TIM WONNACOTT (TW): The nation's favorite antiques experts faced one big challenge - to make the most profit buying and selling antiques as they traveled the highways and byways of the UK.

Oh, that's devastating.

Delighted!

TW: Now it's the series climax.

Each expert has used their profits to buy one killer item for the final auction in London.

But who will ultimately make the most money and be crowned champion of the Antiques Road Trip?

For the last four weeks our experts have been scouring the UK's antique shops, buying antiques sometimes from the most isolated of dealers, and at the end of each program, they've taken their treasures to auction.

We took eight hard-nosed antiques experts and turned them into four pairs of bosom buddies.

Together they traveled a massive 3,176 miles around the UK in a variety of wonderful, soft top classic motors.

They took in a myriad of towns and cities like Liverpool and Barnard Castle, Belfast, Edinburgh and Conwy, Oxford, King's Lynn and Bath.

Our experts have bought 133 items between them.

They went to 20 auctions...

Yes!

TW: ..and made 91 profits... £85!

That's a lot of money.

TW: ..and 41 losses.

Well, that's a total wipe out, isn't it?

TW: Each expert started their week with a budget of £200...

I hate parting with money.

TW: ..except James Braxton and Mark Stacey, who had £250 because their road trip was only four days instead of five.

It's been snakes and ladders all the way...

It's a little bit too big.

TW: ..but everyone came dressed to kill.

You look like a pirate.

A pirate?

And it's all been leading to this exciting moment at Christie's South Kensington saleroom in London.

Each of our eight experts have spent their profits on a single item which they're going to sell on here.

Our champion will be the expert who makes the most money altogether - that's the total proceeds from the sale of their item today, together with the money they've already got in the bank.

And it can't be any ordinary antique for this sale.

Oh, no.

Top-notch only.

Well, on the Antiques Road Trip, all roads lead to London, and our eight experts are on their way here, right now!

So who's going to win today?

Let's take a look at the leaderboard and remind ourselves of the state of play.

It's James Lewis in the lead, with David Harper not far behind.

In third place is Philip Serrell, over £500 behind David.

Then there's only £40-odd between the five other experts...

Anything can happen!

They've all got a fantastic item to sell at today's final auction, except one.

One of the experts had their item rejected for today's sale, so they're only here for the ride.

But which expert?!

Christie's South Kensington claims to be one of the busiest salerooms in the world, with interior sales like this one almost every week.

They're fussy about what they accept, but go to great lengths to market their lots and show them off to best advantage.

I'm not sure if they're quite prepared for this bunch, though.

(RUSTIC ACCENT) I've never been to London before.

It's a really nice day out, there's some smashing people around 'ere!

Everybody's a little bit, you know... ..hoity-toity!

You can keep your Genevas, your New Yorks and Paris.

For me, the art capital of the world is still here and it is still London.

Sold!

Our Antiques Road Trip competition kicked off with Anita Manning and David Barby.

Let's see how they got on that week.

TW: Our pioneering first team hit the road in a racy red Austin Healey.

They traveled from the northeast coast of Scotland, down to North Yorkshire.

DAVID (DB): Oh!

ANITA (AM): Yes!

TW: Each expert has followed their own path with varying success, or lack of it!

Oh, that's devastating.

Anita began showing off the Scottish countryside to David, but took her eye off the ball.

Her first auction was a total disaster.

Oh, that's disappointing.

TW: So she had to learn fast and change tack.

Bit by bit, she drove for hard bargains.

AM: Could you give me them for 20 quid?

Go on, they'll be out of your life!

TW: In Fife, she fought for a bargain diamante watch...

If there's a possibility of it at a couple of pounds... TW: ..and a pair of Scottish landscapes.

£16 for the two?

That's ridiculous!

TW: She clawed her way back up to where she'd begun, and beyond.

It's nice to see you smiling!

TW: David, on the other hand, started strong and had a terrific first auction.

