Voiceover (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts with £200 each, a classic car... CHARLIE: (SCOTTISH ACCENT) We're going roond!

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

I want to spend lots of money.

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

Oh no!

VO: There'll be worthy winners...

Yes!

We've done it.

VO: ..and valiant losers.

You are kidding me on.

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

What am I doing?

Got a deal.

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

VO: It's the final leg of the road trip for Thomas Plant and Anita Manning and it is a beautiful day in the South Downs of Sussex.

So, Anita, our last day on the road together.

Oh, I am going to miss you, Thomas.

I am going to miss you too.

THOMAS: It has been a real rollercoaster, you know, you have done really very well.

ANITA: I know.

THOMAS: You're like the... ANITA: The outsider?

THOMAS: The outsider.

Coming round... That makes you the old nag.

(BOTH LAUGH) VO: Oh, no I think you're a thoroughbred, Anita.

VO: Thomas Plant is an antiques expert who knows that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Mainly himself.

And experienced auctioneer Anita Manning certainly knows how to compliment a dealers' collection.

I had a little luck with some broken pottery before.

It's like every day is an adventure with you, Thomas.

Is it?

Oh, I like the sound of that.

An adventure.

An antiques adventure.

VO: Both Thomas and Anita started the trip with £200.

Thomas started off the trip well but he's now trailing with only £261.84.

After four auctions it's Anita who's in the lead with £401.94.

THOMAS: This car has been lovely.

ANITA: Yes.

I've enjoyed this car.

I have enjoyed these wonderful country lanes, down in the south of England.

Oh, it's been just... it's God's own country.

VO: Quite.

So driving for the last time in the 1968 Lotus Elan let's find out where they are off to.

On this road trip Thomas and Anita will have traveled over 550 miles from the village of Redbourn in Hertfordshire all the way to the town of Maidstone in Kent.

Today's final leg is starting in Brighton before finishing at auction in Maidstone.

THOMAS: Oh.

Anita.

Have a fabulous time buying.

Yes darling, I will.

Now barter well, but remember, if all else fails flutter your eyelashes.

I will do my best.

VO: Flattery will get you everywhere, you know.

While Thomas heads off along the coast, our Anita is on the hunt in Brighton, Georgian England's most famous seaside resort.

She's starting her day in Oasis Antiques and I hope she's got the right glasses on today.

Hello, I'm Anita.

VO: I think a human might be more helpful.

Hello, I'm Anne.

And this is Martha.

Oh, right.

Are these girls your assistants?

Yes.

This is Amanda.

This is Heather.

And over there is Elizabeth, and Tracy.

VO: But it's not long until Anita's well-trained eye spots something.

This little item here.

It's a 18th century lady.

ANNE: Yeah.

She's rather pretty.

The piece isn't 18th century.

It's a more modern tourist piece, I would say, maybe 20th-century anyway.

ANNE: Yes.

It's the sort of thing, maybe in the 50s.

ANITA: It's looking back to sort of Regency times, with that extravagant hairdo.

Gorgeous courtesans.

ANNE: Yes.

Yes.

Yeah.

What do you think it would...?

Well, I'm thinking sort of £15-£18.

Well, we have got 30 on it.

ANITA: Could it be bought for...?

20?

Still a wee bit dear.

Could you do it for 15?

Em... OK, I'll do it for 15.

Is that alright?

VO: Excellent, first deal of the day done and 50% off the ticket price.

Great start, Anita.

What else can she find?

ANITA: What about these big fish, what have you got these in at?

Yeah, I would do 60 for two.

ANITA: Are they in good... ANNE: Yes.

..condition?

Yes.

I actually like...

I mean, in my bathroom I have a sort of fishy theme... Oh, lovely.

..and I have these glass fish and I think they're good fun.

Yeah.

Again they're from what, 60s?

Yes.

Yes.

In stylish Brighton the cool kids would like them.

But in a rural auction, I'm not sure if the people will like them in the same way, you know, because different areas have different markets.

