sounds remarkable, doesn't it?

CHARLES: It is.

But we all have our own unique odor, and when we become unwell... ..our odor changes, and dogs can be trained to recognize this.

CHARLES: Yeah.

CLAIRE: Dogs have been used throughout history to help man in a number of ways.

But they've never been used for this particular role, and I think the reason they're so good at it is because they know us humans so well.

They know when we smell healthy, and they also understand when we smell different, and that's what makes this so important.

VO: Of course, dogs have been assisting humans for a very long time, whether as companions for those with impaired sight, or with other disabilities.

But Claire took things in another new direction when she proved, with the help of her dog Daisy, that dogs can be trained to detect human bladder cancer.

CLAIRE: But where the story becomes even more unusual is that she started to behave a bit differently around me, and she kept staring at me with her big, brown eyes, and occasionally she'd nudge at me, in the chest.

It led me to find a lump, and I was told that I had a very, very deep-seated breast cancer, and 10 years on, I'm here to tell the tale.

So Daisy did save your life, potentially?

CLAIRE: Absolutely, my surgeon says that without Daisy drawing my attention to it, my prognosis would have been very, very different.

Amazing.

VO: Medical Detection Dogs was founded in 2008, and 10 years later moved in to these purpose-built facilities.

CLAIRE: We're going to see some dogs in training.

CHARLES: Wonderful.

After you.

CLAIRE: Thank you.

CHARLES: Thank you.

VO: A dog's nose can detect the tiniest trace of the odor of disease, around one part per trillion.

CHARLES: So, here we go.

Wow!

VO: And the list of illnesses those noses can sniff out is expanding fast.

CLAIRE: What the dog's been trained to do is to find the swab that's been rubbed against the skin of somebody who has Parkinson's disease.

So, this is Bumper, this is one of our sort of experienced Parkinson's detector dogs, and you'll see it takes about 0.5 of a second for the dog to sniff each sample.

If the dog finds Parkinson's, he'll stop, sit, and indicate to the handler that he's found it.

CHARLES: Right, here he goes.

CHARLES: God, that's quick!

Goodness me!

Yeah, so that's telling the handler that he's sniffed Parkinson's.

CHARLES: What else can these great dogs detect?

CLAIRE: Well, our work started in cancer detection, but we've gone further than that now.

We have trained dogs to detect specific bacterias.

We also train dogs as assistance dogs.

So these are dogs that live alongside individuals and warn them of oncoming medical emergencies, drops in blood sugar, and seizure, so these dogs are able to detect a whole variety of diseases, incredibly reliably.

CHARLES: Remarkable.

VO: Of course, dogs' noses have long been utilized to sniff out drugs, explosives, and dead bodies.

And when the nose is all-important, the best recruits are gun dogs, with at least 350 million sensory receptors in their snozzle.

Time for our puppy to join in with instructor Chris Allen.

CHRIS: So we're going to take his jacket off, so he knows it's free time, it's playtime.

We've obviously got Elsa in the background over there as a distraction.

CHARLES: OK.

So we'll give you some treats... ..and see whether he comes to you.

And that's called recall training?

CHRIS: That's recall training.

CHARLES: Luke?

Hello, Luke!

It's me!

Luke, come on!

VO: He just needs to get used to a new face.

The beard could help... CHARLES: Luke!

I've got a sweet...

I've got a treat for you, Luke!

CHRIS: It's all about them having free time, but you having the control, that when you need them, they're going to come to you.

Luke, I'm over here!

Here we go, have yourself a treat.

CHRIS: Oh, look at that!

Good!

CHARLES: Good boy!

Luke, here's my treat.

Sit!

CHRIS: And then say, "down".

CHARLES: Down!

CHRIS: Good, and now give him a treat!

CHARLES: Done it!

CHRIS: That's it, lovely!

I tell you what, this day gets better and better!

VO: Good boy, Charles.

Done it!

Fantastic!

VO: Now, time to catch up with another wet-nosed and surprisingly intelligent expert, on the way to his next shop.

JAMES: I'd like to buy two or three items.

I'll have to try and find that winner.

The sleeper.

VO: Our antiques hound is following the scent towards Bedfordshire, and Dunstable where, in 1964, the local theater was officially opened by the great Carry On actor, Bernard Bresslaw.

Catchphrase, "I only asked!"

James has just over £135 available for his purchases at Mannucci's.

JAMES: Richard!

