VO: Some of the nation's favorite celebrities... Why have I got such expensive tastes?

VO: ..one antiques expert each... Oh!

(LAUGHS) (CRASHING) VO: ..and one big challenge - who can seek out and buy the best antiques at the very best prices...

Answers on a postcard.

Oh!

VO: ..and auction for a big profit further down the road?

You ready for a quick romp through the shop?

VO: Who will spot the good investments?

Who will listen to advice?

Do you like it?

No, I think it's horrible.

VO: And who will be the first to say "Don't you know who I am?!"

Well done, us.

VO: Time to put your pedal to the metal - this is Celebrity Antiques Road Trip!

VO: Yeah!

VO: Today we're road tripping with visionary garden designer Diarmuid Gavin and 80s pop superstar turned gardening guru Kim Wilde.

So that's two award-winning horticulturists.

No rivalry here then.

Oh, Diarmuid, you have to be a very competitive person surely?

Everybody says that about me.

You see I like to do my own thing and plow my own furrow.

And not really against anybody.

Are you competitive?

It's not something I really am, very competitive.

But today you know what, today my juices are flowing now and I feel like I really want to beat you Diarmuid.

Well, yeah, it's funny you say that because I'm on fire at the moment.

VO: Ooh, they're feisty!

Kim Wilde is one of the most successful female artists of the 1980s, having shot to fame with her hit "Kids In America" in 1981.

DIARMUID (DG): Having seen your house, having seen your garden, having seen your gold-winning gardens...

I wanna beat that.

You still haven't forgiven me for getting a gold medal at Chelsea before you did.

Not only at Chelsea, also at Totten.

The game's on...

The game's on.

VO: Kim's also had great success with her second passion, gardening.

I'd rather be looking at a living plant.

That's where true beauty really lies and that's why I have a garden full of beautiful plants and flowers.

And a great compost heap.

And a great compost heap!

VO: Diarmuid is a multi-award winner and over his illustrious career has gained an international reputation for contemporary garden design.

And lucky Diarmuid is in the company of not one classy 80s icon, but two, as he and Kim hit the road in this sleek 1988 Jaguar XJS.

Don't make me laugh, my make-up is going to start running and, you know, annoyingly, this car, can you imagine, as gorgeous as it is it doesn't have... it doesn't have a make-up mirror.

I mean, how thoughtless is that?

VO: And cutting quite a dash themselves are antiques experts Jonathan Pratt and Will Axon.

They're high-tailing it to the assistance of our celebrities in this sporty 1971 TR6.

Whoa steady there William.

We'll run out of fuel at this rate.

Well, it's a beautiful sunny day I thought, you know, let's put the car through its paces.

VO: Jonathan Pratt's love affair with antiques was sparked by TV's Lovejoy.

But as a valuer and managing director of a successful auction house his expert credentials are anything but fictional.

Pretty girls always sell, that's the thing.

VO: Will Axon's passion began with trips to the sale rooms with his mother.

He knows the business inside and out having worked his way up from the bottom to be the senior valuer and auctioneer we have before us today.

I'm not sure what I'm doing here, but let's go with the flow.

JONATHAN (JP): I'm led to believe that this could be some sort of theme running.

Ooooh!

JP: We've got Diarmuid Gavin... WILL: Yes?

And we've got Kim Wilde.

Unless Diarmuid Gavin did a song in the 80s, I think I'm pretty sure it's gardening.

VO: Thankfully for us all, Kim's the only singer round here.

But with two professional gardeners vying for victory, will we bear witness to a thorny battle?

It's all in the expert, it's all in the eye.

I mean, we've both got a good eye, and we're both going to have a great expert, so it's a pretty even match.

Except you know the area and you know what people will buy.

Oh no, that's conjecture.

I don't believe that that's in my favor.

Who do you think you are, Judge Judy?

"Conjecture"?

Conjecture my bum.

VO: Oh my!

Their journey begins in Kim's back yard, the historic market town of St Albans in Hertfordshire, and after two days of shopping and over 200 miles, they'll end their antique adventure at auction in the Cheshire town of Macclesfield.

With £400 each to spend, all they have to do now is to sort out who's with who.

Here they are.

Nice.

Whoa!

Whoa!

Hello.

Hope the brakes work!

Suits you!

Very nice.

Yeah.

Should have a cloth cap on in that, shouldn't you?

I'm Will, how are you?

Nice to meet you Will.

WILL: And you.

Good.

JP: Jonathan, hi.

Hi Jonathan.

Hi.

Hello.

I know what's going to happen next, both you lads want to be driving around the countryside with the gorgeous Kim Wilde.

So you've already discussed this, have you?

I know, I've lost already, you see.

I'm a bit worried about that car though because I think it might clash with my coat.

Ooh.

Come stand closer, come on, let's have a look.

It's a strong consideration.

No, I think you'll look beautiful in that.

Look at that.

Well, as I'm a bit worried about the clashing thing, it's a serious consideration.

You want to stick in the Jag?

I think I'm going to stick with the Jag, yeah.

VO: So due to purely sartorial considerations, Kim and her new teammate Will will get the Jag.

Bye.

VO: But their first stop is a stroll through town, so off they trot towards the Vintage Emporium.

What a great shop.

You know what?

I've passed it several times, I've never come in here.

WILL: Oh my days.

I can see straight away that this is your sort of shop.

I mean, it goes all the way down there, it goes for miles.

It's a veritable treasure trove.

VO: This place is watched over by the lovely George and is packed full of all sorts of goodies.

Kim's already smitten.

I could spend hours with the clothes.

VO: It seems you can't keep an 80s popstar away from clothes.

Will's not so easily distracted however, and is getting some tips from the auction house.

It's a jolly good idea and one that could prove profitable down the line.

What have you got after the silver?

I'll have a look.

Anyway, Adam, look mate, you've given me a great heads up, good start, now I've just got to go and find Kim.

She's trying on vintage dresses somewhere.

Well that was well worth the phonecall.