(GAVEL) Lady luck is smiling on you today!

TW: But early successes went to his head and he began making progressively riskier purchases... DB: I was looking for that "wow" factor.

AM: It doesn't have that.

DB: The "wow" factor.

TW: ..which became his undoing.

AUCTIONEER: At £70!

DB: Oh!

VO So David never wants to hear the words "art nouveau charger" or "Gray's Pottery lamp" ever again!

AUCTIONEER: £60.

Well, that's a total wipe out, isn't it?

TW: And despite his best efforts... Is that your very best?

Is that the very best you can do?

What's the very best?

Is that your very best?

TW: ..it was Anita who won the week.

Well I think you make a lovely couple, actually.

(THEY LAUGH) TW: It has to be said.

AM: Watch it!

Now Anita, you had £285.59 in the end.

What did you buy for today's sale?

Well, I bought a beautiful little dressing table mirror with a lovely silver frame.

It's Edwardian, made by Goldsmiths & Silversmiths, a good London maker, and it's dated 1909.

How much did this little delight cost you, Anita?

£280.

Now, David, you had £253.88 total.

What did you spend your cash on?

Two terracotta plaques.

Late 19th century, possibly Austrian, in the manner of Goldschneider, they're terracotta, cold painted.

These are in the form of two gable ends, and I looked at them, I wanted somebody to associate the trip, and there's Anita, there, and me, and we're both wearing spectacles, and I thought to myself, "I've got to have those."

(THEY CHUCKLE) TW: I'm not altogether sure that's terribly flattering to you both actually!

Well, David's extraordinary choice has been the talk of the town!

What was he thinking?

MARK (MS): He said, "What period do you think they're from?"

I said, "Early horrific."

I think they're completely monstrous.

Grotesque.

Hang it over the fireplace - keep your children away from the fire, wouldn't it?

Would I buy them myself?

Possibly not.

David Harper and James Lewis came next, driving David's car.

Let's see what happened.

These bearded wonders traveled through three countries in the Union.

They started off at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, and finished up in Leicestershire, quite a stretch!

For these two lions, it was a serious competition from the start.

JAMES (JL): The key, I've realized, is that you have to double your money.

DAVID (DH): But I want to beat him!

David's successful campaign began with an Irish butter knife.

TW: And what a knife!

DH: A heck of a butter knife.

A heck of a butter knife.

It is indeed.

Imagine that on your crumpet.

£110.

Brilliant.

But James took the lead, thanks, in part, to a green French deer.

I'm selling at £140.

And a dark-haired stranger.

All done at 180.

Then disaster struck.

David bought a lovely bowl which turned out to be a fake.

And both had a fragile item broken in transit.

But in spite of bad luck, they each made some serious, serious cash.

David overtook James, thanks to his quirky nutcracker.

AUCTIONEER: £210, now selling.

DH: Come on.

One more'd be nice.

JL: Well done.

TW: And lady's traveling box.

Sold at 100.

Well done!

Put it there.

But, in the end, James won the week, thanks to a silver tea set... AUCTIONEER: £260 and selling.

DH: Jeez!

Well done.

TW: ..and a Victorian sampler.

DH: That was great fun.

Right down to the last lot!

Well you two had a terrific week with some tremendous profits.

David, you had £880.22.

Tell us about the item you bought for this, the final auction.

It was bought on the final leg, in the final shop, and it's a fantastic late-19th century, 5ft 7 tall, Chinese, hardwood, rosewood, gorgeous color display cabinet.

And it's interesting because it's not just Chinese.

You've got that kind of British influence of gadrooned top and gadrooned base, on ball and claw feet so quite obviously made for the British market maybe in Hong Kong, or even as an export piece.

TW: How much did this cost you?

£300 and I think it was an absolute steal.

And what's your reckoning as to what it will bring?

I think it's got a very good chance of doing 1,000 quid or more.

TW: Really?

DH: I do, I really do.

I hope!

