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!

Ding dong!

Welcome to wild and waterlogged Oxfordshire... PHILIP (PS): It is wet, isn't it?

IZZIE (IB): It's pouring it down.

VO: ..and the continuing saga of antiques experts Izzie Balmer and Philip Serrell.

Our jolly pair of auctioneers won't let a spot of rain dampen their spirits will they?

Well, yes actually.

Phil, I don't know why I wasted my time straightening my hair this morning.

Well me neither.

Have you got the same problem as well?

Oh, I can't do anything with mine at all.

Absolutely, it's awful.

But yours has gone rusty, Izzie.

I paid good money to get this color.

Well, me as well.

You don't think this gray's natural do you?

Oh, is it not?

No, these are highlights.

I leave it with him and then I go and pick it up later on.

(CHUCKLES) VO: And it's not just them.

Their '60s soft top, the Triumph TR4A, isn't exactly built for this sort of weather.

Izzie, could you put the windscreen wipers on please?

They are on.

Are they?

It's not doing much on my side.

Here we go again Izzie, here we go.

Should I put my foot down?

Just be care... No.

Don't you think that's really fun, when you make puddles?

Could you just rephrase that, when you make puddles?

VO: Dear oh dear.

It was a sunnier outlook last time when Phil shopped like Izzie.

I mean, I'm in a jewelry shop, buy a bit of jewelry.

VO: And Izzie shopped like Phil.

I'll be buying coffee tables next.

VO: But it was Izzie who stole a victory at the auction.

Yes!

Old brown furniture is very much back in.

PS: I tell you what Izzie, you did me at the auction, didn't you?

(CHUCKLES) Yes.

Bring back James Braxton.

You don't mean that Phil!

No I don't.

Izzie, I wouldn't swap you for anybody.

VO: Aw... she's sulking now.

Izzie started this journey with £200 and after some shrewd shopping She's currently sitting on £389.50.

Quite a pile.

VO: But still out ahead is Phil.

He started with the same amount but has grown that to an impressive £442.80.

Still anyone's game though.

VO: Right, slap on your happy faces and let's hit those shops.

You've got a captivating smile, Izzie.

I think I'm gonna work on my smile.

You ready?

OK. You just look inane.

(CHUCKLES) VO: Yeah, it doesn't come naturally to him.

This trip kicked off in Kent and wandered up the east coast.

We're now heading out west before doing the Midlands and ending up at a final auction in Stamford, Lincolnshire.

On this shopping spree we'll wind up in Worcester but our two begin this journey in wet Wallingford... ..home to the Lamb Arcade, a fine old kitchen house full of fine old things and big enough for two of our experts to get thoroughly lost in.

Off you go, you two.

I'm going to spend a lot of time browsing in here today because it's really nice and warm and out there, look at it, it's absolutely pouring down.

VO: Well, that's one reason to while away a morning here.

Another is the sheer amount of stuff to look at.

40 different dealers all displaying their goods means you have to take this browsing lark terribly, terribly seriously.

PS: Hello.

(THEY CHUCKLE) Pull yourself together girl.

What're you doing?

Well, I just...

I got carried away with my browsing.

Evidently.

Did you find anything behind the curtains?

Sh!

It's a bit weird, I'll leave him to it.

VO: Probably wise.

Let's see what takes your fancy.

I'm trying really hard to resist picking up a brooch, but I've failed at the first hurdle.

VO: Dear oh dear.

This brooch is an early 20th century silver bar brooch, you've got the enameling and you've got the lovely, fairly decent sized citrine to the center.

But it's not actually the citrine that's drawn me to this.

And it's not the fact that it's a bar brooch because as far as brooches go, they just don't sell.

It's because I think this is Bernard Instone.

He was a British arts and crafts jeweler.

And he studied at the School of jewelry on Victoria Street in Birmingham, which is where I did my gemology course.

So there's a link there.

This design in particular is quite typical of his work, the use of enameling, the use of these teeny tiny little daisies, the use of a citrine, everything about it is very much Bernard Instone.

Now, huh, to the crux, it's £85.

Do I think it's going to make a profit?

No, I don't in all honesty.

I'm going to take a risk purely because you don't often see much of Bernard Instone's work.

I'm gonna go and see what I can do.

VO: Let's find someone in charge them.

Hey Paula.

Hello there.

You've got so much here for me to look at.

But I've stuck with type and I picked up a brooch.

I was just wondering, is there anything that could be done on the price?

The best thing I could do for that is give a call to the dealer and see what we could do.

Oh, that'd be super.

Thank you.

VO: So while Izzie crosses her fingers, elsewhere Mr Serrell has emerged from hiding and is finally getting down to business.

Oh, that's sweet.

I'm always saying how I love things that tell a story.

