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

I've got it, I've got it.

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

VO: ..and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Argh!

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

(GAVEL) VO: But it's no mean feat.

Doubled up there!

VO: There'll be worthy winners... AUCTIONEER: £1,700.

SERHAT: Yay!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

Oh, no!

VO: Will it be the high road to glory... Loving it, loving it, loving it.

VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

VO: Oh yes.

VO: Welcome one and all to scrumptious Somerset.

PAUL: Cider for supper?

MARGIE: Yeah.

PAUL: For lunch?

VO: Aha, steady!

PAUL: Listen to this, Margie, ready?

MARGIE: Yeah.

(ENGINE REVS) PAUL: Yay!

How about that?

Rev it up.

That's why it's a Jaguar.

MARGIE: Jaguar XK150.

VO: It's Paul Martin and Margie Cooper in their delectable strawberry jam red 1958 convertible.

PAUL: Yeah, so, Clint Eastwood drives one of these.

Really?

PAUL: Yeah, could you imagine doing this road trip on Route 66?

VO: Yeehaw!

MARGIE: So, you and Clint Eastwood, eh?

Me and Clint Eastwood.

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) My older brother.

VO: Like peas in a pod.

PAUL: This is our first time on the road together, Margie.

MARGIE: It is.

PAUL: Are you quite competitive?

Well everybody wants to win, don't they?

PAUL: Yeah.

MARGIE: Nobody wants to be a loser.

(LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Loser, that's me.

Loser!

VO: Refined, aren't they?

Cheshire-based dealer Margie is a veteran road-tripper and queen of the quirky.

I'm trying to think what you can use it for.

Hm... Birdbath?

Put your fruit in it?

VO: After you.

Paul, the famous flogger from nearby Wiltshire, with only one other outing under his belt, is a man of many parts.

I'm good at spending money.

VO: Well, that's good news.

They're setting off from Somerset, taking in the coast of north Devon, before cruising through Cornwall, with a final showdown in Devon.

PAUL: There's my indicator.

MARGIE: Oh, is it?

Yeah, where is it?

PAUL: There.

Oh, right.

Oops!

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) PAUL: Oh!

PAUL: Oh, I've stalled it!

Oh, we've got a tractor coming as well.

Double trouble.

VO: Yikes!

On this inaugural trip, their items will be auctioned in Winchcombe, but business begins in the ancient market town of Shepton Mallet.

VO: Did you know John Lewis of department store fame was born here in 1836?

Well, now you do.

With £200 each to spend, our antiquers are heading their separate ways.

Margie's hitting Antiques and Interiors at number nine, with Barry on hand if she needs anything.

MARGIE: Definitely an eclectic mix, Barry.

BARRY: Very much so, isn't it?

It keeps you busy for a few minutes.

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) Well... VO: I should cocoa.

MARGIE: Wow, that's a whopper, isn't it, this letterbox?

So, tell me about that.

Is it... What's it made of?

BARRY: They're made of fiberglass.

MARGIE: Is it?

BARRY: Yes, they were reported to be coming off of a film set.

MARGIE: So, it's a matching pair, yeah?

BARRY: Oh, yeah, absolutely, if you want two.

VO: Greedy.

MARGIE: So just out of interest, how much are those?

BARRY: Well, he's got 395 on them but, you know... As a pair?

BARRY: No, no, unfortunately... Oh, each?!

Oh, crumbs!

I think I'll keep walking.

VO: Yeah.

That's a well delivered message, Margie.

Oh, nice riding boots!

If you can imagine, if you're wanting the cozy, country look in a house... VO: Yeah.

..you'd put those by the door or you'd put them by the fireplace and it's just something to decorate and to talk about, isn't it?

They've maybe been used in hunting or whatever.

Everything's got a history.

And those are like, what, 50 years old?

They look good, though, don't you think?

VO: Yes.

Stylish.

Very nice.

Right, move on.

VO: OK, we will.

Paul's across town in Parkways Antiques with £200 burning a hole in his pocket.

Anything tickling your fancy, dear boy?

PAUL: Mm...

Bit of Royal Doulton, a great name in English ceramics.

VO: Indeed.

Now for me, that's a bit steep.

That's £75.

VO: That's a no, then.

That silver plate, that is quite nice.

I do like that.

It's a tea caddy, but look, it's in the shape of a top hat.

This is, I would say, circa 1920.

It's been hand hammered from this side, so basically, this image has been carved into a piece of wood, and then the plate is laid onto it and hammered, so you can feel the undulations from the inside where it's pushed through.

It's good, actually.

I mean, it's a nice centerpiece.

It's a nice-looking thing.

VO: With £120 on the ticket, that's a big chunk of your kitty.

Time to move on.

O: Let's hop back to Margie.

This is a tea box but it's got more than tea in it.

MARGIE: Green tea, black tea, mixing bowl.

But in this mixing bowl, we've got a little collection of vestas.

Look at that.

That's really nice.

If that was silver, it would be worth a fortune.

VO: Oink But it's not, it's plate.

But that's an interesting little thing, too.

VO: Another vesta, is it?

MARGIE: This is a... Oh God, this is good.

This is a combination of a vesta and a stamp case, look.