If you're right, and that's the exciting thing, James, isn't it?

JL: It is.

TW: Because you just can't tell in these auctions.

Now you finished up with the highest score of all - that's £969.02 TP: you've got in the bank.

JL: Yep.

What did you spend your money on and why?

Well I bought something for the local well-heeled lady.

I bought a French bureau de dame.

It's in tulip wood, it's late 19th, early 20th-century, but it is perfect for a little lady to sit and write her letters, the traditional lady in home.

It's got these very fine little ormolu mounts set with Sevres panels.

It's beautiful, it's a really pretty little object.

If it doesn't do well here, it won't do well anywhere.

Right.

And how much did you pay for it?

I paid £490.

MUSIC: "Song 2" by Blur TW: Next to take on the Antiques Road Trip challenge were Philip Serrell and Charles Hanson.

Their starting point was Llandudno in North Wales, and they were due to finish in Devon, but they finally ended up in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

Sometimes it was like watching Laurel and Hardy.

PHIL (PS): Charlie, what are you doing?

CHARLES (CH): Get off my leg!

This is the trouble when you deal with children.

Just a moment.

Thank you.

Philip!

TP: Philip held on tight to his money and stuck with cheap, shabby chic.

He got a horse harness for a fiver... PS: £6.

DEALER: £5.

Done!

TW: ..and a cut down gateleg table which cost £50 and doubled its money.

All out, selling on the book at 100.

But the odd lot didn't sell.

AUCTIONEER: Sorry, chaps.

CH: It hasn't sold.

She's passed it.

Well, it has to make something, surely.

TW: Bonnie young Charles, the great pretender, was much more outlandish.

His cinema seats were memorable, giving him an early lead.

At £200, all finished at 200.

(GAVEL) I am absolutely flabbergasted, Charlie.

Well done, you.

TW: His gambles didn't always pay off.

Remember the tinned food?

All done at five.

Thank you, sir.

He's as mad as you are, Charlie.

There was a risky armchair that bombed.

If you're all done at £90?

Bargain.

And then the Chinese punch pot that flew.

AUCTIONEER: At £280... CH: Yes!

Well done, Charlie.

TW: At their final auction, Charles got knocked back on his battered old moth collection because some were illegal.

So they're not in the sale?

They're not in the sale.

TW: And Philip won the week.

Congratulations.

You're the victor, but there's still London and there's still... my star buy.

Selling at 120.

TW: Yes... Charles's star buy has been a bit of a disaster.

Remember I said someone's item got rejected for today's sale?

Well, Charles bought a table which Philip was selling at their last auction, and sadly, London didn't like it.

Charles, what happened?

CH: I spent £140 and I really thought I had bagged a great find.

I thought it was shabby chic.

I thought, "Off we go to Christie's "with something of great integrity, "for a high refined saleroom," and I was wrong.

Because, sadly, they turned it away as not quite being of a quality... Well, perhaps it was more the condition, I don't know.

What are you going to do with your shabby chic table now Christie's won't take it?

Well, it's going in the back of my car later on today and it's waltzing up the M1 to Derbyshire.

TW: So Charles will sell the table at his own auction, and the proceeds will be added to our final total.

Now, Phil, you had £308.93.

What did you buy?

PS: It's a lovely walnut table.

It's 20th-century, it's effectively a reproduction cuz it's meant to look like an 18th-century table.

And I just think it might just appeal to the London set.

TW: It's completely clean, yes?

PS: Yes.

TW: I mean, no worm, no...?

PS: No, no, no.

I don't think it's been around long enough to get worm, Tim!

(THEY LAUGH) What do you think it's going to bring, Phil?

I'm just hoping it'll make £400 or £500.

TW: This final week of the Antiques Road Trip had James Braxton driving his own car, with Mark Stacey as his passenger.

They set off from King's Lynn in Norfolk and traveled a particularly winding route, finishing up in Billingshurst, West Sussex, in yesterday's program.