Hello, James, hi.

Good to see you again.

Good to see you.

Very good.

Well, you looked after me very well last time.

RICHARD: Good, and hopefully I'll look after you well today.

JAMES: Excellent.

RICHARD: Seek and you will find.

JAMES: Seek...

The Lord's words.

RICHARD: That's it.

JAMES: The Lord's words.

RICHARD: (LAUGHS) Poole... Poole in Dorset.

RICHARD: Hmm.

Nice, clean, ready to go.

JAMES: Used to have a terrible ferry to the Channel Islands.

Used to make everybody very sick.

VO: I think that's a no, then.

Not much of a pottery fan, our James.

JAMES: Something like this appeals to me.

It's a large piece of brass.

Look at that.

And, hopefully, it's nice and heavy.

VO: Fingers crossed... JAMES: It is.

It's a good sign.

So it passes the Braxton weight test.

Look at that.

What a lo... lovely solid gauge.

And what do they call this, on the label?

"A large brass trivet", so, like a footman.

So, this would have stood by the fire, and you could have kept things warm.

JAMES: How much is this?

£30.

It doesn't seem a lot, does it?

It's not the oldest thing in the shop, but it's definitely Victorian.

There is opportunity, dare I say it, for profit.

VO: Looks like that's on the shortlist, then, plus, Richard has another bit of booty tucked away.

JAMES: Look at this!

Into the...

This is the archive.

RICHARD: This used to be a Lloyd's Bank.

JAMES: Did it?

RICHARD: So this is the vault.

This is the vault.

Come with me, into the vault.

JAMES: That's a bit of steel, that, Richard, isn't it?

RICHARD: It is, yes.

VO: Never mind that.

What about silver?

JAMES: That's a little vesta, isn't it?

RICHARD: Nice little vesta case for you.

JAMES: Complete with the matches.

So, a gentleman would have had this on their watch chain.

That's the loop for the watch chain, you'd have had it in the waistcoat there, and you struck them along the bottom.

And there's the original matches.

RICHARD: Very unusual to see them with the matches, isn't it?

JAMES: It is.

And the matches actually probably work, don't they?

You buy a box of matches now, 50% don't work.

RICHARD: Yeah.

VO: He's very outspoken today, isn't he?

Any chance of a deal, we wonder?

JAMES: Richard, Richard... RICHARD: Yes.

JAMES: You showed me this thing in the safe.

I'm not going to talk it up, because I want it low.

What price could you give me on this?

Erm, today, James... Best price.

..£30, today, that has to be.

JAMES: Really?

RICHARD: Yeah.

JAMES: £30.

And I noticed a big brass sort of footman, trivet thing, price tag £30.

£30...

I can do that at 27.

JAMES: 27?

RICHARD: Yep.

JAMES: Now, I'll take 10%, you know.

Thank you very much indeed.

So that's the two, that's £57.

VO: Time to make off with the goods.

After paying, of course.

Here we are.

So, I owe you 57?

RICHARD: You do indeed.

50, and the seven.

Ah, brilliant.

OK, James, thank you.

VO: Another intensive antiques workout concluded.

He'll get back on the road, with his boon companion still out in front.

JAMES: I tell you what, Charles, from the rear, you do look a bit like Noddy in his car.

Your head's popping over the windscreen.

VO: Night night, Noddy, and Big Ears.

Ha-ha!

VO: Next day, they're not out of the woods yet.

CHARLES: James, I love the fact that we are men on the move.

I know, you look like an explorer, as well.

Do I really?

You look as though you've just come out of the Antarctic.

VO: Maybe so, but his purchases yesterday had more of an Oriental theme, some very old Chinese porcelain... CHARLES: Going, going, going... MIKE: Gone!

VO: ..leaving him with over £180 to spend today, while James, having so far plumped for a malt shovel, a vesta case, and a brass footman... JAMES: There is opportunity for profit.

VO: ..has less than £80 still available.

But let's see what they make of each other's buys.

JAMES: This is made of ash, and it's for hops or malting barley.

You know, you have to turn stuff...

It's a very nice piece of treen.

I like it a lot.

CHARLES: I reckon you paid, er... £60.

Less.

A lot less.

CHARLES: Really?

JAMES: Yeah.

Now, James, let me take you back to King William III.

We're looking at something which goes back to probably 1690.

So you're handling history there?

Yeah, you might say, Charles, it's "crack" porcelain.

