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

Perfect.

Sold!

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

Lovely day for it.

VO: And a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

Every home should have one of these.

VO: The aim?

To make the biggest profit at auction.

VO: But it's no mean feat.

Yes!

VO: There'll be worthy winners... 950.

You're gonna make £1,000!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

Nooooooo!

VO: Will it be the high road to glory?

Make me a big profit.

VO: Or the slow road to disaster?

Are we stuck?

IRITA & RAJ: Yay!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah, baby!

MUSIC: "My Generation" by The Who # People try to put us d-d-down.

# Talking about my generation # VO: Another day, another glorious romp through splendid Scotland.

# Talking about my generation # This is beautiful.

Hills, valleys, mountains.

ROO: Oh, look at that viaduct.

MARK: Oh, wow.

Now, that's pretty.

# Hope I die before I get old... # VO: Is it a bird?

Is it a plane?

No!

It's a 1974 Triumph Stag.

One thing I'm noticing today, we're in matching capes.

Oh, my goodness.

We are the caped crusaders!

Flying through Scotland.

VO: It's the third leg of our journey with this dynamic duo - Road Trip newbie Mark Hill and Scotland's own Roo Irvine.

As much as I do like spending money, I am not going to go crazy.

How about you?

Well, I don't have enough to do that!

VO: Yes, poor Roo's been stuck playing second fiddle so far.

(FIDDLE SCREECHES) I know, it's painful.

VO: True.

Ha!

Last time out, Mark uncovered a hidden gem...

This is a little treasure.

VO: ..which made him a pretty penny at auction... (GAVEL) ROO: Ah!

VO: ..giving him a healthy lead going into this third leg.

But you're ahead of the game.

I am ahead of the game.

Not feeling, you know, too self-confident or over-confident or proud of myself, I have to say, because it can all change.

Despair not.

VO: They both set off with £200 and after the first two legs, our senior tripper Roo, after that last auction, has just £117.48 to spend.

(GAVEL) VO: On the other hand, Mark has fattened his piggy to a rather plump £322.26.

OK, let's get down to business, then.

I'm hoping that the further north we go, the more sort of old, ancient treasures we're going to find.

Mmm, sounds good to me.

VO: And me.

On this leg, we're shopping in Dingwall.

But before that, we're going to find out what can be uncovered in Cawdor, famous for its Shakespearean association with Macbeth.

VO: Roo has been dropped off near the delightfully-named MacMuddles, her first shop.

ROO: Hello!

ROWENA: Hi!

VO: Hello!

That's Rowena.

She's in charge.

Now, then, Roo, your purse is looking a bit thin these days.

You'll have to choose wisely on this leg.

ROO: I do like a cabinet of curiosities.

The Maltese Cross.

There's not many people know what the Maltese Cross stands for.

But actually it's a symbol of protection.

The Maltese Cross has been going for seven, eight centuries.

In a way, when the Crusaders protected civilians, and anyone that is a protector of the people would wear the Maltese Cross.

But what I love about this is it's actually on a letter opener.

So it's really quite elegant and fine.

It's got some marks here.

Not British hallmarks, but Maltese hallmarks.

And it's 917, which means it's 91.7% silver.

Not quite our 92.5%, but I'll allow them that 1%.

But I just think it's a really nice thing.

It says here £30.

Mmm.

A wee bit high for me.

And a big chunk of my small budget.

VO: Sounds like a potential purchase.

What else is there?

ROO: That's not something you usually see hanging on a hall stand.

That is a police truncheon.

Do you know what?

I've been in a lot of antiques shops and I've never quite come across one yet.

And this is solid hardwood.

Let me see if there's a price on it.

It's £25.

And it's Hiatt and Co.

They were one of the main makers of truncheons, based in Birmingham.

That's what you need to look for there.

But I think I'll need to speak to Rowena because £25 is not a bad price, but I'll keep looking for now.

VO: Over to our other tripper.

Mark and the Triumph have navigated their way to Nairn, a pleasant seaside resort in the heart of the Highlands.

This is the long-established Auldearn Antiques.

VO: Housed in a former church, will divine inspiration strike?

MARK: Ooh.

Now, these are interesting.

A pair of salts.

So, for putting salt on the table.

But what attracts me is that they're golf-themed.

So the little salt bowl itself is in the shape of sort of like... ..a golf ball that's been chopped in two.

You've got the texture on the bowl.

And then on the back, they're supported by two golf clubs and another golf ball at the top.

And what I like about that is that golf memorabilia is really desirable.

MARK: The price is... ..£45.

The only slightly annoying thing is that they're not silver, so they're plated.

But look at that.

That's a smart set.

