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

I don't know what to do.

(HONKS HORN) VO: ..with £200 each, a classic car, and a goal: to scour Britain for antiques.

What a little diamond.

VO: The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

Back in the game.

Charlie!

VO: There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Oh!

VO: So, will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

Oh!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

VO: Yeah.

VO: It's a brand new road trip and we're coasting along with a freshly-minted twosome, Philip Serrell and Natasha Raskin.

So when I found out I was working with you, Phil, I was a bit nervous.

What?

Really?

Yeah, because your... What are they saying?

..Your reputation goes before you.

VO: Ha.

It does indeed.

Philip Serrell is an august auctioneer based in Worcester, who brings his many years of experience to the game.

How old are you?

NATASHA: 28.

PHILIP: Great.

How old are you?

Shut up!

VO: Not to mention his sunny disposition.

Glaswegian Natasha Raskin is a relative newcomer to the Trip, but this bright young auctioneer, specializing in contemporary art, has already proved herself a very canny competitor.

So this is my second only ever road trip.

Well, I'm looking forward to it.

I'm really looking forward to it.

It's lovely to work with you.

VO: Our duo are driving a delightful 1957 Porsche 356 Coupe.

Delish!

PHILIP: What do you think to our car?

I think this car is pretty great.

I genuinely thought I was going to be more Penelope Pitstop and I don't know who I am right now, Mr Magoo, but it's great.

VO: Hm...

Eyes on the road, Natasha.

Both of our experts begin this journey with £200 in their pockets.

VO: On this epic Road Trip, Philip and Natasha will journey from Narberth in Pembrokeshire, Wales, covering several hundred miles, to end up in Salisbury, in Wiltshire, England.

On this leg they're winding through the Welsh countryside heading for an auction in Cross Hands in Carmarthenshire.

Let's hope they're not sitting on their hands.

Pembrokeshire is just the best place.

I love this part of the world.

So beautiful.

We're sort of slap bang in the middle aren't we?

Yeah.

This is exciting because... Oh, it's all of that.

I just don't know what to expect.

No, neither do I. VO: First stop this morning is the town of Narberth, where our two part ways at the rugby club.

Have a lovely time.

Oh!

Be careful.

Here we go.

Take care.

Take care!

See you soon, lovely!

VO: You won't find any items there, Phil.

Never seen him look so happy.

Oh I don't know, maybe there's an antiques shop around.

Ah, there we are.

Dealer Peter awaits inside.

Hi, you must be Peter.

Good morning Phil How are you?

Good to see you.

Welcome to the Malthouse.

You've got some stuff in here, haven't you?

We are crammed with it, yes.

VO: It certainly is.

Full to burstin'!

If I'm going to beat Natasha, or Tash - she's certainly become my new best friend, because I think he's lovely - I've got to box really clever here.

So I've got to think, what do I think is going to do well?

But the other thing that I... What was the other thing I wanted to think of?

VO: I don't know, Phil, what was it?

Must be your age, dear.

I think my plan is, I've got to try and buy specifically for the auction, so that's really my plan.

VO: Good, I'm so glad you've cleared that up, Phil.

Oh, look out, he's onto something.

Get the nurse, quick.

PHILIP: What on earth is that off?

It's a measuring stick.

It's got on here, Bentley & Taylor London, so it's clearly quite a well made thing.

Customs and Excise.

So this is actually...

It's got a brass cap down here.

VO: This measuring stick, marked as being used by the Customs and Excise, is priced at £20.

Do you know what?

I haven't got a clue what that is, but I think that's quite fun.

VO: So he's got the mystery measure in his sights and he's browsing on.

Hm...

I don't think so, do you Phil?

No, best not, but here's something more promising.

PHILIP: See, that's quite fun.

You know, this is a little miniature cricket bat.

It's also signed by the Australian cricket team in 1956.

I mean actually, it's not signed, cos these are all facsimile signatures, it's a transfer print.

That's a bit of fun, isn't it?

You know?

15 quid?

So I've got a couple of cheapies I might be in for here.

VO: Yeah, he's also spotted a ship's light, probably dating from the early 20th century, which is marked up at a hefty £95, which added to the measuring stick and bat have a combined ticket price of £130.

I think time for a sit down, Phil, don't you?

Your ship's light, has that been in long?

No.

It came in two, three weeks ago.

What...what can you do on prices for them?

What about the light?

The ship's light with... ..95 on...

I can treat you today and do it for 45.

OK and would you mind getting the light for me?

No, I'll do that for you.

I see no ships, only hardships.