Well, I call it "kraak".

Kraak?

Yeah, it's with a K, isn't it?

With a K. "K-R double-A K".

JAMES: But is there a crack?

CHARLES: Yes.

JAMES: I'm looking for a fault, here.

CHARLES: Only very small.

JAMES: Really?

It's kraak, to me.

Crack, to you.

JAMES: Get in the car!

CHARLES: No... VO: Yes, better get a move on.

The mission, James, is to make money.

Good luck with that.

VO: Right... ..it's not easy, I may have said that before.

VO: Later, our experts will be sending their hand-picked items off to the sale room, but they've got to finish buying them first.

Starting out in Haversham.

CHARLES: Ah, here we are!

VO: At the mysteriously-titled G dad's.

Sure to be a few "b gains" in there, don't you think?

If I know anything about our hairy rummager.

I feel I look a bit rough, but, actually, it's my look of salvage, my look of almost being that ancient man, rubbing antiques together, not wood to make fire, but antiques...to make money.

(CLANG) Oop!

VO: Steady...

I've hit my head now.

It's just not quite the day I wanted, or starting the right way.

VO: Just a glancing blow.

Eyes down.

CHARLES: This is a beautiful walnut that's been carved, and look at that, I think it's probably Japanese, and looking at its condition, and color, and patination, it was probably carved in the Meiji period of circa 1880.

But what this carved walnut has is wear, and one can see where, over the years, hands have rubbed against it, it's been greasy in the palm, like now, appreciating real, quality works of art.

VO: Look at all those tiny faces.

Ticket price, £40.

CHARLES: Not a lot of money, when you consider that this took days and days and days to carve.

VO: And found after he'd cracked his nut!

Anything else in there?

CHARLES: So, here we've got this delightful female attendant, or a lady of Chinese origin, and she's made in bronze.

What I like is this green oxidization on the surface of the bronze, which, to me, suggests it's been buried, it's been dug up, and therefore it must be quite old.

Also, what's nice is in the lost wax technique casting, of how this was made, it's hollow and solid and one piece.

VO: Lost wax is an ancient method of duplication in metal.

I like it.

I think she's Chinese Qianlong, I think she's probably in that age range of 1735 to '99, could be earlier.

Made for export, and, lady, you have maybe legs to run a bit and make some money.

She's only priced at £45.

She could make £500.

She's a definite maybe, alongside the nut.

I like her.

VO: All very super-duper, what?

Toys, Matchbox toys, stamp albums... That's nice.

Wow!

Well, so far, everything I've seen has been eastern, full of eastern promise, but this table is slightly different.

I like this table.

Love the top, because on the top, you've got, almost, it's arts and crafts.

You've got this lovely, what appears to be mother-of-pearl, but in fact this almost fruiting blossom is, in fact, beautifully painted.

Looking at where, for example, here, the paint has flaked away, that's original, but there's a key word I would love to attach to this table, and that word is Liberty.

And Liberty, in the early 20th century, very much this was the height of fashion in homes, in Moorish interiors.

I was very lucky, in about 2012, on one Antiques Road Trip, I found in the south a Liberty stool that I paid £150-odd for, and it made 450, so I've got a track record.

VO: Bravo.

It's a very nice thing.

CHARLES: So, for that reason, let's turn it upside down.

Because I'm hoping on the base there might be a mark for Liberty.

All I can see is some woodworm, a spider's web as well, and a couple of stencil marks that say, "put it on the inside".

So, in fact, it's simply how these were kit-built, back in the Edwardian times.

It's priced at £48, there is some minor wear, not just the woodworm.

You've also got a split on the timber here.

But, do you know what, it has a warm, lovely look.

VO: He is a man on a mission.

CHARLES: Hello.

Your name is?

MARK: I'm Mark.

Mark, I like three objects I've seen today.

There's two upstairs, over there.

MARK: OK.

Which are the bronze figure, priced at 45.

You've got a very nice nut, walnut, priced at 40, and then, in the back room is a very stylish Liberty-style table, priced at 48.

MARK: OK. She will go to £40 on that one.

CHARLES: OK, OK...

I think, let's take the table, for 40.

CHARLES: Now the two objects upstairs are priced at 85.

He will go to £35 on each item, so £70.

CHARLES: Oh, that's great.

So I believe, then, Mark, we have a... A deal.

CHARLES: Sold, £110.

Yes, indeed.

Thank you.

VO: How convivial.