VO: Not a bad one to tee off with, eh?

Ha-ha-ha!

Now... ..back in Cawdor, Roo's already earmarked the truncheon and the letter opener.

Still browsing, are we?

Now, this is one of those things that I can't decide whether I like it or don't like it at all.

I'm completely split.

I'm looking at it and I thought, "What is it?"

So I think this is where you hang hotel keys.

Hotel office keyboard, yeah.

Is it pretty?

No.

Is it me?

Definitely not.

But do you know what it is?

It's quirky.

And the thing is, I need to claw back some money.

I want something that's different, that no one else is going to see in the auction house and think, "Yeah, that'd be cool, in my kitchen, in my living room."

Or just turn it into something.

And it says it's...£30.

I'm still undecided.

VO: Better speak with Rowena, then, and see if she can do a deal.

ROO: Hi, Rowena.

ROWENA: Hi there, Roo.

ROO: Can I say, your shop is gorgeous?

Thank you very much.

ROO: The truncheon, which you've got at 25... ROWENA: Mm-hm?

ROO: ..could that be 15?

It could be 18.

ROO: 18, OK.

There's also a Maltese letter opener, which is 30.

And a hotel key holder, which is 30 as well.

ROO: Could they be 15 each?

ROWENA: Yeah.

I could even throw in the hotel board for a tenner.

You want to move it on?

ROO & ROWENA: (LAUGH) It's a big item!

Could you do 40 for the three?

Yes, I'll do all three for 40.

Thank you so much.

VO: That's three lots for just £40, leaving her with £77 to go on with.

ROO: Ooh, thank you!

ROWENA: Thank you.

ROO: Oh...!

A test of my fitness.

VO: Time to nip back to Nairn, where Mark is shopping with intent.

It's a heavy one!

It's a very heavy one.

But I rather like it.

It's a nice bit of wood.

Carved with what appears to be a lady, and you've got a stylized head here.

She's sort of growing into this...tree, I suppose.

It's all rather sort of Green Man, but Green Woman.

I think it's rather nice.

And it's got a label, I noticed, on the bottom.

The label says, "Daphne.

Iain McIntosh.

ARBS."

I think that's the... ..Royal British Society Of Sculptors.

So he was somebody of note.

VO: Iain McIntosh was a celebrated Scottish sculptor and artist.

Son of the furniture maker James McIntosh, he passed away in July 2021.

But no price tag.

The only price on it is what appears to be the original gallery price of £200.

And I'm certainly not paying that much for Daphne.

Much as I like her.

I think I might go and find Roger... ..and have a chat.

VO: There's Roger.

See if Daphne will cost an arm and a leg.

VO: (CHUCKLES) Roger...I found Daphne.

I think she's fantastic.

The thing she hasn't got is a price tag.

Daphne is £50.

MARK: £50?

I've also found a second piece as well.

So the two little golfing-themed salts in the box?

VO: Ticket price £45.

So if I bought Daphne, and the golfing-themed salts, what's the very, very best price you can do for me?

The very best I could do is £80 for the two of them.

You know what?

Fine.

For Daphne and the golfing-themed salts.

I'll pay 80.

I'll take that.

You've got a deal.

MARK: Thank you.

ROGER: Thank you.

Bye.

VO: Wunderbar!

Mark's paid £40 each for those two items.

Time to load up and head out with £242 still in his kitty.

(BIRDS CHIRPING) VO: 45 miles away, Roo has arrived in Kingussie.

But the story she's come to hear begins on the beaches of Dunkirk.

(FILM REEL WHIRS) VO: In 1940, France had been steam-rolled by the German war machine... ..and the British Expeditionary Force were being evacuated at Dunkirk.

Of the 338,000 men taken off the beaches, more than 600 were from modern-day Pakistan.

They were a specialist horse and animal transport corps known as Force K6.

ROO: Hi, there.

You must be Hamish.

HAMISH: Yes, I am.

Welcome to Kingussie, Roo.

ROO: Thank you for having me.

VO: Roo is meeting historian and author Hamish Johnston to learn how this all-Muslim Punjabi regiment became stationed in far-flung Scotland.

ROO: It's quite the view.

So, tell me, Hamish, I'm intrigued - what brought the Indian Army here to the Highlands?

HAMISH: In June 1941, Nazi Germany attacked Soviet Russia.

Prime minister Churchill quickly realized that it was in British interests to help Russia fight the Germans and take pressure off British forces.

Now, to do this, British forces, British infantry in particular, would have to be trained in mountain and winter warfare.

And the best place to do this were the Highlands of Scotland and where we are in the Cairngorms.