VO: The final auction is in Maidstone, not quite the country but maybe not as bohemian as Brighton.

But cool and groovy Anita is still interested.

These fish are a type of Italian glass known as Murano, named after the Venetian town where they were made.

What about a price for them though?

75 the three?

I know, 75's too dear to... Yeah.

Eh to, you know, to put them into auction and hope to eh...

I think I'd like to be paying £40 for them.

Ooh 40.

It's, em... Yeah, no.

I'd do the three for 50.

Let's go for it.

Alright?

Let's go for it, yes.

OK. VO: Caught hook, line and sinker!

£50 for the three fish and £15 for the miniature.

VO: Thomas meanwhile has made the journey 24 miles east to Eastbourne.

The younger East Sussex seaside sibling to Brighton, Eastbourne is the quintessential Victorian resort.

Originally laid out in 1859 as a new town 'for gentleman by gentleman'.

Such terrible chauvinism would never be tolerated by our Thomas.

Oh no.

He's off to Old Bank Antiques.

Here to help is a very charming lady called Dorrit.

Hello.

I'm Thomas.

Oh, hi.

This is our last game to play and these are the last die I will throw.

Anita has got £150 more than me.

She's been really canny with her buying.

So canny.

Tom?

Now you've seen the rest, you might as well see the best.

Oh, the best.

Does this mean this is yours?

How did you guess?

Because you said it was the best.

VO: Cheeky but I like it!

THOMAS: That's a lovely scent bottle, isn't it?

DORRIT: And with a stopper, even.

Yeah.

Now when anybody comes in I shall say you have touched it, so I can put another fiver on it.

Ah.

That's... Watch the stopper.

Touch everything else so that I can say "look".

Yeah.

Of course, of course.

Oh.

VO: Careful!

That's OK. Did I break anything?

Don't think so.

VO: It's fine Dorrit, it's normally Thomas who breaks the stuff.

THOMAS: We've got to spend a little to try and beat Anita.

Oh.

VO: So with Dorrit there to advise, Tom looks for an Anita beater.

Well, this is a funny thing, isn't it?

Yeah.

You've got these Indian coins inlaid in this.

Sort of quite... Quite pretty oval tray, isn't it?

It is.

Lots of work went into it.

Lot of work, lot of work.

Quite sort of colonial in its look.

VO: It's a condiment set, all ingeniously made from old Indian silver alloy coins.

I don't think it's worth a huge amount.

I have a figure in mind I'd like to offer you.

Now, you want to insult me.

Go on?

I was going...

I don't want to insult you.

I don't want to insult you at all.

But you will.

Go on.

Yeah, but I...

I... VO: Ooh, here we go.

The thing is... Anita has been buying things very cheaply and she's basically thrashed me.

And she's bought everything under £30.

I have to take a handkerchief to... Yeah, yeah, yeah.

..wipe my tears.

Yeah, you wipe your tears.

Oh.

I know.

I know.

It's hard work... VO: Oh, get on with it, Tom.

So anyway, she's been buying things for under 20...under £30.

Everything of hers has been under 30.

29?

Oh.

VO: I like the lady's style!

Can we keep figures round?

I'm simple.

25.

Ah.

You sure?

Can you see how painful it is?

Yes.

It is painful.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

VO: First deal of the day done for Mr Plant.

£25 for the Indian condiment tray.

Anita meanwhile has traveled 36 miles along the south coast to Hastings, once the area's epicenter for smuggling.

And she's come to the Smugglers Adventure at St Clement's Caves to find out the reality behind the romance.

Here to meet her is curator Catherine Harvey.

Smugglers caves?

Yeah, I hope you're not scared of the dark.

I am scared of the dark, and I'm scared of enclosed spaces, but I'm so excited...

It'll be perfect for you, then.

..about coming in.

CATHERINE: Come on.

ANITA: Let's go.

VO: Catherine's taking Anita down into the caves where they think smugglers operated 200 years ago.

This is a labyrinth of caves.

You do have to mind your head.

