antiques experts... RAJ: That's me.

PAUL: I like that.

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

TIM: Hold on!

IRITA: (SQUEALS) VO: And a goal, to scour Britain for antiques.

En garde!

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

But it's no mean feat.

I don't believe it!

VO: There'll be worthy winners... PAUL: Yes!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

I was robbed.

VO: Will it be the high road to glory...

Right, come on, let's go.

VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?

DAVID: Oh, Roo!

Oh, Roo!

ROO: (SQUEALS) VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Oh yes.

Today our rural ramble arrives in deepest, most delightful Dorset.

PAUL: I love this area.

I'm a West Country boy.

Look at that valley down there.

Is that the Axe Valley done there?

Yeah it is, yeah.

It is.

VO: "Axing" the question is driver Raj Bisram.

His knowledgeable navigator is country correspondent Paul Martin.

And the whole area is just steeped in mystique and history.

Atmospheric without a doubt.

PAUL: Pagans.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Our antique worshiping pair have a so-far-reliable 1980s Mercedes for their road trip.

PAUL: And Glastonbury is just on the doorstep as well.

Yeah.

Well that's definitely a very spiritual place, isn't it?

Well, yeah.

It is if you're into King Arthur.

I was talking about the pop concerts.

PAUL: Oh.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Raj from Kent is a top auctioneer... Yeah!

VO: ..although he has worn several hats over the years.

Bring it on Paul.

VO: While his heavyweight opponent from Wiltshire has an equally varied CV... Giddy-up.

VO: ..which includes dealing, drumming and daytime telly.

He's a Road Trip rookie.

But he seems to be getting the hang of it alright.

At 150.

Yes!

RAJ: Oh, what a result.

Gee whiz, that was just going and going and going.

So exciting.

VO: Not 'alf.

Paul started out with £200 and has thus far managed to amass £357.52.

Raj, who began with the same sum, has done even better and currently has £515.74 in his wallet.

PAUL: Well, you're an old hand at this, Raj.

So I've just been following your lead really.

VO: Less of the old, thinks Raj.

They set forth from Sussex and have mostly moved west on a treasure hunting expedition of epic proportions, seeing the sights and sealing several deals, en route to a climax in the Cotswolds.

VO: Steady on.

VO: Today's wander around Wessex takes in several delightful counties, beginning in Bridport.

Hang on, not just yet.

Looks like there's a bit of a hold up.

Ah.

(MOOING) Hello, cows.

Hello.

PAUL: I don't mind traffic jams like that.

I know.

I know.

Lovely smell, isn't it?

They're off to be milked - look at the size of the udders.

It's a real country theme, this, isn't it?

This is what the Road Trip's all about.

VO: Quite.

Anyway, back to nearby Bridport.

A famous rope and net making center.

They supplied the nets for the 1966 World Cup final.

Ha!

Not tested by the infamous Geoff Hurst's goal of course.

Here's Raj, he's already dropped his chum off.

Looks big enough.

Oh, I'm not sure you've quite turned it... Oh, dear.

Anyway, plenty of time at South Street Antiques.

Hello.

Oh, hi there Raj.

Hi, you remember me!

Good to see you again.

It's Bill isn't it?

Still looks as lovely as ever.

VO: I think he means the shop.

And he's right.

Well, I better start looking, hadn't I?

Yes, please do.

VO: Over £500 to spend, remember.

Now here's an item you see in lots of antique shops.

It's a Dr Nelson's improved inhaler.

Around 1860 the company was formed in London by Dr Nelson himself.

And it's exactly what it says on the tin.

It's an inhaler.

And if you had a bad chest what you would do is you would fill this up with menthol, eucalyptus.

Put boiling water in and you would breathe it in, and it would hopefully clear your chest.

And it's £15 on the ticket, which isn't a lot of money, because this one is in good condition.

It's a nice little piece.

VO: Looks a wee bit precarious Raj.

Anyway, let's catch up with his buddy, just across the Devon border in the market town of Honiton.

A former lace capital, with two antique shops in one.

Ah!

Here he comes.

Tomatoes!

VO: Beats begonias.

Paul's now doing much better of course, with over £350.

So go on, tell us your tactics.

I don't mind making small profits.

I cannot afford to lose money.

And I'm rather hoping that Raj slips up a bit more.

That's how I'm going to catch him.

VO: Sounds determined alright.

I like that.

We're in Honiton and that's Honiton pottery.

It doesn't get more local than that.

That's amazing, hasn't gone anywhere.

The pottery dates back to about 1880, 1881.