And the forces would also need transport to work in the mountains... ROO: Mhmm.

HAMISH: ..and who better than... ..Force K6, the animal transport companies from India?

VO: Churchill developed a plan called Operation Jupiter, the invasion of German-occupied Norway.

Force K6 had expertise navigating rough terrain with horses and pack animals, so were uniquely suited to the plan.

They trained heavily in preparation, whilst adapting to the unfamiliar surroundings and harsh weather of Scotland.

VO: Roo and Hamish have come to Kingussie Cemetery to learn what happened next.

ROO: I wonder, what was life like at the time for these men?

This period led to a most interesting cultural exchange.

There were a lot of personal friendships and relationships formed.

The children at the school, for example, would be offered food to taste and learn about Indian food.

They became, as individuals...

They formed friendships with families and became almost family members.

And even though it was wartime, all the Indian-specific ingredients like spices, attar, flour, ghee butter... ..were imported.

That's really going to some lengths to bring in the spices and the attar and the ghee...

Indeed.

These are the staples of our culture.

HAMISH: Yes.

ROO: The men need rotis... ROO: ..they need rice and curry.

HAMISH: Yes.

It says an awful lot about how well the communities got on.

VO: Eventually, Operation Jupiter was scrapped in favor of the D-Day landings.

And in 1944, Force K6 was disbanded and the men left Britain.

However, not everyone made the journey home.

On our right are nine graves of Indian Army soldiers, who died when they were training here for Operation Jupiter.

HAMISH: And you'll notice how, unlike the Christian gravestones, all the Muslim ones are slightly tilted to the left, so that they point towards Mecca.

Ahhh.

I can see that now.

It's the biggest, kindest statement... ROO: ..that you can make.

HAMISH: Indeed.

There's so much respect in that.

I think, for me, the part that hits home is that it was two completely different cultures, races and backgrounds coming together here in the Highlands and creating strong friendships.

VO: For many years, the story of K6 was almost forgotten.

But thanks to the dedication of historians like Hamish, they are now being remembered.

And in this corner of Scotland, their memories will live on.

VO: Back on the road, Mark has been putting the Stag through its paces.

I have to say, I'm rather enjoying this car.

VO: I bet!

That's a V8 3-liter power plant under the bonnet with a top speed of 120 miles an hour.

Listen to that.

That's what I call an engine.

VO: He's en route to Inverness... ..where he'll be shopping at the Cheeky Highlander.

That's Marcus, the cheeky man himself.

VO: Relatively new on the antiques scene, there's all sorts to get excited about in here.

Spend a penny on this, I wonder.

VO: Ha-ha!

And Mark still has £242 in his wallet.

I could do some damage with these.

What we're looking at are a pair of tin snips.

So, for cutting sheet metal.

So, sometimes they've got a maker's name on them.

Cousins and Sons of Sheffield.

1943.

And the crow's foot, which means they were military property.

No price.

Presuming they're not free, but I don't want to pay too much for them.

I think I'm going to have to ask Marcus about those.

VO: Better head to the front desk and see if Marcus will cut you a deal.

Marcus.

MARCUS: Mark.

MARK: Hello.

MARCUS: Hi, there.

How are you?

MARK: Hello.

So I found this rather marvelous pair of wrought iron tin snips.

Yes.

The one thing they're lacking is a price.

What would that be?

They're supposed to be priced at £50.

I could probably come down to 35.

(TIN SNIPS SNIP) (MOUTHS) Please.

Pretty please.

(SNIPPING INCREASES) OK, £25.

Last price.

£25.

You know what?

That is a good deal.

£25, I'll take them.

VO: A good deal at a cut price.

VO: (LAUGHS) Thanks, Marcus.

Wagon loaded, time to get the gang back together.

ROO: How shall we unwind tonight?

Open fire...and you're going to say a wee dram.

ROO: A wee dram.

MARK: A wee dram.

I knew you'd say a wee dram.

It's got to be a wee dram again.

VO: You and your wee drams, eh?

Nighty night.

MUSIC: "Black and White Town" by Doves VO: Up and at them!

Another day of antiques shopping lies ahead.

It's a bit moody today, isn't it?

I think it's kind of suiting our mood, isn't it?

MARK: Yes.

ROO: Tumultuous.

Have we affected the weather?

VO: I believe it's called the pathetic fallacy.

Come on, chaps.

Cheer up.

VO: Yesterday, Mark splashed the cash on three items - an Iain McIntosh wooden sculpture, a pair of golf-themed silver-plated salts, and some 1940s wrought iron tin snips, which were a snip!

I could do some damage with these.

VO: Leaving him with £217.