VO: Smuggling of goods like wine and wool had existed for centuries but it was after the Napoleonic wars in 1815 that it really took off.

Britain was broke and introduced sky high import duties, like a 129% tax on tea to pay off its debts.

Families were desperate for money too and pretty soon you had around 4,000 people in Sussex alone involved in what became part of everyday life.

People didn't set out to become a smuggler.

They would have other jobs as well but they were looking to get extra money because they had very meagre incomes and you could earn as much in one night helping a smuggling operation as you would for a whole week as an agricultural laborer, so for people who were really on the margins they needed to get as much money as they could.

ANITA: So everybody in a community could be involved in the smuggling of an area?

CATHERINE: Yes, and certainly there is evidence that women and children were also involved and that women might hide barrels within piles of washing and that kind of thing.

But, I mean it wasn't a romantic trade.

They did not...

But it sounds romantic, you know, we have a perception of it.

Yes.

ANITA: Smugglers and pirates of bygone ages, of being a sort of romantic thing, so you are saying it wasn't like that?

I don't think they were romantic figures in the way that we think of them through films and literature.

VO: It may not have been romantic, but it was ingenious, as this little contraption illustrates.

We have got something like this, which from the outside to all intents and purposes looks like a common cork float that you would have on your fishing nets but if you open it up you can see that it has been hollowed out to take some, a small amount of very precious cargo and I think you can see how valuable something like tobacco or tea would be that it was worth bringing it in in such small amounts.

Small amounts.

VO: As the illegal trade increased, the government turned from stopping goods to stopping the smugglers.

They recruited violent ex-Navy men to arrest the crews, who in turn began to carry weapons.

CATHERINE: They would also have things like this.

This is a cosh.

ANITA: Oh.

CATHERINE: So...

If you feel it it's actually quite... Quite a weight.

Uh-huh.

And you would certainly know if you were hit round the head with that, I can tell you.

And they could carry it in their pocket?

Absolutely.

VO: The increasing violence and tensions on both sides reached a head in 1828 in the nearby Battle of Sidley Green where around 200 smugglers moving contraband over open ground met more than 200 customs men determined to stop them.

CATHERINE: There was a fatality on each side, so a revenue man was killed, as was a smuggler, there were rewards out for information.

For example, they could offer quite a large reward - £50 - at that time would be the equivalent of about £2,500 today, so that is a lot of money in an area where traditional industries are in decline and people are quite desperate.

VO: Incidents like this led to the formation of the coastguard in 1831, which along with the hugely effective measure of reducing duties, caused a massive reduction in smuggling by the end of the 19th century.

The heyday of the smuggler was over.

Thomas has now hit the road from Eastbourne and is driving 16 miles along the coast into Hastings.

He's at Kings Road Antiques, run by Charles.

That's not him - that is.

Now what has Thomas found?

I just think this is just weird.

Just... Just strange.

"Laboratory pressure gauge".

But it's got a lot of work in there, you know, mahogany base and... you know.

It could be a really cool lamp.

I wonder if I blow on this here... Maybe if I open the tap.

Oh, it's opened up.

VO: Don't try this at home, please.

(COUGHS) VO: In fact don't try it at all.

I'm dying here!

I think that's really fun.

VO: It was made by Philip Harris in Birmingham, who's been making educational science equipment since 1817.

This gauge probably dates from the 1960s.

What you'd do is, I think, you'd get the old cable, your electric cable and you'd sort of try and fill it in here.

And you'd actually light... You'd make this a fluorescent tube.

And this...

It'd be just a fun thing, you know, just mad.

But you could do it.

It's a bit of fun, really.

VO: Yeah, well OK then Thomas.

But first you need to buy the thing.

Let's see if Charles can gauge its value.

It has a ticket price of £40.

Could be off the scale!

I might be able to get it down to 30 for you.

I was wanting to give you a £20 note for it, to be honest with you.

So hard, isn't he?

I'm not that hard, it's just got to go to auction.

I don't know what it's worth.

I don't think anybody knows what it's worth.