The sale that we're going to on the Friday starts with silver and silver plate and pharmacy lots, and I don't know if you spotted that display as we walked in, there's a great pharmacy display here.

No, I was a bit distracted by the fabulous vintage clothing!

Yeah, by the colorful dresses.

VO: Keeping Kim's attention on antiques and off clothes is going to keep Will busy.

These are doable.

People want those, do they?

Yeah, yeah.

Definitely.

Why?

Why?

Interior designers like them, they look good, maybe in a kitchen, up high on a shelf.

They need dusting.

VO: These German handblown pharmacy bottles are £80 each, and date from the 19th century.

Maybe we should go and look at vintage clothing?

Afterwards, afterwards, you can shop till you drop.

I don't know, tell me if you're just completely not taken with the idea.

KIM: I can see aesthetically they are rather beautiful.

VO: Kim's already taking some expert guidance, but can they take some money off that pricetag?

They have to convince George, who's doing the deal on behalf of the shop's absentee owner.

What is the best price on some of his, his bottles that he's got in there?

He does prefer to do a 10%...

If you're asking for a reduction.

And I saw the look on your face, you did not like that very much, did you?

This is a special occasion!

Cuz our lovely Kim is with us today!

Kim has graced us with her presence.

Yes, looking stunning.

Surely this is worth more than a 10% discount.

75 quid, we could stretch, because you know the name of the game, we're on a budget, sort of 40 quid a bottle.

I'll tell you what I would be happy with, and let's see the look on your face.

WILL: Yeah?

GEORGE: 50.

You will do well out of them guys, I know you will.

Shall we meet in the middle and say 45?

Bosh?

Done.

I've just done the deal.

Are you happy with that?

Kim?

I struck while the iron was hot!

VO: It's a £105 reduction on the pharmacy bottles, but Kim's only just getting going in her new favorite shop.

KIM: That could be interesting.

What about this?

Loving that.

Now this is a nice little three-piece thing, you get this, you get this, and you get this.

And the little sucriere.

Does that kind of fit the bill for unusual silver or silver plate?

VO: She really has been paying attention, Will.

It's a good sign.

How much was it?

(TINKLING) It's alright, don't panic!

Always deal in silver plate, never glass.

58.

That's one way to get the price down!

Damaged goods!

I'm afraid there's a dent in the lid!

Do you want to have a go at it?

Let's see what she says.

VO: Kim can certainly hunt for an antique, but can she haggle for one?

KIM: Got a big old 58 on the label.

I think it definitely deserves that, but before you say it Will, because it's you, I'll just jump straight in there, and I'll just get to the lowest I can do, which would be 45.

45?

Yep.

45?

Yes Kim.

What are you thinking?

GRUFFLY: 45.

(ALL LAUGH) I'll stand behind Kim looking menacing while she repeats 45s back at you.

You watched Will earlier, so bounce it back.

I did.

OK, 40?

WILL: Oh, lovely work.

Good work.

KIM: I learnt from the master.

Oh, I don't know, we haven't sold 'em yet!

That is great negotiating, well done.

VO: On Will's advice, they've spent almost half their budget in the first shop.

I think this might be the beginning of a beautiful partnership.

KIM: Well that was just great, eh?

Two lots under our belt.

Yeah, yeah.

Good work.

Yeah.

VO: But will Jonathan also cultivate a profitable pairing with his gardening celebrity?

They're about to find out at George Antiques.

So Diarmuid, your career is about design.

Yeah.

But outside.

Yes.

How does that help you with looking in here?

I don't know if it helps, but I absolutely love good furniture, but I know the styles I like, and it isn't Victorian, Edwardian, Tudor.

It's very definitely contemporary, but I like... Well actually, I don't.

I like that radio.

DG: Does that count as antique at this stage?

Not quite.

It must be... 18 years?

VO: Well, he knows what he wants.

That's a William IV four poster bed.

It should have gone wherever William IV went.

I like these two HMV dogs, I think they'd be very cool, if you got these cheap enough.

They're quite fun, aren't they?

My problem is they don't look like the HMV dog.

VO: Hmm, Jonathan's tips are falling on stony ground.

He does have an opinion of what he likes and that's really good, I must say it's really good.

It makes my job slightly harder.

VO: It will indeed.

This is one celebrity who means business.

Are you ready for a quick romp through the shop?

We'll start off with that.

Quite like this Disney Pooh Bear.

I like this, but maybe it's a little bit obvious.

And this I would never want to use, but there are so many golfers around that I think anything that has a kind of golfing theme, this toy... Have we got a whole box full of them?

Yeah.

Are there any aces?

"Original 1960s Pro Shot Golfer Game."

OK, I like that.

VO: But with a ticket price of £142, I can't see it teeing up much of a profit.

Did I score a hole in one?

You did.

You've got your green, look.

The green has seen better days, I've seen much better lawns than that.

You could do a much better lawn than that!

I've seen roll-out lawns but never fold-up ones.

VO: So a spot of work needed on the greens, and on owner Louisa, who's currently in Italy.

Handy.

I'd like to pay around 85 for this.

What do you think?

I would have thought so.

I'm really fond of this, but you know, in the 80s, at the late 80s, would be...

I don't think she'd go that far, but I will phone and find out for you.

Could I have a word with her?

You can have a word with her.

JP: Oh, that's the way to do it.

VO: It's the celebrity in the driving seat in this team, and he's not done yet, as he's just spotted an art deco trolley.

DG: I really like this.

It's a fun thing.

That kind of sounds dismissive to me.

It is, it's my polite way.

Where's its fun?

It's popular, but it's popular at a price.

Could we see it on its own without all the adornment?

VO: Seems Jonathan's advice on a ticket price of £165 isn't putting him off this item.

JP: At the end of the day I think this is the sort of thing you might put in 80, 120 at auction.

You know, it's a bit of a punt.

DG: Yes.

But you know, with the right people in the right environment, the right marketing, you know, at auction, who knows, it might make 120, 150.

But there's a chance of a loss, and that's the downside, you know?

VO: The expert has spoken, but determined Diarmuid is pressing ahead with the two items, and both belong to Louisa.