I quite like that, that and that.

I wonder if Barry would do me a deal.

VO: That would be on the piggy, the silver, and leather one and the combination vesta and stamp book.

VO: Hang on.

I think she's spotted something else.

Corner cupboard.

This is so sweet.

This is an Edwardian one.

This is about 120 years old.

And people walk past them.

Can you see the inlaid decoration?

Love the shape, with a brass little beveling.

VO: No price on it.

(TAPS GLASS) Can you hear that old glass?

It has a different sound, very tinny.

So, this is about circa 1900.

Right, I'm going to ask Barry about that.

MARGIE: Now, Barry, I was going to come to you with those... BARRY: You found something?

Yeah, I walked straight passed it.

That lovely Edwardian corner cupboard.

BARRY: It's an amazing piece of furniture for any time, really, isn't it?

But just don't fetch the prices, so you're into a bargain.

MARGIE: I know.

So I'm into a bargain?

BARRY: Yeah.

MARGIE: A bargain like what?

BARRY: I think we could do that for 35... MARGIE: Oh... BARRY: ..and that will give you a chance.

Well, that's, that's super.

VO: Now, what about the vesta collection?

MARGIE: So, what sort of price are we going for?

BARRY: The pig is beautiful, I think.

MARGIE: Yeah.

Had it been silver, we'd have been talking a lot of money.

BARRY: I would think if you half the price that's on there, then we could do something with it.

Oh, I haven't got a ticket on that.

BARRY: I think that one's on at 30, originally.

MARGIE: That'll be 15.

The stamp and vesta box, which... That's 20, so that's a tenner.

BARRY: Yeah.

MARGIE: And that was what, 30?

Yeah, so 15.

VO: Ah.

So that's twice 15 and a tenner - £40.

We'll call it 35, you can have the pair for 70.

MARGIE: That's great.

BARRY: Do we have a deal?

We do have a deal.

BARRY: Excellent.

VO: That's very kind indeed.

Do you want some money?

BARRY: I'd love some money.

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) Would you?

VO: Well done, Margie.

That's two lots all wrapped up and £130 still to spend.

For Paul, it's all roses on the other side of town.

PAUL: Oh, this reminds me of my mum and dad.

They collect Devon ware.

Oh, they used to love their Devon ware.

VO: Aw, what's not to love?

PAUL: Basically, the clay around Torquay is just ripe for doing this sort of wares.

You know, that's why it's known as the Torquay terracotta.

VO: These items of vintage Watcombe pottery, also known as Motto ware.

PAUL: I think that's really nice.

I love that cockerel.

It's got one or two cracks, which does devalue it a lot, but that's the kind of thing that I would buy.

And if I buy it, then I know a lot of other people would.

And this is quite nice as well, the jug's in good condition.

The best way to have a friend is to be one.

VO: No prices.

Pauline?

PAUL: I picked out that milk jug.

How much is that?

Eh, 25.

And the one with the little chip in is 10.

OK.

If I bought the two, would you do the two for £25?

Yes, I could.

Yes.

VO: Thank you, Pauline.

And with that, Paul's off.

PAUL: Actually, I've just spotted something.

VO: Or is he?

PAUL: A big old dog.

I like that.

That's a Victorian steel engraving, which has been hand colored.

So it is a print.

It's in its original frame.

Pauline.

How much is that?

25, cuz it's just a print.

Would you do 20?

Go on, then.

Thank you.

I'm going to buy that.

I'll give you 20 quid.

I'm not buying any more.

I'm really, really going now.

This is my last buy.

VO: £45 for all the three items, leaving Paul with £155 for later on.

Oh!

VO: Meanwhile, lucky old Margie's ended up near Warminster on a rather marvelous adventure.

VO: It all begins with the tale of how a stately home was saved from ruin by one man with help from a circus owner and the most unlikely of attractions.

VO: Here's curator, James Ford.

MARGIE: Hello, James.

JAMES: Hi there, Margie.

MARGIE: Do tell me about this wonderful house.

JAMES: Well, this is Longleat House, which was completed in 1580 and it was built by Sir John Thynne.

Thynne had purchased a former priory on this site in 1541 for £53, which was a huge amount of money nearly 500 years ago.

VO: Sir John was in the lofty position of steward to Edward Seymour, uncle to the heir to the throne.

And as his master's power and wealth grew, so did Thynne's, enabling him to pour money and time into the creation of this magnificent mansion.

JAMES: Nothing had looked like this before in England.

The sheer mass and symmetry of Longleat House was unique at the time.

The use of glass over all the facades was really groundbreaking as well.

But where John Thynne really made new ground was on the introduction of classical detailing, inspired by Renaissance Italy.

VO: And the house has been in the family ever since, through 16 generations, who were to be titled the Marquises of Bath.

VO: Ah, but it hasn't been easy.

After the Second World War, Henry Thynne, the sixth Marquis, faced enormous death duties.

VO: Many similar estates were being sold off.

But Henry was determined not to lose Longleat.

JAMES: They came up with a really quite extraordinary idea of opening the doors of his private home to the paying public.

And this was the first stately home to become a commercial visitor attraction.

The first?

JAMES: The very first, yeah.