VO: But the decision isn't up to Charles, the gauge belongs to a figure only known as the dealer.

Or Nigel.

Who's about to be given a quick call.

He's looking really only about 29.

Can he do me a favor?

Keep figures round, and 25?

He's saying that basically at 25 he's going to be making a loss, so he needs a cup of coffee, which will make it 27.

He has a deal.

Thank you very much.

Thanks a lot, Nigel.

Thank you.

Thank... Nigel, thank you.

Thank you.

Alright.

VO: Yes thanks Nigel.

Now, what else is there?

THOMAS: Well, what I've seen is a circular deco mirror.

Art deco in shape, and you know how I like style.

It's got a beveled edge and I like the oak and the red design.

It's quite cool.

VO: Charles has brought the step ladder, look.

You alright, Charles?

You alright up there?

Just about surviving.

Surviving?

There we go.

Ooh, ooh.

We've lost the price.

It's free.

VO: The price tag said £20.

It's got a look, hasn't it?

VO: The owner is Ralph.

Thomas asks Charles to phone him with a cheeky £13 offer.

Alright.

See you later, mate.

Bye.

Bye.

What did Ralph say?

Is he a toughie?

He is.

But he's a pussycat when you know...

If you know how to handle him.

He can't do the 13.

Certainly can't do that.

No?

OK. 15?

Phhh!

Can you make it 16?

I like even numbers.

OK. Oh, for God's sake!

Yes!

Yes!

Excellent.

Six... 16 and 27.... Is... Sh!

12, 12, 32, 42.

VO: You sure about that?

Let's just double check.

43!

43.

43?

Nice try.

43.

Sorry.

No, no.

43?

43.

VO: Yeah, good try Thomas.

So that's two more items in the old bag - the pressure gauge for £27 and the mirror for 16.

So with Thomas's third item under his belt that brings us to the end of day one.

Nighty night.

VO: It's the start of another gorgeous day on the final leg of Thomas and Anita's road trip.

Well, Anita, this is a lovely day.

# The sun has got its hat on.

# Hip, hip, hip hooray!

# It's good, isn't it?

You know, our final day shopping and the sun's come out.

I know.

VO: You know, you can't beat a bit of old fashioned British sunshine!

Yesterday Thomas only spent £68 on three items.

The condiment set, the pressure gauge and the mirror, leaving him with £193.84 for the day ahead.

Anita was a bit more carefree than usual and spent £65 on only two items - the portrait miniature and the Murano fish.

That leaves her with a generous £336.94.

ANITA: You've got plenty of dosh, Thomas?

I was very careful, Anita.

Good.

That's my boy, that's my boy.

I was very careful.

I had in the back of my head don't spend over £30 on an item.

Do an Anita.

Do an Anita.

I know.

VO: Our pair are now in Kent and heading for the beautiful old village of Brasted.

Just to spice things up a bit our competitive duo are starting their day in the same place - Courtyard Antiques.

Stand by.

THOMAS: Shopping with Anita.

Shopping with Anita!

Oh, I'm so excited.

What snippets can you teach me?

Oh, stop gushing, Thomas.

Oh.

VO: Thomas is going to start shopping at one end of the courtyard while Anita starts at the other.

Running things at this end is Jackie.

Hello.

I'm Anita.

Hello, Anita, nice to meet you.

It's lovely to be here.

VO: Now she's on her final day our Anita is going to throw caution to the wind.

I would kind of like to spend a lot of money.

But I'm not going to be pulled in.

It's happened before.

VO: Anita has always been a sucker for the shiny stuff in a cabinet and today is no different.

I mean, it's just a wee thing, but it's quite, eh... JACKIE: It's pretty, isn't it?

It's quite sweet.

You could put Smarties on it.

You could.

VO: This tray is of sterling silver and it looks to be of sterling quality.

ANITA: It's got 28 on it.

What I'd like to pay on it though, Jackie, is about £16.

Is that possible?

Em...

I'll just have a look.

Em... OK. OK. You think we're OK at that?

Yes.