Thank you, Mark.

Take care.

Thank you.

VO: And a wee bit more robust than those delicate pieces of china he had rolling around there yesterday.

Time to fire up the MG.

It stands for Morris Garages, by the way.

VO: Sweet as a nut.

VO: Now over to James, deep in a Bedfordshire vineyard.

Yes, you did hear me correctly.

JAMES: Hello, Margaret.

MARGARET: Hi James!

Welcome.

JAMES: Hello.

Thank you.

Right, if you just head on that way... ..and then follow your way around.

Thank you, Margaret.

Thank you.

VO: Our plucky correspondent has temporarily ceased shopping, and motored towards the fields of Warden Abbey, the site of what was once the largest monastic vineyard in the country.

Local historian Margaret Roberts knows more.

We believe there would have probably been about 300 lay brothers, and about 100 monks belonging to the abbey in the early days.

You see, in this image, it looks huge, doesn't it?

MARGARET: Yeah, it was absolutely enormous.

The monastic buildings ran the full length of the skyline, as you can see it now, and they're portrayed in this painting, which shows how it would have been about 1370.

But we are actually standing in what would have been part of the original vineyard.

We had about 37 acres planted in vines, yes.

Why so many vines?

Well, first of all, wine was one of the requirements of the Cistercian Order... JAMES: OK. ..because it was rooted in French agricultural practices.

Secondly, wine was very important, spiritually, so we needed wine for the sacrament.

It was used for medicinal purposes.

It was used for preserving, there was a lot of...

In the form of vinegar, as we know it, yeah.

MARGARET: Yeah.

VO: Although this huge area has been extensively surveyed, very little physical evidence has been found of the Cistercians, or their vines.

Long before the monastery was eventually dissolved in 1537, it's believed that the Black Death, which killed so many, would almost certainly have ended labor-intensive wine production.

But during the 1980s, new vines were planted to continue that tradition.

And today Warden Abbey is a community project, staffed by over 100 volunteers, like Vineyard Manager Jane Markham.

JANE: Well, this is what the monks used to do all those years ago, and we do it the same way.

JAMES: Really?

JANE: Hoeing, weeding the vines.

With these young vines, it's so important that the first couple of years they're weed-free.

VO: He looks a bit like a medieval monk, doesn't he?

Certainly fond of wine.

Ha-ha!

JAMES: Now, I heard there was a rumor that you had a couple of bottles in the vicinity.

VO: Here we go... ..Well, we do have to have a taste.

The anticipation, eh?

JANE: So this is a nice sort of crisp, fresh... Woah!

JAMES: Yes, it's lively.

And lively.

JAMES: It looks lovely and clear, doesn't it?

Cheers!

Well, well done, all your hard work.

Mm.

I'm not spitting out because I don't like it.

It's really lovely, isn't it?

Yeah, we love this one.

VO: He's got to get behind the wheel, of course.

So I can see why the monks started going up to 37 acres, if you can produce a wine like that... MARGARET: (LAUGHS) ..you'd keep going, wouldn't you?

VO: But while James has been sampling the grapes of Bedfordshire, his friendly rival has shopped on, with a determined glint in his eye.

For James and I, it's our third road trip together.

We are the best of mates, but the competition element just gets better and better.

Now he's in his new car, looking debonair, has criticized the Neolithic man, the stone age man, Hanson, my axe is out.

VO: I think that means he intends to buy something nice, and he's not referring to a chopper.

In Northamptonshire, at the village of Castle Ashby, as delightful a spot for an antique shop as you could imagine.

CHARLES: The Eggshell Gallery.

Last one of the day.

VO: He has almost £80 left to spend.

And there's plenty of choice in here.

(CLOCK PLAYS A TUNE) It's beautiful, isn't it, John?

It takes you back.

JOHN: It does, yeah.

VO: Let's leave Neolithic man, and proprietor John, and follow the thoroughly modern James Braxton towards his last shopping opportunity in the Cambridgeshire town of Huntingdon on the river Great Ouse, birthplace of that English revolutionary, Cromwell.

That parking's quite revolutionary too, James.

Almost £80 in his coffers.

JAMES: Hello.

Is this all yours, Paula?

PAULA: No, we have up to 70 traders at one time.

JAMES: Is there a particular direction you should send me?

I think you should find your own way.

VO: Woohoo!

Wise words, Paula.

We don't want any favoritism, do we?