VO: (LAUGHS) Let's hope it's not hardships for Phil.

What deal can they strike for all three items?

I'm going to put these two in at a tenner each... OK.

Ten, ten, 30.

That's 50 quid.

PETER: Yes.

PHILIP: That alright?

Yes, that seems reasonable to me.

You're a gentleman, sir.

Thank you very much, indeed.

Thank you.

Let me get some money out.

VO: You better had!

That's quite a deal.

All three items for a nice clean £50.

VO: Meanwhile, Natasha has driven on to the Pembrokeshire town of Newport, where she's strolling off... VO: ..into the Carningli Centre, a fine place to hunt for a special buy.

She's meeting dealer Ann.

NATASHA: Hello?

ANN: Hello.

Oh!

Hello!

Hi!

I'm Tasha.

Hello, I'm Ann.

Lovely to meet you, Ann.

What a lovely wee shop.

Oh, thank you.

VO: And she's on the hunt.

Nice squirrels.

And...she's finding out, that this shop goes full-steam for one kind of item...

I don't have a clue what I'm looking for, but I think that if I was looking for Railwayana, I think I know where we would find it.

Um...Phil would go mad if he was in here.

He would be absolutely in his element.

I'm just trying to think what would Phil buy?

What would Phil buy?

And I think that the answer to that is stop thinking about what Phil would buy and maybe concentrate on what I should buy.

Have a look around.

VO: Now, there's an idea!

And she's soon spotted something that really fires up her interest.

These are just so lovely.

They've got to be arts and crafts.

VO: It's pair of early 20th century fire dogs, used in a hearth to support firewood.

They're in the arts and crafts style, and, like Natasha, possibly of Scottish origin.

They certainly seem to appeal to her.

Yeah, they are really nice.

It's a sort of thin gauge of copper and then hand beaten and then this lovely, typical arts and crafts motif in a kind of foliage style and then a bit of a, a bit of a sunset or something in the top.

It's just...

They're just lovely.

They're really really nice.

Oh, and they're only £30.

VO: And I'm getting the impression you quite like them.

I think I would like to have a punt at these, because they are really really lovely.

VO: Yes, time to talk to Ann then.

I suppose it's not really in my interest to say this, Ann, but they're quite reasonably priced so um...

I mean, £30 is the price.

Is there any movement on that?

Um...I could do them for 25.

25, do you know what, Ann, I really think for the pair, 25 quid...that's such a great deal.

Can I please shake your hand on that?

ANN: Lovely.

NATASHA: I'm really grateful.

VO: Deal done very decisively and her first buy's in hand.

VO: Now, Phil's travelled on to the village of Rhydowen, a pretty, pastoral little place to continue the day's buying.

Oh, that's nice.

Phil's strolling off into Alltyrodyn Antiques.

Where dealer Chris is on hand to help.

Hi, how are you?

CHRIS: Hi, good thank you.

PHILIP: I'm Philip.

Hi Philip, I'm Chris.

Chris, is your um, phone box for sale?

Could be.

Alright, how much is it?

Make me an offer.

This isn't the way it's supposed to work.

I don't know, is it worth £100?

It's worth rather more than that, my dear.

Seven, 800 quid.

Yeah, I think they're worth between 600 and £1,000, aren't they?

Maybe.

I won't be buying that then, will I?

VO: No, Philip, you will not.

Chris certainly seems like a canny one.

You'll need your wits about you in his shop!

Philip still has £150 to spend, so he better get hunting.

This looks a bit more realistic.

This is fun, isn't it?

I quite like that.

An old wooden till, with working key and bell .

VO: It probably dates from the early 20th century and is priced at £60, and there's another surprising item as well.

This is interesting, isn't it Chris?

Because to the outside world, that looks like a small chest of four drawers.

Yeah.

But you and I know that that ain't a small chest of four drawers.

We do.

It is in fact a commode.

VO: Handy.

It's mahogany and probably dates from the late Georgian period.

Ticket price is £35.

Its inner fittings have been removed, perhaps thankfully.

It could make a handy little firewood store, or be made into firewood.

PHILIP: That is just wonderful quality mahogany, isn't it?

CHRIS: It's lovely.

PHILIP: And that is just the finest woodworm you'll see.

CHRIS: It's... it's... Can you see there?

Look.

Yeah, I wouldn't bang that too hard.

No.

VO: He likes the till and the commode, so I feel a haggle coming on.

Come into my office, please.

Have a seat, please do.

VO: First the till.

Go on, how much is it?

40 quid.

Behave.

I'll give you 40 quid for it... Yeah?