And potters came down from Stoke on Trent, and the clay's really good down here in the West Country.

And that's the result, look, good earthenware.

And stylistically, that really sums up Honiton pottery.

It's sort of Jacobean revival, floral work, if you want.

VO: Ticket price £48.

It's got a nice roll top, a good lip.

There's no damage.

The foot's nice, but I'd say this is circa 1925, 1930.

In order to catch Raj, I need to be buying this for 25 quid.

Barry?

Hello, Paul, hello.

VO: Ah, here's the proprietor.

Look, I found a bit of Honiton pottery.

Oh, good old Honiton.

Was made just off the road here, wasn't it?

DEALER: I used to go around there and see it being made.

All the blanks that weren't glazed or hand-painted, I would save them and bring them in.

How nice.

Look, you've got 48 quid on it.

I want to buy it, but I can't afford £48.

Could you do 28 quid?

I can't do 28, no.

Can we do 32?

I know you gotta make a profit.

Can we split the difference?

Can you make it 30?

And I'll buy something else as well.

I'll do 30.

Cuz it's you, Paul.

VO: Thanks, Barry.

Now, Paul's off to take a peek in the other shop.

Does like a seascape as we know.

What do you reckon?

This is by Charles Madden.

He was an admiral in the Navy.

Painted all over the world.

I'd put it at around 1945, 1950 with this frame.

I don't think it's ever been out of that frame.

So it looks to be '40s to '50s.

VO: Ticket price £95.

PAUL: I love art.

And this is my kind of thing.

I like English school, 20th century modern.

Doesn't get better for me, because I think it's underrated.

And stylistically it's so recognizable.

It just looks good.

Look, got the dust on me, look at that.

It's been on the wall for such a long time.

(CHUCKLES) And it's signed Charles Madden, that's the most important thing.

And the location is... it looks like Marches.

I don't know where that is.

His ships took him all over the world.

VO: Somewhere exotic no doubt.

Barry time.

I like this watercolor.

Charles Madden.

Oh, that.

Yes.

Yeah, look, it's got 95 on it.

Could you do that for... 55?

I could do 60 but that would be my limit.

I'm gonna say yes at 60.

VO: Swift work, fellas.

I will give you the cash right now.

VO: That being £90 in total.

But while he makes off with his purchases, let's catch up on South Street, Bridport, where Raj has kept his powder dry so far.

It's a small shop but there's lots of little things all over the place.

But I have spotted a couple of things I really like.

There's a little silver manicure set here.

It's actually complete.

Normally there's one piece missing.

But, it's... you know, it's only got £10 on the ticket.

I think that's so cheap.

Scissors and the scissors would be for doing their eyebrows, clipping off little pieces here and there.

Then you've got a file.

Fingernails, there you go.

You've got a little powder piece as well.

That was for just making sure you look nice before you go on camera.

VO: No, more of a nail buffer actually.

A bit less glamorous.

But I've spotted something else as well.

And this takes me home a little bit, because this is Indian.

And this is what it is.

I'm going to take it off the shelf.

This is a puri or chapati holder.

And what you would do is you would cook the chapatis, get them all nice and hot.

You put them in there, cover them up, keep them nice and hot and then take them to the table and serve them.

And I'll be honest, I don't think I've ever seen one quite like this.

It's all been cleaned up.

It's got some age to it without a doubt.

VO: Costs £18.

Time for Bill's close up now.

DEALER: Oh, hi.

RAJ: Hi, hi, hi.

I've spotted two things that I think I really like.

This looks like a complete set and I love it.

And at £10, it's a no brainer.

But I've also seen something else, which takes me a little closer to home.

This Indian chapati puri holder.

That's a really nice looking one.

And again at £18, I'm not going to haggle.

I'm going to buy two items.

Lovely.

VO: Very straightforward.

RAJ: 10, 20... VO: And very economical.

It doesn't look like Raj is going to slip up anytime soon, Paul.

Now, while those go in the boot... ..we'll travel to yet another county, and the birthplace of powered flight.

Yes, that's the Somerset town of Chard... ..where Paul has come to talk to Vince Lean... Hi, Vince.

Welcome to Chard Museum.

VO: ..about the inventor of the aerial steam carriage.

The incredible John Stringfellow.

VINCE: He came to the town in the 1820s.

He was a gifted engineer, he was so fascinated about how things flew.

And at that time, the only thing that had got into the air was a balloon.

And there was another person in charge called William Henson.

Now the two of them became a team.