So in 1949, he opened the doors and the response was incredible.

It was incredibly popular.

140,000 people came in the first year.

The real extraordinary development came in the mid 1960s, when Lord Bath teamed up with a man called Jimmy Chipperfield, who was from a famous circus family.

And they decided to introduce 50 lions.

50?

JAMES: 50 lions into part of the Capability Brown designed parkland here at Longleat.

MARGIE: Yeah, yeah.

JAMES: And opened the very first safari park outside of Africa.

VO: And since then, the lions of Longleat have been joined by more than 1,200 other animals.

And literally millions of people have come to visit the 9,000 acre estate, including our Margie, with safari park warden Ian Turner.

MARGIE: Oh, big cats.

(HUMS A TUNE) (LAUGHS) MARGIE: I'm excited to see them roaming about.

MARGIE: Aren't they a beautiful color?

Look at them.

MARGIE: Oh, and basking in the sunshine.

Oh, look at that.

Isn't that wonderful?

Oh, look at their little faces.

VO: Although the animals were initially brought in to boost the family's finances, their conservation quickly became a top priority.

VO: In another corner of the park, Rothschild's giraffes thrive and breed.

VO: It's a vital lifeline for the endangered species, with only around 2,500 remaining in the wild.

IAN: We've had over 120 births.

MARGIE: So, you know, you're serving everybody.

The public, conservation... Yeah.

I mean, no giraffe should ever come from the wild anymore cuz we've got... We've bred so many, they've been distributed to all zoos and safari parks all over the world.

MARGIE: They seem very gentle animals.

IAN: Very gentle, quite nervy animals.

MARGIE: Yeah.

IAN: Got to be quite quiet around them and they're very nosy, see what's going on in the world.

MARGIE: And can I feed them?

IAN: Yeah.

MARGIE: Got my...

I've brought my gloves.

IAN: Yeah.

If you put... MARGIE: Alright.

..your gloves on, as you can see they're really keen.

No, I'm feeding you.

Don't do it yourself.

Right, who's first?

You're a bit cheeky, aren't you?

Yeah, are you ready?

Are you ready?

Oi!

VO: (LAUGHS) She's a natural, isn't she?

Oh... No, you're not doing that.

No, no, get off.

No, no, I'm feeding you.

You're not getting anything.

Oh, gosh!

I wonder what the sixth Lord Bath would've thought if he could see this.

VO: What indeed.

VO: His phenomenal forward thinking not only saved the house and the estate, but it's led to the conservation and protection of 37 endangered species for future generations to enjoy and protect.

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) Am I teasing you?

I am, aren't I?

VO: Let's leave Margie to it, and find out what Paul's up to on the short drive to his next shop.

Uh-oh!

Uh-oh, I'm stalling!

No!

I've stalled the Jaguar!

Help!

VO: Oh dear!

He's supposed to be heading to Castle Cary.

VO: There was a castle here in the 12th century, but now it boasts a pretty town center and Botanika Antiques, with a mix of, well, all sorts, actually, in the capable hands of Steve.

VO: Here you go.

VO: Watch your head, man!

Ooh!

PAUL: This is nice.

Modern Power Generators.

PAUL: That's quite nice, the illustrations in this book fold out.

PAUL: They don't necessarily pop up, but they're beautifully hand colored illustrations, as you can see.

You can fold them up, so you can get to different layers and different levels of the locomotive.

It's an engineer's dream, really.

So it's full of beam engines, steam engines, turbines...

I'm just going to look at the spines.

The spines are very, very good.

VO: Which is important because if the binding is damaged, it won't hold the pages and the book will be devalued.

PAUL: There's hardly any damage to these at all.

There's a little bit of foxing, that's just dampness.

PAUL: But nothing's been removed.

Nothing's been scribbled on!

VO: There's two volumes to peruse, if this is your thing.

PAUL: I mean, look at that.

That's a piston engine.

That would be just swinging backwards and forwards.

PAUL: I'd say these books are 1950s, 1960s.

'60s at the very latest.

I can't find a price on them.

PAUL: I'd like to think these would be around about... ...£10 each, £15 each maybe.

I think those are a must.

VO: Books are on track then.

I do like little boxes, but not that one.

PAUL: Hmm.

It's sort of a late art deco doorknocker.

Might not be quite 1920s.

More like 1950s.

But I tell you what, there's some weight in that brass doorknocker.

It's a good casting.

It's definitely English.

PAUL: That's OK as well.

That's the bit that screws through the door, bolts through the door.

That bolts through the door and it clangs on that.

PAUL: It's generous, you know?

When you get to a front door and you want to go, "Boom, boom, boom!

Hello, is anyone in?"

That is what you call a good doorknocker.

PAUL: Price tag says £32.

Let's go and see Steve and see if I can knock him down a bit.

VO: Boom, boom.

Ah!

Steve.

STEVE: Ah, Paul.

PAUL: Look, I have found a couple of things.

These two volumes - the Modern Power Generators.

I love those.

Yeah.

And the illustrations are superb and they fold out.

Yeah, they are.

What sort of money are they?

Um, how about 50 on those for the pair?

What's the very, very best?

35?

PAUL: I found this lovely doorknocker.

STEVE: Yeah.