I'll...

Yes, OK. VO: First blood to Anita and more than a tenner off.

But wait, she's not finished yet.

Oriental sauce boat.

Yes.

It's lovely.

Mm-hm.

I really love that.

Yeah.

Damage.

Yeah.

I'm afraid.

Mm-hm.

VO: Well those little bits of damage should help cut the ticket price of £24 and Anita did well last time with some damaged pottery.

Sold at 110.

Kiss me there.

VO: This porcelain sauce boat is 19th century and would have been part of a larger service.

Can that be 16?

Oh.

I don't think he'd do it for 16.

18.

You think 18's the... the most he would go on that?

I think so, yes.

OK.

I had a little luck with some broken pottery before.

Oh, right, right.

So I'm hoping that it won't make any difference.

Might... Might happen again, yeah.

OK, that's a double deal.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Lovely.

VO: Well that was a brisk bit of business.

The tray for £16 and the sauce boat for 18.

I wonder how Thomas is getting on.

Elaine, nice to meet you.

VO: Well, he's met Elaine who runs the other end of the business and he's also seen something in a cabinet.

THOMAS: Amber is fossilized tree sap.

And the most wonderful thing about amber is sometimes you get insects.

Yes.

Leaves, spiders...

This looks like Baltic amber, coz it's quite translucent.

And how do people tell if amber is amber?

Well, it's...

I think you can put a hot needle in it or something.

You can, but it's not yours is it?

Hot needle, and you smell that tree sap.

That's right, yes.

Can I give you another tip?

It floats in cola.

And plastic will sink in cola.

Oh.

Yeah.

Plastic will sink, amber will float.

Clarified.

Yeah, yeah, it's brilliant isn't it?

Yes.

VO: OK, we know you like it Thomas so let's get down to prices shall we?

What's your very best price?

You have £65.

Yes.

Well, have you got a suggestion of a price in mind?

Well, I don't want to sort of be too rude to you.

No.

But, um, I suppose anything with a four in front would be too much, too difficult for you?

A five would be... A five would be better?

Better.

Would it?

OK, so 50.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

I'd better give you some money.

Ooh, lovely.

Thank you.

Is that alright?

Perfect.

VO: Hmm, I thought Thomas was going to be careful - that big ticket item could be a bit of a gamble.

Right, let's go and em...pester Anita.

Anita.

Oh, Thomas.

Sneaking up behind me here.

How are you doing, darling?

Very good.

Have you bought?

Yes.

I've... Have you?

I've bought two items.

That was quick!

That was quick.

Well, I'm fast, I'm fast.

You are.

Furious and fast.

Yeah.

Can I ask some advice?

Of course, darling.

What should I buy?

No, you have to make up your own... THOMAS: Yeah ANITA: ..lovely mind.

You have to make up your own mind.

So, we're not telling one another much here.

We will do in a min.

In a min?

I'll just have to blurt it all out.

I know.

You can't keep a secret, can you?

No.

VO: Ooh, there's some gamesmanship going on between those two.

But the hunt is back on for Thomas.

It's not long before he finds something a little bit different and dealer Hugh is on hand to help him get a closer look.

THOMAS: I think this is a sort of piece of folk art.

19th century jointed figure.

Yeah, but it's of Pinocchio.

With the extra long nose.

VO: Pinocchio was of course the little wooden puppet that became a real life boy.

Created by the Italian writer Carloe Collodi in 1886, this little chap is based on an early illustration from the book.

THOMAS: This probably would've been made by your toymaker in a village in Italy.

Um... Or in Europe.

I think it's a European figure.

What can he be?

Right.

Here's the label.

VO: Now, no telling tall tales here Hugh.

£28 is the ticket price but what's your price for him?

24?

Oh, that's very fair.

That's extremely fair.

Thank you very much.

I think we'll have him for £24.

OK.

Thank you very much.

I think he's a bit of fun.

Do you?

Thank you.

He's great.

VO: Not much negotiating there then.