VO: The pair created the Aerial Transit Company in 1843, with the dream of flying freight and people around the world, although their first patented aircraft design was far too heavy to have ever gotten off the ground.

They scaled it down to a model that was effectively the size of this.

A 20 foot wingspan.

But it never took off.

After that Henson got disillusioned, but Stringfellow stayed.

And he then developed his smaller model, which is the one over your head, which has the bat shaped wings.

And in 1848, it flew, and the first time it flew, it didn't fly very well.

The reason is that there was no method of controlling it while it was in the air.

The second flight was altered and it worked fine.

And it flew for the whole length of the 25 meters.

Wow!

And all this was pre-the Wright brothers?

A good 50 years before the Wright brothers.

That's incredible.

VO: That was the world's very first unmanned powered flight.

And a few years later, Stringfellow came up with a triplane.

PAUL: So why is it that he's not better recognized?

VINCE: I think he reached a point where the technology needed to be improved.

OK. You needed to replace a steam engine with a petrol engine, which is what happened with the Wright brothers.

VO: Of course, Chard isn't the only place in Somerset to have an aviation association.

Nearby Yeovil has the Western Company, and Bristol will always be connected with Concorde.

Plus several more modest Somerset aircraft constructors like David Hedges of the Webster Flyers.

David, tell me a little bit about the model flying club.

Well, we've got 60 members and we fly a variety of aeroplanes, from the scale aircraft you see here, right through to helicopters and even jets.

And do you have to sort of tinker with it, in order to get it to fly properly?

You have to make sure everything is nice and square.

And also the balance is right.

That's something that's always been a real problem.

I mean, even with Stringfellow, he had a huge problem trying to get an engine that was powerful enough, but light enough, in order for the aeroplane to fly.

VO: It takes considerable skill too.

Meet Adrian, another accomplished pilot, despite standing firmly on the ground.

Adrian!

Hi, Paul.

That's fantastic.

You made that fly like a bird.

I've been doing it for quite a while.

Oh, you're very modest, look.

VO: Paul's turn.

I hope he's insured.

Oh, wow, it's so sweet isn't it?

Look at that.

Oh gosh, it's so subtle.

Oh, look at this.

This is amazing.

Am I doing this?

DAVID: No, no, no, I've got control now.

PAUL: (CHUCKLES) DAVID: OK, you have control.

Aw, you've done this before.

I haven't.

Oh man, I'm doing a loop-de-loop.

It's climbing!

Over the top.

Throttle off.

And back down again.

Sweet.

VO: That's impressive.

This is a lot harder than controlling the old classic Mercedes, that's for sure.

VO: Right.

Now what about landing?

That's fantastic.

Boys' toys, look at that, no hands!

Thank you, that was brilliant.

DAVID: Well done, sir.

Thank you so much.

A real joy.

VO: But while Paul's had his head in the clouds, somewhere down below, his chum has just kept on trucking.

With plenty of food for thought.

I think it's really game on with Paul, and he certainly catching me up.

There's still a bit in it, but I saw the competitiveness in his eyes yesterday.

They were sparkling.

He wants to win.

VO: Takes one to know one, eh Raj?

Better get shopping then, in nearby Crewkerne.

VO: Lots of lovely Old Ham stone houses here.

And ancient inns.

Although Raj's itinerary is very much focused.

He still has most of the £500 he started off with this morning.

But will he have the heart to spend much of it, we wonder?

Wow!

Muffin the Mule!

Now who does not like Muffin the Mule?

VO: Good question.

I think you'd have to be of a certain age to have heard of him though.

This is lovely, look at this.

This is an original fairground ride.

This to me is lovely.

I am going to try and buy it.

It's got £125 on it.

VO: It's based on the puppet, which in the 1950s became one of the first TV stars, alongside presenter Annette Mills.

And Muffin became really famous after that.

And now everybody knows who Muffin the Mule is.

VO: Giddy-up.

If I can get this at the right price, it's coming home with me.

VO: There's "muffin" he'd like more.

Ha!

Anything else?

Now here something that's really unusual.

And I love the unusual.

I can work out that it's got to be something medical because I can read.

It says here "from lungs, to lungs" so I'm guessing it's maybe some kind of respirator or something.

But it's so heavy, I can't even pick it up.

They turn them into lamps and they look really great.

It's kind of industrial ware.

There's £20 on the ticket.

I mean to be honest, it's probably worth that in scrap.

Paul's gonna think I've absolutely lost my marbles on this but no, I'm gonna give it a go.

Steve?

VO: Ta-da.

RAJ: Hi.

DEALER: Hello Raj.