And that is an 18th century tea bowl and saucer.

This is Chinese, but this is really, really interesting because this is Nanking cargo.

A ship carrying crates and crates and crates of this porcelain for export sank in the South China Seas.

VO: Yes, it was the Dutch East India Company vessel Geldermalsen, which was wrecked in 1752.

233 years later, the cargo was salvaged.

And it was all sold in a massive sale at Christie's.

But this is lovely because it's got the Nanking cargo sticker on there.

And it's bizarre how this world works because now this little tea bowl and saucer without the sticker, and there it is, look, would probably be worth less.

The sticker adds value.

The problem for me is that whilst the saucer is lovely, this little tea bowl has got some chips and damage around the rim.

Now, if that damage was sort of contemporaneous to when the ship sank, it would almost be acceptable.

But I kinda think it's a little bit later.

VO: That's ticketed at £110.

If you're keen on it, you'd better chat to Pat.

I quite like your little bit of Nanking.

I just love the story that it tells.

I do, yes.

You've got £110 on this, what's... On the pair, yeah.

Yeah.

What's the very best you could do that for?

Oh, um, 90.

I'm gonna ask you another question.

Would you consider splitting the two?

Yes.

I could, yes.

I think I'd quite like the saucer.

Would it be possible just to give you £45 for just the saucer?

Please.

Pretty please.

As it's you, Phil, OK. OK. PS: Really?

DEALER: I will do it for you.

People normally say, "As it's you, Phil, it's £80."

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: First blood to Phil then.

And that purchase still leaves him with a smidge under £400.

Right, you've got your cargo, time to set sail.

Back to Izzie.

The dealer says she can have the brooch for £60.

That's a fair deal.

She's been very, very fair.

Yes, please, thank you.

OK, that is great.

Thank you very much.

Right, get you some money.

VO: That first purchase leaves her with just under £330.

Thank you so much.

It's been an absolute pleasure.

OK?

Bye.

Bye-bye!

VO: Bye!

Putting the brakes on shopping, Phil has steamed off to Didcot.

He's here to find out more about one of the most iconic companies from the early days of locomotion, the Great Western Railway, and how it put this town on the map.

You must be Frank.

Hello Phil.

VO: Our conductor for this journey is Frank Dumbleton, a former railwayman and now volunteer at the Didcot Railway Center.

The Great Western Railway was started by Bristol merchants who wanted to keep their port as a prominent port.

A railway was being built from Liverpool to London.

So the merchants in Bristol decided they should build a railway from Bristol to London, otherwise they would lose out to Liverpool.

VO: The 1830s was the time of huge growth for railways across the country and this newly formed company enlisted a young and up and coming engineer to plan and build the entire route, a certain Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Was Brunel's railway different to any other railways that were around at that time?

The biggest difference was that Brunel decided to run it on a wider gage of rails.

Now if you look here, you can see the outer rails, they're Brunel's seven feet gage.

That's this one here and the far one.

The middle rail is standard gage.

What were the principal benefits of the wider track, Frank?

The engines could be built bigger, they could have bigger boilers, so they would go faster and the carriages were wider so you had more room in them.

VO: As well as the London to Bristol line, Great Western opened routes all across the West Country and into Wales throughout the 19th century.

Previously isolated communities were now only a train ride away from the capital.

And as it passed through beautiful scenery, GWR gained the nickname God's wonderful railway.

Ha.

I love these kind of relief maps here, Frank, that's fantastic.

And it's got here the glorious Cornish Riviera.

Was that a term coined by GWR?

That's absolutely right.

Yes, in 1904 they named a train the Cornish Riviera Express.

And so they opened up a whole part of the country to tourism.

And it also opened up the agricultural industry, the flowers from the Scilly Isles, potatoes from Cornwall.

VO: Great Western was at its height right up to World War II, when the company provided a special train for American General Eisenhower to visit his troops.

But after the war, with the rise of the motor car, rail travel began to decline.

In 1948, every rail company in the country was nationalized by the government, becoming British Railways.

GWR's entire fleet of rolling stock was simply discarded.

After all this stuff was thrown away, who's responsible for preserving all this that we see now?

Well, it all started with four schoolboys in 1961.

And they used to go trainspotting at Southall.

And one type of engine they fell in love with were the small tank engines that ran the branch lines locally.

They wrote a letter to the Railway Magazine.

Right.

And it was published in August 1961.

Yeah.

"Sir, I am thinking of launching a campaign "to purchase a 14XX tank locomotive from British Railways "with the purpose of preserving it in running order.

"The cost is £1,130."

VO: About 25,000 in today's money.

Through fundraising, the boys saved their beloved engine.

That was the start of the Great Western Society, set up to rescue and preserve as many of these magnificent machines as they could.