While Roo has £77 to her name after buying a Maltese silver letter opener, a vintage hotel room key rack... Do you know what it is?

It's quirky.

VO: ..and a wooden policeman's truncheon.

MARK: Blimey!

ROO: Hit it against your palm.

There you are.

Happy?

There you are.

Is this some kind of subtle hint?

Am I going to get clocked on the head, so I'm unconscious in a ditch somewhere while you find all the bargainous antiques?

VO: Roo wouldn't do that... Would she?

VO: After depositing Mark, safely I hope, Roo has carried on to Cromarty.

This picturesque village is home to Gardiner and Gardiner Antiques.

The dealer is Helen and she sells a wide variety of vintage jewellery and retro collectibles.

The challenge for Roo is finding some items that match her shrinking budget.

I wouldn't normally be rummaging in this corner.

Everything on these shelves, £1 each.

So this is where I'm starting.

I don't have a huge amount of money... ..but sometimes if you rummage amongst the jewellery, you might find a wee treasure that's gold or silver or art deco or Victorian, and you've snapped it up for £1!

So that's what I'm hoping will happen.

Ah, now, this is sweet.

We are on the Scottish Road Trip.

You can't get more Scottish than our majestic thistle.

But what I like about it that gives it quality, it's not silver, so it is just metal, but it's just adorned with marcasite.

Which is very much a stone, that smoky gray, that was used in the art deco era, the 1920s, '30s, '40s.

It is very, very Deco.

Do I need to think about this too much?

Probably not.

This'll either be my next buy or I'll pair it with something, but either way, it's going in my pocket and I'm gonna carry on looking.

VO: Well, it can't possibly lose money, I suppose.

Anything else?

I think I've found my favorite kind of jewellery.

Mourning jewellery.

If you look so closely in, this looks like a normal brooch.

Very small, tiny little seed pearls.

But what I love about it is what's inside.

That is human hair.

VO: Mourning jewellery dates back to the 1600s, but gained huge popularity in the 1800s when Queen Victoria mourned the death of her beloved Albert.

I would love to see silver or gold hallmarks on this because that would just tick all my boxes.

It's got the hair intact, the seed pearls, but I can't see anything, I'm afraid.

So I think this is probably...mid-Victorian, as opposed to Georgian.

It's got no price on it.

And I'm completely in love.

Look at it.

It's tiny.

But that...basically represents someone's love and sorrow.

We'll never know the story.

But I can find out how much it costs.

VO: Time to speak with Helen.

ROO: Hi, Helen.

HELEN: Well, hello, Roo.

Can I say, your shop is such a treasure trove?

I love it.

HELEN: Thank you very much.

ROO: Now, I've found two things I like, actually.

One is this thistle brooch on your £1 shelf.

Everybody loves the £1 shelf.

ROO: Oh, yes.

There's also a mourning jewellery brooch.

HELEN: Ahh.

ROO: I love mourning jewellery.

Yeah, they're beautiful.

Now, there's no price on it, so I'll throw a number out there.

I was thinking round about 15?

Because it's not marked.

How about £18?

Could you throw in the £1 thistle brooch?

HELEN: Yes, why not?

ROO: Oh, thank you, Helen!

HELEN: From the £1 shelf.

ROO: Thank you so much.

So I owe you £18 for the two brooches.

VO: The magpie strikes again!

Good old Scottish money.

HELEN: Absolutely.

I hope you do well.

ROO: Thank you.

Take care.

HELEN: Bye bye.

VO: Roo will group the brooches into a single lot for auction and she still has £59 to shop with.

(ENGINE RUMBLES) VO: Just 24 miles away, perched high on a hill above Inverness, an imposing Gothic building dominates the skyline.

This is the former Inverness District Asylum.

A psychiatric hospital opened in 1864.

VO: Mark is meeting Lorna Steele-McGinn, an archivist at the Highland Archives, to learn more about its history.

MARK: Lorna, hello.

LORNA: Hi, Mark.

How are you doing?

VO: Before asylums, people with mental illness often ended up destitute and homeless.

But when the first private institutions were built in the early 1800s, they resembled prisons more than hospitals.

Early Victorian reformers, like Harriet Martineau and Samuel Tuke, spearheaded a change in attitude towards mental health care.

And in 1857, the Lunacy Act was passed, establishing a public asylum system in Scotland.

So these are some of our records from the Inverness District Asylum.

And this is the floor plan.

LORNA: It is.

It is huge.

And this is just the ground floor.

There's also first and second floor drawings.

So why did they build it?

What was the instigation?

I think we were coming into a time in the Victorian era where there was a huge increase in scientific knowledge.

A huge change in understanding of health conditions.