Steve, tell me about this.

Ah, medical air pump.

Cast iron, very heavy.

I bought it thinking it's just an unusual thing, maybe to upcycle or something like that.

Well, d'you know what?

At £20 we have a deal.

Deal done.

But before I take it away, upstairs you've got something I do like.

I happen to be a Muffin the Mule fan.

VO: Good to get it out there.

It's a great thing.

You've got £125 on the ticket.

Yeah.

Give me an idea, what can you do it for?

Could we get down to maybe 70?

That's a good comeback.

I was hoping to offer you 50.

How about I meet you in the middle at 60?

At £60, we have a deal.

VO: Crikey.

Not exactly for Muffin though.

But good value nevertheless.

60, 80.

VO: In total.

RAJ: There you go.

DEALER: Thank you.

VO: Shame he's not trying to carry them away with him, don't you think?

Now, just one more negotiation today.

So, what we gonna have for supper tonight?

Well, I've worked up a bit of an appetite today, so I think I could eat anything.

VO: Nice and friendly.

Maybe not mentioned the Mule.

VO: (CHUCKLES) Night-night.

Next morning they're waking up in Wiltshire.

PAUL: You know, on a day like this Raj we came up trumps with a convertible.

Definitely.

Makes you feel alert and on the money to buy some treasure.

RAJ: Ha-ha!

PAUL: Ha-ha, ha-ha!

VO: Well, they managed quite well yesterday, despite the weather, with Paul picking up some Honiton pottery and a watercolor.

Look, got the dust on me.

It's been on the wall for such a long time.

VO: Leaving him with almost £270.

While Raj was very busy indeed, acquiring a manicure set, a respiratory machine and a Muffin the Mule fairground ride - as you do.

I happen to be a Muffin the Mule fan.

VO: Exactly.

Still has over 400 left.

And there's something else he's a fan of as well.

There we go.

Oh, I like that.

Oh wow!

Do you know what this is?

Put your packed lunch in.

RAJ: Almost.

PAUL: Chapatis.

Yeah, chapatis.

PAUL: Yeah, there you go.

RAJ: Puris, actually.

How much did you pay for it?

RAJ: 18.

PAUL: £18?

£18.

They knew you were coming.

Yep, yep.

Yeah.

I didn't find the turbans though.

VO: More antiquaries... for them to rummage in today, remember?

Starting out in Royal Wootton Bassett.

Well, local lad Paul is off to the bank.

Well, the Old Bank actually.

And before that it was a hotel.

Oh, that's handy.

VO: Yes, make yourself a bit presentable, Paul.

He still has a decent amount left to spend, remember, so what's going to grab him?

I love that.

I love that.

I want to buy that!

Oh boy, would I like to rock up to the saleroom, full steam ahead.

Wow!

Oh, wow!

Gosh, it's so lovely.

It's so lovely.

Look at those pistons.

Ooh!

I'd have that in my lounge at home.

(CHUCKLES) VO: Well, with a ticket price of £7,500, you better start saving your pocket money, Paul.

How about something more cabinet size?

Oh, that's nice.

Auctioneer's gavel.

Sold to you, sir.

It's got a nice weight, it's weighted.

It's actually weighted, there's an inset weight.

I'd imagine there's a little lump of lead in there.

Oh, that hurts.

VO: Oh.

Doesn't know his own strength.

I'd say that's Regency period, that's around about 1815, 1820s.

Pre-Victorian.

It's really nice actually because it's also got a brass ferrule.

And also you have a little brass ferrule on the end, so it stops the end grain from splitting and fraying.

It says £45 on the ticket.

I want to buy that.

I want to buy that because I think the auctioneer will buy it.

The auctioneer will want to use it.

VO: There's a thought.

And I bet he leaves a bid on it.

It's beautiful.

It's fantastic.

They don't make them like this any more.

John?

Yes Paul?

I love this little auctioneer's gavel.

Beautiful isn't it?

It's got 45 quid on the ticket.

What am I bid on it?

What am I bid, what am I bid, what am I bid?

40?

To tell you the truth, I was hoping for 25 quid.

Ouch.

If I buy something else, could we kind of make up a deal?

Let's see what else you come up with.

It's not a no.

But it's a start isn't it?

VO: Promising.

Can he sniff out something else?

Or perhaps a pair of somethings?

These are First World War shells which have been turned inside out.

Look, that's the warhead of a shell.

So the shell would have been about that big.

That's the detonating part, would have been bashed inside out to make little... well, it could be egg cups.

It's got the right size.