He wants that game for under £90 but is she willing to deal?

Hi Louisa.

And what's the lowest you'd go on that?

I think we're going to go for the... for the, that's for 90, yeah.

Yeah, we're gonna take the golf game.

Thank you very much, and listen, enjoy the rest of your holiday.

VO: £55 reduction isn't bad.

And what about the trolley?

Good luck Jonathan.

We'd like to make you an offer and what we'd like to offer you for it, cuz it's such a nice object and you're such a lovely lady, we thought we'd offer you £90.

You've been very kind with us already with the golfers.

We won't push it too much, OK?

But thanks very much.

Enjoy your afternoon.

Bye.

We're only allowed to have trade rate.

What she's saying, she'll do it for 20 below, 20% below the marked price on that, which is coming in at about 130.

I think this is a good, solid piece of furniture of the type of furniture I like.

It's a bit mumsy or a bit grannyish with the legs now that I see it separate, but I think there's a good profit to be made in that.

We'll take 20% off 165.

Brilliant.

Great, thank you.

We'll go with it.

Yeah.

VO: At £132, it's cost them more than Jonathan wanted to pay, but it seems when Diarmuid wants something, he goes for it.

I really, I like that.

I mean, I've seen a million of these, but this is quite decorative.

It's a soda...

It's a soda water siphon.

It says 20s.

It's very "Gatsby", you know.

It is, isn't it?

Which is very in at the moment.

It's very in.

I think it's a very nice piece.

At auction you might say it's worth £20-£30.

I think if you go to a shop, if you go to an auction, that's the sort of price, but a dealer might go for it but a private client might go for it, and it's an affordable amount of money.

Yes.

VO: They're in agreement on the soda siphon.

The ticket price is £48 and the owner, Stephen, is on the phone.

Stand by.

OK, I'm passing you over now.

Be gentle with me Stephen, because the Irish magic hasn't worked so well so far today.

How are you?

How much, what's the best you can do on that?

I would love it for 20.

JP: I bet you would!

You have a deal at 25.

Thank you very much.

Cheers, bye.

It's a deal?

It's a deal at 25.

That was an easy one.

VO: A more realistic £25 for the siphon, then.

Just as well really, as they spent almost £250 on Diarmuid's finds in here.

Three, four, five, and 50.

Thanks a lot.

BOTH: See you again.

Thank you very much.

Bye now.

Thank you.

VO: Well Jonathan's got a celebrity with conviction on his hands.

But on the road, Will's having an altogether more relaxing time with his own private gig.

# Baby you can drive my car, dun-dun-dun-dun-dun, # Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!

# WILL: How old were you when you started off in the music industry?

Did you, were you an early starter?

Well my first record sort of came around about when I was 20 years old.

OK.

So it was nice, you know, a good age to become a pop star.

Yeah yeah yeah.

In fact, my first record, "Kids in America", was a massive hit so...

It was a massive hit.

It was an overnight success really.

I heard Ricky writing "Kids in America" in the bedroom next to mine.

So, he wrote that song?

Yeah, he sure did, yeah.

Your brother?

He had a little synthesizer, a portable thing in his room, and he pressed a button and it went "dun-dun-dun-dun- dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun", and then "Kids in America" was born.

That's great.

I could have clouted him all night though, he was driving me insane.

VO: They're having a wild time together and are heading for another trip down memory lane as Kim's keen to find out more about a collection of Ladybird books she's brought from home.

I've got a box full of Ladybird books and I think one or two might be a little bit collectable.

I don't know, so I've brought them along maybe to see, get them to look at them and see what they think.

VO: Well, Kim and her little box of books are making the short journey to the town of Harpenden.

And they're here to meet Helen Day, the proud owner of the largest personal collection of Ladybird books in the world.

Hello.

Welcome.

Nice to meet you Helen.

You too.

Hello Helen, how do you do?

I'm Will.

Hello, nice to see you Will.

Thanks for having us.

You're welcome, come on in.

Ooh, what have we got?

I've got a box full of books!

The clue might be on the box.

In my Ladybird box!

Ah-ha!

VO: For most of us, these little books take us right back to childhood with their well-known stories and evocative artwork.

The first one was published in 1915 and today there are hundreds of titles that have sold millions of copies around the world.

They became a mainstay in the classroom, educating us on an impressive array of subjects, from arithmetic to mechanics.

Come through.

Wow.

It's all in here, look at this.

You really are a collector, aren't you?

I certainly am.

Look at this.

I am.

I didn't know so many Ladybird books existed.

To be fair, this is actually only a fraction!

I know, I saw some snuck upstairs in boxes.

I did, I had a little peek.

This is what I admit to!

VO: Helen started collecting Ladybird books after rediscovering them with her son 14 years ago, and now has around 7,000 of them.

And one reason these small books are such a big part of our lives is that Ladybird cut costs by printing each one on a single sheet of paper.

That's clever.

HELEN: This is obviously from the printworks.

WILL: Oh, look at this.

And you can see how this is an entire book, it's printed front and back.

And so if you folded this in a certain way, you would have the complete book?

Whole book, one sheet of paper.

And then of course they were child friendly, they were a nice small size, and the artwork, this is a later one, but the artwork was superb.

Did you grow up with Ladybird books?

Well of course I did.

Like Helen said, they were in schools.

They were all over the classroom.

Yeah.

So I've got very fond memories of a lot of the, mostly the stories really, you know, the goats and the pancakes and the pigs.

What's lovely is that we all read them so we have that shared experience, which is rare.

VO: Many of these childhood favorites have now grown up to be valuable collectors' items.

But does Kim's box of show and tell contain a small fortune?

I brought these for you because these belonged to my husband's family.

I've got quite a lot more at home, and I just wondered if you'd look at them?

Come on, get them on the table.

OK, a little Ladybird box.

Oh, sweet!

Right, so here they are.

WILL: Now you're going to tell Kim these are worth a fortune?

I'm afraid I'm not.

I'm going to tell you that the content and the passion that went into them and the beauty of them is worth a fortune, but you won't get that in terms of money I'm afraid.