Today this is one of the largest private collections of locomotives in the world, and Didcot is the perfect place to display them.

FRANK: When the railway first opens in 1840, Didcot was just a collection of a few hovels, I suppose.

Hey, steady Frank.

But then the Didcot to Oxford branch line was opened in 1844.

And that's when Didcot became a town.

And of course now we are making it the center of Great Western Railway preservation.

If it wasn't for GWR, Didcot wouldn't be what it is today.

And vice versa.

Yes, absolutely.

Frank, that's been brilliant.

I think it's time for us to disembark, isn't it?

VO: Would all passengers please take their belongings with them?

Ha.

Now, on the subject of locomotion, how's the Triumph coping with all this weather?

I'm very relieved that the car is holding up in the rain.

I'm used to having the roof down but so far, fingers crossed, I'm not getting dripped upon.

VO: It would be a lot drier if you shut the passenger window.

Ha-ha.

VO: Izzie is en route to the city of dreaming spires itself, Oxford.

And in amongst all the venerable halls of academia is her next port of call.

Antiques On High, because it's on the high street.

Ha, clever, eh?

Time to put her remaining £329 and change to work.

Shouldn't be too hard in here, it's full of her favorites - cabinets.

I've tried really, really hard to avoid the jewelry cabinets and I've utterly failed.

VO: Let me guess, you found a brooch?

IB: But it's an absolutely fantastic brooch because this is a Dorrie Nossiter.

VO: Dorrie Nossiter, another Birmingham arts and crafts jeweler.

Wow, we're getting all the big names today.

Most of her work came out of the 1930s and she's known for her use of bold and vibrant color.

She's known for the use of curves in her designs.

And she also, as with all the arts-and-crafts designers, used semi precious stones and materials.

Now this is set in silver but she does also do things in gold.

This sort of sword design with the gemstones at the top is so typical and iconic of her work.

Now, the big...

The big but as ever is... ..the price, £345.

VO: Which is more than you've got.

I really, really like it and I would really, really love to briefly own this before putting it into auction.

I almost feel like this is going to be the last brooch.

This is it, no more after this.

VO: Well, we'll see what else we can find.

I can't help myself.

I am drawn to brooches.

VO: Lordy, I think we might need an intervention.

It's a dinner plate with a knife and fork and spoon.

And what's brilliant is the attention to detail because there's a fried egg and not one but two rashers of bacon on there.

It's absolutely remarkable because it's made out of gold.

So this is not a cheap piece of jewelry at all.

It is ticketed at £385.

If someone was going to spend nearly £400 on me, I'm not gonna lie, I would not thank them if they presented me with this.

VO: Yeah, it's not even the full English.

Ha-ha!

Enough with the brooches already, show me something different.

IB: What I haven't seen before is a spice box with all of its contents.

Don't ask me how all of those fit inside of there.

No idea.

I'm wondering what these spice boxes would have contained originally.

I was sort of hoping the smell might give it away.

They actually smell very clean.

In all honesty, I'm not too sure where this is from.

It looks Middle Eastern, but I suppose it could also be Indian.

VO: Yeah, £73 is the price on that.

Unfortunately there is a fairly major solder repair and they've soldered it on wonky.

There's a crack here.

We're very battered at the hinge here.

I wonder actually if it's replacement hinge.

But I do like cooking and hopefully someone else would like cooking and they would want this well loved spice box to go to a new home where it can find use again.

VO: In that case, let's gather up that with your arts and crafts brooch and see if you can rustle up a deal.

IB: Vince?

DEALER: Yes, Izzie?

I have found two items.

I really, really, really, really love the brooch and then there's the spice box.

As ever, they're a little bit too much for me.

VO: A little bit, eh?

Ha!

Try £88 over your budget.

I'm just going to say it, I'm just gonna put it out there, get the damage done quickly.

Please can I have a hefty discount?

Yeah, I'm prepared to talk to you.

Excellent.

OK, the brooch is £345.

(SIGHS) 140.

VO: Blimey Vince, that's generous.

And then what about the spice boxes?

Ticketed at 73.

25.

Oh!

I wasn't expecting that.

Yes.

OK. VO: Landed on your feet there, Izzie.

So all in that comes to £165, which is cheap.

Thank you so, so much.

You've been an absolute gent.

VO: Hey, don't forget your goodies.

Bye-bye.

VO: No, she's gone.

Obviously keen to get her chum and find some shelter for the night.

IB: Er, Phil?

PS: What?

Phil?

Brace yourself.

Oh my life.

We're going... We're going through a flood.

Don't stall it, Izzie.

You're getting out if I do.

PS: Oh my... IB: Push me through.

We don't want an engine on this thing, we want an outboard.

VO: VO: Nighty-night.

Hey, look, the rain's stopped.

That's a bit more like it.