..but you've got to throw in a commode.

Oh, no.

I'll give you 40 quid the two.

45.

No, honestly, 40 is the end for me.

It is the end.

Oh, go on then.

PHILIP: You sure?

CHRIS: Yeah... You're an angel.

Thank you very much indeed.

Let me have some money out.

VO: Thanks to a very generous deal from Chris, he's got another two items for £40.

The silver fox.

Now, Natasha's jumped back in the car.

VO: Her next stop is the town of Cardigan.

VO: Cardigan Castle to be precise.

It's the site of the first Eisteddfod.

An ancient Welsh festival of music and poetry that's been staged for hundreds of years and has exported the unique culture of Wales all over the world.

Natasha's meeting historian Glen Johnson.

Hello, hi.

I'm Tasha, lovely to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

VO: The castle comprises buildings of many different eras, including some dating back to the medieval period.

It's a reminder really, Cardigan Castle has a 900 year history and through that history, it's constantly been reinventing itself.

The first person to reinvent it was a man called Lord Rhys.

Rhys ap Gruffydd.

OK. And he changed it from being a wooden castle, established by the Normans in 1110, to a stone castle.

He was the first Welshman ever to build a castle in stone and it was completed in 1176.

And he held an event here, which was a housewarming party, if you like, for his new castle and the event was the pre-runner of the modern national Eisteddfod.

VO: Lord Rhys was a prominent Welsh prince who used the castle to improve relations with the English king.

His parties became the Eisteddfod, a festival in which the country's greatest musicians and poets competed to win prizes.

NATASHA: So a housewarming party has gone on to become a national event.

How did that happen?

Yes.

Rhys was clever enough to understand that there was a very fragile peace at that time between himself and King Henry.

OK.

So what was becoming really popular in European courts were big artistic events.

So he thought he'd do something like that here.

He'd invite people from all over Britain and probably from the continent as well and he'd have contests in music and poetry and in doing so, then he'd show the rest of Britain that, you know, the Welsh are not barbarians, we're a cultured, civilized people with long musical and poetic traditions.

Very nice.

And it was.

It was a hugely successful event.

It probably secured the survival of Welsh culture.

Really?

You think it's as significant as that?

GLEN: I think so, yeah.

NATASHA: Oh, amazing.

VO: The Eisteddfod continued, but didn't emerge in its modern form until many centuries later.

In 1792, a man who went by the bardic name of Iolo Morganwg... That's some name!

It is.

He held an event in London and that was the beginning of a major resurgence.

VO: There's one item above all others that explains a unique part of the festival's traditions.

Well, I think the first thing we have to talk about is this beautifully carved chair and I'm guessing it's of some importance.

Yeah, well the chair has always been the great symbol of the Eisteddfod, going back to the very first one.

Lord Rhys had this idea, instead of giving a cash prize for the best bard, or the best musician, he'd set a chair for them and this may nowadays seem a bit odd, but in those...

It does, yeah.

Well, in those days, most ordinary people sat on benches or stools.

Chairs were reserved for really important people.

The bishop had a chair.

The prince had a chair.

The king had a chair.

Ordinary people did not have a chair.

So the idea of almost enthroning the best bard, you know, you were paying them a great honor by having a chair for them and this tradition has carried on.

And every Eisteddfod now a carpenter will be asked to produce a chair which will be his imagining of how an Eisteddfod chair should be.

So each chair is unique.

Yeah.

And the winner gets a chair like this.

VO: From the Victorian period onwards, the Eisteddfod and its traditions became the most important celebration of Welsh arts.

It's become really, if you like, the mark of national excellence really in Welsh culture.

So to have been a competitor in an Eisteddfod is regarded as kudos.

Yeah.

And to have won your category in Eisteddfod, you know, really is a sign that you've arrived, you know, as a representative of your art.

How's it changed?

Yeah, not only has it branched out across the UK, but internationally... Oh, great.

Eisteddfodau all over the world.

VO: The view from the battlements at the top of the castle illustrates how the Eisteddfod took on the world.

NATASHA: Oh wow, this is quite the view.

Yep, this is the outer defense of the castle itself.

OK. And from here you get a great view of the river and it's a reminder, in the early 19th century Cardigan was one of the biggest seaports in Wales.

It was one of the biggest seaports in the country.

And Cardigan ships sailed over the world and like other people sailing from other Welsh ports, one of the things they took with them to these different countries was the idea of the Eisteddfod.

All these Welsh immigrants going all over the world established Eisteddfodau in old sorts of surprising places, Canada, the United States, Australia, even heard of an Eisteddfod in Japan.