That way, every dealer gets a fair crack of James' bounty.

JAMES: You know, we're always looking for small stuff in cabinets.

Maybe, maybe treasures lie in big stuff, in the middle of the room, I don't know.

But this is quite nice.

What attracts me to this item is it's really nicely made.

We've got these tongue and groove inset panels, nicely molded.

It's got a nice three-quarter gallery here.

I think it's a schoolmaster's lectern.

It would look at home in a nice restaurant... VO: Or it could always suit an auctioneer, of course.

..and what's nice, £45 price tag.

I'd expect to see that with an eight in front, £85.

So, you know, it's a bargain.

Whether I'll be saying that when the hammer comes down, is a different matter.

VO: Quite.

What about back in Castle Ashby?

Any sign of Charles becoming similarly smitten?

CHARLES: I love wooden boxes, and I'm just admiring this top-shelf find here.

It's got quite a dull tone about it, but this actual timber here is mahogany, and you'll see you've got satinwood here, and this conch shell is very typical of the neoclassical period.

It's a square...tea caddy, and I think it's gorgeous.

I think it's a really attractive box.

The only issue is it appears to have been properly polished, and cleaned down, and it's lost some of its patination.

VO: Ticket price, £40.

CHARLES: John?

John, great caddy, tea caddy.

You've put "antique".

How antique do you think it is?

Well, I think it's about 1850.

Yeah.

But it could be a touch earlier.

CHARLES: And because you've got the oval, the stained harewood, the satinwood.... JOHN: Yeah.

..I would date it more like 1790.

How much could it be?

To you, Charles...

I could do it for 25.

I will buy this for £25, and say, going, going, going... Gone.

Cheers, John.

VO: Ha-ha-ha.

Charles' final purchase of this leg... CHARLES: Bye!

VO: ..leaves him with a few pounds still in hand.

CHARLES: Ah, good day.

Very good day.

VO: Not the sort of luxury his pal is likely to have, when he eventually bids Huntingdon hasta la vista, what with this lectern, priced at £45, already on his list, but there's more.

JAMES: I like this.

You've got a lovely enamel top, nice height to work to.

So that's nice and clean, nice and wipeable, lovely enamel, and then this is aluminum doors, close-fitting, so almost sort of like a meat safe.

So it could be anywhere from the 1920s to the 1950s.

I would say it's probably 1930s, and the fact that it hasn't been repainted, it is absolutely in original condition... VO: Ticket price, £65.

JAMES: ..and it's a really nice kitchen cupboard.

There seems to be a trend now, less for fitted kitchens, more for a collection of items.

An island, people like a chopping board, don't they?

With this one, you have to introduce the board on it, you know, put the board on, and then you can chop.

It's a lovely height for chopping, because you can bear your full weight, so that red onion doesn't stand a chance.

You get on it, like that.

VO: Time to talk to Paula.

PAULA: Hi.

JAMES: Hi, Paula.

Now, I've two items I'm interested in.

OK. JAMES: This one.

PAULA: Yep.

Schoolmaster's sort of lectern.

And the cupboard.

Don't ask me why I like them, but I do like them.

PAULA: It's got a lot of character.

VO: You could say that.

JAMES: But, Paula, I've only got £78.40.

OK. Look upon it as just short of 80, OK?

I will.

Get that mental image of £80.

I would like to buy that, and the lectern.

PAULA: OK, yeah...

I'm pretty sure we could do that for you.

That's really kind.

VO: It certainly is.

Just £18.40 for the lectern, and 60 for the cabinet.

JAMES: 78... VO: And 40 pence.

That's lovely.

Thank you very much.

VO: And with that, our hard up but happy expert departs.

JAMES: No money for petrol.

The tank better be full.

VO: Time for some shut-eye.

VO: Auction day dawns, but will the sun shine on our pair?

JAMES: Look at that!

And you're looking very elegant.

How are you?

Get out of here!

VO: Ha-ha.

Our man in the white suit and chap in the cloth cap kicked off back in the Chilterns, and have pursued a purchasing path towards East Anglia.

Arriving in Suffolk, just outside Aldeburgh.

Good luck.

I'm praying.

We're on the tip of the east now, so I'm hoping China... JAMES: Yeah, hold on, hold on, hold on... CHARLES: ..comes that way.

JAMES: China's far way in the distance.

CHARLES: Hey?

JAMES: We're near Felixstowe.

VO: Not a problem.