LORNA: And understanding at a national level that there needed to be a system as opposed to an ad hoc response.

Was there one particular person who was really leading this change?

From a Highland point of view, the real important person was Dr Thomas Aitken.

LORNA: Thomas Aitken took over in 1859 and he supervised the building of the asylum.

And then went on to be the Medical Superintendent until his death many years later, but he was only 27 when he took charge.

VO: When Thomas Aitken opened the Inverness District Asylum, he wanted to focus on cure rather than custody, and used a methodology called the Moral Treatment System, which involved giving patients work, recreation, nourishing food and positive surroundings.

What made this different?

I think we've got some photographs here of what appears to be the interior.

However, you could easily mistake this for the interior of, I don't know, a hotel or something like that.

There's a piano, there are comfy chairs.

This looks completely different from imprisoning someone in a cell.

It was also built on a really... visible, beautiful location.

So it was built up on top of the hill, and it has these widespread views.

Open, stretching views.

And that was all deliberate.

So it's sort of more about care rather than sort of confinement.

VO: Many of the asylum's patients came from poor backgrounds, known as paupers.

And whilst its treatment wasn't perfect, it was certainly progressive for the period.

Do you have any records of people who went through this process, who attended?

There's lots of different stories, but the one I've got out here to show you is the story of Margaret Mackenzie.

It says on Margaret's warrant that she didn't recognize her family members.

She couldn't identify, particularly one of her brothers.

But also that she was really a danger to her mum.

And so she had been taken in to the asylum.

And her case notes show that she was treated.

She was very quickly given a role in the laundry.

And this work seemed to make a real difference to her.

You can see her progressing and doing better.

And it also went on to say that she enjoyed it so much in the asylum that she wanted to stay there cuz she found it a happy place to be.

She was eventually released after a few years on probation and she spent a year seeing how she coped in the outside world, and she was successful at that and therefore she was discharged.

VO: With the advent of the NHS in 1948, the asylum was renamed Craig Dunain Hospital.

It provided psychiatric care until its closure at the turn of the millennium and continued to pioneer treatments for mental health.

VO: A few miles away, Roo and the Stag are making their way to our final shop.

I've got five items in the bag, but I'm sharing the next shop with Mark, so this could be interesting.

I've got quite a bit of money still to spend, so I'm hoping to splash the cash.

And try and spend every single penny.

VO: Well, that shouldn't be too difficult as you only have some £59 left.

Roo's making her way to Dingwall, where she'll be shopping at Object d'Art Antiques and Curios.

Whoops!

You overshot that one!

You'll have to park up and come back.

VO: William is the guvnor of this establishment and has been here for over a decade.

And in that time he's gathered plenty to tempt our Roo into parting with her cash.

ROO: Ooh.

That's quite interesting.

I looked at that.

First glance, I thought that is a silver wine coaster.

But I thought, it's unusual for it to be here in amongst the silver plate.

But according to the ticket, it says...unhallmarked, but tested silver.

These were really popular in the Georgian, Victorian era.

So this is probably late 1800s, early 1900s.

But it's got a price tag of £40.

If it can be near 20, I might take a punt.

But I'll leave it there for now.

VO: Ah, here comes our other tripper.

Excellent.

No car, no Roo.

VO: That's what you think, matey.

Roo's already ensconced inside.

Very cozy.

MARK: You and your warm fire.

ROO: (LAUGHS) I'll just perch here, shall I?

ROO: Do you know, I'm actually falling asleep here by the fire?

MARK: I'm not surprised.

So someone's feeling comfortable, then.

What is this, by the way?

It sort of looks like moldy rice cakes.

No, this is actually alpaca...droppings.

MARK: OK. (LAUGHS) ROO: Compacted.

And that's what makes the fire last all day.

MARK: Amazing.

ROO: It smells quite sweet.

ROO: Quite peaty, actually.

MARK: OK. Alright.

I'm going to leave you and your alpaca poo to it.

The tasting notes of alpaca poo.

Right, that's it.

I'm off.

I'm getting cranberry... VO: (CHUCKLES) Alpaca, eh?

What will they think of next?

Right, Mark, what can you buy with your remaining £217?

That's rather sprauncy, isn't it?

Sadly, not silver.

So probably silver plate therefore.

But the name on the bottom... ..is Reed and Barton.

And Reed and Barton are quite a notable American silversmiths, so really nice quality.

And it doesn't look too worn.

I like it, though.

I think it's just good, smart, classic design.

Alas, no price.

I'd like it to be free, but I don't think it is.

I might have to find William and ask him about that.

And where there's one, there's always another.

Tea strainer.

I love this design.

It's really sort of modern...in its own way.

