VO: It's the nation's favorite antiques experts, with £200 each, a classic car and a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

That hurts.

My sap is rising.

VO: The aim?

To make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Could you do 50 quid on that?

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

JAMES: Your steering is a bit lamentable.

This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

VO: Today we're out on the road with a pair of very cheeky chappies - auctioneers James Braxton and Charles Hanson.

JAMES (JB): Get out our way!

CHARLES (CH): Get out our way, come on!

JB: Get out of the way.

VO: The experienced James Braxton knows his stuff and is really rather strong.

And manly!

I'm just going to bring it up - the secret with the nicely, nicely displayed... VO: And he's no pushover.

Michael?

Out of there.

Can I go in this barn, Michael?!

Ow!

VO: James's rival is the excitable young pup Charles Hanson.

James, I'm so nervous, I need the toilet.

JB: Why are you nervous?

CH: I need the toilet already!

JB: You need to get on.

CH: I need a toilet.

JB: Concentrate.

CH: Hello there.

VO: And he fancies his chances as a king amongst men.

That regal wave!

James has made some steady profits at auction so far.

CH: Jim... JB: Wahey!

CH: ..I am... JB: I'm pleased.

VO: But the magic of Charles Hanson shows no sign of fading - he stormed it once again and raked in the profits.

Yes!

JB: Well done.

CH: Thank you.

VO: From his original £200, James now has £302.68 weighing down his wallet.

But second-time winner Charles Hanson is racing ahead - he's speculated and accumulated.

His £200 has increased to a hefty £503.88.

Wow!

You've got to speculate.

You have, to accumulate.

Got to speculate.

Or to lose!

Absolutely.

And if you're gonna lose, James, lose in style.

VO: It's full steam ahead in James's stylish MG.

It's 60 years young and doesn't have a hood - good job it's sunny, what?

So compare and contrast you and I, and for some reason, I'm coming out on top so far.

JB: I know.

CH: I don't understand it.

Lady Luck is favoring you.

CH: (LAUGHS) VO: James and Charles are traveling 400 miles from Dulverton, west Somerset, via the Isle of Wight to the county town of Truro in Cornwall.

On today's show they're beginning in Dorset's ancient market town of Dorchester and will auction in the Devon town of Torquay.

Dorchester has been the county town of Dorset since the 12th century.

Founded by the Romans, the town was also the inspiration for Thomas Hardy's novels, the world-famous author being born just a few miles from here.

CH: Here we are.

VO: But back to the present day, our antique hunters are ready to spend, spend, spend in their first shop of the day.

This could be your comeback.

Do you think it's a comeback place?

Yeah, under one condition.

What?

Buy big.

JB: Buy big.

I will, I will.

CH: Buy big, you know... No ceramics for me.

Don't nobble those knickknacks, OK?

Don't nobble those knickknacks!

JB: Big, big buys.

Big buys.

CH: Come on, quality, you know.

You're in the south now, it's your home territory.

JB: Get yourself inside... VO: Nobbling knickknacks?

Stupid boy!

JB: Get yourself inside, dodgy!

VO: Let's start with James, as he goes for a good old nosy.

That's nice.

That's a Cornish scene.

Pretty chair.

Look, nice needlework back.

Let's see what it feels like.

Acid test with upholstery is to sit in it, and what you don't want...

When you sit in something, you don't want the seat rail here, the front seat rail, to dig into your thighs.

And even a large Braxton bottom, it's not digging into my thighs, it's a comfortable occasional chair for sitting on.

Rather nice.

What have they got on it?

50 quid.

Doesn't seem a lot of money, does it?

It's sort of 1920s, '30s.

Yeah, it's nice, I like that.

A definite candidate, that.

Have to keep that away from Mr Hanson, that.

Don't want him hovering...

I'm over here, James.

He's already... Oh, there he is!

He's already been hovering near my snooker cue stand.

I'll leave you to it, I'm sorry.

JB: Get thee hence!

CH: Sorry.

Hello.

Is this your stall?

It is, yes.

JB: Hello, James.

DEALER: Hi, Gillian.

Gillian, very good.

Can you come over?

I saw... something caught my eye here, your rather nice chair.

Have you got a price on it?

DEALER: It says £50, total bargain.