These books are extremely sought-after today, actually, because people have such fondness for them.

KIM: And you're transported yourself, aren't you, back to when you first saw those images?

Particularly the fantastic artwork in these books.

Exactly.

VO: You'll have to settle for some priceless memories then, Kim.

VO: Her rival Diarmuid, however, is pressing on in search of profit, and Jonathan's taking this opportunity to find out what inspires his celebrity.

What made you become a gardener?

What compelled you to become a gardener?

I just always wanted to be a gardener.

I loved being outside.

There were a few great parks around where we lived.

I loved all this sort of thing, fascinated by how things grow, and I like design, so it was a combination of all that that got me into it.

I was also a big dreamer.

I wanted to have ideas.

I loved reading Enid Blyton books even as a kid and just imagining things.

VO: So let's see what inspires that imagination at their next destination, just outside the little village of Redbourn.

They're headed for Bushwood Antiques, set in a beautiful Georgian stableyard.

Good afternoon.

Good to see you.

Tony, nice to see you again.

A first for you, isn't it?

The first time you've been here?

Alright Tony, I'm Diarmuid.

Lovely to meet you.

VO: There's a staggering 25,000 square feet of antiques here, housed in a former equestrian center.

Wow.

VO: Problem is it's chock-a-block with the more traditional style of furniture Diarmuid's not keen on.

DG: So it's ships and sideboards, is it?

Where are you?

Over here.

So it'll be the oddities I'm going for.

I'm sure there's plenty of them here.

VO: Oddities, eh?

Sounds fun but doesn't always make for a profitable purchase.

DG: It's very quirky.

JP: It's very quirky.

And what makes you like that?

Because it's just so crazy.

It's odd.

And if you stop asking yourself stuff, why would anybody want it, it's a bit of fun.

Well my business is about selling stuff.

Yeah.

And this job's about selling stuff.

Yeah.

Do you think nobody would want this?

No, I don't know, I'm just, I just thought it might be sensible just to maybe interject that sort of thought process, that was all.

Well do you know what?

It's the opposite to everything else I've seen here.

VO: Hmm, Diarmuid's definitely using that imagination of his.

I suppose my role is to try and explain what the market's doing, what is popular.

Whether he decides, in fact, if I say "there's a lot of people will buy that sort of stuff", that doesn't seem to sway him.

VO: Diarmuid's certainly keeping him on his toes, and I tell you, he's not missing a thing in this place, however unsuitable for auction.

Those doors over there.

Best place for it is here because someone comes in and says "they're perfect", you know, but auction houses can't hold these things for very long.

We're not buying.

Yeah, there's some more doors just at the back there too.

He won't let me.

I know when I'm beat.

OK. Jonathan holds the purse strings.

I have to listen to advice.

If I don't do that, I'm very silly.

Do you think I've upset him Tony?

I think so, yeah.

VO: Well at least he's listening to you Jonathan.

Perhaps it's time to move to warehouse number two.

It may be next door but owner Tony's determined to take them the long way round.

Well.

All yours.

Oh, I get to drive too.

Walk on.

Walk on.

Walk on.

VO: Hold on tight, you in the back.

Whoops!

It's like riding a horse, but two.

Are we here yet?

"Are we there yet, Dad?"

Thank you, Ben-Hur.

No problem.

Thank you very much.

That was super.

VO: Right fellas, back to the job in hand.

JP: There's a floral print here, but I'm not entirely sure it's to your tastes to be honest.

Have a look.

Cuz it's just a bit obviously flowers I think, you know.

No, I quite like that.

Do you know, I found this other one, which is completely different.

VO: He's spotted something he likes in this drawing of an allotment, but what do you make of it, Jonathan?

Ticket price is £95.

DG: That's the allotments at Aldeburgh.

JP: "Kensington Chelsea Artists Exhibition, 1919".

It's kind of fun.

VO: Diarmuid likes it, Jonathan likes it.

This is progress!

JP: And as it's a garden maybe you could put a little piece of paper on the back that says "bought by Diarmuid..." Sold by Diarmuid.

Yeah, sold by Diarmuid, yeah, yeah, yeah.

DG: Yeah, I love it.

I really love it.

Tony, £45.

At this time of the day, let's, can we agree on something like 50 quid?

Every penny counts, so if we say 47... You told him to say that, didn't you?

I didn't say a word!

Don't look at me like that!

OK, you've got a deal.

Cheers, I'm thrilled with that.

Thanks Tony, thank you very much.

It's a lovely thing.

DG: No, I think that's very special.

The sad thing is you can't keep it.

I know, I know.

VO: Lovely.

Diarmuid gets his garden and Jonathan has a very happy celebrity at last.

A perfect end to day one.

Sweet dreams everyone.

VO: Morning has broken and the gifted gardeners are spilling the beans on yesterday's exploits.

We bought and we bought and we bought.

Did you really?

We did.

Yeah.

But I'm not sure how we bought.

First thing we bought is such a lot of fun, but it probably, it won't fetch anything, and I paid quite a bit for it.

So you just went for something you loved and you spent a lot of money on it?

VO: I think that just about sums it up Kim.

Your experts did have very different shopping experiences.

Had a great laugh with Diarmuid.

Did you?

Yeah, yeah, because everything he wants to buy has to be thought through.

WILL: Really?

JP: Yeah.

He's a deep thinker.

Yeah, and he's not interested in buying anything that might be the remotest commercial, really.

I'm trying to work out what sort of makes him tick a little bit and pre-guess his last purchase, see if I can work out what he's going to buy.

I like it, I like it.

A bit Freudian, you two, getting a bit heavy with your team!

Kim and I, we're singing along to "Hey Joe" and "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life"!

VO: This morning they're meeting in the historic town of Berkhamsted, where in 1066 William the Conqueror accepted the English defeat after the Battle of Hastings, but who will get the upper hand here today?

Here comes trouble, here they are.

Alright.

Howdy hoody.

All: Morning.

How you doing?

Yeah, ready.

I'm ready to win.