JAMES (JB): Wind in our hair.

Fabulous, isn't it?

MARK (MS): Somebody, buy it!

(THEY EXCLAIM) How's my little Welsh friend?

TW: These two were never going to make big bucks.

They were having far too much fun, buying things that appealed to them, but not at keen enough prices.

JB: Would you take £20 for this?

DEALER: No.

(THEY LAUGH) MS: Oh, no, James.

JB: That's alright.

That's down 15.

That was silly.

That was silly.

Are you going to change your buying strategy?

I certainly am, yeah.

The good old British summer hampered them, plus some rather rash decisions didn't help.

10?

Anyone, £10 only?

No?

TW: James started with the intention of going mad with his money.

JB: I am a gambling man.

DEALER: I like your style!

£20 and selling.

MS: Oh!

AUCTIONEER: £10.

Just gets worse, doesn't it?

£28 and selling.

You're down 450, that's not too bad.

JB: Any commission bids?

AUCTIONEER: £30 and selling.

Mark, meanwhile, struggled to let loose the purse strings.

DEALER: Decisions, decisions.

MS: Decisions, decisions.

But he couldn't keep himself from buying things that he just loved, like the lovable Thread Bear.

MS: You won't regret this.

DEALER: I already do!

(THEY LAUGH) In the end, James's cavalier approach was more profitable... At £140.

Up 90.

MS: That's very good.

JB: Thank you.

TW: ..but only just.

With James exactly £8.51 ahead of Mark, it was nothing if not close.

I tell you what, I think we could become successful dealers, you know.

TW: And they managed to hold up the traffic through six counties.

Ha!

So you didn't make great profits, either of you, but it was neck and neck all along, wasn't it?

JB: It was.

MS: Very much so.

Now, you had £270.07 to spend.

What did you buy?

I bought something I'm very happy with.

I bought a little element of Marrakech, a bit of north Africa.

A lovely little table with eight legs, chip carved on the top.

If you looked at it, you'd think, "Ah, Islamic piece," immediately with that rather nice octagonal top, and then you look down and you see the quality of the fabulous walnut legs.

Just tell me when do you think it was made, then?

I think it's sort of turn of the century, I think, around 1900.

But it's exactly the thing that would have been retailed, one hopes, by that mighty store in Regent Street, Liberty's.

What did you spend on it?

I spent the whole lot.

Did you?!

Typical!

Including the pence!

(CHUCKLES) £270.07 you blew on this table, right?

The 7p made the difference - he was wavering.

TW: I bet it did.

JB: Yeah.

Now, Mark, you had £262.19.

What did you buy?

Well, I bought a rather charming little 19th-century table cabinet.

Around 1860, 1880.

Napoleon III, ebonized with wonderful brass, and it's a very pretty piece to look at, I'm really happy with it.

And I'm very pleased to say, also, I didn't spend all of my money.

Cuz I knew other people were banking so I banked my £2.19.

So you spent 260?

I paid 260 for it.

TW: You banked £2.19?

MS: Yes.

What do you think it might bring in the sale?

You never know with the London market, but I would like to see £500 or £600.

TW: So out of all the extraordinary pieces that our experts have bought, who's going to surprise us and who's going to win?

As you can imagine, everyone's got a view.

First, Christie's chairman and auctioneer, Nic McElhatton.

I think my favorite item out of all the pieces - and I think they've all got great merits about them - is probably Mark's Napoleon III cabinet.

It's got all the quality.

I could see that one actually exceeding the others at the end of the day.

If you want to see someone come up on the outside rails... ..Braxton's table could just sneak in there.

The winner probably is James's bureau, with the Sevres-style plaques.

Lots of French.

French love Kensington, you know?

Every other voice is Franglais going on around here, and I think they'll love it.

I think of all the objects here, my favorite one is David Harper's.

TW: OK, no more speculation.

No more guessing games.

It's show time!

So the auction is under way.

First lot up is James Lewis's bureau de dame.