I don't know what they're used for, but the guy who made them probably had an idea and that's why he fashioned them like that.

But that is a trench art.

And here we've got the signature here, which is the cap badge for the Royal Engineers.

VO: Time for round two.

John?

You've got some trench art on the table here.

There's no price tag.

Um... Have they just come in?

Yes, they're quite new.

Erm... How about £50?

Could you do 45 quid, if I took the gavel for 25 quid?

Go on then.

Thank you very much, that's a deal.

So I owe you £70.

VO: Very convivial.

He's definitely up to speed now.

See you again.

VO: And while he makes for the motor... ..we'll take the bus, almost 40 miles away towards the city of Bristol, where Raj has come to meet Vernon Samuels, the son of Bristol's first Black bus driver.

Hi Vernon.

Hey Raj, welcome to St Paul's.

Awesome, eh?

Awesome, absolutely brilliant.

VO: St Paul's is the historic home of the African Caribbean population in the city, and these murals are dedicated to some of the great Black Bristolians the area has seen, many of whom took part in the 1963 bus boycott.

VERNON: The story begins where Britain was rebuilding after the war, and had encouraged people from the commonwealth to come and help.

So by about 1962 there was about 3,000 Caribbean people living in the city.

This area was quite bomb damaged and Black people were able to get houses here more than other places around the city.

And wrongly, a lot of the white population of Bristol thought that the Black people were the cause of running the area down.

And typically it was about barring people from accessing housing, but also they could legally discriminate against people on the basis of their color to apply for jobs.

VO: There were no laws against discrimination at that time.

And although other cities had actively recruited workers from the West Indies to work in public transport, Bristol was the exception.

The Bristol Omnibus Company, which was a privately held company, had a meeting of their staff who decided that they didn't want to work with Black or colored crews.

And what was quite interesting was the manager of the Bristol Omnibus Company said, "Look, my hands are tied, "the members have made that decision, "I've just got to go along and support them."

So at that point Roy Hackett led local people from the Caribbean community to do something about what they saw as a real injustice, and soon formed alliances with a young Paul Stephenson.

And he was famous because he carried out an experiment to really put to test this blatant racism.

VO: Paul Stephenson, the man in the middle, who was also Bristol's first Black social worker, encouraged another young man called Guy Reid Bailey to apply for a job with the bus company.

And the name Guy Reid Bailey actually doesn't sound very West Indian.

And the bus company decided that they were going to give him an interview.

And when he turned up for the interview and they saw that he was a Black man, the person told him that the job vacancy that he'd applied for was already gone.

So I guess this was the proof that they actually needed, wasn't it?

Absolutely.

So Paul Stephenson galvanized the local people to do something practical.

And that practical action was about boycotting the buses, to hit the bus company in their pocket, to really grab their attention.

This was in April 1963.

VO: Of course buses had become a means of challenging discrimination in the USA, where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the whites only section just a few years earlier.

And the Bristol boycott was just as ambitious.

Not only were the Black community galvanized to stand in opposition against the color bar, but we also saw support being given from the white population.

So the movement if you like began to get traction.

The local MP Tony Benn took up the cause, and we also saw that at the very highest national level saying that there needed to be something done about the injustice of this color bar happening in Bristol.

VO: After four months on the 27th of August the bar was ended, and men like Vernon's father Norman Samuels were able to find work on the buses.

Then within a few years, two major acts of race relations legislation followed.

Interestingly enough, the very next day on the 28th of August, we see in Washington Dr Martin Luther King Jr gave that very famous "I have a dream" speech.

And what a wonderful backdrop, lifting the aspirations of people to fulfill their potential, not only in America but of course right here in Bristol too.

VO: Back out in the countryside now.

Paul's around here somewhere.

Oh, there he goes.

En route to the very last shop of the day.

It's just after lunch now and the sun is at full zenith.

I kind of feel on top of my game right now, but it's all down to the place you arrive at really isn't it?

VO: Or is it really about the journey, Paul?

Leading him towards the five valleys of Stroud.

Where next to the old canal they have Griffin Mill Antiques Emporium.

Almost £200 left to spend, remember.

And until his pal arrives, 10,000 square feet all to himself.

Furniture and all sorts.

There we go.

I've found a little kiddie's drum kit, look.

VO: So we see.

Clearly in no hurry then.

VO: Cozy Powell, eh?

He comes from just down the road.

Oh!

VO: Look who's here.

Beat me to it again.

God!

VO: I'm not sure Raj is much of a Cozy fan.

OK, enough!

Argh, enough!

Oh no.