Yeah?

Refreshed?

Absolutely.

"Ready to win".

Competitive nature, that's what we were talking about.

Yeah, well, in the gardening stakes, she's one up on me, so... We're going to get a gold star, aren't we?

You need bragging rights on this.

Gold star.

I've got the bit between my teeth, I really want to, I really want to find the stuff today.

Come on then.

KIM: Well done.

WILL: Shall we go for it?

Yeah.

VO: Yesterday Kim followed Will's advice, purchasing three 19th century pharmacy bottles before finding a silverplated tea set.

Altogether they parted with £175, leaving them £225 for today.

Damn, it looks good.

VO: Diarmuid took the lead in the other team, picking up the 1960s golf game, the art deco trolley, the 1930s soda siphon and the drawing exhibited in 1919, at a total cost of £294.

See, that's very special.

The sad thing is you can't keep it.

I know.

Yeah.

Morning.

VO: So, with £106 left over Jonathan and Diarmuid embark on their last shopping trip together, this time in Heritage Antiques.

Here you are, Diarmuid, what do you think of that?

VO: Jonathan knows what he wants, but can he convince Diarmuid?

I'm personally looking for something which jumps out at me and says "buy me, I'm going to make you money."

Yeah, I agree with that.

Whatever he said.

I wasn't listening.

There we are.

VO: It's a good plan Jonathan, but this gardener is definitely ploughing his own furrow.

And true to form... DG: Can I show you something?

VO: ... Diarmuid finds something all on his own.

I like the color.

I don't see any price on it.

OK.

It's... Is it comfortable?

It's comfortable, it's quite upright.

It's all about price.

If that's less than 40 quid then it's fine.

If it's over 40 quid, it's the sort of thing you stick into sale at 40 to 60 and someone pays £70, brilliant if they pay, you know, but you...

So, we can't pay what we have left anyway because we won't make the profit?

If we paid 100 for it, you're not going to make any money out of it.

Right.

Unless it was leather covered, then you would get 200 or 300 for it.

VO: Jonathan's warning against it, especially with the current ticket price of £190.

But can dealer Helen sway things Diarmuid's way?

180, maybe you can have... JP: No, we haven't got that money.

It was possibly a nice story, Diarmuid, sorry.

That's a really good one, comfy chair.

VO: You're right to walk away at that price Jonathan, especially as furniture isn't doing well at the moment.

Although it looks like your teammate's quite comfortable where he is.

This is it.

And I know this is it, and I don't know if it'll sell, so I don't know how to break it to him that the search is over.

VO: He's fallen in love with this period piece from the 1940s and clearly he's made up his mind.

I can no longer carry on with this charade.

Why, what's the matter?

It is the chair.

Is it?

It is.

If we can get the price down.

VO: The expert's been beaten.

Now for Helen.

The Irish and the Chinese have always got on extremely well.

And what I need to do is I really need to make a profit on this chair.

I really need to make a profit.

So how much can we come down?

We meet halfway?

So 50 quid?

No!

90 quid.

How about 80 quid?

Done.

Great, thank you.

Thank you.

Oh right, we're there!

You see, that's international trade negotiation.

VO: Indeed, and at twice what you would have paid, Jonathan.

Look how reluctant he is.

Yeah.

OK, £80.

No, I'm not, you know...

It's just, I like the chair, I'd give it house room, it would go right next to the fire in the hallway, I love it.

Could I sell to you for 150?

No you can't!

No!

Thank you.

VO: They'll have to wait till the auction to see if that gamble pays off, and with five lots in the bag that concludes our boys' shopping.

DEALER: Hello.

KIM: Hello.

VO: Round the corner however, Kim and Will are just getting going at Home and Colonial Antiques.

Looks like a great place though.

I know, all sorts.

Oh, vintage clothes too.

Oh no.

You've had your vintage clothes.

I've done that, no, no.

Come on, we said we were going to go up top and work down, didn't we?

We are, we've got a strategy.

VO: We'll see how long that lasts though.

# The minute you walked in the joint... # Oh wow!

# I could see you were a man of distinction, # A real big spender... # Not with 220 quid in my pocket I'm not!

Look there, that is magnificent.

I know, you spotted that on the way up.

I mean, is it something you light and you warm something up?

Is that what it does?

I think it's just a center bowl, but very much in that sort of arts and crafts, you can see the Celtic design, the sort of sinuous, organic shape, and the pricetag of £1,550, Kim!

Why have I got such expensive taste?

VO: Big spender indeed, but you've only got £225 I'm afraid.

I did see on our travels a funny little print upstairs, by a chap called Klein.

Now he did those etchings of all the sort of dogs queuing up to have a pee next to a lamppost.

Have you ever seen them?

No.

Do you like my action?

Sounds like the sort of thing I'd hate.

VO: It may take some convincing, but it has a more affordable ticket price of £68.

It's by French artist Boris O'Klein and was part of his hugely popular "Naughty Dogs of Paris" series.

KIM: Right, OK. Nicely signed.

We got a signature?

Yeah, it's Klein.

We got an artist who's collectable?

Yeah.

We got a dog having a wee?

It's not a big ticket price.

I mean, it's a bit of fun, isn't it?

It's making you laugh in the end.

We did see some dogs, didn't we, walking along the canal on our way to the shops?

We did, yeah.

Might have been an omen.

I swear they were whispering to us, dog whisperers.

"The wee picture, the wee picture!"

Come on, let's go for it, Will.

VO: Will has won his celebrity over once more.

I'm just looking at this, I think it's a vase, and I think, I can just see roses in it, looking absolutely stunning.

This one here?

Yeah, but now I'm thinking I'm using, my heart's ruling my head and all that kind of stuff, but hey, sometimes you've got to do that, haven't you?

Well I love it.

I mean, great color, isn't it?

Isn't it fab?

I love that color.

It's one of my favorite colors.

WILL: Is it?

KIM: Yeah.

Well, you can tell which factory's made it just by looking at the color actually.

Really?

It's going to be a bit of Poole pottery, and sure enough, there's the mark, Poole pottery.