We've got these lovely little disc feet here.

And then this oval handle.

It appears to be some form of plastic, early plastic.

So it's marked on the bottom, "sterling silver", which tells me it was probably made for the American market.

I'm going to use that word again.

Sprauncy.

I quite like that.

Again, no price.

I wonder what I can do for the two.

VO: You'll have to try your luck with William, but I think Roo is about to get in there first.

ROO: Hi, William.

WILLIAM: Hi, Roo.

Had a good look around?

There's still a lot I haven't seen.

You've got so many treasures here.

ROO: The wine coaster... WILLIAM: OK.

Yes.

ROO: ..which is unhallmarked at £40.

Given the fact it's not hallmarked, OK, I'd take that down to 25.

But if that could be 20, I'd probably go for that.

Yeah, go on, then.

ROO: Really?

WILLIAM: Yep.

ROO: Thank you so much.

WILLIAM: My pleasure.

That's £10, £20.

Thank you so much.

ROO: You're a star.

WILLIAM: My pleasure.

ROO: Take care.

WILLIAM: Bye!

Bye!

VO: Well, that's Roo all done.

And with £39 still in her purse too.

Mark's still searching.

Have you found anything else?

Everybody loves a tea bowl.

I think.

VO: Of course, Mark.

Who doesn't like a bowl of tea in the morning?

MARK: These two... ..kind of seem different to me.

VO: Tea bowls are used in East Asian cultures for preparing and drinking tea.

And I'm far from an expert.

I think these are not oriental tea bowls.

There's a little mark on the bottom which I... ..vaguely recall ringing a bell as Worcester or... .."Coughley" or "Caughley".

However you wish to pronounce it.

But I'm no expert!

So it's a bit of a risk for me.

How risk-averse am I?

£40.

If we can do a bit better on the price of our maybe oriental, maybe English, tea bowls, I might just give it a go.

VO: There's the centerpiece bowl and the tea strainer too, no ticket price, but Mark still has £217 to spend.

William... WILLIAM: Hi!

MARK: Hello.

Have you found anything?

MARK: I have.

WILLIAM: Had a good look?

I found these two bowls.

A couple of tea bowls, yes.

Which I think might actually be English, but I am not an expert in this area.

WILLIAM: Right.

MARK: We've got on the label... .."A pair of oriental tea bowls, £40."

WILLIAM: Oh.

MARK: I'm prepared to... ..take a gamble, but please make it as pain-free a gamble as possible.

How does £30 melt your butter?

£30.

Alright.

MARK: I've also found this pretty big scallop-edged, silver-plated... WILLIAM: Oh, the American one.

MARK: ..centerpiece.

You've got it.

Reed and Barton.

WILLIAM: Yes.

Indeed.

MARK: Yes.

MARK: No price on it.

WILLIAM: No.

Tempt me.

Tempt me.

WILLIAM: No price on it, but it's a very nice piece.

It's in very good condition.

I was thinking £75 on that, but for a man who's prepared to take a gamble, if we say £50?

OK, so we've got £30 and we've got £50.

And that makes 80, from my mathematics.

And then the final piece I spotted was over there.

It's a very small tea strainer with a sort of oval black... WILLIAM: With the Bakelite handle.

£20 for that.

That's £100.

You know what?

I can't say no.

I would be very disappointed if you did!

MARK: (LAUGHS) So we have a deal at £100... WILLIAM: We certainly do.

MARK: ..for the lot.

Thank you very much indeed.

VO: And we're all wrapped up.

Mark will group the tea strainer with the bowls to make a single lot for auction.

And we better find out where Roo's left the motor.

It's the battle of the bling!

I think you might win!

MARK: I think I'm going to win.

That is what I call bling.

ROO: Come on, then.

I'm driving.

MARK: Where did you leave the car?

ROO: I can't quite remember.

ROO: Would you rather climb the tallest mountain in the world or swim to the deepest sea?

I'd actually quite like to see what weird creatures live down, right down, like, the trenches, you know?

ROO: Ooh.

Now I'm the opposite.

So are you a yodeler, then?

MARK: When you climb to the top of your mountain... MARK: ..clear the throat and... ROO: Actually... ROO: (CLEARS THROAT) Yo-da-lay-he-hoo!

MARK: You are definitely a yodeler.

VO: And on that note - ho-ho-ho - time for shut-eye.

VO: A new day has dawned!

And with it comes an auction.

ROO: Here we are.

Door-to-door service, my lovely.

MARK: Thank you very much, my dear.

ROO: It looks very charming.

MARK: It does.

What a view.

VO: We're in picturesque Poolewe on the banks of Loch Ewe.