James, you paid £490 for it.

Are you just as confident about this thing?

JL: No, not at all.

TW: No.

Well, we're closely contained by all your colleagues here, so you're not going to get away with anything, quite frankly.

Anyway, £490 you paid.

The auctioneer's estimate is £700 to £1,000, which is pretty encouraging.

JL: Yup.

TW: And, frankly, here it comes.

NIC: And I can open the bidding here at 480, 500.

At £500.

550 I have.

At £550.

600, 650 now, at £650.

Any advance on 650?

Seven?

750.

At £750, it's here with me at 750.

I'm offered £770 with a commission here, at 770.

Any advance?

At 770, here on the book, it's against the room, it's against the internet, it's against the telephones, at 770... (GAVEL) NIC: Sold at £770.

Not bad, James, well done.

TW: James is putting a brave face on that, but the result has shored up his lead.

Next up, Phil, is your center table.

PS: I just hope it does well.

If it does over £400, I shall be happy.

The auctioneer's estimate is 500 to 700, so you should be OK.

Here it comes.

Good luck.

NIC: How much for it?

I can start the bidding here at 350.

380, it's here with me at £380.

Any advance at £380?

It's all done here at 380.

400 now, I'm selling.

£400, absentee bid at 400.

Any advance?

All done with this one at £400?

Sold at 400, thank you very much.

You said your threshold for no pain is £400.

You're not in pain, mate!

No, no, it's alright.

I think after the auctioneer's modest commission, I'm back to where I started!

TW: That's what we in the trade call "wiping its face".

Philip's not really better off but at least he didn't lose anything.

David Barby's next, with his lovely - ha!

- terracotta plaques.

The auctioneer's estimate is £500 to £700, so in his opinion, at least, you'll double your money, David.

That's what I wish for.

That's what I wish for.

Is that the very, very best, do you think?

What do you mean, "Is that your very, very best"?

NIC: I've got interest here at 300, 320, 350.

Up here at £350.

Come on, come on.

Where are the internet?

Any advance anywhere at 350?

I have 380, I have £400.

At 400.

My commission here at 400.

Any advance?

Commission bid at 400.

I'm going to sell them, if there's no advance, at £400.

All done with this at £400.

NIC: Sold.

DB: That's respectable isn't it?

TW: That is respectable.

DB: Yes.

Good.

There's no shame in that.

TW: Hm.

So if we check the leaderboard, James Lewis is still miles out in front.

David and Phillip haven't done enough to break into the big time - they haven't even got close to David Harper, who still has his Chinese display case to sell.

Next up, it's Anita's pretty little mirror.

Quite a bit of interest at 300, 320, 350.

Here on the book at £350.

I have 380, 380, against the telephone.

Would you like to bid 400?

NIC: 400, 420... AM: Yes!

Yes!

420.

Here with me at 420.

NIC: 440.

460.

AM: Yes!

£460, here with me at 460.

480?

Going again?

480, 500.

£500, still my commission at 500.

All done, this one, at £500.

All finished here at 500.

Yes, yes, yes, yes!

Well done Anita.

Wasn't that wonderful!

Well done indeed.

How super is that?

A thrilling result for Anita.

Now it's James Braxton's turn.

If buyers think his table WAS retailed by Liberty's, he could have a cheeky winner here.

So James, octagonal table coming up.

Exciting.

The auctioneer has estimated £500 to £800.

If it's picked up with its potential Liberty whatnot, I reckon that thing could make £1,000.

I think it's an extremely nice table, and extremely well bought by you.

Anyway, here it comes.

And we have a change of auctioneer.

Possibly retailed by Liberty, circa 1900.

(THEY EXCLAIM) I have interest here directly at 260, 280, 300.

£300 now, on commission at 300.

Any advance, please, at £300?

At £300 now.

At £300 then, at £300 on commission.

Against us all, then, and selling at 300.

(THEY GROAN) £300.