# We will, we will rock you!

# (CHUCKLES) VO: Ah!

Well that was fun.

Now let's see how Raj gets on with the business of actually finding antiques.

As you can see, this is a really big place.

And sometimes when you go into places like this, there's things everywhere, so you really have to look in every nook and cranny.

And I think there's something stuck right behind there.

I like the look of it so I'm going in.

VO: Good luck.

I wonder what it is.

Ah, it does stand out rather.

Now look at this.

This is my kind of thing, because it's different, but I've never seen one like it.

It's a desk chair.

And look at the shape of it.

It's really unusual, a swivel chair in pale blue faux leather.

VO: Ticket price £165.

If I get that for 100, that's a nice thing, so I'm going to call the dealer in.

VO: He still has over £400 to spend, don't forget.

Gerald?

Hello there.

Gerald.

I've seen this chair, it's stuck in the back out of the way.

It's really quite unusual.

It's fun isn't it?

You've got £165 on the ticket.

What's the best price you could do?

Oh my word.

110.

Yeah?

We have a deal at 110.

Fantastic, thank you very much indeed.

VO: That's right Raj's last buy.

OK, let me put some money out.

VO: So while he completes the formalities... £110.

VO: ..what's drummer boy got his eye on?

That's nice.

That's a really nice old box.

What attracts me to it is the roundel on the lid and the roundel on the front.

The two facing sides, the edges, have got this wonderfully turned roundel which is all done by chisel and gouge.

VO: Not a firm of Dickensian lawyers.

Ha!

PAUL: There's a lot of skill that's gone into that.

It looks almost ecclesiastical.

It's got a church-like feel to it.

Could have been a candle box because it's pretty clean inside.

And it's early 19th century.

I'd say it's around about 1820.

It's got a leather hinge here, look, which is original.

That helps you open the lid.

VO: Good point.

I'm going to find out how much this is, because I like it.

I think it's tactile.

It's very decorative, it's very useful.

Jo?

VO: Wait for it.

Oh hi, hello.

Oh hi, hi Paul.

Look, I've spotted this.

I'm pretty sure it's a candle box.

There's no price tag.

What is the very, very best?

Um, 50.

£50?

Yeah.

That's the best.

OK, do you know what?

I'm going to take it.

I'm not going to haggle with you.

I'm going to get my money out really quickly, because I think that is a super deal.

VO: Yeah, thanks Jo.

£50 paid.

Thank you.

Gonna go very quickly in case you change your mind.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: And with that, he's off.

They both are.

All shopped up and ready for what comes next.

How do you think you got on today Raj?

Not too badly.

I know as far as you're concerned, I probably haven't spent as much as you'd like.

VO: Lordy.

Let's get some shuteye eh?

Wow!

What a spot to watch an auction from.

The Palladian Mansion of Ragley Hall.

Paul, isn't this fantastic?

I mean, look at this.

That's awesome.

It's got perfect symmetry.

Puts you in a good mood for the auction doesn't it?

Gosh.

It's a symbol of wealth.

What are we going to earn?

Yes!

VO: Quite.

After shopping all the way from Dorset, they've now arrived in the West Midlands, at Alcester.

Whilst their purchases have headed to nearby Middle Littleton, and Littleton Auctions.

For sale on the net, on the phone, and in the room.

Paul parted with £210 for his five auction lots, while Raj spent a wee bit more, 218, for the same number of lots.

Let's find out what auctioneer Martin Homer thinks of what they found on their odyssey.

Out of the items the experts have bought, my two favorites are Muffin the Mule and the candle box.

Candle box got a really nice patina on it, some age to it as well.

It's just a nice thing.

And then Muffin the Mule as well, it's just got the look to it, bang on trend at the moment.

VO: Muffin's gonna stop us now.

Ha-ha!

OK, ready?

Three...

BOTH: Two, one.

PAUL: Here we go.

VO: Manicure time.

Well, beats nail biting.

One of Raj's.

Complete for £10?

Yeah, it was great, wasn't it?

It was a good little buy.

20 bid, thank you.

At 20, 25, 28, 30.

Oh good.

That's a profit.

Happy with that.

35, looking for 40.

Oh, 35.

40 now.

Good.

Well done Raj.

Going once at 40.

Going twice at 40.

45 now.

Oh, yes!

At £45, is it 50 anywhere?

Going once, going twice.

45, good start.

PAUL: That's fantastic.

RAJ: Good.

That is really good isn't it?

VO: Could it be an omen to today's proceedings?

Are you happy?

Look at you.