Oh yeah, even the sun's coming out, isn't it?

Blue sky... Lovely lady by my side.

Lovely gent by my side.

Thank you.

Roof off.

VO: Everyone's happy!

Let's discuss yesterday's antics.

What about you, Izzie, what did you buy?

Oh... Cuz I know what you didn't buy, because brooches are passe.

Yeah, about that...

Pardon?

I might have done something really terrible.

You didn't buy a brooch, did you?

VO: Nope.

She bought two, both by big name arts and crafts designers.

I am shaking my head in utter disappointment at myself.

VO: She bought a spice box too, just for variety, and now has £164.50 left in the kitty.

Phil on the other hand still has just under £400, but only one item in the old bag so far.

Ooh!

That's a nice bit of Nanking cargo.

Yeah.

Look at how fine it is.

Cost me £45.

Ah, that's not too shabby.

No.

VO: So it's all set fair for another day of fun.

Mind you, some people are never happy.

You had the Triumph yesterday, didn't you?

Yep.

You've lost the T off the front.

IB: What you talking about?

PS: It's a Riumph now.

It's a Riumph.

You didn't turn it into a brooch, did you?

IB: (CHUCKLES) VO: Don't give her any ideas, Phil.

Time to go shopping, starting in the Cotswolds and Chipping Camden.

Once a thriving center for the wool trade, this very pretty little market town boasts over 270 listed buildings.

Slightly lowering the turn of the place is the arrival of one P Serrell, on the way to his next shop, Stuart House Antiques.

One thing's for sure, they won't run out of stock anytime soon.

There's enough here to cater for all but the most demanding of customers.

This is really disappointing because I was hoping I could go to a shop that sold china.

VO: Very funny.

It is true that they're not short of a plate or two here but there's plenty of other stuff to look at.

Do you know what?

I do like a stick.

There's something about going on a walk and having a stick that just kind of fits the hand.

One thing's for sure.

That's not gonna set the auction world on fire but there might be another one in here.

VO: Well it is a stick stand.

Now, isn't he lovely?

That's the burr of the piece of timber here.

So imagine your shepherd would be out tending his flock.

This has grown in a hedgerow, you've got the root here, and he's cut it down.

And you know what he's done?

He's had a really satisfying whittle.

You can't beat the good whittle.

VO: Keep it clean, Phil.

And this is what they've ended up with.

I think it's lovely.

It's quite primitive.

£98.

I quite like that.

Rachel?

VO: As if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared.

I quite like him.

Oh?

Yeah, he's a bit of fun, isn't he?

He's a bit quirky, isn't he?

Can I make you a very cheeky offer?

Go on then.

I'd like to offer you 50 quid for that.

Oh, the face says it all.

Might be able to twist my arm.

But yeah, I'll have a think about it.

PS: Let me put it down here.

DEALER: OK. And I'm gonna see what else I can find, alright?

VO: Jolly good.

Back to the rummage.

Look at these.

Do you know, I kind of feel that if I'm this close to Worcester, I should buy a bit of Worcester.

VO: Likes to fly the flag for his own town does our Phil.

You got a pair of candlesticks here.

They look like they're a pair but they're not.

This is a blushed ivory figure and this is a blushed ivory figure, but it's decorated in shot silk colors.

It would date to about mid 1880s, something like that.

It's called a Kate Greenway figure because it's in the style of Kate Greenway.

VO: Yes, the famous illustrator of children's books.

Possibly the most popular of the Victorian era, PS: These type of figures, children sitting on rustic branches and the like, they used to be hugely popular.

It might be an option.

It's kind of yesterday's tastes really.

VO: £128 is the price on that one.

Time to give Rachel... Rachel!

VO: She's only over there, Phil.

Your Worcester Kate Greenway figure?

Yeah.

The one with the green tunicy thing on?

DEALER: Yeah, I know.

PS: Is that absolutely perfect?

It is mint but I think there's just a little bit of gilding rubbed off round the sconce.

Can I make you another cheeky?

Go on then.

60 quid.

VO: That's an awkward pause.

PS: I'm gonna keep looking.

DEALER: OK.

Think about it, think about it.

DEALER: Think about it.

PS: Think about it.

VO: I get the feeling he's after a package deal here.

These are quite sweet, look.

A couple of jelly molds.

These are 19th century and I just think they're really nice things.

And originally, imagine a big country house and there would have been rows and rows and rows of different copper jelly molds, all highly polished.

And they're actually really quite collectable now.

Would you believe I sold one not that long ago for the thick end of £1,000.

VO: Those are a bit cheaper, 258 for the two.

These, I mean, I think they're quite nice.

But I've got to buy them, right?

Here goes, it's time to go and speak to Rachel I think.

VO: All his earmarked items have a combined ticket price of £484.