James, that is such bad luck.

Well, poor old James.

Very disappointing.

No-one has got anywhere near to catching James Lewis, though.

It's all down to David Harper and Mark Stacey.

Can either of them beat James?

First to go is David Harper and his heavily fancied Chinese display cabinet.

Estimate £800 to £1,200.

Here we go, Dave.

Hardwood display cabinet, and I have interest here directly, at £500.

At 50, 600.

At £600 now.

Any advance, please, at 600?

At £600.

650, 700, against you.

£700.

With me now.

750 with Anna now, 750.

AUCTIONEER: 800 on the phone.

DH: Yes!

DH: Two telephone bidders.

AUCTIONEER: 850 in China.

850 in China!

It's going back home.

In China!

900, £900 now on the telephone.

950 on another telephone.

Before you in China.

Do the grand.

Do the grand.

AUCTIONEER: 1,000!

DH: Yes!

1,000 in China.

£1,000 now.

1,100, 1,200... 1,300, 1,400.

In China now at £1,400, on the internet.

AUCTIONEER: 1,500.

TW: £1,500 David.

Back on the telephone now.

1,600.

1,700.

Yes!

They do realize it's pounds, don't they?

1,900, come back to me on the internet.

AUCTIONEER: 2,000.

DH: Oh!

£2,000!

AUCTIONEER: You're certain, 2,000?

Finished, then, at £2,000.

On the internet and selling at 2,000.

DH: Yeah!

TW: Well, David, that is simply...

This is the man!

Well, that was just extraordinary.

Well above the estimate and a fine finish for David.

So this is it, the ultimate lot to decide who is going to take home the trophy.

Who is going to be the champion today of the Antiques Road Trip final?

And to get this, Mark, you have to make £2,700 with your cabinet.

How do you feel about that?

It's in the bag.

TW: It's in the bag.

MS: In the bag.

The auctioneer's estimate is 500 to 700.

MS: It's a "come and get me", I feel it's a "come and get me" estimate.

Do you?

And I think we'll all be very, very surprised when he says, "I've got bidding in China, in Berlin..." JE: Quite.

MS: "..in Paris, in London..." TW: Brighton.

MS: Brighton.

Reading.

JE: Reading.

MS: Carlisle.

TW: Redditch.

MS: They'll all be there.

They'll all be there.

Aberystwyth.

They'll be lining up for your cabinet, won't they?

MS: Absolutely.

TW: Very good.

I've got interest here, starting me directly at £300.

at 320, 350, 380.

400, 400 I have now, at 400.

AUCTIONEER: At £400.

TW: Come on.

Any advance, please, at 400.

420.

I think the internet's down.

485.

550, six.

One more, madam?

650, I have.

Oh, 650!

Well, I'm pleased with that.

£650.

Here in the room at 650.

Any further advance, please, at 650?

At £650 then, your bid, madam.

I'll sell to you directly.

At 650, then.

Well, that's not bad, is it?

£650.

That's an achievement, actually.

TW: So Mark didn't get nearly enough to beat David.

The Chinese cabinet fetched the biggest price by far, which means the Antiques Road Trip champion is... David Harper!

We now all appreciate just how difficult it is to go around the United Kingdom and make profits in all these obscure places that you have been.

And you have done this now, David, big time.

Thank you.

You are our champion today, and congratulations.

Well, thank you so much.

TW: As our leaderboard shows, David's final total, after paying commission and adding in what he banked at the end of the week, is a gargantuan £2,488.22.

His arch-rival James Lewis, in the lead until today, is the runner-up, with £1,162.77.

Then comes Mark Stacey, who's done very well to reach third place, with £565.94.

And frankly, there's not too much to choose between the rest.

Charles did sell his table for £260.

Add it in with the entire profits of the Antiques Road Trip, it means £5,921.18 is going to Children In Need.

Well played, Road Trippers!

It's been one heck of a journey, and we hope you enjoyed the ride!

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