You wouldn't think we're further north than Moscow here, would you?

VO: Roo and Mark have parked up at Pool House... ..a marvelous and quirky 300-year-old mansion.

ROO: It's almost like we're at the edge of the world, isn't it?

MARK: You can see for miles!

VO: Roo and Mark have been all over the Highlands and today their journey has brought them to Scotland's northwest coastline.

Meanwhile, their goodies have been delivered safely to North Shields and Featonby's Auctioneers, where keen bidders await in the room.

VO: Auctioneer Phoebe Hoare has the hammer today.

(GAVEL) VO: Roo's five lots cost her just £78.

Any favorites, Phoebe?

The Victorian silver bottle coaster is a lovely lot.

I think it's one of my favorite lots.

It's caught my eye because it's a dainty little size.

It's in great condition and it ticks all the boxes.

VO: Sounds promising.

Mark spent a fair bit more on his five lots.

£205.

But what do you think, Phoebe?

We have the Iain McIntosh wooden sculpture, Daphne.

Lovely piece.

He is well known and he is quite rare to the market, so I'm interested to see what it makes.

VO: As are we!

The auction is also open to bids online and on the phone.

ROO: Oh, this is stunning.

VO: Roo and Mark will be watching the auction unfold on their clever-dick tablets with this gorgeous vista.

ROO: This is very us.

Big, squishy sofas.

And this incredible view in front of us.

I could almost forget that we have some potential profits or losses heading our way.

We're thinking profit.

ROO: Profit!

Always.

MARK: Think positive.

VO: 'Ello, 'ello, 'ello.

Roo's up first with her policeman's truncheon.

No blood on it or anything like that?

No!

£20.

Bid online.

22 with me.

ROO: Creeping up slowly.

That's nice.

£25.

Any further interest?

Come on, a little bit more.

PHOEBE: 28, new bidder.

MARK: Hey!

At £28, looking for 30.

Sneak it to 30.

Last chance to all.

PHOEBE: 30, in time.

MARK: Yes!

Oh, yes!

We love those ones.

£30, then.

Last chance to all at 30.

(GAVEL) VO: Tidy little profit to kick off with.

Fabulous.

Right off the starting blocks.

VO: Next, it's Mark's 1940s tin snips.

I could almost see them hanging in here, which is quite eclectic.

It's far too posh in here for a pair of pincers.

12 bid.

Straight in there at 12.

Come on.

15 now, thank you.

At £15.

MARK: Come on, come back.

PHOEBE: 18 now.

PHOEBE: That's better.

20 bid.

MARK: Creeping up.

ROO: So close!

PHOEBE: 22.

25.

ROO: Excellent.

At £28.

(GAVEL) 28, thank you.

VO: Excellent.

Every penny counts in this game.

MARK: It's a profit.

ROO: A profit.

Exactly.

A profit's a profit.

VO: Now, can Roo's silver letter opener deliver more good news?

The kind of house we're in, this could almost be like an Agatha Christie.

MARK: (GASPS) It was Dr Hill in the library with a letter opener!

Actually, that would do you.

12, straight in, thank you.

At 12.

15.

18.

That's better.

You're clear.

At £20 there.

20.

Come back in at two.

ROO: Go on, girl!

PHOEBE: £22.

Last-minute bid?

(GAVEL) Ohhh!

VO: Very good.

This is going swimmingly so far.

MARK: Profit, though.

ROO: It is.

It is.

I was hoping that would do a little bit more.

VO: All par for the course.

Now, what can Mark's novelty golf salts do?

I love these.

It's all about the theme.

I think these are going to fly.

At £12.

Looking for more.

12?

15, standing, thank you.

At £15 in the room.

15.

18.

Back in.

20 now.

Oh, we've got an auction!

22, back in.

Would you like five?

25 now.

It goes on.

Yeah, I'd like it to go on a lot longer!

Last chance to all then.

Slowing down.

£25.

MARK: It's a crime!

ROO: There'll be another bid.

PHOEBE: 28.

ROO: Told you!

30 bid.

Thank you.

At 30.

£30.

Last chance, then.

£30.

(GAVEL) 30, thank you.

They deserved so much more!

VO: It's a bogey, I'm afraid.

Never mind, eh?

I'm straight into the rough.

You ended up in the bunker.

VO: Roo's grouped her two brooches into one lot.

Doesn't always pay off, though.

15 bid, straight in.

PHOEBE: 18 now.

ROO: I so want this to do well.

At £22, then.

25, that's better.

PHOEBE: 28, thank you.

30 now.

ROO: Thank you!

PHOEBE: At £30 there.

At 30.

ROO: Please!