RAJ: I am.

PAUL: Look at that big grin on his face.

Let's hope this grin gets bigger and bigger and bigger!

VO: Yes please.

Can these help the Paul Martin roof tile widen, we wonder?

Fingers crossed, Raj.

What do you think they're gonna make?

On a lucky day, 30 quid.

20 quid thank you.

At £20, 20, I'm looking for 22.

At £20 and two now.

25 now.

At 25, looking for 28.

28.

Come on.

At £28, is it 30 anywhere?

30 now.

At 30, is it 35 anywhere?

At £30, going once, going twice.

That's disappointing, but I kind of knew it was gonna happen so I'm not too upset.

VO: He got them with his gavel, remember?

That's still to come.

Hopefully I'll make it up.

I'm sure you will.

VO: Paul's turn again.

His Honiton jug.

Honiton collectors will be all over the world.

They'll be phoning up from everywhere.

We hope.

I'm sure they will.

MARTIN: Let's go 24.

PAUL: Oh.

PAUL: Well come on.

MARTIN: £20 to start.

He comes up, he's just started.

We'll go down to 15 for it?

20 bid, thank you.

At £20, 22 now.

It's going.

22 and 25 now.

MARTIN: 28 anywhere?

PAUL: Come on.

Come on, please.

£25, we're all in then, fair warning.

At £25.

Fair warning, fair... That was not a lot of warning, was there?

25, no.

That's another disappointing loss.

Small loss.

VO: Hopefully soon wiped out by a nice big profit or two.

PAUL: Small loss.

RAJ: Small loss.

Big grin.

No, I was...

Win or lose, I grin.

I can't help it, OK?

VO: Raj's turn.

Who's feeling peckish?

I can see my pakoras.

My samosas, my little rice, put it in the back of the car and away we go.

20 to start me?

20 bid, thank you, at £20.

PAUL: Straight in.

At 20, looking for 22 now.

At £20, is it 22 anywhere?

Just £20 MARTIN: and I'll sell it.

RAJ: Oh.

At £20.

We all in?

Fair warning at 20.

That's profit.

It is a profit.

I have to say, I can't complain at that.

VO: Quite right.

It was cheap enough.

Oh, well.

£2 is £2.

Exactly.

It's not a loss.

VO: Paul's seascape, his third of the trip.

In at £20, the bid's with me at £20.

22, comes back to me at 25.

The bid's with me at £25.

Oh come on, please.

Please, come on, please.

£25, are we all in?

Fair warned.

PAUL: Come on, come on.

MARTIN: 25, 28.

At £28 are we all in?

Fair warned.

£28.

PAUL: That's bad isn't it?

£28.

RAJ: 28.

Slight loss.

But you felt that as well, didn't you?

Yeah, I did.

I knew that was coming.

VO: Which rather begs the question.

Ha!

Never mind.

It'll make someone happy.

I was trying to buy sign and design.

You know you're a poet and you don't know it.

VO: Prosaic text.

Raj's respiratory pump.

I don't know what you could use it for, maybe a doorstop?

It's an interesting looking shape.

And it's an oddity to talk about.

And it's a bygone, and that's why it needs to be saved.

Let's go 30 to start me on it, then.

RAJ: Come on.

MARTIN: 30 bid, thank you.

Oh, come on.

30 looking for 35.

Just £30 on this one?

Come on.

35 anywhere?

We all in then?

Fair warned, at £30.

35 and 40.

Yes!

At 45.

Keep creeping, keep creeping up.

At £45 going once.

Twice.

Small profit.

I'm happy.

No doubt about it.

Well done.

VO: Not a single loss for Raj so far.

PAUL: Quirky sells.

RAJ: Yeah.

VO: Next under the gavel is... Paul's gavel.

If it makes two quid I'll be really happy.

That's the attitude.

30 bid, thank you, at £30.

Straight into profit.

At 40, looking for 45.

45 now.

At £45 and looking for 50.

PAUL: This is good.

MARTIN: At 50 now, MARTIN: with me on platforms... RAJ: Wow!

This is good.

Come on!

£50, it's going once, going twice.

MARTIN: Sold at 50.

PAUL: Yes!

RAJ: Wow!

PAUL: Yes!

There you go, look at that.

Look at you.

RAJ: You've doubled your money.

PAUL: (CHUCKLES) Big smile on your face.

Fantastic.

VO: That's more like it.

Cue sigh of relief.

You've doubled up.

VO: Now for Raj's biggest spend.

Who fancies a swivel?

I could see you in that, it's got a good 20th century modern look.