Everyone's welcome to the online sale room.

The pair have shipped their goodies to Richard Winterton's in Lichfield, selling behind closed doors, both on the net and on the phone.

James spent every penny of his £180.40 on five auction lots, while Charles parted with £240 for his five lots.

Let's hear what online auctioneer, Richard Winterton, makes of them.

RICHARD: The malting shovel.

We're only 10 miles from Burton-on-Trent, home of brewing, and this is a lovely little item.

Not too sure about the little shields that it's got on it, but hopefully, with a bit of local interest, it'll do quite well.

The arts and crafts-style Moorish table.

These are so difficult to value.

They can go from £20 to £30, and can go well over the hundred, if not more.

VO: I think he's keen.

Let's get started.

Devices at the ready.

The world is watching.

JAMES: Right.

The sun is shining.

Come on.

Shall we go?

I'm on.

Good luck.

VO: Starting off with James' heavyweight brass footman.

25.

25, I'm bid.

30.

35.

CHARLES: Are you in profit?

JAMES: I feel there's some action.

At £30 I'm bid.

£30... Sell it!

No, don't sell it!

£30... (GAVEL) Good start!

Well... £3 profit, can't grumble.

I can.

VO: And will.

But it is a positive start.

I think it was just a small smoldering of cash.

Exactly.

VO: Charles' turn, his Chinese porcelain dish, cracked but nice.

Matching nails.

Ooh!

We're in it at 35, 40, £40.

£40.

It's gathering.

50, £50.

50!

Oh no!

Where are the legs, Charles?

CHARLES: Come on!

JAMES: ..where's the legs?

All done!

Sold at the 50... (GAVEL) He's gone, he's gone!

I've lost a tenner!

VO: And James has edged a wee bit closer.

James, all that talk about kraak... JAMES: (GROANS) Now I really have been a cracked man!

VO: And now for something completely different!

James sees its potential.

Will anyone else?

We're in at 10, we're in at 15, with 20, with five.

25...

It's moving.

RICHARD: 25... Oh, running out of steam.

35.

35, 35.

Work the room!

RICHARD: Hammer's up, all done, selling, 35.

Come on, one more!

JAMES: 35.

CHARLES: Look at me.

You bought for the future.

I've bought ahead of the market.

There's no prizes for being a tastemaker, is there?

When you're that far ahead, James, I salute you.

JAMES: Yeah.

VO: We all do.

Still a loss, though.

Listen, it doesn't matter.

There's a long way to go.

VO: Time for more of Charles' Oriental collection.

What will the online bidders make of them?

If the world's watching now, there's simply an anticipation of delivery.

Charles, I'm beginning to get bored.

CHARLES: Look, OK, trust me!

You're beginning to oversell these, slightly.

CHARLES: Look at me.

Start me there.

Where are you going to be?

£50 start.

£50 I'm bid.

Thank you, thank you.

JAMES: 50.

RICHARD: One bid at 50.

It's all done.

Hammer's up.

CHARLES: £50?!

RICHARD: £50... Wahey!

I've lost money!

CHARLES: I've lost £20!

VO: That's a blow.

James can't believe his luck.

Kuan Yin stands on a lotus.

She's hardly going to fly.

Yeah.

And she fell off it, basically, James.

VO: Not exactly in the money, are they?

Can James' vesta case change that?

What can you use a vesta for now, though?

I don't know.

Well, light a fire?

Always popular.

£5 I'm bid.

£10, I'm bid.

£15, I'm bid... See, roaring away.

RICHARD: £20, I'm bid...

It's good.

25...

The flame's going out.

He's giving it some, isn't he?

Yes, you have, at 30.

Oh, you've done it!

You have done it!

RICHARD: All done, hammer's going.

Selling, £30... (GAVEL) (DUCK QUACKS) Thank you.

The duck says, "Quack, quack."

VO: Duck talk for break even, Charles.

VO: Tea time.

Well, online caddy time, anyway.

CHARLES: This tea caddy is circa 1785.

I tell you what, that's history.

A bit of interest, I'm coming all round.

It's 30, 40, 50.

JAMES: All around!

CHARLES: Get in!

RICHARD: 80, £90.

CHARLES: 90!

£90, I'm bid.

At £90.

No, Charles!

RICHARD: All done.

Selling at 90... CHARLES: That's good!

JAMES: That is very good.

That's amazing.

VO: Yes, excellent work, Charles.