Oh, amazing!

And...and some of them have become, you know, quite large annual events overseas as well.

Yeah, I can imagine.

The Eisteddfod's gone global.

VO: The festival is still the most prominent symbol of Welsh culture all around the world today.

Well, Glen, I have to say it's been absolutely fascinating meeting with you today.

What a great tale.

Thank you very much.

VO: With that, a jam-packed first day draws to a close.

Night night, road trippers.

VO: Nothing will keep our energetic pair off the trail for long and the morning finds them back in the Porsche and gearing up for the competition ahead.

How many things have you bought?

Um...one.

Good thing?

One good thing.

One very good thing?

Um...good to very good.

Good to very good.

Oh, no!

No, no, no.

In my humble opinion.

Oh, no!

VO: So far, Natasha's bought only one item, the pair of arts and crafts fire dogs for £25, meaning she still has £175 to her name.

Philip has been extravagant by comparison.

He's already bought five items, the measuring stick, the souvenir cricket bat, the ship's light, the till and the commode.

The one lot was a mistake really.

A real mistake.

Well, we'll find out on the day won't we?

VO: I'm guessing it's the woodworm playing on Phil's mind.

Is that right?

I bought livestock.

No, you didn't.

I did, honestly.

I promise you, I bought livestock.

Woodworm.

A whole herd of it.

You ever seen a herd of woodworm?

VO: Well there's a thought.

VO: This morning they're in Trecastle.

VO: This historic village nestles on the border of the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park.

A lovely place to kick off the day.

NATASHA: Beautifully driven.

Beautifully handled.

(SHE LAUGHS) That's OK.

Which way?

Oh.

Thank you so much.

They're clearly getting on then.

We'll see how long that lasts when there's bargains to be fought over.

They're heading into Trecastle Antiques Centre and meeting dealers Margaret and Louise.

Hi!

Nice to meet you, I'm Tasha.

I'm Margaret.

Margaret, nice to meet you.

Philip, how are you?

I'm Louise.

Louise.

Lovely to meet you.

VO: Nice to meet you.

They're all charm today.

Right you two, time to get buying!

You been emptying your local church?

I wouldn't do such a thing!

There's pews everywhere.

VO: Margaret would do nothing of the sort.

Are they for sale or...?

MARGARET: They are for sale.

VO: Quite the collection of ladies' fans there.

How much are these each?

They're £15 each, Phil.

See, that's beautiful, look.

I know, I know.

VO: Sounds keen.

Looks like he's picked up his favorite from the bunch.

Something to keep in mind no doubt.

Yes, I will take care of them for you...

Thank you very much.

VO: And keep browsing.

VO: What's he got now?

Margaret, what's the national sport of Wales?

Rugby.

VO: When in Wales...

It's a collection of 1970s Welsh rugby programs.

I was at that game.

Were you?

VO: There's no ticket price on them.

So what could Margaret do?

How much for the lot?

20 quid.

That's the bargain of the day.

VO: It might be but Phil's looking for an even better deal on these and the ladies' fans.

In my eyes, I honestly think those are gotta be 13 and those have gotta be five.

That's what I really think if I have the two.

What do you reckon?

Aw, go on.

We've had such fun.

You're an angel, thank you very much.

Thank you, my love.

VO: Good on you Margaret.

That'll keep Phil happy for a while at least.

Meanwhile, Natasha's around here somewhere.

Oh!

Careful!

VO: Lordy.

What's she up to now?

Oh, Phil, en garde!

I'm coming to get you.

Oh, no.

VO: How are you feeling about your rival, Natasha?

But no, Phil.

Phil I'm suspicious of, always.

VO: And rightly so.

Now, time to hunt and buy.

I don't know.

This kind of section's quite good actually, cause there's quite a lot going on, but there are also really nice hand sickles down here as well.

VO: A sickle is a handheld tool for cutting grain crops or grasses.

This set of three have a ticket price of £17.

And what's really nice is that Phil was telling me in the car this morning that one of his items is riddled with woodworm and so is this one.

It says it's been treated.

But these two have woodworm.

VO: Lovely.

So I don't know if maybe I just want to make Phil feel a little bit more at home?

VO: I'm not sure you're quite in the cutthroat spirit of this competition yet, Natasha.

But the sickle's a definite possibility.

And on the rural theme...

I don't know why, but I really like this lawnmower and it does say on the label there, that it's in working order.

I don't really know if anyone would use it, but decorative purposes it's great!

VO: Yeah, have it in your lounge.

Why not?