Total bargain.

Well, very often, I find sellers always say "total bargain"!

This time I mean it!

(THEY CHUCKLE) Now why is this a total bargain?

Explain yourself.

Now, I should have put a really big price and then come down to 50, shouldn't I, really?

(THEY CHUCKLE) Now, I'd love to buy it for less.

How much less?

If I could buy this for 40, it would be splendid.

DEALER: OK. JB: Gillian, thank you.

JB: That's very kind of you.

DEALER: Thank you very much.

Very kind of you, thank you.

VO: He certainly doesn't hang about - looks like he's trying to get ahead of the game.

Young Charles meanwhile is on the search for his first buy of the day.

Without being too clever, I'm in front.

VO: Ha-ha-ha!

What a smarty pants.

Yeah, that's good.

Solid as a rock, just slipped it down there.

Good.

VO: And just when you think it's all over, James spies something else.

Talking about chairs, just gonna look at this fella.

We've got a nice little bench here.

Sort of slightly caught my eye.

We've got nice sort of metal, wrought iron bits here, got the wooden bits here.

Must be a valuable piece, they've chained it up.

The backs are fine.

The acid test is actually sitting in the fellow.

Yeah, it's got a nice...

It's nice and flexible.

This might be the quirky profit-winning lot I need.

VO: Looks like there's plenty of room for the Braxton bottom on there.

John, the owner, arrives to talk business.

Now, could this be cheap, John?

It can be £40.

£40, John?

You chancer, you!

(THEY CHUCKLE) No, I wasn't gonna shake your hand then.

Ha!

John, could you do it for 30?

Really help me out.

Yeah, go on then, 30.

JB: Really?

That's really kind.

JOHN: Yeah, yeah, no problem.

Thank you very much indeed, John.

Yeah.

Try... JB: Well done.

JOHN: That's it.

There we are.

We're in.

We're in!

VO: While James works out how he's going to fit his furniture in the car, young Carlos has nipped away to another shop.

Well, no luck for Charles so far.

Maybe his second shop will come up trumps.

Wow!

This place is huge.

VO: Now, Charles might be a bit silly sometimes, but there's no mistaking his love for antiques.

There is so much here, I can't believe it.

I'm in heaven.

Quality is improving and my sap is rising.

VO: Ooh, steady, Charles.

I need something to inspire me at the moment.

VO: Finally, after that soliloquy, he's found something to fire the imagination.

Gosh.

This is a... A really stunning box.

In terms of quality, you won't beat it.

You've got this rosewood... veneer, over mahogany, and what makes this box really interesting is, one, it has this little crest or family armorial.

Sadly it's... On opening, it's really in pieces.

You've got the old fall front, which would support your letters, your stationery, your envelopes.

And the nice thing is... ..it's inscribed, "Green, maker, "163 Oxford Street, to the royal family," so I would have thought this box is early Victorian, circa 1840, and probably made, you know, for an upmarket family.

VO: It's definitely spiked his interest.

Dealer Martin moves in to talk money.

Martin?

What's the best price?

DEALER: 25 quid.

Oh, really?

Tempting.

But its condition, Martin, yeah?

Very tempting, actually.

Would 20 be even more tempting?

VO: Oh come on Charles, the man's named his price.

Stop dilly dallying!

For £20, I will.

Thanks, Martin, £20, yes, why not?

Because it has a pedigree, I can do some homework and sometimes you buy an object for its pedigree.

DEALER: Absolutely.

CH: Right?

VO: Thank goodness he's managed to buy something.

Meanwhile, James is heading 20 miles north to Ilchester in Somerset.

VO: The Fleet Air Arm Museum represents the flying arm of the Royal Navy.

With four exhibition halls, over 90 aircraft and over two million records and 30,000 artifacts, it's the second-largest naval aviation museum in the world.

OK. VO: And wannabe Biggles Braxton is like a big kid in a sweetie shop as he meets up with curator and aircraft restorer David Morris.

He's in for a remarkable treat.

What's this fascinating room containing?

Well, very much behind the scenes, this is the museum's restoration facility and engineering department, and it's in here that we deal with conservation work and restoration work on all of the major mechanical objects.

VO: David and his team are like detectives, piecing together the life story of a plane.