VO: With a ticket price of £38, they've now got two items to haggle for and both require a phone call to the owners.

First up, the dogs.

Hello?

Oh hello.

Now we've fallen in love with your print, your doggy print.

Will is trying to drive a hard bargain, he's gone all the way down to 30, which is, he feels 50's kind of... How about if we went down to 45?

What would you say to that?

Could we buy it for 45 then?

Oh that's great.

Thank you so much.

Good work Kim.

I feel used and abused!

VO: Aw.

£45 for the O'Klein, and now for Kim's flower trough.

Hi Eileen, it's Kim Wilde here.

We were wondering about 20.

I heard that from here!

In the immortal words, come on Eileen.

Come on Eileen!

It's the first time she's heard it.

Your corny jokes, what are we going to do with you Will?

You're a liability.

I was doing so well!

I've scuppered the deal.

Yeah, she's got to make a profit and it's a big old 30 for us dear.

I like it, let's do it, shall we do it?

There we are then.

Yeah, we're gonna go for that.

Thanks Eileen.

Sorry about Will.

Bye!

It's an outrage!

VO: That's another two lots up and £75 down.

EDDIE: That was lovely.

Eddie's looking to give you a Saturday job.

No, the other nice thing was that you sold it nice and quietly without too much force.

Oh, thanks Eddie, that's a real compliment, thank you so much.

I kind of, we kind of... Look and learn.

Look and learn!

What do you need me for?

I'm out of a job now Eddie.

VO: Not quite yet Will - you still have one shop left.

But with their shopping behind them, your rivals are heading to Beaconsfield, to search out a little slice of heaven for Diarmuid.

The market town is certainly picturesque, but as a well-known landscape designer, Diarmuid's more concerned with a place celebrated for its one and a half acres of manicured gardens.

Albeit they're miniature ones - at Bekonscot Model Village & Railway, the oldest and largest of its kind in the world.

BOTH: Hello.

Hi.

I'm Chris.

DG: Quite excited to see this.

VO: This place is a feast for the eyes and engineer Chris Nixon knows every tiny detail of this charming world that perfectly captures 1930s England.

Chris, walking in through the laneway and emerging out to this miniature world, I was here, I've just realized, I was here about 44 years ago, when I was that height, when I was a little lad in a pram.

CHRIS: We've been here since 1929, so 84 years, very possible that you've come, almost certainly here.

And what happened in 1929?

How did it emerge?

Well the founder lived across the road.

Essentially his hobby outgrew his house, then his garden.

He bought the land opposite.

Effectively him and a friend just built the place up slowly.

People would come round in the afternoons, enjoy a nice cup of tea, maybe a bit of lawn tennis, put some money in the pot and essentially that's how we've started.

So it was a private passion that evolved to this magnificent exhibition really.

CHRIS: Absolutely.

VO: That founder was London accountant Roland Callingham.

His original creation has grown and includes six towns and 200 buildings, not to mention all the vehicles, shops and even a fishing village.

The natural undulations of the landscape really suit these type of worlds, don't they?

Absolutely.

I don't suppose Diarmuid, you wouldn't want to be taking the shears out here, would you?

You'd need to have all your Edward Scissorhands blades going at the one time, because every shrub has to be kept in context, I suppose, to the background.

Dedication of two full-time gardeners, constantly preening and pruning, so yeah.

VO: There are over 3,000 shrubs and trees here for Diarmuid to enjoy.

That's one for each of the 3,000 inhabitants.

And Chris is keen to point out a special and rather familiar looking new addition.

What about this chap here?

That looks a bit more like a hairy gardener.

I mean, I have those boots, I have those jeans, I have that shirt, hair is a little shorter.

What's going on here?

CHRIS: That is you.

You're joking.

Captured and placed within Bekonscot.

That is so funny.

God.

Where's the auctioneer then?!

Where's the auctioneer?!

No, you're lecturing to the Women's Institute.

You're on a gig in there.

Oh, that's so funny.

I love it.

Am I wearing lipstick?

That's hilarious.

Well that's been fantastic fun.

I'm going to come back with my family.

Thanks very much.

Absolute pleasure.

It's been brilliant.

I'm going to see it in another 40 years.

I wonder, am I going to age?

I think you're timeless.

You'll be captured forever more just like that.

Waay!

I'll become a classic.

VO: Just remember, size isn't everything, Diarmuid.

But for Kim, back in Berkhamsted, getting one over on her rival is, so they've come to Heritage Antiques to see what little treasure Diarmuid and Jonathan missed this morning.

Hi, I'm Kim.

I'm John.

Hi John.

Lord John Russell.

I thought it was Elvis Presley!

VO: So far, Will and Kim have chosen two objects each and still have £150 to spend.

But will anything catch their eye?

KIM: She is nice.

She is slightly cross-eyed if you look her in the face.

Gosh, really?

Well who's going to be looking her in the face?

Hey, and who's going to be looking at her eyes?

VO: They're losing it.

You alright Kim?

Sure.

You look deep in thought.

I'm just wondering where we go from here, you and I.

Has it come to that?

How are you feeling about the lady with the roses?

Do you think we can just do better than that, do you?

I'm just worried that at auction she could bomb.

I'm not feeling very inspired.

I'm struggling now.

KIM: Do you think we've peaked too soon?

VO: Come on Will, it's your job to inspire your weary celebrity.

WILL: There's a big old lump, look.

I mean, that's the sort of thing you need to put that bust on, isn't it?

Well, I wouldn't myself.

And how much is it?

WILL: Well, it's from 110 down to 80.

Ah.

You know what, the only thing that puts me off it a little bit is this running thing.

The Greek key sort of design The Greek thing on it.

It doesn't appeal to me at all, but I guess, it's a lump of something that's pretty, pretty beautiful, really.

VO: Well, she doesn't hate it, so can a phonecall to the owner bring that price down?

Got reduced to 80.

What's your very, very, very best you can do?

For Kim Wilde, this is.

She can do it for 60.

Shall we go for it?

Sure thing.