It's heavy.

PAUL: It's heavy.

It's good casting.

Yeah.

Yeah.

There's not a great deal of age to it.

I could do that for 20.

20, and... STEVE: If I did 15 on those, and 30 on those.

45 quid for the pair.

That's a deal.

Thank you very much.

No, no... You're a very generous man.

STEVE: You're welcome.

VO: 30 for the books then, and 15 for the door knocker.

VO: Very generous indeed.

STEVE: Thank you very much indeed.

PAUL: Thank you.

Thank you, Steve.

STEVE: You're more than welcome.

PAUL: Lovely to meet you.

Bye bye.

VO: Paul's spent £90 today, leaving him with 110 for tomorrow.

VO: But the day is not yet done.

VO: Margie's been waiting for Paul in Longleat.

MARGIE: Oh, look!

Hi!

PAUL: Hello!

PAUL: These guys need some fish.

Oh, look at that one!

(SEA LIONS BARK) MARGIE: This is fun, isn't it?

PAUL: (LAUGHS) MARGIE: Oh, there's a big one here.

Oh, there's a big one here, look!

Look!

(SEA LIONS BARK) VO: She's quite an expert now, isn't she?

PAUL: OK, ready?

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) PAUL: Can you imagine catching that?

VO: Even the sea lions are laughing.

MARGIE: What a super way to end the day.

PAUL: It is, isn't it?

MARGIE: Yeah.

PAUL: Yeah.

VO: It is indeed.

Nighty night you two.

VO: Morning, all!

VO: Today, Margie's in full control at the wheel.

MARGIE: You know, I've absolutely no idea where we are, Paul.

PAUL: Wiltshire.

MARGIE: Oh, Wiltshire.

Well, you're in safe hands.

This is my home county.

VO: And lovely it is too.

VO: But hang on, who's this on the backseat?

MARGIE: (LAUGHS) That is my lucky tiger.

Aw!

Oh, isn't he sweet?

I'm superstitious that it has to drive in any car of mine.

MARGIE: He only lives in the boot.

Nobody sees him cuz he's not very handsome, is he?

I think he is, in his beat-up, squashed way.

PAUL: I'm quite honored to actually hold him.

VO: Aw.

Paul was all business yesterday.

VO: He acquired some Watcombe pottery, a Victorian engraving, two illustrated books and a brass doorknocker... That is what you call a good doorknocker.

VO: ..leaving him with £110 for today.

VO: Margie bagged a trio of vestas and an Edwardian corner cupboard... Can you hear that?

Old glass has a different sound.

VO: ..and still has £130 to spend.

VO: Those buys are off to Winchcombe for auction, but today's buying begins in Corsham.

VO: Having dropped Paul off, Margie's on her way to the aforementioned town, which incidentally, posed as 18th century Truro in the recent remake of the TV series Poldark.

Oh, I do love a period drama.

Ooh, look!

A peacock!

VO: Chairman Antiques specializes in 17th to 19th century furniture.

MARGIE: Looks like a beautiful shop to me.

VO: It certainly is, and Andrew's the man in charge.

MARGIE: Need to have eyes in the back of your head in shops like this.

Cuz everywhere you look, you see something interesting.

VO: A singularly eclectic mix, to be sure.

Guess what this is made of?

VO: Do tell.

Camel dung.

It's fif... An Indian bowl made of camel dung.

£55.

Unusual.

VO: Nothing to be sniffy about.

Ha!

Oh, that's gorgeous, isn't it?

MARGIE: Bible box, 1751.

MARGIE: Amazing, but that was constructed so well that they survive.

Isn't that beautiful?

MARGIE: The family Bible was incredibly important to the family.

MARGIE: A lovely iron lock.

Beautiful, and it's got the initials of the owner.

MARGIE: And the date.

That's really lovely.

MARGIE: And the price is...

I can't buy it, it's £1,400.

MARGIE: Worth every penny, actually.

Beautiful.

VO: Agreed, but anything a little less pricey, Margie?

Oh, these fascinate me, these.

Declamania, it's called.

And it's sort of like...

It's a form of decoration by sticking these things on the... but I just don't know how they do it.

480... Don't drop it!

480 for that.

VO: Moving swiftly along.

MARGIE: That's quite interesting, isn't it?

He's a great little chap, isn't he?

MARGIE: He is.

Articulated?

ANDREW: Absolutely.

MARGIE: May I pick him up?

ANDREW: Please pick him up, absolutely.

MARGIE: So he's some kind of soldier, isn't he?

ANDREW: He's called an Askari.

You've been doing your homework.

ANDREW: The Askari were native soldiers.

I suspect... MARGIE: Quite attractive, isn't it?

..he's west African.

MARGIE: It's very primitive.

ANDREW: Yeah.

MARGIE: Yeah.

They're tactile.

They're nice.

They're great things.

ANDREW: 1915, something like that.

MARGIE: Hmm...

I think you'll find they're quite sought after.

MARGIE: Ooh.

Well, I've never heard of Askari.

Well, you have now!

MARGIE & ANDREW: (LAUGH) MARGIE: You're right.

You learn something every time.

ANDREW: Yeah.

I like his face.

I like his little wiggly arms.