The Grumman Martlet is the museum's current project.

Right, what are we looking at here, David?

Well, this is a very good example of just how we're discovering so many different layers of paint from different dates and years, and we understand them fully now.

The dark blue we know is the most recent color that got put on in the 1960s.

This color comes from late 1940, early 1950s.

This color is particularly interesting, because we now have it dated to being April 1941... And how... is that somebody keeping scrupulous accounts?

No, this is all done by analyzing and deducing all of the information that we've found on the airplane itself.

There are very, very few written documentary records concerning this airplane.

All of our evidence has been built up just by studying the object, so it really is forensic science and archeology.

VO: The Martlet is a work in progress, but the real success story is the restoration of the Corsair KD 431.

It was in service from 1944-45.

During the Second World War, Goodyear built more than 4,000 Corsairs for the navy and marine corps.

In a meticulous inch by inch process, workers removed the 1963 paint layer and restored the plane's original finish.

Lucky James climbs aboard.

This is the fella you've completely restored?

This was the aircraft that we started in the year 2000.

It took until 2005 to complete it, amongst our other museum work time and duties.

So this is the start of this mechanical archeology?

It is, it's that blend of paint archeology, forensic science, fine art restoration, all rolled in together, as our new package of how we would look at restoring a 20th century mechanical object.

And was it a successful aircraft, the Corsair?

Absolutely, the Corsair at the time was pretty well the top gun fighter of its day.

It was one of, if not the, fastest single engine fighter, very heavily armed, very maneuverable, very long range.

Very, very good airplane indeed.

David, it's been really fascinating, and I wish you every success with the Martlet, and what goes on beyond that.

Erm, but my most pressing problem now is to lever my frame out of this fella!

Ooh!

VO: Time flies when you're having fun.

And that's enough excitement for one day.

The boys are back together.

And what is Somerset famous for?

Cheese.

Cheese?

Cheese, and also... cider!

Scrumpy, lad.

Scrumpy, lad, yeah.

VO: And who knows what this pair will get up to tomorrow?

Night-night.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Early morning and our experts are up with the lark.

And I'm very nervous about today.

Today, James, is all about tunnel vision Hanson - don't hang around, because you've got to go for it.

VO: So far, James has spent £70 on two lots - the tapestry chair and the garden bench - leaving a princely sum of £232.68 for the day ahead.

Charles, meanwhile, was a little more conservative with his cash - makes a change - spending just £20 on the rosewood box.

That gives him a huge wodge of £483.88 to spend.

The boys have traveled 30 miles south to the ancient town of Honiton in Devon.

And Charles is raring to go.

Honiton... Honiton, Honiton... is it a haven for antique shops?

It is, it's a long street.

VO: The town is world famous for lace products.

In the 19th century Queen Victoria had her wedding dress made of the prestigious Honiton lace.

And it's crammed full of antiques shops.

Shouldn't be too difficult to find some local treasures, but then Charles is navigating.

Oh Lord.

Antiques over there.

Any one.

Which one are you having?

JB: Are you having that one?

CH: I'm over there.

VO: And he's not much better on foot.

I'm sure I saw an antiques shop up here, but... Hello.

Ha-ha-ha.

Go...

This is crucial.

This is the halfway stage of our road trip.

And for James, it's now or never.

VO: Ooh, watch out!

Oh hell.

VO: How does he get through the day, eh?

Thank goodness, he's found a shop!

This looks great, "Antique Chick".

VO: Chic.

Hello, sir.

And your name is...?

Charles.

CH: Oh, I'm a Charles.

VO: Well remembered.

Always been a Charles.

I recognize you.

I'm not really a Charlie, are you a Charlie?

Um, sometimes.

Some people call me Charlie.

Yeah, likewise.

Depends how good a friend they are.

Exactly, yeah, good point.

This is a little plated... Plated is what it's described as.

But I think it's probably silver.

It's a small little Indian tumbler, but it's called plated, and that's quite sweet, and it could be yours for £18.

I think it's silver, so when he's back inside... Charles, how much is this little tumbler?

DEALER: I've got £18 on it... CH: Yeah.

And it's rather nice, not had it too long... No.

Doesn't take up any room in the shop.