Can I just say, your expertise found hidden value in that item, didn't it?

You unlocked it!

You saved it from a shelf of doom.

VO: James' bargain lectern now.

The auctioneer must be tempted to try it out, surely.

A bit of interest on this.

35, 40.

RICHARD: £40.

CHARLES: £40?!

Racing away.

Racing away.

RICHARD: 50, £50.

50?!

RICHARD: £50, I'm bid.

All done.

Hammer's up.

There's £60, thank you.

£60?!

Unbelievable.

RICHARD: All done.

£60.

Sold.

£60... (GAVEL) CHARLES: Back in the game!

JAMES: £60!

CHARLES: (CLAPS) Amazing.

Well done.

You trebled what you paid for it.

Did I?

Amazing.

VO: Modest as ever, James.

That was bang on, though, wasn't it?

JAMES: Had no decorative value.

CHARLES: No... JAMES: It was purely practical.

CHARLES: Yeah... VO: Now, his caddy did well, but will his cup and saucer fly online?

35 to start me.

35.

40.

35, he is.

Come on!

RICHARD: £40... Running out of steam, Charles.

It's Chinese!

RICHARD: £40.

£40.

£40... RICHARD: £40.

CHARLES: Oh, I don't believe it.

I thought it was Yongzheng?

It is Yongzheng.

RICHARD: Selling at the 40... (GAVEL) That is disappointing.

No, James, listen, look at me!

VO: He's too busy dancing a jig, Charles.

VO: Can the shovel shove Braxton even closer?

We're in at 25, with 30, with five.

With 40, with five.

45.

£50, thank you.

JAMES: 50.

RICHARD: £60.

JAMES: 60, I like this... CHARLES: Oh, no, 70!

RICHARD: A few looking at it, £80.

CHARLES: £80?!

JAMES: £80.

RICHARD: At £80... JAMES: Go on!

CHARLES: Slow up, slow up... RICHARD: At £80... CHARLES: Stop.

£80, all done.

Sold at £80... That's a huge profit.

You've almost doubled...

I'm happy with that.

VO: Quite right.

A nice, little heap.

We succeed together.

We lose together.

JAMES: Yeah, OK. Yeah... CHARLES: We're one.

We're one.

VO: Admirable sentiments.

Almost done.

Just Charles' Arabic-style table to go and, remember, he's got form... We have got a lot looking at it.

We are going at 40, 50, 60, 80, 100... JAMES: No!

CHARLES: Oh, get in!

..40, 50, 160!

CHARLES: 160!

160!

JAMES: (LAUGHS) 160!

RICHARD: 160.

At 170?

CHARLES: Wonderful... JAMES: 100...

Thank you.

Thank you, China.

RICHARD: 180.

At 190... Get in!

JAMES: Ah.

Dear, oh, dear.

CHARLES: Get in!

Thank you.

RICHARD: Have you all finished?

220.

JAMES: 220!

CHARLES: Two-two!

At 220.

Are you going to come again?

RICHARD: Last bid, 220.

CHARLES: I can't believe it.

All finished.

Selling, £220... CHARLES: Thank you, thank you... JAMES: Well done... Well done.

CHARLES: Oh, James.

JAMES: Charles!

VO: Saved the best till last.

What a great little buy, eh?

CHARLES: I can't believe it.

JAMES: That is amazing... 40, 80, 120, 160... Yeah, I've made four times... Well, it's made five times... JAMES: It's a lot of money... CHARLES: I can't believe it... Whatever you've made, it's a lot of money.

VO: Exactly.

A lot of money that's decided the winner of this auction.

VO: James began with £180.40, and after auction costs, made a small profit, so, he now has £192.70.

While Charles who started out with £293.50, made, also after costs, another whacking great pile.

Leaving him sitting pretty on £422.50.

How's that?

CHARLES: I'm pleased.

JAMES: I bet you are.

CHARLES: I'm pleased.

JAMES: I bet you are, Charles.

I think you've found your yin or your yang, - or your Yongzheng.

Good fortune.

And as for you, you keep digging, my friend.

You keep digging for victory.

I know.

I'm gonna look out for those rural... Hops on you?

Hops on me?

JAMES: Hops on me.

CHARLES: Can you hop?

JAMES: Course I can hop.

CHARLES: Go on, then.

Show me.

I'm a Sussex man.

I can Morris dance!

I can skip, as well.

Can you skip?

VO: Lordy.

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