It dates from the late 20th century and the ticket price is £33.

Oh, something else now.

OK, so this is a beautiful fireplace.

That's really lovely.

Very nice indeed.

So a cast metal fireplace.

VO: It's a late Victorian cast iron fire surround, complete with its original tiles.

Oh, it's £85.

It's £85.

VO: In fact the combined ticket price on the sickles, lawnmower and fireplace, is £135.

It's a little bit industrial, isn't it?

I like it.

I like it.

VO: Time to speak to dealer Louise then.

If I make you an offer for the lot...

Right...

I'm going to make you an offer of 100 quid...

Right.

..and if you think I've lost the plot, just tell me.

OK. 100.

Nice round number.

Think of that.

£100, in your hand, today, cash.

Since it's you, we could probably squeeze to 100.

Do you reckon?

We could probably do that.

I know you're acting on someone else's behalf, so I don't want to get you in trouble.

Yeah.

No, I think that would be OK. Do you think it would be OK?

That would be OK.

Lawn mower, fire surround, three hand sickles filled with woodworm, treated, mind you... Yeah, I'm sure they are.

They would be, because anything coming in would be treated.

Do you reckon?

Shall we do?

Go on, then.

We'll do.

NATASHA: OK. £100?

LOUISE: £100.

I'm gonna go get my cash.

Louise, thank you so much!

VO: Crikey, that sudden flurry of impulse buying means Natasha has another three lots.

VO: Philip, meanwhile, is back in the car.

Having already bought all his items, he's driving into the lovely Brecon Beacons National Park.

VO: Near the village of Abercraf... VO: ..is Dan-yr-Ogof, the National Showcaves Centre for Wales.

An extraordinary wonder of the natural world that was discovered by two very courageous local farmers, the Morgan brothers, in 1912.

He's meeting the curator of the center, Ashford Price.

Hello Phil.

Ashford, how are you?

Welcome to Dan yr Ogof caves.

VO: The cave system the Morgan brothers found here is now known to extend at least 11 miles into the Earth and is so vast that the outer limits are not yet known.

When they first found the caves, the brothers were looking for the source of a river that flowed from the mountain, termed a resurgence.

In June of 1912, they actually went into the resurgence, literally by going in there, they only went in there about a couple of hundred yards, just with candles and one of them found a little passageway, leading off from the main river, followed it and lo and behold, he didn't find the source of the river, but he found some of the best caves probably in Europe.

With a little bit of trepidation, is it time to retrace some steps?

Yeah, I think so and if it's any consolation, I've never lost a tourist yet.

VO: You're in good hands then, Phil.

The Morgan brothers had no experience at all of caving and ventured in with minimal equipment.

They came in the cave as complete novices, not knowing what they were going to see and certainly had no idea how long they'd be underground.

So they came in with ordinary suits, they had a handkerchief tucked in, they had their gold watch chain and also, which is amazing today, all they had with them was literally a candle.

Now, can you imagine, which you like to walk round this place on your own, basically just with a candle?

They were exceptionally brave, cos if anything had happened to them on that first day, nobody would have guessed as to where they were and certainly they would have just died in the cave.

It would have been a pretty grim ending.

What they were doing to try and get out, which is equally as important as coming in... Too right.

They...they would put little arrow marks on what was then the sandy floor and this was their only way actually of coming in and out of the cave.

On their second day though, they got a little bit wiser and they brought in some balls of string... Yeah.

..that they used on the farm and they tied it to where they actually entered the cave and they ran out the string behind them as they went further and further into the mountain.

I would have been absolutely terrified as to what was around the next bend.

Well...

I think they were also frightened, because as they went further into the cave, one of them actually took in, according to his diaries, um, his old ex-army revolver.

VO: Despite their complete lack of experience and equipment, the brave Morgan brothers managed to explore an extensive area.

They even used a small boat called a coracle to cross the underground lakes.

Well Phil, what do you think of that then?

This whole chamber is known as the coracle chamber.

It's about 40 foot high.

Imagine, you know, finding in 1912.

VO: The Morgan brothers were responsible for discovering this wonderful underground landscape and their descendants, of whom Ashford is one, still run the complex today.

Over the decades other cavers have made greater and greater advances through the stunning rock formations that have been hewn over millennia by water passing over the limestone rock.

Experienced cavers are still discovering new areas of the cave system.

Even with modern technology exploring underground can be dangerous, as rising water levels can cut explorers off, temporarily depriving them of an escape route.

Cavers have been overdue.

We've had a few cave rescues.

What do you mean by overdue?

Uh, they've had to spend a few nights in here.