CH: (LAUGHS) And I know somebody will pay... 15 quid.

£15.

Tops.

There you are.

OK.

Thanks, Charles.

15.

£15.

Well, it's a sweet little tumbler and it might get me started, and I'm gonna say, Charles, at £15, it's strike two, it's a sale at £15.

VO: Last of the big spenders, eh, Charles?

Meanwhile... the debonair Mr Braxton is a man in control.

He's striding down the streets of Honiton, hunting down some more treasures to add to his cache.

Sometimes he gets a little distracted, and peckish.

Ooh, look at the pasties!

VO: And he's great with road safety.

Remember, only cross a road when the green man is there, OK?

VO: In another life, he was a lollipop man.

Let's join him as he checks out the goods in Grove Antiques.

And the first non-antique item he's found is owner Lesley.

What about over here, Lesley?

Let's go and have a look in this one here.

They're quite sweet, the birds.

Who's done these?

They're done by somebody called Colin Clements, who's a member of Somerset Guild Of Craftsmen.

JB: Can I have a look at the blackbird?

He does them big scale as well, does he?

Yes, he does.

All in different fossil woods, generally.

JB: Yeah, so very dense woods, yeah.

What could that be?

Is there a low price on that, or is it just a high price on that?

Erm, I could do it for 50.

You could do it for 50.

I could do that for 50, I could.

I like this, Lesley, it's very nice, it has a very nice sculptural quality, which I rather like.

Lesley, I will give you £50, that would be very kind.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much indeed.

I came expecting to buy antiques, and I've bought contemporary sculpture, I'm very pleased with that.

Good, excellent.

VO: We'll find out at auction if this little fellow produces profits or guano.

Ha!

Meanwhile Charles is still wandering about in historic Honiton.

Hello?

VO: And it seems that Charles has visited Lombard Antiques before.

CH: Hi!

DEALER: Hello Charles.

Barry, good to see you again.

How are you?

Long time no see.

It is long time no see.

DEALER: How are you?

CH: Very well, thanks.

VO: Great friends.

With only two items in his clutches, Charles needs to buy.

Is he feeling the pressure?

I would like to buy a really iconic piece of furniture... VO: Here we go.

..which has a look about it, Barry, that could race away.

I've got a lovely Liberty stool... Where's that, Barry, where's that?

It's through the back here.

Is it marked Liberty, or you just know it's a Liberty?

It's not marked Liberty, but Liberty's did do this, it's an Anglo-Moorish range that they did from about sort of 1880.

Yes.

It's got really tightly turned mashrabiya panels, which are here.

Yes.

Which have all been separately hand turned, this decoration on the top is very unusual.

Yes.

Yeah, it's nice, isn't it?

Shame about the upholstery, that's quite poor, isn't it, really?

It is poor.

It's a definite Liberty example?

Yeah, definitely.

I was hoping for about 650 for it, Charles.

I would probably part with my entire budget - that's £468.88.

Barry, you're a piece of work!

Thank you, Charles.

Because you've got me going.

Barry, may I take it downstairs, into the light?

VO: Hang on - £650?

It's a gamble for you, Charles, but it's a huge drop in price for Barry.

I just...

I just don't know about this.

Life's a struggle, innit, Charles?

VO: Innit.

Blow it.

You've got to speculate, and at £468.88, that wipes me out.

Are you ready for a sale?

Charles...

It takes all my profit down to the bare bones of nothing.

I'm gonna say something which is your favorite saying.

Is it between friends?

This is between friends, right.

Right, OK, Charles.

Happy with that?

Done.

Money going, money up in smoke, let's hope that stool turns us a wee profit in Torquay.

CH: Sold!

Sold, we've done it.

DEALER: Sold.

That's my entire money gone!

What have I done?

But life is too short.

Thanks, Barry.

Charles, if you don't make money on that, I'm gonna turn these shops into a sweet shop.

Did you hear that?

Sweet shop coming if this makes a loss.

Thanks, Barry.

VO: Back inside, Charles is emptying his purse.

And do you know what?

Sometimes, you carry money around, and you get sick of it.

And that's me out.

I'm completely out of pocket, Barry, so thank you ever so much.

I'll tell you what I'm gonna do, Charles.

Yes?

I'm gonna give you 1p for luck.