VO: She seems quite taken with the little fellow, doesn't she?

MARGIE: So how much is it, Andrew?

He's marked up 65.

MARGIE: Yeah?

I'm going to do a very good deal on it.

MARGIE: Yeah?

ANDREW: 35.

MARGIE: Oh... ANDREW: No arguments.

Oh, I've got to take him back for that, haven't I?

MARGIE: That's very kind of you.

I just think he's interesting.

I'm going to pay you £35.

Andrew, thanks very much indeed.

VO: Oddly, everything Margie's bought has cost £35 so far, leaving her with £95 for the next shop.

VO: Oh, he looks comfy!

VO: Meanwhile, Paul has headed for Chippenham to... VO: ..find out about the town's 100 year association with safety on our railways - something we take for granted now, but it was only made possible because of the innovations and ingenuity of local Victorian signal makers and engineers.

VO: The man in the know is railway historian Mark Glover.

MARK: From the development of the railways in the 1830s and throughout the 19th century, there was just a succession of railway accidents that occurred for a number of reasons.

They wouldn't all have been solved by signaling, but a lot of them would have been.

VO: On the 12th of June 1889, in Armagh, in Ulster, two trains collided.

(RAIL SQUEAL) VO: 80 people lost their lives and 260 were injured, including many children on a Sunday school excursion.

VO: It was the United Kingdom's worst rail disaster of the 19th century.

VO: Two months later, the 1889 Regulation of Railways Act was passed, making signaling compulsory across the network.

PAUL: So when was railway signaling invented and who invented it?

Around 1850, there was a railway engineer called John Saxby, who came up with a way of interlocking points and signals to make them safe.

By interlocking, we mean he connected the track-side bits and pieces - the points, the signals, the level crossings - to levers in a signal box.

MARK: So basically, you couldn't tell two drivers going in opposite directions that it was safe to go towards each other when it clearly wasn't.

VO: The Railways Act generated a surge in companies making the new-fangled signaling system, and Chippenham was leading the way.

MARK: A high-tech start-up, Evans O'Donnell, found an empty patch of land here in Chippenham in the 1890s that had previously been used by one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's subcontractors when he built the Great Western Railway and they built a factory there.

That's a wonderful heritage, isn't it, for the firm?

It's a fantastic, fantastic heritage.

VO: O'Donnells became one of the major players in signaling equipment, merging in the 1900s to become the Westinghouse Brake & Saxby Signal Company.

VO: Catchy.

VO: In its 1970s heyday, around 7,000 locals were employed here.

MARK: You'd have done your apprenticeship.

You'd have probably met your other half there.

You'd have probably got married with Westinghouse... PAUL: Wow.

MARK: ...people there, your kids would have gone to a Westinghouse-supported school, you'd have probably retired at 65.

You'd have met the MD for the first and last time, shook his hand, got a gold watch, and from what we can see, probably drop dead two or three years later.

PAUL: Sure.

Because your whole life was led there.

So it was a really important part of the local community here?

It was absolutely part of the community here.

PAUL: Vital.

VO: And all the while, signaling technology was developing in leaps and bounds, from people pulling levers, to 21st century electronics and computers that are still being made on the same site today.

PAUL: I'm really looking forward to seeing this.

MARK: I'm not surprised.

PAUL: Yeah.

PAUL: Where are we now?

MARK: We're in the integration facility, which is where we bring all the systems together for a complicated railway.

We use simulations, like the one you see in front of you, to simulate the view that the driver has.

We have the control center, so that the operators can pretend to be controlling the railway.

And we use real kit so that we can make sure that it all functions together, as it should do when things are working well and when things aren't working so well as well.

Right.

So you can invent scenarios which might happen, like obstacles on the track?

So you put the driver to the test, and the system to the test?

MARK: Absolutely right, Paul.

PAUL: Can we run something up and can I have a go at this?

MARK: Absolutely.

You can drive the train.

VO: Ooh, lucky ducky!

Take it away, Paul.

MARK: Our lives are in your hands.

MARK: And there we go.

We are moving.

MARK: It's not a Jaguar, but it's close.

PAUL: No.

(LAUGHS) MARK: Right.

We're in a tunnel now.

PAUL: So should I take the speed down a bit?

MARK: Yeah, you could do.

See, you're in the station now.

PAUL: Yes.

MARK: Do you see the screen doors along the side of the platform?

Hopefully not too many passengers wanted to get on then.

No, what we'll do is we'll stop at the next one.

PAUL: That was a request stop.

MARK: A request stop!

MARK & PAUL: (LAUGH) VO: If you say so, Paul - ha!

PAUL: It's quite amazing, really, isn't it?

It's not a toy.

This is not a toy.

It's great fun, but it is a vital and essential piece of technology developed here.

Absolutely.

Used worldwide.

Absolutely.

Something we as passengers traveling on a train today take for granted.

MARK: Quite right.

And take that back to the history we saw at Chippenham Museum, where we saw those really early 1850s inventions, compare that to this world.

Yes.

Streets ahead.

MARK: But we've had that continuous progression here in Chippenham.

But the concept's still here, the skills are still here.

And long may it continue.

MARK: Absolutely.

PAUL: Thank you.