We're going to have it.

How's that?

Nice to meet you.

Very nice to meet you.

VO: That purchase means both teams now have five items, but who's made the better buys?

It's back to Beaconsfield to bare all.

Dun-dun-dun-dun-dunnnn.

Ohhh.

Yeah, OK.

I like this and this very much.

They're good, aren't they?

The rest you can take home.

WILL: Pharmacy bottles.

Yeah, does that one say boring?

I can't really read it from here.

"B-o-r-"... KIM: This was a hot tip, this one.

Was it?

Another hot tip that we had from the auction house was that anything that was silver or silverplated.

And I found these and I just thought they were rather stunning.

I wasn't looking for a teaset.

It's a crazy design, isn't it?

I've never seen anything like it.

I think you're absolutely right.

Stunning.

No marks Jonathan, but who does that remind you of?

Well, you want to think it's Dresser.

Well yeah, in the manner of, the style of.

VO: Not blown away, eh boys?

But can you do any better?

Yes, yes.

Oh, I'm loving the watercolor.

Oh my God, what's this?

Shall we go for the final piece over here?

Yeah, go on.

There you go.

Oh, very gentleman's club.

I love the color of that sofa, that little armchair.

DG: It's good, isn't it?

That moss green.

It's beautiful, yeah.

Love it.

I'm glad that's got a good reaction.

Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah.

Let me show you this one, this is the one that you're going to have to handle, OK?

Look at him!

Yeah, he's got, he's got a good technique going and everything.

He's got his eye over the ball.

Yeah, yeah.

Keeping his... That was more expensive than the chair.

He paid £90 for it.

£90.

"He" paid £90, God, rats deserting a sinking ship!

No, I'm not, no no no!

I'm not, I'm not, I was with you all the way, because it was a matter of buying what was, it was just fun and quirky.

It is fun and quirky.

Well listen, let's make it official, good luck to you both.

Should I let him?

Come on!

Good luck to you both.

JP, good work.

Good luck.

Good luck guys.

VO: They're trying to be awfully nice, but what do they really think?

I think they are really gonna struggle on that golf game.

How much did he say he paid for it?

WILL: 90 quid?

KIM: Yeah.

I bought mine, I think it cost me 15 quid at auction.

Questioning those brown jars.

I'm not entirely convinced they're as old as they should be.

DG: That service they have is not marked.

JP: And I don't think it's 30s.

And it has more of like a Moroccan flavor to it.

Yes, it does, doesn't it?

And it looks like, so I think it's a Moroccan twist on a coffee service out of Morocco or something.

OK. Kim!

You were done!

I loved the green chair.

Did you?

I really did love that.

I wasn't sure about that painting though.

I think the objects they've got, some of them, they're going to disappear, they're going to be swallowed up by the other things in the sale.

That's right, and educated, I just might think they've bought a lot of junk.

VO: So it's off for the final showdown at auction, some 170 miles north in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

So what a beautiful day for an auction, hey Diarmuid?

Hey?

What a beautiful day to be a winner, Kim.

Well you know what... Kim Wilde, what a beautiful day to be a winner, Kim.

I haven't been to an auction for many many years.

I've only ever been to one in my life and they're quite nerve wracking situations, aren't they?

Have you ever been to an auction?

I have been to one in my life.

KIM: I'm glad I'm not bidding today.

I'm glad I just have to sit there and watch all our stuff go for much higher prices than your stuff.

VO: That's a couple of confident celebrities.

What about their experts?

I think our Achilles heel may be the one thing that I pushed Kim to buy.

Your bottles?

The bottles.

The golfing game could be our Achilles heel.

I don't think there's any "could" about it.

But Diarmuid loved it, and I must say, it was great fun, and it fitted right into the Willy Wonka sense of his, you know...

Madness.

Yeah, absolutely.

You may be a brilliant singer Kim Wilde, but I'm not so sure about your ability in terms of spotting and selling antiques, Kim Wilde.

VO: That's fighting talk.

Today's auction is at Adam Partridge Auctioneers and Valuers.

And as Kim puts the final touches to her lots...

Some people may say I'm going for an unfair advantage, and I say, so what?

VO: ...auctioneer Adam Partridge gives us his thoughts on what they've bought.

Golf set's a bit of fun, isn't it?

I don't mind having that in here.

The staff thought 'pfft, what are we doing with this boss?

What are they playing at?'

But I reckon it'll make 20 or 30 quid, we'll see.

Well, if I was a betting man, which I'm not, I would be putting my money on Will and Kim, mainly because, well I don't know how much they paid for these things, but they bought the better items in my view overall, and for that very reason alone they should win.

Et voila.

What do you think?

Nice?

Please stop that.

He's gutted, isn't he?

VO: Kim and Will spent a total of £310 and are presenting five lots.

KIM: It's pretty beautiful, really.

VO: Diarmuid and Jonathan also came with five lots, but with a slightly larger combined pricetag of £374.

Just give me a moment.

VO: The auction room isn't exactly packed, but it's also happening live online, and with all profits going to Children in Need, take it away Adam.

Right, well we're up first I think with our pharmacy bottles.

Are we really?

VO: You never were convinced, were you Kim?

£30 the lot.

Start me £20 the lot then.

VO: It's enough to make you feel quite ill, this.

At £20, I'll take five.

At 30 bid online, at 30 bid online.

At five anywhere?

At 30.

Any advance now on £30?

It's not going nowhere, is it?

Selling then, internet, at £30.

Expressions don't look good, do they?

VO: £105 loss.

That Will has a lot to answer for.

I'll get me coat.

Look at Kim's...

Welcome to the world of Antiques Road Trip!

I'm really sorry for you.

(CRASHING) VO: Oh, that sounded expensive.

That was a bid on the bottles.

VO: Ha - wishful thinking, but maybe Diarmuid and Jonathan's first offering hit a hole-in-one, eh?

Looks like hours of fun, doesn't it?

And I have a bid of £20 already.

At £20, I'll take five.

Five thank you, 30 bid.

Still with me at £30.