VO: That's a sobering thought.

In 1953, members of the South Wales Caving Club finally discovered the area many consider to be the jewel of Dan yr Ogof known as Cathedral Cave.

I don't think you'll see that in many places probably in the world.

Both the waterfalls there are about 40 foot high.

They lead onto vast cave systems left and right there.

Well, you can imagine Phil, a vast amount of water required to make a cave passageway like this and obviously a lot of this water came from all the various ice ages when obviously the planet was frozen, it then thawed and obviously you had vast amounts of rainwater coming through this area.

It is truly magnificent.

It's one of...

It doesn't matter how often I see it, I'm still impressed by this.

VO: Thanks to the courageous efforts of the Morgan brothers the caves here can now be enjoyed by visitors who don't even have to bring their own candle.

It...it is quite a magical place.

PHILIP: It's kind of makes me feel like Indiana Jones in here, you know?

Where is that bit of string?

Ah, we'll find you now.

Come on down.

VO: Natasha, meanwhile, has motored on to Brecon, a very attractive market town that boasts its very own Norman castle.

With £75 still to spend, Natasha's heading into Brecon Antiques Centre, where she's meeting dealer Lynton.

Hello, hi there!

LYNTON: Hi!

NATASHA: Hello, hi, I'm Tasha.

Pleased to meet you.

Lynton.

Lynton, it's lovely to meet you!

Lovely to meet you too.

This looks like an absolute treasure trove.

It's, yes, it's quite compact.

VO: Which suits Natasha, as her thoughts are turning to the bijou this afternoon.

I'm just looking for something small.

I think that everything I've bought has been quite humphing, quite big, especially the cast iron fire surround.

I think I need something more delicate.

VO: And as if by magic.

40% off!

You cannot resist.

Let's have a wee look.

I mean, there's loads of stuff in here.

I don't know if there is a huge amount of age to all of it.

VO: It's mostly glass items by the look of things.

Even a few delicate pieces in there for you, Natasha.

And the promised discount never hurts in this game.

I, I mean, I just...it's not something I ever buy, glass, but I'm just thinking...

I am thinking that if you're going to go kind of kitschy and colorful, should you go the whole hog?

I mean, there are things like you know, a little bit of Murano glass there that's nice.

It's not going to change anyone's life.

It's a pretty thing.

But what I do think is a life changing piece of glass and dare I say art, is this very nice ankle boot.

Oh, careful.

Look at that.

Is that not the most hideous thing that you have ever seen?

VO: Well, it's not my style but I'm sure someone would like it.

I think that I have to buy it.

VO: Hm...sensible reasoning.

It's marked up at £39, but the all-important 40% discount will have to be subtracted.

OK, my maths is really bad.

It's £39, £39, essentially call it 40 and then four plus four... VO: Good grief.

After the discount it's £23.40.

Best have a word with Lynton.

This has to be the best thing I've ever seen.

Oh...

This is the magic slipper.

And I'll tell you what's great, it was in a 40% off cabinet that I found... Never!

..that you were keeping from me, you didn't... Yeah, thanks for that tin tin.

Mm...no... VO: Another dealer owns the enchanting boot.

What deal could Lynton strike on his behalf?

What do you think's the bare, bare minimum?

18-20, but I think you might squeeze 18 out of him.

It has to be 18 quid for a laguna glass boot vase.

OK.

It's the best thing I've ever seen.

It's beautiful.

OK, thank you so much.

You are my prince.

Pleasure.

VO: And with that fairytale ending, they're all bought up!

Natasha bought the arts and crafts fire dogs, the three wooden hand sickles, the mechanical lawnmower, the cast iron fireplace and the much-loved glass lady's boot.

She spent £143 exactly.

While Philip bought the customs and excise measuring stick, the memento cricket bat, the ship's light, the till, the commode, the rugby programs, and the ladies' fans.

That little lot cost him £105.

So what do they think of each other's offerings?

Well I'm not quite sure what his till's going to do, I think it's a really quirky thing.

I really like it, but is it the sort of thing that people would buy apart from just decorative purposes.

Maybe they will.

I don't know.

I hope so.

I think the fire surround is really really lovely and if she's got two people at the auction who want that, I can see that making three figures.

I think Phil has done brilliantly.

I think he's an absolute star.

I think my favorite item has to be the commode, purely because we're in it together with our woodworm and I think it's going to be the battle of the woodworm.

I like to think that you know, my influence has worn off on her, because with those three sickle... We've got all the true Serrell traits of rust and woodworm and I expect them to go in a similar fashion to my commode, in a skip somewhere.