MARK: Thank you.

VO: Back in the Jag, Margie's on top of the world.

MARGIE: How lucky am I?

Everybody looks at the car, makes you feel very, very important.

VO: Ooh!

VO: Well, Margie the Great is heading to Tetbury, with its right royal neighbors.

VO: Prince Charles's Highgrove residence is merely minutes away.

VO: Our ladyship has got £95 to spend in Top Banana Antiques, with items from more than 50 dealers.

Wow!

Where do I start?

VO: First cabinet on your right.

Very, very smart in here.

Very smart.

VO: This place is crammed with stuff, both small and well, humungous!

So I'm five foot nine.

So it's five foot, six...

It's about seven foot high that, isn't it?

Seven foot six.

It's sold anyhow so I'm not looking there.

VO: Wouldn't fit in the Jag anyway.

VO: Oh, delightful!

MARGIE: That's interesting.

MARGIE: Ah.

Oh, these can be quite good.

Oh, it's got quite a bit of weight as well.

MARGIE: Right.

So this is a fire screen, isn't it?

MARGIE: Which lifts up like that.

Spoiled my nail varnish.

MARGIE: Here we go...

There!

That's OK, isn't it?

Oh, look at that.

That's quite nice.

MARGIE: It wants a jolly good clean.

It's quite good because the price has attracted me.

MARGIE: The price is £48, so that's within budget.

Let me take a look from... MARGIE: Nice detail here.

It's about 50 years old.

MARGIE: There doesn't seem to be much wrong with it, apart from it's absolutely filthy.

VO: I think she likes it.

VO: Let's see how Paul's doing.

Also in Tetbury, but just around the corner.

VO: Uh, what's he up to?

Mm!

That's delicious.

VO: Oi!

You're not here to scoff!

PAUL: Yeah, I've got to go shopping, but, you know, you can't shop on an empty stomach.

PAUL: I feel good now.

I know I'm going to find something brilliant.

VO: Well, you'd better get on with it, there's no stopping Margie today.

MARGIE: Another room full of shiny, sparkly things.

Woo!

Right.

Let's just have a look and see.

What's for me?

MARGIE: He looks nice, doesn't he?

Dogs are always very popular.

Cold painted bronze.

Can't see any...any signatures of anybody.

MARGIE: But he's nicely cast.

VO: He's a lovely spaniel.

Yes, he is.

Lovely boy!

MARGIE: And it's cold painted, which means that it's painted after the whole thing has been fired.

MARGIE: Ah, he's £78, which is...

I'm sure he's worth it, but it's whether I can afford it.

VO: Although Margie has £95, she's also rather keen on that peacock fire screen priced at £48.

VO: While she deliberates, Paul has finally got himself round to Trilogie Antiques.

VO: Almost closing time.

PAUL: Early English settle.

Settle down now.

VO: (LAUGHS) PAUL: You know, that's nice.

That's a genuine original paint.

PAUL: And a little collection box, a little offering box.

PAUL: This is nice, it's made of mahogany.

PAUL: It's a Cuban mahogany, and I'd say this is circa 1815, somewhere around there.

It's Regency, 1830 at the latest.

PAUL: I mean, these things date back to the 16th century, even earlier, you know, small, primitive ones made of oak and elm sort of cobbled together but with centuries of use.

It's that patina, that's what you want to buy into.

PAUL: I'm looking for genuine historical surface.

PAUL: Then it becomes not just a piece of art but a document of social history.

PAUL: And the thing with this is, it's...it's had its life stripped off and it's been recoated with something else.

And I'd say that was done in maybe the 1920s, 1930s.

PAUL: For me, it doesn't feel right when you touch it, it doesn't sort of tick all the boxes, and it doesn't have that...what we call "the touch".

PAUL: So I'll pass on that.

VO: Fair enough.

VO: Now, we left Margie with two possible items, and not enough money to buy them.

VO: Walter's the man in charge.

MARGIE: That brass black peacock.

WALTER: Oh, yes.

That's lovely.

Very nice.

MARGIE: It's 48.

WALTER: That's 48, yes.

And what I really like is the bronze spaniel, that was 78.

MARGIE: And I've only got £95.

WALTER: OK, you know, let me just do a couple of calculations and I'll... Keeping me in suspense, Walter!

(DRUM ROLL) WALTER: Yes, we can do it.

MARGIE: You can do it!

WALTER: Yeah.

MARGIE: Great!

The two for 95.

MARGIE: Oh, that's fantastic.

Thank you very much indeed.

VO: That's a very kind 38 for the peacock and 57 for the doggie.

MARGIE: Seven, eight, 95.

Walter, I can't thank you enough.

Been a pleasure meeting you.

I'll...

I shall be back!

VO: Margie's all spent up... MARGIE: Thank you very much.

VO: ...but Paul's a little behind for some reason.

I like this tribal figure.

It's an African tribal figure.

Ethnographica, we call this.

And it ticks the boxes for me.

PAUL: It's definitely from the African nations, I don't know which one.

And it's not tourist ware.

PAUL: OK, this has not been brought back in the 1960s.

PAUL: This is circa, looking at that, around about 1880, 1860 at its earliest.