So gird your loins.

Do you want to go and sit down?

DEALER: Yeah.

(THEY CHUCKLE) You might need to.

Can I give you, OK... ..£200 for the stick, the Worcester figure and the jelly molds?

What did you say, 300?

PS: No, two!

DEALER: Oh!

(CHUCKLES) VO: Yes, it is a bit of a shock.

Can we stretch you just a little bit more?

What about 220?

And I'll shake your hand on it.

I'll meet you halfway, look.

210.

DEALER: Go on then.

Go on then.

PS: You sure?

Right, well... Do it for 210.

VO: I think you've got a stellar deal there, Phil.

So that's £50 for the walking stick, 60 for the candelabra and 100 for those jelly molds.

We'll bid Rachel adieu and head off.

Rather suits you, that stick, doesn't it?

No antique hunting this morning for Izzie though - she's on the lookout for adventure.

She's come to the great Gloucestershire wilderness, or at least a field just outside Tewkesbury.

Turns out this is the ideal spot to discover how, for thousands of years, sled dogs have been helping humans to survive in the most inhospitable Arctic conditions.

And who better to have as a guide than Vickie Pullin, the top British female dog sled racer?

So Vickie, how long have humans been working with sled dogs?

So for about 9,000 years now, as long as dogs have been working with humans, really, they've been working them in harness.

They've bred the dogs in Siberia, hence Siberian husky, and they used them for transport.

So the dogs were harnessed up to sled and then people could go out, hunt, catch their food, and then take the food back to the family so everyone could survive.

The dogs were also used to keep the kids warm at night.

So these dogs were a real vital part of everyday living.

VO: Just how essential these animals were to life above the Arctic Circle was demonstrated in 1925.

In the grip of winter, the Alaskan town of Nome suffered a deadly outbreak of diphtheria.

With the weather too harsh for planes or ships to reach them, it was down to dog sled teams to deliver that much needed cure.

So there's a real sense of urgency?

They were trying to get the serum as quickly and as efficiently as they can.

When they looked at doing it with dog sled teams they knew it was gonna be too far and too harsh for one person do it.

So they had staggered out in a relay form.

VO: Around 20 experienced dog sled racers and their teams set off in a heroic effort to transport the serum right across Alaska.

By far the bravest was Leonhard Seppala, who with his lead dog Togo singlehandedly covered 261 miles in a storm with temperatures as low as -50 degrees.

VICKIE: And that dog took the whole team and Seppala safely for hundreds of miles, and ultimately saved thousands of lives.

Because of the Nome Serum Run, they then did in honor it of every year a race called the Iditarod.

Now, the Iditarod is a thousand-mile race.

And that's the history of our sport.

That's why I race sled dogs today.

VO: To keep their teams race fit all year round, dog sled drivers, known as mushers, turned to carts like this to train when there's no snow on the ground.

Now racing these dry land rigs is part of the sport in its own right, time for a lesson.

I'm really, really nervous.

Imagine what I'm gonna be like when the dogs get involved.

OK, so where do I stand?

Just like that?

Yeah, perfect.

Feel comfortable?

It feels weird, feels different.

Awesome.

So the best thing to do, Izzie, is keep your hands on top of the brakes all the time.

OK. We call it suicide grip if you don't.

OK.

So it's better to have them there if you need them.

I don't like this terminology, suicide grip.

(THEY CHUCKLE) When you go round a corner, steer in the direction you're gonna go.

Yeah.

And then also lean in the direction you're gonna go.

OK, right.

Yeah, perfect.

I don't know why I'm squatting as I do it.

You've got a good race stance already.

You're all over this.

VO: That's the wheels and the steering sorted.

Let's go and say hello to the motors.

VICKIE: Right Izzie, you ready for this?

IB: Nope.

Good positive attitude, I'm loving it.

So, Rocco and River are brother and sister.

Rocco has won a silver medal at the World Championships.

OK.

So two of my current race dogs.

These guys have raced all around the world.

OK. And obviously we've suited and booted you accordingly.

Yeah.

So how're you feeling?

Absolutely terrified!

Amazing.

When I get to one, take your brakes off, alright?

OK. Three, two, one, let's go!

Let's go.

Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry.

Let's go, let's go.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

Good team, good team, straight on.

VO: And don't forget to lean into the corners.

IB: Ooh, it's bumpy, isn't it?

VO: These medal winning huskies are only two of Vickie's 29 strong kennel, with different breeds for different races.

Some built for speed, some for stamina.

Straight on, straight on.

VO: Vickie and her dog teams have ranked highly at European and world competitions and she has ambitions to go all the way to World Champion.

Watch out for the water, Izzie!

IB: (YELLS) And who knows, maybe our girl could be a musher in the making.

Well done you two.

And stop.