VO: On this leg they've travelled from Narberth, Pembrokeshire to auction here, in Cross Hands, in Carmarthenshire.

Today the proof will be in the pudding, Mr Serrell.

I think my pudding may be a bit stodgy.

I think that probably goes for both of us.

VO: That's the spirit!

It's a lovely day isn't it?

It's beautiful.

VO: It is indeed.

So let's hope fortune shines on our brave pair as they head for the reckoning.

They're just arriving at Welsh Country Auctions, today's saleroom.

NATASHA: Well, here we are.

Are you ready?

I'm ready.

NATASHA: OK. PHILIP: You ready?

Shall we go in arm in arm to our first auction?

PHILIP: That way, that way.

NATASHA: This way.

That way, that way.

Go on.

Come on.

VO: This bodes well.

Holding the gavel today is auctioneer Andrew Williams.

Before the off, what does he think of Natasha and Phil's lots?

There are rugby programs and the bats...they're quite nice things but we do tend to get a lot of rugby programs in.

We get boxfuls in, sadly.

It's a tough one how old the glass boot is, but we do have collectors of boots and shoes and quirky things, so it's a nice enough piece, so it should do OK.

The cast iron fire surround, um, different design with the dome top to it and somebody'll use it.

Could end up in garden, could go back in a house.

The barrel measure's quite nice.

It's something unusual, something different, and the till does make a nice sound when the drawer opens, so it'll cause a little bit of interest.

VO: Right let's get on with it then.

The auction's about to begin!

VO: First up, it's Philip's souvenir cricket bat, which he's placed in a job lot with his collection of 1970s Welsh rugby programs.

Five I'm bid.

At five, £5.

At five, eight, 10, 12, 13.

Yes.

And the programs are signed.

18.

At £18.

20 in the back.

Two.

25.

At 25.

Phil.

Any more?

At £25.

Sure?

On my right at £25.

(GAVEL) Philip Serrell.

VO: A decent profit for Philip.

Well done.

That's great!

It's a profit, isn't it?

That's a fair first profit.

You have started this auction with a bang.

Fire dogs are coming up next.

Are they going to be dogs?

Or are they going to be alright?

Oh, I don't know.

I'm a little bit worried because they were my first buy and I just sort of went with what I knew, Scottish arts and crafts, but maybe I should have remembered that we were in Wales.

VO: Natasha now with her arts and crafts fire dogs.

10 I'm bid, 10, £10.

At 10 for the pair.

At 10.

No.

£10.

15, 20.

At 20.

Five.

Yeah!

ANDREW: 30.

NATASHA: Yeah!

Five.

At 35 for the pair.

Thought these would have made more.

Behind me there.

At £35.

No.

(GAVEL) 35.

They could have done better.

We just seem to be nerdling away at £10 notes here, don't we?

VO: That strong start has Natasha now neck and neck with Phil.

Next it's Philip's vintage till, selling in a job lot with his Customs and Excise measuring stick.

There you go.

There's a lovely... (TILL RINGS) Aw, listen to the sound.

Come on, that's so good.

Wonderful.

And again.

(RINGS) Oh.

Yeah!

What a good bit of ka-ching.

This is lot 139.

Rostrum bid to start at 20.

He's got 20.

Yes!

30 if you like, sir.

30.

Two.

35.

At £35.

Let's have another ding.

38.

40 at the back.

(RINGS) At 40.

Two.

45.

50.

At 50.

Last call... Is it gonna be another tenner?

(GAVEL) 50.

VO: It's £10 profits all round today.

I saw a lady over there and she's only got one glass left boot on, so... Oh.

..you never know, if it's the right size... Good.

I'm glad she came.

Mind you...

There was a pumpkin and some wild mice out the back as well.

Bibbity bobbity boo.

Pardon?

VO: You might have guessed it's Natasha's glass boot now.

20 I'm bid.

Rostrum bid to start.

At £20.

You've got a £20 bid!

20?

No he doesn't.

The glass boot.

At 20.

He actually has that?

At five, what are we now?

25.

Oh.

30.

At 30.

Bid's right by me.

At 30 and five, what are we now?

At £30.

Made 12 quid thus far.

Alright, then, that's 30.

(GAVEL) 30.

VO: Someone does take to it!

A surprise success for Natasha.

That was unbelievable!

How did he get...

This is the best auction house in the land.

VO: Now let's see if Phil's ship's light can illuminate proceedings.

£20.

That is sexy.

£20 bid.

At 20, for a ship's lamp, 25.

30.

Five.