Really?

Alright?

That's a lucky penny, and you can't spend that until after the auction.

OK, I'll look at this and on the day of the auction, I'll say, "Barry, look at me, "you gave me a penny back, bring me some luck!"

VO: Time will tell at auction whether your boldness pays off.

While Charles frets about blowing his budget to kingdom come, James is traveling 30 miles away to Bovey Tracey, a small town in Devon.

Huh.

Built of cob and granite, Bovey Tracey is known as one of the gateways to Dartmoor.

And it's home to the largest collection of marbles in the world.

And for the final time today, let's get shopping with Mr Braxton.

Good, hello.

Hello.

Hello, James.

Hello.

And your name is?

TINA: Tina.

JB: Tina, very nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you as well.

VO: Now, while Charles only has a penny to spend - let's not go there - James is playing safe with some £200 still unspent.

I like this.

That's a nice box.

Rather fun carved box - what's that made out of?

Oak.

With a pine bottom.

That has very much a look of the amateur craftsman about it.

Rather fun, isn't it?

Doesn't really sit very happily, the lock, or maybe it's just the fact the key's gone.

Maybe it does sit happily.

And it's in locked position.

That's rather nice, that's a possibility.

Tina, how much is this fella?

48.

48.

Any chance of... how negotiable... Has it been here for years, Tina?

Erm... A couple of years, I'll be honest.

I'm not dishonest.

Well, if it's been here for a couple of years, do you think it's possibly the price that is stopping it from being sold?

Erm, could be!

JB: (LAUGHS) TINA: You want a price off of me?

JB: Yeah.

TINA: 28.

JB: 28.

It's quite fun, it's quite fun, Tina.

And it's been fiddled round...

It's quite a nice box.

Top price I'd give you is £20, Tina.

No, come on, we go up a little bit.

23.

23, you have a deal, Tina.

TINA: Thank you.

JB: Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you very much.

VO: Meanwhile, as Charles has obviously finished shopping for the day, he's been invited to the rather beautiful Ugbrooke House in Chudleigh, Devon.

Ugbrooke House has a rich history, covering 900 years, and features in the Domesday Book.

Robert Adam and Capability Brown were commissioned to remodel the house, grounds and gardens in the mid 18th century.

It's been the home of the Lords Clifford of Chudleigh for over 400 years.

Charles is meeting with Lady Clifford to find out more.

Lady Clifford.

Charles, lovely to meet you.

Charles Hanson, nice to meet you...

Welcome to Ugbrooke.

..in your wonderful home.

Oh thank you.

And of course it's wonderful to be here and meet a true Clifford.

And the Clifford name I understand goes back generations and was an important name in our nation's history?

Absolutely.

VO: There have been a fair few characters during this extensive family history.

The Cliffords came over with William the Conqueror.

1066.

1066.

And a famous descendant is Lady Anne Clifford.

Yes.

And Lady Anne Clifford was quite a girl.

Yes.

She defied Cromwell, who tried to knock down her many castles.

Yes.

And she said, "Well, if you knock them down, "I will just build them up".

VO: For many years, the Cliffords couldn't join the armed forces, because of their Catholic faith, but in 1829 the law was liberalized and one ancestor really made up for lost time.

And here we have the hero of the Clifford family, Sir Henry Hugh Clifford, who won the VC at the Battle of Inkerman in the Crimea.

Here is his tunic.

Which is of course worn.

Yes, and his camp bed, the very one he took out to the Crimea.

You can't quite believe it, can you?

You're handling such history... LADY CLIFFORD: I know.

CH: ..from such a historical event which represents a man whose family for so many years had been restricted from serving in that great... LADY CLIFFORD: Yes.

CH: ..army.

VO: Within the ancient walls lies a secret room full of pomp and ceremony.

Charles is in for an astonishing surprise.

What's going on?

Well, abracadabra... Am I seeing things?

Goodness me.

This is a chapel?

LADY CLIFFORD: This is the chapel.

It's incredible.

I feel as though I'm walking into... a dream.

It's very, very beautiful.

VO: The Clifford family had their own private balcony to observe mass.

And it's... the local parish church.

Every Sunday and on holy days of obligation, we have mass here.

CH: It's so exuberant.