So that's Thomas has got the Pinocchio toy for £24 to go with his earlier purchase of the necklace for £50.

Meanwhile, Anita's off to her next shop 26 miles away in Rochester in Kent, the Garden of England.

Anita is visiting Cottage Style Antiques, she still has nearly £300 burning a hole in her purse.

Could she be going for a big buy this time?

Owner Bill had better watch out.

VO: And sure enough in this packed shop Anita is heading for something rather special.

These cloisonné plates.

BILL: Yes?

ANITA: I do like them.

I think cloisonné is lovely.

VO: Cloisonné is a technique for enameling metalwork that includes enamel and wires.

These plaques are probably early 20th century but they have a whopping ticket price of £220.

I see they're covered in dust.

Have you had them a long time?

No, just come in.

Oh.

About three years.

Three years?

Is there movement?

Is there...

There'd be some movement, yes.

Is there huge movement?

Not huge.

Not huge.

Maybe I shouldn't even ask you how much movement there is on it.

Should I?

You're normally cheeky, just say something... What I'd like to be paying for them would be £100-£130.

Yeah, I tell you what, if you wanted them I could do em for 100, and that's it.

You could do them for 100?

ANITA: Yeah.

VO: 100?

You're supposed to say £130 Bill.

Not 90.

You are about... Are you coming in for a... ..to be kissed 1,000 times.

Put your hand there before you change your mind.

Thank you very much.

VO: At £100, less than half price, I reckon Anita has surpassed herself here.

Well done, girl.

Tom meanwhile has traveled 30 miles across Kent from Brasted to Gillingham.

He's come to the Royal Engineers Museum to hear about a Victorian celebrity beloved by the queen herself.

The legendary but controversial General Gordon.

Showing him round is Amy.

THOMAS: Hello.

AMY: Hello.

I'm Thomas.

Hi, I'm Amy.

Hi Amy, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

So, em, the Royal Engineers, massive historic regiment.

Yes.

Huge.

Yes.

What are you going to show me today?

Well, today I'm going to show you a lot of Gordon memorabilia, em, all to do with General Gordon, who... Show me more.

OK. VO: Charles George Gordon first came to public attention with his reckless bravery during the Crimean War but it was his service in China during the brutal Taiping Rebellion that earned him his first nickname - Chinese Gordon.

He paid scant regard for his own safety and would often lead his men into battle unarmed, expect for one unusual item.

He would go into battle armed only with a stick which was named his wand of victory.

His wand of... A stick?

Yes.

That was it?

Yes.

We have got this one here in the cabinet.

It does look like a, like a sort of wizard's wand, doesn't it?

Yes it does, yes.

But it...

It's extraordinary that you have all these people coming at you with swords, knives, guns... Yep.

God, that's a brave man.

Yes.

Braver man than me, I think.

So this must have really built up his mysticism, his absolute celebrity?

Yes.

VO: While his maverick streak made him unpopular with the military brass, thanks to the press back home Gordon was hailed as an imperial hero, even by Queen Victoria herself.

He spent the next 20 years after Taiping putting down rebellions and mapping the British Empire.

Amy, would you mind informing me - we've spoken about Chinese Gordon... Mm-hm.

..but why do I see lots of commemorative plates with "Gordon of Khartoum"?

He was sent there to evacuate the Egyptian garrisons, em, because... due to the revolt that was being led by the Mahdi.

VO: As the rebels of the Mahdi army moved in, Gordon managed to evacuate 2,500 women and children from the garrisons in Khartoum, Egypt, but refused to evacuate the troops.

The government planned on abandoning him but reports of his exploits back home meant the government and even Queen Victoria herself demanded his safety.

Eventually, due to public pressure, they did send a relief force, and it was led by Lord Wollesley, but unfortunately due to the amount of time it took for them to get there, they arrived two days after the fall of Khartoum and Gordon's death.

And we've actually got the last letter that was sent from Gordon out of Khartoum.

THOMAS: Oh, really?

AMY: Yeah.

Is this it here?

This is it here, yes.