40.

Five.

50.

We're off to the races.

That's better.

At five.

60.

Five.

At £65.

Hell, yeah!

At 65.

Last call then, at £65.

Off the rocks anyway.

(GAVEL) You are a legend.

VO: Ha!

Some might say.

And with that Phil has now taken the lead.

So it's Natasha's mechanical mower next.

20, one of you?

Oh, go on.

Why not?

Won't get a better cut than with a nice old push mower.

Two I'm bid.

At £2.

At two.

Well, it's gotta be sold.

Why are they laughing?

At two.

Five.

Are they laughing?

At £5.

At five.

That was a lucky escape.

At five.

This is terrible, they're laughing.

Eight.

VO: Yes, it's not usually a good sign.

At £10.

At 10.

Save on electric as well.

Oh, no!

ANDREW: £10 here.

NATASHA: Oh no.

At the end of the row then.

(GAVEL) Oh, Phil!

Oh... VO: The saleroom doesn't take to it.

Bad luck.

Will Philip's ladies' fans fare any better?

10 I'm bid, at 10.

£10.

15 for the fans.

20, five, 30, five.

40.

Five.

50.

And 60.

At 60.

I'm very surprised.

80.

At 80.

There's quite a few of them in there.

In the back now at £80.

Yes!

Once, twice.

All done at £80.

(GAVEL) How good is that?

That's a real result, isn't it?

Go and get one quick and fan me.

VO: Blow me down.

Philip's now a real contender!

In all honesty, I think that your... To the right man, I think you fireplace is 150 quid.

No.

Stop it!

I do.

I do, I do, I do.

VO: It's Natasha's big chance to shine with her cast iron fire surround.

Pretty surround at 20.

NATASHA: Oh, no.

ANDREW: At five anywhere now?

NATASHA: Oh, no.

Gonna sell it then, at £20, 25, here comes the rush, 30, 35.

At 35.

Lost you in the back now.

Oh, man.

It's behind me at £35.

(GAVEL) 35.

Oh, that's soul destroying.

And I think you're unlucky with that.

VO: So sweet.

An unlucky loss.

NATASHA: You live, you learn.

PHILIP: Yeah.

NATASHA: I'm in Wales.

PHILIP: Yeah.

I'm learning how the Welsh do it now.

VO: So, what will the Welsh saleroom make of Philip's star buy, the woodwormed commode?

Would anybody like to start?

Let's have a reasonable offer.

Reasonable offer of...?

20 I'm bid.

At 20.

£20.

Quick, knock the hammer down before they change their mind.

The little Georgian commode.

At 20.

Five.

At 25.

Don't tell him to put the hammer down.

It's going up.

No, no, or they might change their mind.

£25?

You all done, no more?

Last call at 25.

(GAVEL) 25.

You are schooling me today.

You are schooling me today.

25 quid for that.

VO: Huh, a very respectable outcome for Philip.

How do you feel?

Uh, I feel lucky.

VO: And so you should Philip.

One final lot now.

Natasha's hand sickles.

Perhaps there's a woodworm collector in the crowd.

Oh, I don't know how these are going to fare, but do you know what, has this not just been the nicest morning?

It has been really good fun.

Aren't we lucky to do this?

I know.

£10 for the three?

Yes!

Come on.

Someone go 10.

10 I'm bid, 12, 15, 18.

At £18.

At 18, right down the center.

It's better than I thought.

20 anywhere now?

At £18 for all three.

No more?

(GAVEL) 18.

Yes!

That's really good.

VO: Very respectable.

I'm quite happy with that.

I am really pleased for you and I really enjoyed our morning in Wales.

It's been good fun, hasn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah.

VO: Aw, aren't you two sweet?

VO: So, it's time to top up the totals.

They both began this leg with £200.

A run of bad luck meant Natasha lost £38.04 after auction costs are deducted, which means she has £161.96 to carry forward.

VO: While Philip played a stormer, making a profit of £75.90 after costs, so he has £275.90 for the next leg.

NATASHA: Oh, thank you very much.

PHILIP: Well!

And very well done, Phil.

Well, a bit of luck, but I tell you what, loser drives.

Loser!

I was going to say does the winner drive?

No, the loser drives.

Loser drives.

Well, I'm up for it if you are.

VO: Only fair.

And so, on to the next leg.

VO: On the next Antiques Road Trip, Natasha is full of compliments.

I cannot think of a better way to spend a day than driving around Wales with a handsome man like you.

Oh, what a girl, what a girl!

VO: And Phil is full of doubt.

I don't know what to do.

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