We've gone from I suppose the light and very airy neo-classical Adam to a real baroque gathering of color which of course reflects the faith.

Yes.

And to walk through that closet...

I know.

..and to see this is almost like walking into a fairytale.

Yes.

VO: Alas, young Carlos, we need to tear you away from your historic fairytale.

It's time to catch up with James and discover what's been bought on this leg of the road trip.

I hope you like it.

Good evening.

My word.

My word.

I like that.

CH: Really?

JB: Sort of Moorish fellow.

CH: Yeah, yeah.

That's rather nice.

CH: Well... JB: Now, hold on, hold on.

CH: Oh dear!

JB: Let me uncover this, and a very nice rosewood and brass box there, that's very nice.

Where are the fittings?

Well, that's life, you know, we live in antiques.

And then this fella?

Yeah, have a look.

Lovely jubbly.

Where's that from, Burma or India, isn't it?

Little bowl.

JB: I like that, though.

CH: Really?

My star lot cost me £468.87 and I bought it as being Liberty.

Right.

Of 1875-1880, I think it's a good thing.

I think it's a lovely thing.

And I think, James, in the right sort of auction, it could do quite well.

VO: James is looking a bit worried.

CH: But we're going to Torquay.

JB: It could do.

It could bomb.

I think you're a very brave man, I must say.

James, you've got to be brave.

JB: Hats off to you.

CH: You know...

Your Indian bowl, how much did that cost?

It was £15, OK. That... You'll make a profit on that.

It is a small grade of silver.

This box, James, a bit of pedigree, and it was £20.

That is, that is cheap.

And this, James, I do adore this, it's Liberty through and through.

I think it's a real gamble, but do you know what?

Life is for living, and if we're gonna have a road trip to remember, let's savor that, because, OK, it's a big spend, but they can make anything, as you know, from £500, you know, up to £1,500.

Do you agree?

It's a gamble, isn't it?

It is a gamble... VO: Your turn, James - let Charles see your goodies.

Here's three of my items.

OK, good man.

You fire away.

OK, we've got first of all, James, I like your late 17th century style open armchair, appears to be 1920s or thereabouts.

JB: Yep.

CH: It's a decorative chair.

I like it very, very much.

Furthermore, I like your box.

Sorry, taken that off, sorry about that, James.

VO: Keep your hands to yourself, Charles!

Careful with the goods!

Sorry!

I like...

I like your oak box, that's lovely, it's free flowing, arts and crafts, with fruiting vine... Now tell me, how much did I pay for that?

OK, hold on, let me just inspect it first.

Yes, nice box, we likey likey and this here is a sweet little bird which... is it wood?

It is wood, but it's ornamental.

I reckon for the chair, £25.

I'm gonna say for the box, you paid about... £35.

Yeah.

And for this, I'm gonna say you paid about £15.

Tell me how much.

It's all a bit random, that.

40.

OK. JB: 23.

CH: Yeah.

50.

50?!

Yeah, that's quite expensive, isn't it?

Oh-ho-ho no!

I see, so you... Holidaymakers need the odd rest, I think.

You're thinking about retirement, aren't you?

You're thinking, "I'm on the coast..." I'm on the coast.

Yeah, and I...

Sit down, sit down, sit down.

Guess how much I paid for that.

I reckon, James, that this bench, which actually, we could sit and watch the auction on this... JB: Yeah.

CH: Couldn't we?

And watch it sell away.

Erm, I reckon you paid...

I'm gonna say you paid £55.

I paid... £30.

CH: Very good.

JB: £30.

Yeah, you've done well.

VO: Having seen each other's purchases, what do our experts really think?

Oh, Charles Hanson, he's full of surprises, isn't he?

What an amazing buy.

He's got the conviction about it, Liberty's, believes it's Liberty's.

It has the style, huge risk with that, he really is playing the game, and he has to be admired for that.

I like James's objects.

I think all in, he's bought very well.

Nothing stands out, because they're all good, nobbly, nobbly, nobbly furnishings this time, not knickknacks, nobbly furnishings.

VO: Let's get back on the road and head to auction.

I brought the flag along for a bit of luck, James, you know, I need the whole country behind me now!