"Khartoum, 14.12.1884.

My dear Watson, I think the game is up."

God.

Oh.

"Expect a catast... after 10 days."

He was predicting a catastrophic end...

Yes.

In 10 days time.

Yeah.

That's very sanguine that, you know - It's going to end.

I'm gonna die.

This is bye.

Yes.

But he probably put up a good fight.

I imagine he probably did, yes.

VO: The accounts of his death differ and his body was never recovered but to Victorian England his death was the cause for national mourning.

What have we got here on the table?

This is supposedly a piece of stone that Gordon was standing on as part of his step of his palace that he was standing on when he was killed and it was kept by Queen Victoria, and it was supposedly kept by her bedside for many years.

Really?

She was that much of a fan of him?

Yes, yeah.

I wonder why.

Because he was brave, he was eccentric... AMY: Yeah.

THOMAS: ..a good man.

Victorian hero.

Victorian...

Absolutely.

Victorian hero.

I bet you Queen Victoria was livid.

Yes, I can imagine she probably was.

VO: The sun may never have set on the British Empire, but it's rapidly setting today so let's just have a little reminder of what Thomas and Anita bought for auction.

Thomas bought a condiment set, a pressure gauge, a mirror, an amber necklace and a Pinocchio doll.

This lot of loot cost him £142.

Anita spent her money on a portrait miniature, the Murano fish, the silver tray, the sauce boat and the cloisonné plaques, costing a grand total of £199.

So let's hear what they think of each other's treasures and who they think might win at the final auction.

Thomas' items in general are quite delightful in different ways, but he hasn't found that big ticket item that will push him forward, I don't think.

Anita's gone all out and spent £100 on one item thrashing me by my spending power by over £50.

That has got to be a help.

You can never be too confident in an auction situation.

It's an unknown, so we're both stepping into the unknown.

And I never count my chickens before they're hatched.

Well, unless something really great happens to me, Anita's gonna creep it.

But if her plates bomb, I've got a real good chance.

VO: So now it's onwards into the Garden of England for the final auction in Maidstone, the county town of Kent.

So, Anita, this is it.

This is it.

This is our swansong.

Our swansong.

You know, this is the last time... Uh-huh.

..we're gonna be driving to an auction together, having this blether, as you like to call it.

ANITA: And I've...

I've loved being in the car with you.

The car's been quite a good little girl.

THOMAS: She's been wonderful!

VO: She certainly has.

The auction today is taking place at Frederick Andrew Auctions, who founded their first shop in nearby Sheerness in 2004.

Well, you never know.

Anything can happen.

Auctions are full of surprises.

They are, aren't they?

Come on.

VO: The man at the rostrum today is Michael Walkling.

Em, I like the cloisonné plates, they should do rather well today.

I hope.

And there's a few bits there I think they may struggle with.

I think the little wooden puppet may be a difficulty to get away and obviously the little silver pin dish is quite nice, but only a very limited value with us.

VO: This isn't quite our usual auction house.

For a start it's huge and there's another auction going on at the same time, over there!

What kind of auction is this, Anita?

I would call it a sort of... a general auction.

Lots of variety, but we've got bundles of sheets, along with soft cuddly toys, along with...

It's a household sale, isn't it?

Household sale.

Yeah, house clearances.

They've done house clearances and they've put them into lots - trays, boxes, stamps, vinyl.

I think, you know, you've got a...

There's a chance to find a bargain.

VO: The phone and internet bidders are all ready so let's get the final auction of the trip underway.

The first item is Anita's sauce boat.

Will it make a profit?

Everybody needs a sauce boat.

Antique oriental sauce boat, showing there.

£20 for that?

Ten then somewhere?

Ten where now?

Ten.

Who wants that one for a tenner somewhere?

Ten where?

Start me at £8.

Yeah.

Anybody at £8?

Eight where, surely?

£5 is all I'm bid.

Six anywhere now?

Six now.

£5 I have.

Six anywhere now?

There at five, at the back at five.

At five.

At five.

£5.

£5.