Good team.

Amazing.

How was that, Izzie?

That was amazing!

You did so awesome.

I mean, they completely ignored everything I asked them to do.

VO: Not competition ready just yet then.

Good job river and Rocco, and you're a good sport too Izzie.

Good dogs.

VO: Now from puppy power to horsepower, and I think Phil's a little lonely.

I miss Izzie, my little ray of broochiness.

Is there such a word as broochiness?

VO: Dunno.

But it suits her.

Phil's wrangling the Riumph towards the outskirts of Evesham and his last shop of this leg, Adana Collective.

Sounds like it could be either an antique dealers' cooperative or an art movement.

Oh, bit of both as it turns out.

Look at that.

PS: It's an interesting shop, this, because it kind of typifies what I've been saying, that you don't sell antiques any more, you sell a look.

And this place has got a really good look.

It's not your grandpa's antique shop, that's for sure.

Might be a stretch for Phil's £187 budget though.

This is really, really cool.

This is like a model of a Reaver type speedboat.

But I don't even need to ask the price of that because I know it's gonna be beyond my means.

VO: Plenty more to look at, there's rooms all over.

It's like a rabbit warren in here.

Evening.

Doesn't say much, does he?

VO: No, smartly turned out though.

Ha.

Meanwhile, Izzie's arrived at her final destination, the stunning cathedral city of Worcester.

Notable sons of the city include patriotic composer Edward Elgar and one Philip Serrell, who's apparently quite the big thing in antiques.

This is Izzie's last shop, Bygones of Worcester, with its very alluring window display.

Oi!

No more brooches.

Let's see if there's something else in here for her £164.50 to go on.

Instantly drawn to the cabinets, my go to area, but I am not even looking at them because if I look I'll get tempted.

What I've actually seen is this beautiful, beautiful wooden box.

VO: Oh, that's nice.

This just instantly caught my eye because you've got, to start with, this beautiful burr walnut.

You've got this brass cartouche at the top and the brass escutcheon.

Or...

I really struggle with that word.

VO: No, you're right, escutcheon.

But I'm actually now really excited to see what's inside because the outside isn't really giving anything away.

It... VO: It's a dressing case for carrying toiletry bits and bobs on journeys, ideal for the Victorian on the go.

It's beautifully leather lined.

Here it says "Louisa, from Mama, January the 27th 1868".

You've got this beautiful velvet here.

And I'm hoping there's a little... Ah, yes, a little catch.

So you have your mirror, again in the matching blue leather with the gilding.

And then in here you could put your writing paper, your correspondence.

What is lovely about this box is it's making use of all the space.

Um, and then there should be... Aha, yes, there are some drawers.

I mean, look at this.

It's...

The burr walnut is matched inside as well.

This is in fabulous, fabulous, exquisite condition.

I really, really, really love this box.

I wonder if there's a key.

VO: Have a look in those pots, eh?

Ha.

Beginner's luck.

Someone buying this, it's nice for them to be able to lock it.

And it's locked.

Let's hope I can undo it now.

Oh no.

(CHUCKLES) Uh-oh.

Maybe I shouldn't have tried to lock the box.

I'm gonna have to buy it now, aren't I?

VO: Oh dear.

Let's leave her struggling with that and head back to Evesham.

Looks like boxes are on the menu here too.

"Magneto electric machine for nervous and other diseases."

Frankly, it would make me a whole load more nervous than I was in the first place.

So what happens is you've got a magnet here, and you've got a band here, which goes round and round.

And then what you've got here is two conductors, I suppose.

And you hold them like this.

And then you get your mate - actually, looking at these he's probably not a very good mate - to turn that handle round and round... and give you an electric shock.

I mean, you just have to sometimes wonder about the Victorians, don't you?

VO: It might look barbaric, but it works along the same lines as modern day electric pain relievers and muscle toners.

I wouldn't fancy trying it myself though.

It's priced at £125.

I've had a bit of success just recently, if you remember, with scientific instruments.

Who knows?

Lightning might strike twice here.

VO: I see what you did there.

Very funny.

Now, we need someone to do a deal with, Jeni?

Yeah?

Hello, hello, hello.

You've got very cool shop here, haven't you?

Thank you.

Jeni, you've got a...

It looks like an instrument of torture here, we've got a Victorian Magneto electric machine.

I don't suppose you know where it's come from or if there's any history with it, do you?

It came out of a doctor's house.

PS: Really?

DEALER: Yes.

He had it on his desk.

Probably for his patients.

No, I'm joking.

That's... That is the ultimate desk toy, isn't it?

Yes it is.

Yeah.

It's priced up at £125.

What's the best you could do on that for me, please?

Well, I know the dealer got it at a very good price.

I think the best he can do is 50.

Go on, I think I'll have it.