VO: It's been a competitive third leg, starting in Dorchester, via Ilchester, Honiton, Bovey Tracey and Chudleigh, with the final destination of Torquay on the horizon.

JB: Look at this.

CH: Oh!

VO: Torquay in south Devon is hailed as the English Riviera.

This was the home town of the queen of whodunit novels, Agatha Christie.

And as our experts arrive in town, it's time to find out who will be the champion at today's auction.

It's a small auction house.

Small auction house.

But you know what they say... Small auction house, big profits, don't they?

..acorns can grow - maybe my stool can become evergreen.

Yeah.

No, well good luck, Charles, good luck.

Exactly, thank you.

Big day, whatever happens, James, it doesn't matter.

You're gonna need it!

Thanks very much.

(CHUCKLES) Be careful!

It's that way.

Come on, let's go.

CH: Up we go, James.

JB: Up we go.

JB: Profits all the way.

CH: Up we go.

Going, going, gone.

VO: West of England Auctions is a long established business, with auctioneer and proprietor Warren Hunt in charge.

He has high hopes for one lot in particular.

The Liberty stool, it's quality, we've had lots and lots of interest.

I'm hoping... £800 to £1,200.

I'm hoping, but who knows?

VO: James Braxton started today with £302.68 and spent £143 on four auction lots.

Charles Hanson began with £503.88 and spent everything on three lots, except for one solitary penny.

Ha!

Now then, are we sitting comfortably?

Let the auction commence!

There's a crowd here.

There is a crowd, isn't there?

CH: Skipper, good luck today.

JB: Good luck.

Good luck, buddy, I hope it goes well.

Yeah.

Battle of the boxes, and the stool.

CH: Absolutely.

JB: The stool.

VO: First up it's Charles's rosewood box with aristocratic connections.

Start me £10?

Come on.

10 is bid, thank you sir, can I see 12?

12 is bid.

14?

16, 18.

20... two, 24, 26.

JB: You're in profit.

WARREN: 28.

30... two, 34.

I'm romping away.

38.

40... two.

42, 44.

46, 48, 50... five, sir?

60... five.

£60, can I see 65?

New bidder at 65.

JB: Cor!

WARREN: 70, 75.

£70 in the front here, can I see 75?

£70, if we're all done at 70.

(GAVEL) JB: That's a good profit.

VO: Charles is off to a flying start.

Speculative buys really can pay off.

£70.

That's a good price.

VO: Next up, it's the needleworked chair that's strong enough to hold the Braxton bottom.

Start me at 20.

10 is bid, I'll accept, can I see 12?

We've got a £10 opening bid, can I see...?

12 is bid.

14, 16.

£14, can I see 16?

Hey, we're not faltering, are we?

CH: Come on, Jim.

20?

At 18... Well done.

If we're all done at 18.

(GAVEL) JB: Very cheap chair.

WARREN: Thank you.

VO: It's early days, but James's chair certainly hasn't interested the bidders of Torquay.

Ha!

I thought that was a dead cert for the coast, nice light colors, light wood.

CH: £18?

JB: £18.

VO: Oh dear.

Maybe the little ebony blackbird will swoop in with a lovely profit, eh?

Start me at 20.

It's a quality little item.

10 to be off.

10 is bid, thank you sir.

Can I see 12?

12 is bid, 14.

16.

18.

20... two.

£20, can I see 22?

At £20.

(GAVEL) CH: Cheap.

JB: Ah, 20, oh well.

CH: Cheap.

VO: Sadly, it fell off its perch.

Jim, the thing is though, if my stool makes a huge loss, you're in the lead.

Mm.

Hmm.

VO: Hm, cheer up James - it's the Victorian carved box that didn't close properly next.

Oh dear!

Start me at £20?

Let's get there quickly, 20's bid, can I see 22?

25 here.

CH: Yes!

WARREN: Sorry?

I've got a 25 bid, 26?

28?

26, can I see 28?

New bidder at 28.

30.

32.

34.

36.

£34, can I see 36?

Back in at 36, 38.

40.

£38, can I see 40?

Go on, 38.

£38.

(GAVEL) JB: Oh!

JB: Made a profit.

CH: Profit.

VO: Third time lucky, James - phew!

Thank goodness for that much-needed profit.