PHOEBE: That's better.

It goes on.

At £32 there.

At 32.

Five bid in time.

Hey!

Come back in if you like.

Other bidder for 38?

Come on, other bidder.

£35.

Last chance to all.

(GAVEL) VO: She's on a roll today!

Nice, steady profits.

So that's a profit again.

ROO: I'm happy with that.

MARK: Yeah.

VO: Mark will need his centerpiece bowl to do well.

This is the item that I coveted the most out of what you bought.

PHOEBE: £10, straight in.

MARK: Low!

There'll be a lot of interest.

£10.

Any further?

12.

15 in time.

Thank you.

Any interest there in the room?

£15.

Last chance to all.

PHOEBE: 18 bid now.

MARK: (GASPS) PHOEBE: Thank you.

At 18.

At £18, looking for 20.

Last chance.

£18.

20, in time.

£20, online then.

Selling for 20.

(GAVEL) VO: That's one lucky bidder indeed.

Bargain of the day.

Absolutely.

That was one of my favorite pieces of yours.

VO: Will Roo's reception room key rack check in with a profit?

Let's see.

So, tell me about this.

Hotel reception key rack.

I just see a box!

PHOEBE: Lovely big size, this.

What do we say?

Start me off at £10.

10 bid, thank you, online.

MARK: Hey!

PHOEBE: Useful item here.

£10 only?

Are we done?

Go on, give me a 12.

12 bid, thank you.

MARK & ROO: Oh!

PHOEBE: At £15 there.

At 15.

MARK: It's off!

PHOEBE: Looking for 18.

MARK: It's off!

ROO: C'mon!

Last chance for all at 15.

It's a handy thing.

(GAVEL) Thank you.

VO: A lucky buy for one North Shields hotelier.

And a few more pounds in Roo's coffers.

You said you wanted to make a profit on every one and you are!

By the skin of my teeth in some cases.

VO: Next, Mark's grouped his tea bowls and tea strainer into a single lot.

Now, these I'm quite excited about.

ROO: I love this.

MARK: I know it's an... ..incongruous mix, but they're just two great pieces.

£20, straight in there.

I'm not surprised, at 20.

22.

I like the cut of her jib.

25.

28.

ROO: A lot of interest.

30 bid now.

32.

At £32.

Come back in at five.

35.

Fabulous.

£38.

It's in the room.

40, back in.

MARK: Hooray.

PHOEBE: 42.

I've got 42 in the room.

PHOEBE: Last chance.

MARK: Come on!

£42... (GAVEL) 42.

VO: Oh, dear.

Mark's lead is taking a bit of a hit today.

Oh, my.

That was a lovely lot.

I'm not having much luck today.

VO: But Roo is.

Now, can her silver wine coaster make it five out of five?

Wine coasters, I love.

Start me off at £20.

PHOEBE: 20.

25.

28.

MARK: (GASPS) At £28.

30 now in the room.

PHOEBE: At £30.

32.

MARK: Yes!

35.

It's a lovely one, this.

At £35.

PHOEBE: 38, thank you.

£38.

That's a good price, well done.

(GAVEL) 38.

ROO: Happy with that.

ROO: Happy with that.

MARK: Very good.

VO: It's a clean sweep.

A profit on every lot.

Well done, Roo.

Miss Profit sitting over there.

ROO: Oh, I don't know.

MARK: Against Mr Loss... ..sitting over here.

Not at all.

Listen, I think you're going to fly with this.

VO: Yes, auctioneer Phoebe thought so too.

The Iain McIntosh wooden sculpture.

So, let me introduce you to Daphne.

PHOEBE: 72.

75.

ROO: Fabulous!

Right in.

82.

85.

88.

90.

92.

95.

98.

100.

110 I'm looking for.

£100.

Looking for 110.

110, thank you.

At 110.

ROO: Well done!

PHOEBE: 130.

140.

£140.

At 140.

I can barely keep up.

At 140.

I'm liking this!

Are there any more bids there?

£140.

Go a little bit more.

A little, tiny bit more.

(GAVEL) 140, thank you.

£100 profit!

That is amazing!

I'm happy with that.

VO: And just like that, he's back in the game.

Now I think we should celebrate.

Oh, gosh, yes.

Let's.

Shall I call Jeeves?

VO: Thanks to Daphne, Mark is still out in front.

After costs, he made £8.20 profit, bringing his piggy to £330.46, going into the penultimate leg.

(GAVEL) VO: But the solid display in the sale room has seen Roo make up some ground.

After commission, she's earned £36.80, topping her piggy up to £154.28.

Well done.

ROO: Off we go.

Tally-ho!

On to the next!

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