And I hope it doesn't become a shock for me.

VO: Hey, he's got all the gags today.

And he now has just under £138 left over.

Right, you take care now.

DEALER: And you, bye-bye.

PS: Bye-bye.

VO: Now, over in Worcester, is there any luck with that lock?

There we go.

I was really starting to panic then.

VO: Me too.

Shall we go and see if there's a deal to be done?

Gabriele?

I have spotted this exquisite box.

There is no price on it.

I've only just bought it actually.

So it hasn't got a ticket on it yet, but I paid 150 for it.

If you give me 160, that'd be a fair price for me.

I'll take that.

Thank you so much.

OK. You make a very small amount on it.

I know.

And that means I'm pretty much all spent up as well.

VO: Indeed, only £4.50 left to your name.

Thank you so much.

OK.

Cheers.

See you soon.

DEALER: Bye.

IB: Bye-bye.

VO: Off you pop.

Your driver is waiting.

I think he's desperate to find out what you made of his manor.

Have you enjoyed Worcester?

I love Worcester, Phil.

And did you see Mr Elgar outside the cathedral?

Yes.

Do you want my version of Pomp And Circumstance, Phil?

PS: Eh?

IB: (HUMS) Who needs a radio in the car when you've got Izzie Balmer?

VO: Exactly.

Play us out, Izzie.

It's time for some shuteye.

Aha, we've done with the buying and now on to the selling.

And for this, our pair of auction watchers have traveled a long way north, parking up near the village of Hayfield in the high peak of Derbyshire.

Worth it for the views though.

This is fantastic, isn't it?

Oh, it's beautiful.

We've come from your home county to my home county.

Really, really glorious.

(SIGHS) How do you feel about this auction?

Nervous.

Yeah, I'm nervous with a capital "ner".

VO: Not long to wait now.

Their purchases have carried on northwards all the way to Harrogate in Yorkshire and are going under the hammer at the Harrogate Auction Centre, with bids taken on the phone, on commission and in the room.

35, yeah.

VO: Philip blew £305 on his five auction lots.

Let's see what auctioneer George H Allen makes of them.

The H stands for hammer.

Ha!

Any more?

Done at 40.

The Victorian electronic easing machine for pain, this is in really good condition.

There's a few about, yeah.

Kids used to play with them and shock each other.

VO: Blimey.

GEORGE: You know... VO: Ha-ha.

Izzie spent a bit more, £385 on only four items.

Thoughts, George?

GEORGE: This box is in fantastic condition.

Victorian walnut, lovely compartments to it.

It's a real winner.

It'll create a lot of interest.

It's a very, very good box indeed.

VO: Yeah, he likes them but will anyone else?

Is it time to find out?

Yes, let's do it.

VO: Why not?

VO: First up, Phil's Nanking cargo sticker with saucer attached.

£10 bid, 15 bid.

20.

25.

Cheap.

25 bid, any more?

PS: Ouch.

GEORGE: All done?

I'm going down with the ship, Izzie.

IB: It's not sunk yet!

GEORGE: Another go?

Keep floating, Phil.

30 bid.

35.

Reach for that lifebelt.

Any more?

All done?

Finished at £35.

IB: Oh!

I think I'm sunk.

(CHUCKLES) Phil!

VO: Just didn't float the bidders' boat.

Never mind.

Do you know, I never, ever liked that Nanking cargo stuff.

I've never liked it, don't know why I bought it.

VO: Ha!

Now, part of Izzie's brooch extravaganza, that pricey Dorrie Nossiter one.

I cannot stress... GEORGE: This is an absolute beauty... ..how good it is.

The Dorrie... £50 bid.

60.

£60 the bid.

70 bid on the phone.

VO: Long way to go.

Come on.

90 bid.

100 bid.

100, 110, 110, 120, 120, 130 on the phone.

130, 140, 150.

You're into profit - that's brilliant.

Did you want five?

Don't miss out on... 155 bid.

All done?

160, back in.

IB: Oh, phew.

GEORGE: 160 bid, any more?

It's getting there.

At 160.

I'd be jumping up and down if I could get that.

VO: Then you should start buying brooches, Phil.

I would have liked it to have done closer to the 200.

(CLEARS THROAT) You'll forgive me for not sharing those sentiments.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: One from the Serrell environs now, his Worcester candelabra.

£10 the bid.

15 bid.

20.

£20 I'm bid.

IB: How much did you pay?

60?

20 bid there.

£20.

Five bid?

IB: Oh, Phil.

GEORGE: 27.50.

27.50 for it.

£30 the bid.

Any more?

Another 2.50 anywhere?

It's there to go.

Any more?

Ouch!

At 32.50.

I feel like crying for you.

You feel like crying for you?

I feel like crying for me.