Now it's Charles's Indian silver tumbler next - that's if the porter can find it.

On the bench, on the bench.

On the bench, Scott.

Start me, £20.

10 to be off.

Oh!

10 is bid, I've got a 10 bid, can I see 12?

14.

16.

18.

20... two.

24.

26.

28.

30... two.

WARREN: £30, can I see 32?

CH: I'm happy.

Well done Jim, CH: You were spot on.

JB: Yeah.

£30.

Are you all done at 30?

(GAVEL) CH: Good man.

CH: It's great, isn't it?

JB: That was good.

I'm very happy with that, very happy.

VO: Another success, Charles!

The profits are coming thick and fast, old boy.

It's double-up day today.

Double up.

JB: It's double-up day.

CH: It's very good.

VO: Next up, James is hoping to tempt the hoteliers of Torquay with his wrought-iron garden bench.

A lick of paint, you're ready to go.

10 to start me, 10 straightaway.

Can I see 12?

There's a 12, 14, 16, 18.

20... two.

24.

26.

28.

30.

£28, can I see 30?

Come on.

Are you all..?

30 is bid, thank you.

32.

34.

Go on!

32.

Are you all finished at 32?

(GAVEL) JB: Oh, yeah.

VO: Oh dear, James, not a brilliant way to end.

Not my day, is it?

VO: But finally it's Charles's Liberty stool, the one that he blew the remainder of his dosh on.

It's a high-risk gamble - will it pay off for the cavalier Charles?

I've got a couple of small commission bids.

I want to start off at £80, can I see 90?

Is bid, 100, and 10?

120, 130.

150, 160.

150 with my buyer, can I see... 160's bid?

170, 180.

VO: We're starting low.

190.

200.

And 20.

Don't worry.

240.

260.

280.

300.

And 20.

340.

360.

380.

360, can I see 380?

JB: He hasn't started bidding.

ASSISTANT 1: Asking 380.

VO: Ah, we've got a bidder on the telephone.

400.

WARREN: And 20.

ASSISTANT 1: 420?

WARREN: 440.

460.

ASSISTANT 1: 460?

WARREN: 480.

460, can I see 480?

ASSISTANT 1: Asking 480.

500.

Asking 500.

And 20.

Heard him say "yes".

WARREN: 540.

ASSISTANT 1: 540?

WARREN: 560.

ASSISTANT 1: 560?

Profit, profit.

VO: Oh, and another - it's the battle of the telephone bids.

WARREN: 600.

ASSISTANT 2: 600.

WARREN: 620.

ASSISTANT 1: 620?

640.

640?

640?

WARREN: 660.

ASSISTANT 1: 660?

Well done, well done, well done.

WARREN: 680.

ASSISTANT 2: 680?

VO: It's really hotting up.

700?

ASSISTANT 1: 700?

JB: Well done.

WARREN: 800?

ASSISTANT 2: 800?

800, you've got to make 1,000 now.

WARREN: 900.

ASSISTANT 1: 900?

900, you're close.

1,000?

1,000.

Has he got it?

WARREN: ..and 50.

CH: Yes!

JB: (LAUGHS) 1,100?

VO: Unbelievable!

JB: Well done.

At £1,050.

WARREN: can I see 1,100?

CH: I'm over the moon.

CH: I'm over the moon.

(GAVEL) CH: Yes!

JB: Well done, well done.

(APPLAUSE) CH: Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Well done, well done.

CH: Wonderful.

JB: Well done.

Thank you.

VO: Well done, Charles!

A very brave purchase, giving you a thoroughly deserved profit.

You're today's winner by a mile.

Come on, you can go and buy me a bottle of champagne.

Your round... VO: James started today's show with £302.68, and after paying auction costs, made a loss, sadly, of £54.44, leaving him with just £248.24 to carry forward.

Charles, meanwhile, started with £503.88, and made a bumper profit of £439.13.

So Charles has a whopping £943.01 to take forward.

James, I am in dream land.

I know, you've done very well.

Well done.

VO: Next time on the Antiques Road Trip, James and Charles head for Exeter.

James enjoys the thrill of the funfair.

The anticipation!

Am I gonna be jettisoned?

VO: And Charles goes on an enchanted adventure.

I'm more like a pixie.

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