RAJ: I thought so too.

PAUL: Yeah.

Let's go, £50 surely for it?

Oh, 50.

50 bid, thank you.

60 now.

RAJ: Fivers.

MARTIN: 65.

70 now.

£70.

It's getting there.

75 now.

At 75 and 80 now.

90 in the room now.

100.

PAUL: Yeah?

MARTIN: At £100, 110.

RAJ: Still not there yet.

MARTIN: £110.

Yes!

Well, evens.

120?

120 now.

You've done it!

MARTIN: £120.

PAUL: Made a profit.

I'm OK, I feel a bit better.

130.

140.

150.

Go on, a little bit more.

A little bit more.

MARTIN: 150 going once.

RAJ: Bit more.

150 going twice.

160.

VO: Hang on.

We're off again.

Oh God.

He nearly put the hammer down then.

On 170.

170?

PAUL: Oh, there you go.

MARTIN: At £170, 180?

MARTIN: 190.

At £190.

RAJ: Cor!

MARTIN: At £200... PAUL: This is PAUL: getting embarrassing, Raj.

MARTIN: Room's out.

Not for me.

Back in at 210.

At £210.

God!

220 now.

MARTIN: 220!

RAJ: 220!

£220 then.

Going once, going twice.

Yes!

PAUL: £100 profit.

RAJ: £100 profit.

That's...

I need it.

I need it.

I need it.

That's not bad.

Whew!

VO: That was a more rueful one.

Raj is busy extending his lead.

I'm more than happy about that.

Yeah, I can see that, well done.

VO: Paul's candle box, one of the auctioneer's favorites.

I think this could do really well.

It might be a slow burn.

PAUL: (CHUCKLES) RAJ: But it's gonna do well.

It'll set the room on fire.

It will.

And I can start you on this one at... £260.

(GIGGLES) PAUL: Yes!

MARTIN: 270.

260?!

RAJ: Oh my God.

PAUL: It's in!

RAJ: Sh.

MARTIN: 340.

RAJ: 340!

MARTIN: At £340, with me on commission at £340.

Is it 360 anywhere?

My goodness.

MARTIN: We all in?

PAUL: Oh my word.

PAUL: What did he say?

RAJ: Wow!

Well done.

£340.

PAUL: (GIGGLES) Fantastic.

Wow!

VO: Crikey, that is some profit.

That's changed things, hasn't it?

Fingers crossed.

That's wiped out my lead completely.

Yeah!

VO: Yeah, here comes Muffin.

Raj loves him.

He just needs a couple of bidders to feel the same way.

This could really kick off.

£50 on commission.

80, at 90, 100.

110 now, 120.

130, 140, 150, 160.

(MOUTHS) At £160.

160, I'd be happy with that.

160, 170.

190.

200 now.

210.

RAJ: Oh.

It's going up.

MARTIN: At 210.

220, 230, 240, 250.

VO: He is popular.

MARTIN: 260.

270 now, 280, 290.

I don't know what to say.

If I was you I'd be jumping up and down by now.

RAJ: It's not over yet.

MARTIN: £300.

RAJ: Can we... MARTIN: 320.

340.

You're very calm, Raj.

At 360 going once.

Wow, 360.

That's a £300 profit.

Wow!

Man.

That is fantastic.

VO: The bids are still coming.

At 400, looking for 420.

400?

420 now.

At 420, 440 now.

460.

RAJ: Oh God!

VO: Blooming 'eck.

This is brilliant.

480.

480.

At £500.

RAJ: (CHUCKLES) MARTIN: At 500.

Is it 520 anywhere?

520 now.

MARTIN: At 520... RAJ: God!

Looking for 530.

(GIGGLES) At 520 going once, at 520 going twice.

RAJ: Whoa!

PAUL: Well done!

Yes!

I've gotta celebrate that because that is just astonishing.

£520.

I don't believe it!

Wow!

VO: Looks a happy mule, doesn't he?

Ha!

That was just a brilliant auction.

For both of us, wasn't it?

Exactly yeah, I mean, phenomenal amount of money.

VO: Yep.

Congratulations all round.

Paul, who started out with £357.52, made after costs a huge profit.

So he now has £535.38.

While Raj, who began with £515.74, made - also after costs - an enormous profit.

So he now has just shy of £1,000.

I think we should go and celebrate.

That's brilliant.

Well done Raj.

RAJ: Champagne tonight.

PAUL: Champagne tonight.

RAJ: Champagne tonight.

PAUL: On you.

Yeah, on me.

Let's go.

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