PAUL: This would have been brought back to England by, you know, mariners.

It's quite striking, the way it stands.

PAUL: And it does stand, you know, it does stand.

That's important.

All of a sudden now it becomes a piece of sculpture.

PAUL: I love it.

Absolutely love that expression.

PAUL: I don't want to put it down.

VO: You'll have to let it go for the auction, old bean!

VO: Ticket price, £55.

Right, I'm gonna find Sarah and see what I can get it for.

I'm buying it!

VO: Gosh, what was in the cake apart from sugar?

Ha!

PAUL: Sarah?

SARAH: Hi Paul.

I'm here!

Oh, hello.

I found something.

SARAH: Beautiful, isn't it?

PAUL: Yes!

I love its honesty.

PAUL: You've got £55 on the ticket, can you do any better than that?

SARAH: I can.

Does 50...?

PAUL: Could you do 45?

SARAH: (LAUGHS) Well, OK. PAUL: Yeah?

SARAH: Will do, yes.

PAUL: Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I'll grab it at £45.

I'll pay you straight away.

I'll put that down.

VO: And with that, the shopping is over for the trip!

VO: Our companionable chums are reunited at last.

PAUL: I've had another good day.

MARGIE: Oh, good!

PAUL: Just thoroughly enjoyed myself.

VO: We noticed.

MARGIE: I've bumbled along, you know, I've bumbled along.

(LAUGHS) MARGIE: Yeah, I'm quite happy.

PAUL: I will start to get worried tonight, thinking about the auction.

MARGIE: Look, what will be will be.

PAUL: Exactly.

VO: But for now, bit of shut eye, eh?

VO: Auction day is upon us, and after their county hopping between Somerset, Wiltshire and the Cotswolds, our classy connoisseurs are parking up in Bristol's Great Western dockyard where they'll watch their goodies going under the hammer.

PAUL: How about this for a location?

MARGIE: Amazing!

And an amazing day.

PAUL: We're on the bow of SS Great Britain.

MARGIE: Gorgeous.

Aren't we lucky?

PAUL: We are!

VO: Their items have traveled on to Winchcombe, home to British Bespoke Auctions.

VO: Nicholas Granger is the auctioneer, accompanied by Bella the parrot.

VO: Have any of Margie's five lots, on which she spent every penny of her £200, caught Nicholas's eye?

(GAVEL) Corner cupboards are really nice.

Unfortunately, they can be the kiss of death.

This is unusual, though, because it can be used for display.

It's got some beautiful Edwardian inlay.

NICHOLAS: Yeah, I think that'll do OK. VO: Paul shelled out £135 on his five lots.

Victorian engravings have just really gone down in value, so we've really got to get lucky with someone that likes girls and dogs.

See how it goes.

VO: Rightio.

VO: The auction is open to online and commission bids from around the world.

And, yes, Bella will be an equal participant from her perch.

VO: (IMITATING PARROT) Pretty Polly!

MARGIE: Right.

VO: First lot of the trip, Paul's 19th century volumes on the history of power generators.

VO: Anybody buying them will buy them for the bindings.

NICHOLAS: Unusual, these.

MARGIE: Yes!

NICHOLAS: Very very specialized.

Come on, Mr Auctioneer!

£12 on the net.

£12.

Looking for 15, looking for 15.

At £12.

Do we have 15?

At £12... 15, 16, looking for 17.

Oh, God!

NICHOLAS: 17?

16, 17, 18, 19, 20.

And five we're after.

£30.

NICHOLAS: And five.

And 40.

Hey!

Climbing.

At £40 then.

Going to give fair warning at 40.

Once and twice, selling then at £40.

(GAVEL) Yes!

Yes!

VO: That's a fine start for Paul.

MARGIE: Profit.

PAUL: Profit.

MARGIE: Well done.

VO: Margie's turn now.

It's her cold painted bronze spaniel.

MARGIE: Right.

Come on, doggie.

And we're on the net straight away at 55.

NICHOLAS: 55 now.

Looking for 60.

We're asking for £60.

Anyone out there for the spaniel... (GASPS) Oh no!

NICHOLAS: Looking for another £5, and we're selling it at 55... MARGIE: Oh!

NICHOLAS: 55 twice.

Are we sure?

(GAVEL) NICHOLAS: Sold to the net at £55.

Lost £2.

VO: Cute little fella.

What a shame.

Could have been worse.

Sold!

VO: Oh!

VO: And here's Paul's canine-related item - his Victorian hand colored engraving.

At £20.

We have a home at £20.

Anyone at 25?

NICHOLAS: We have 20.

Do we have 25?

I'll sell at 20 then.

PAUL: I liked it.

MARGIE: Yeah!

You know, it got its money back.

VO: You can't win 'em all.

MARGIE: There's more to come.

PAUL: There's more to come.

There's more to come.

There's more to come.

VO: Indeedy!

Such as Margie's vesta collection, including that silver-plated piggy.

VO: Very nice.

£40 on the internet already.

NICHOLAS: We've got a match case, we've got a pig match case in the form of pig.

Very unusual.

And a little stamp box.

Lovely little item!

Surely it's got to be worth more, for the three items?

NICHOLAS: At £40 bid on the net.