There's someone thinking about it online as well.

At £30.

They've gone as soon as I've said that, disappeared.

Vanished.

£30 it is.

£30.

VO: That's a bad score, with another big loss.

Well done gents, we're off to a flying start!

VO: Not exactly Will, but perhaps Kim's silverplated find can turn your fortunes around.

Bidding started online already, they've got to 40, five, 50, and five, and 60's online, at 60 and five, online at 65.

Any advance?

65, 70 bid, 70.

And five, 80 bid, 80.

At £80.

At 80, and five is bid.

85 is bid, 90's bid.

95, 100.

VO: It's pouring out profits.

110's bid, 120's bid, 130's bid, 140's bid, 150 now.

They're still going.

And 60's bid.

At 170 bid.

180 bid.

Any more?

It's £180 on this, and the hammer's up, for the first, second, third, final time, at £180 now.

You star.

Well done, well done.

That was good work.

That's super.

Yeah.

VO: A whopping £140 profit.

It even makes up for their loss on the bottles.

180 quid, that gets us back in the game!

Back in the game!

VO: Right boys, your art deco trolley has some catching up to do.

Give us £40 on the tray.

Art deco trolley, 40, bid me £20.

VO: Oh dear.

20 bid, and five at the back, at 20, five at the back, 30 bid and five, five at the back, 35, at £35.

You're out online, 40, and five back in, 50 sir, 50's at the back of the room.

Is there five now?

At £50.

The trolley's going to be sold to the back, back of the room bidder at £50.

VO: Jonathan's fear of a loss has come true to the tune of £82.

You should never have let me buy it.

VO: Don't turn on each other now fellas.

I do hope the soda siphon does better or we're in trouble.

I've got £20 online already, at £20, any advance on £20 for the soda?

Five in the room, at 25, it's a rare one, I'm sure.

30's online.

VO: That's more like it.

At £35.

40 bid.

Are you all done at 40?

A sparkling price really.

At 40.

VO: Profit at last, and for their least expensive item.

That was a profit.

Yeah.

Should have bought five of those, shouldn't we?

VO: Back to Kim now, and another of Will's recommendations.

Can it do any better than the pharmacy bottles?

Give me what, £20 for it?

20 bid in the room.

At £20, I'll take five online now, and 30, 30 bid the room.

At £30, a signed one, and five online.

Quick conference, and 40's bid in the room.

At five's online.

Say the 50.

50's in the room, there we go, thanks Mike, it's 50 in the room.

Five's online now.

60, he's back in.

That's it Mike, at £60.

At 65's online now.

Online and selling now at £65.

VO: I think you've redeemed yourself with that, Will.

Listen, profit in this game is a rare, you know, you've got to take 'em where you can, can't you?

Yeah, take 'em where they can.

VO: Kim again now with the flower trough.

Surely those last-minute additions will keep them in profit?

It's got flowers in it, roses in it.

Are they from your own garden?

KIM: They are.

ADAM: Wow.

But they're covered in greenfly and there's a bit of blight and... Well they've still doubled the value of the trough.

You want to bid me where, £20 for it?

Poole pottery, free-form?

20 bid.

At £20 in the room.

Take five now.

At £20, in the room at 20.

All finished at 20, opening bid of £20.

Oh man.

VO: It hasn't exactly come up smelling of roses, but it's only a small loss.

I would pay £20 just for the roses!

VO: Sticking with the gardening theme is Diarmuid's drawing of an allotment.

£20 the allotment.

20 bid, is there any advance on £20 on this then?

At 20.

Are you all done?

Anyone else?

You know, it was exhibited in Chelsea in 19...

Does that make any difference?

Not really.

£20 in the room.

At £20, we're selling at £20.

VO: They just don't love it as much as you do, Diarmuid.

That's another loss.

It's a tough game, this antiques business.

I thought the vase, you thought the painting.

There's no justice in the world.

So we're down to a chair.

VO: Indeed, but first is Kim's column.

Even a small profit will do here, chaps.

We had the owner of a local country house looking at it on viewing day, saying how he'd never let it through his door.

No, he was quite interested in it in fact, and I've got a bid of £30.

He's not very generous, it's £30, at £30 only, I'll take five.

Five, 40 in the back, five, 50, five, 50 at the very back.

And five, and 60.

I'll take five online, you're thinking, it's 60 in the far corner.

VO: It's broken even, but after auction costs, this too will have made a loss.

It would have been nice to maybe have a small profit.

VO: Last up is Diarmuid's chair.

This has to make £135 to beat Kim.

That's optimistic, I'd say.

It's the most comfortable chair you'll ever sit on.

I have a commission bid thankfully, but only £25, I'll take 30 next.

Anyone else on this chair?

Held aloft for your viewing pleasure.

Are you all done at £25?

I'm going to have to deliver that to Chester as well.

At £25, it's a friend of mine.

At £25 then?

VO: A £55 loss.

That bidder's sure sitting pretty.

I'm amazed at that.

That's a bargain.

25 quid.

Someone got that for 25 quid.

Unbelievable.

Come on.

That was rather shocking.

VO: Diarmuid and Jonathan made a loss of £238.70 after auction costs, leaving them with £161.30.

Kim and Will lost only £18.90, so end the trip with £381.10, making them the winners.

Well, kind of.

Well, so what happened?

We couldn't possibly have lost any more money than that, really.

I don't think it's physically possible.

So we both made losses.

Yeah.

But we made substantially... Do you know what?

I would've loved that chair, I would quite like the trolley and I would have loved your vase, and they all went for... KIM: A song.

I don't know why I'm huffing and puffing, I've recorded a win!

Completely down to your tea set.

I mean, it's great, isn't it?

I was your lucky mascot, wasn't I?

It's Kim's item that really flew.

Yeah, me too.

Listen, I hope you've had fun.

Oh, really Will.

I've really enjoyed it.

It's been great.

DG: So off we drive for a happy ever after.

KIM: Fantastic.

Well there's one thing we can beat you at!

(LAUGH) (HONKS HORN) subtitling@stv.tv