VO: I'm not crying!

It's just my allergies.

I really don't know what to say.

It's a first, Phil, we're both lost for words.

I'm lost for money.

(CHUCKLES) VO: Izzie's second bit of broochiness.

Let's hope the arts-and-crafts fans haven't gone home yet.

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.

Not too tightly for you, but I keep my fingers crossed.

Don't be like that.

(CHUCKLES) 10 bid.

Any more?

15, 20 bid.

25.

25 bid, any more?

Oh Phil!

30 bid.

Any more?

Another go.

35 bid.

Lady's on the front row, 40 bid.

£40 bid.

Any more?

45.

It's cheap, that's what it is.

All done at 45?

That's a pity, isn't it?

Yes.

VO: Do you think that might put her off brooches for a bit?

Nah.

I'd kind of settle for those sort of losses at the minute.

You were only 15 quid behind the game there, weren't you?

Well that's true.

VO: Yeah, think yourself lucky.

Now, can Phil give it some stick with his next lot?

20 bid, any more?

25 bid, 30 bid, £30 bid.

Any advance on 30... That's a result, that's only £20 I'm losing.

Phil, stop it.

35.

Oh!

Get in, George!

35 the bid.

37 and a half.

Have you all done?

On commission at 37.50.

I haven't lost as much as I thought I was going to there.

VO: That extra 50p made all the difference.

I need comforting and looking after.

Big hug!

I need a big, big hug.

VO: Now, will the bidders take to Izzie's Victorian dressing case?

The auctioneer was effusive.

GEORGE: £50 bid.

IB: (SIGHS) Any advance on 50?

60, 70 on the phone.

£70 bid, 80.

VO: It's creeping up.

£90 bid.

100, 120.

That was a jump, I quite liked that big jump of £20.

130, 140.

£140 the bid.

You'll never get another chance to get another one like this.

You won't.

150.

Any advance?

160, lady's back in at 160.

PS: Result, I think, Izzie.

IB: (SIGHS) I'm pleased.

170 back on the phone.

I'm into profit!

All good things come out of Worcester.

180 bid.

All done?

190 bid back here.

Yes!

£200 the bid.

Any more?

220 back in.

GEORGE: 220.

220 bid.

(THEY CHUCKLE) At 220.

Phil, you just need to be buying quality.

VO: Oh, get you.

It was rather smashing though, wasn't it?

It's a good thing and it's just pushing me further and further behind you, isn't it?

Well, there's that as well.

Yeah.

VO: Time for his box of tricks now.

Can it cure chronic money loss, I wonder?

Five I'm bid, 10 bid at the back.

10 bid, 15.

20.

GEORGE: 25 on the book.

IB: Oh!

30 bid, find me another one.

IB: Creeping up.

PS: Yeah.

35 the bid.

Any more?

Get the big one out for this one.

40 bid.

Oh, Phil!

You're out in that corner.

Any more?

Done at 40.

Phil, that's not too shocking.

No.

(CHUCKLES) That's appalling.

VO: Yeah, I must say he's taking this drubbing awfully well.

There's a certain trend going on here, isn't there?

VO: Yeah, downwards.

VO: Izzie's last lot now.

Let's hope it's a spicy one.

£10 bid, 15 bid.

15 the bid.

Look at it.

20 bid.

25.

30 bid.

VO: Another profit.

35 the bid, any more?

All done at £35?

That's a small profit.

Absolutely right.

VO: Nothing to be sneezed at there.

Rubs salt in the wounds though.

It is gonna turn round, you'll have your moment.

VO: Will this be it?

Can the jelly molds stop his wobble?

I've got all my fingers and my toes crossed for you.

Five, 10, 15.

Oh, Phil.

GEORGE: All over the place.

25 bid, 25 the bid.

Any more?

30 bid.

35, 40 bid.

45, 50 bid.

VO: Something's happening.

55 bid.

55, 60 bid.

65 bid.

70 bid.

Phil, these might get up there.

70.

Any more?

All done.

Oh no!

At £70.

Got to tell you, I'm quite happy with that.

VO: Who is this impostor and what's he done with the real Philip?

How can you be so smiley and magnanimous and gracious?

Because if I wasn't I'd go and jump in that lake just over there, look.

VO: Hey, don't do that.

We haven't done the sums yet.

VO: Phil started this leg with £442.80.

But with that clean sweep of losses, after auction costs he's left with just £314.10.

It's not been his day, has it?

VO: Whereas Izzie, who began with £389.50 made a much smaller loss.

After saleroom fees, she ends the day slightly down on £381.70.

So she wins this round and jumps into the lead.

Well done you, Izzie.

That's a good job, isn't it eh?

On to the next.

Yeah.

On to the next, Phil.

Come on then.

VO: In your own time, Izzie.

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