NICHOLAS: At £40, then.

(GAVEL) It's been a good day for me.

VO: Not a meaty profit, but better than nowt.

MARGIE: That's alright.

PAUL: That's OK.

It is alright.

I'm happy.

VO: Good-o.

VO: Paul's east African standing figure is up next.

NICHOLAS: At £20, we have commission at 20.

At 20, I'm looking for five now, looking for five.

At £20 we have.

Looking for five.

Surely that must be worth £25?

NICHOLAS: No providence though.

Looking for 25.

MARGIE: (GASPS) NICHOLAS: We will sell at 20 then, if we don't get any more bids.

We'll sell at 20.

(GAVEL) Sold.

MARGIE: Oh, disappointment.

PAUL: A loss!

VO: Mm.

Paul's starting to lose ground a little.

Time yet.

There's time yet.

Got to make it back up.

VO: That's the spirit.

VO: Now, here's Margie's mid 20th century fire screen.

Very nice.

Very nice.

Very nice fire screen in the form of a peacock.

Luckily not a parrot, otherwise we'd be bidding!

And it's at 110 on the net already.

NICHOLAS: 120.

130, please?

Looking for 130, it's absolutely great.

You can put it away.

Goodness!

Paul!

This is brilliant!

Somebody wanted it!

NICHOLAS: 140, 150?

MARGIE: Oh!

(LAUGHS) PAUL: 100..?!

£140... PAUL: Oh, 140.

MARGIE: Paul!

NICHOLAS: Looking for 150.

At £140 then, I am gonna give...

This is brilliant!

NICHOLAS: 140 one, and twice... (GAVEL) Oh, you're going to take some catching!

VO: Well done!

And Margie romps into a rather healthy lead.

The drinks tonight are on me.

VO: Mine's a gin and tonic.

Ice, no slice, thanks.

VO: Now, can Paul's Watcombe ware close the gap?

At £10 on the net.

£10, do we have five?

NICHOLAS: Devon Watcombe ware.

£10.

Gotta be worth more, surely?

NICHOLAS: Have we got 12 out there?

Anyone?

For £12, are we sure?

We'll sell at 10 then.

At £10.

At £10... Sold.

(GAVEL) MARGIE: Oh, you're not being lucky, are you?

VO: Least said soonest mended.

I thought, well, if I like them, somebody else might.

VO: Hmm, never mind.

Moving on.

VO: Now, attention, Margie's Askari soldier.

NICHOLAS: Very interesting and straight on the internet and running at 55 and 60.

Looking for five now.

Looking for five.

60, looking for five.

PAUL: Brilliant!

MARGIE: (GASPS) At £60, looking for five.

At £60, I'm going to give fair warning.

Are we done at 60?

60 once, 60 twice.

NICHOLAS: Selling, are we sure?

At £60 then.

(GAVEL) Well done, you!

VO: That's another little nudge upwards for Margie.

Yes, exactly!

VO: Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Paul's big brass one.

NICHOLAS: At 25.

Everyone needs one of these on their front door.

At 25, or 30 with me... Oh!

Looking for five.

Looking for 35.

40 with me.

At 45.

45.

50 with me.

Looking for 55.

This is a nice, quality piece.

Well done!

NICHOLAS: At 50 now.

50, looking for five.

Looking for five.

At 55.

A commission bid.

Looking for one more bid out there somewhere.

NICHOLAS: At £50 on the net, can we get five?

At 50, going once, twice, at £50 then... Are we done?

(GAVEL) PAUL: Yes!

NICHOLAS: Sold.

MARGIE: Well done!

PAUL: Yes, 50 quid!

VO: A welcome profit for Paul at last.

Hurrah.

I bet you're pleased.

I am, I'm chuffed to bits.

I bet you are.

VO: Ending our auction is Margie and the auctioneer's favorite, the Edwardian corner cupboard with inlaid decorations.

NICHOLAS: Great for display items.

Oh, he's good, isn't he?

NICHOLAS: Very nice.

A lot of you bidding.

PAUL: Yes.

NICHOLAS: £100, Looking for 120.

Brilliant!

NICHOLAS: 170, 180, 190 now.

Oh!

Oh!

NICHOLAS: At £180.

Well it's well worth it.

Well worth it.

190, 200, 220.

MARGIE: Oh, my goodness!

NICHOLAS: At £200... MARGIE: Oh, I'm so happy!

And it goes on.

That's what I love about the internet, lots of you out there bidding today.

Don't you love a race?

Don't you love a race?

At 220 once then.

Be quick.

PAUL: 220!

NICHOLAS: 220 twice.

Selling then at £220.

Are we done?

(GAVEL) PAUL: £220.

MARGIE: Oh my goodness.

Yes!

VO: Yowzers!

What a profit!

I know I struggled, but you've had a great day.

I know!

VO: He's right, you know.

VO: Paul began with £200 and, after a few ups and downs, he finished a little down.

He takes forward £179.80.

(GAVEL) VO: But Margie has more than doubled her £200 pot.

She takes the win, and £422.30 into the next leg.

So well done, girl!

PAUL: The carriage awaits.

MARGIE: And what a carriage!

SS Great Britain, bye!

Bye!

subtitling@stv.tv