There you are.

Well done.

I think I'm gonna burst out green.

VO: Oh dear, that sank and it means a big loss for Anita.

It's so big this auditorium I can hardly hear the auctioneer.

VO: Now can Pinocchio bring some profit for Thomas?

Pinocchio.

Will it tell a tall tale today?

What shall we say for that?

Quite a nice one there.

£10 for that?

£10?

Ten I have, 12 now.

Ten.

12 anywhere now?

£10... Why are you celebrating my 10?

Well, it's better than five, isn't it?

18.

18, in the hat.

20?

18 in the hat.

Oh it's looking fabulous.

..then?

18.

I know, but to me that's a triumph.

VO: The little fellow failed to come to life for the punters.

It's Anita's miniature now, let's hope it can bring a profit.

There we are.

Hold it up.

It's lovely.

Yeah, it's fine quality.

A beautiful, beautiful... £10 for that, somewhere?

Give me £5 start?

£5 bid.

Six anywhere now?

Five I have, six bid, eight, 10, 12, 14, 16... Oh, yes!

Yes!

16 with the lady.

18 anywhere?

16 with the lady.

18 anywhere now?

There at £16.

You all done at 16?

Oh, Anita.

Things are looking up.

Yeah, yeah, they are, aren't they?

VO: Success!

The miniature has brought a profit.

One whole pound.

We're gonna crack open the champagne with that.

VO: Now it's Anita's big ticket buy.

Auctioneer Michael thought these might do well too.

Nice pair, those.

What shall we say?

£80 somewhere?

50 then, somewhere?

30 I've got.

35 anywhere now?

£30 bid, 35 there.

35.

It'll creep up, don't worry.

50 with me.

Five now?

50 right here.

Five where?

50 right here, five... 55 in the room.

55, it's creeping.

55 in the room, 60 where?

There at 55.

Are you all done?

55.

Bad luck, Anita.

I thought they'd go on.

I thought they'd go on.

VO: Anita spent big but she's lost big, with a ticket price of £225 that's a real bargain for the buyer.

If I'm going to make losses I want to make spectacular losses.

VO: Things are not boding well for Thomas' makeshift lamp.

Oh, there we are, there we are.

Very rare thing, this.

Very rare.

20 anywhere now?

Give me a tenner.

£10 for that... Tenner.

Fiver maybe.

12 now?

Ten I have, 12 anywhere now?

£10 bid.

12 anywhere now?

Only at a tenner.

You all done at 10?

That's beautiful.

There we are, we love that.

Yes!

Thomas, that's probably all it's worth.

VO: It's another loss.

Have our duo misjudged the market?

Gloss over that, we're onto the fish.

VO: Anita's Murano glass fish next.

Let's hope they bring some profit.

£20 for the three, somewhere?

£20 for those, somewhere?

20.

Ten.

Ten bid, 12 where?

Lady at 10.

12 anywhere now?

Push, push.

Push it up.

15?

15 bid.

18 where?

18 bid.

18 now.

18 there.

20 anywhere?

Cheap lot there.

At 18 then.

£18.

VO: It's a loss for Anita but another great buy for a punter.

Could have been worse.

They sold.

You could have been taking them home.

Cuz I know you would've liked them at home.

Yeah, you would like them...

I've got fish like that in my bathroom.

Have you?

Well they're very sweet.

VO: Now it's Thomas's classic art deco mirror.

Surely that will make a profit.

Time for some audience participation.

Here we are.

Come on.

We wanna see you bid on this lot.

It's a very fine mirror.

Lovely art deco mirror.

Go on!

Glammy.

Who wants that one there for a tenner?

£5.

This is it.

This is it.

Stick your hands up.

Stick your hands up.

Oh, look there's somebody... Six bid, eight now?

Eight's bid.

Ten?

Ten I have, 12?

12 now.

12, 12.

We need more.

Go on!

Here at 12.

£12.

Aw!

Did you try?

Yeah, I upped you a little bit.

Thank you.

That's alright.

Thank you.

VO: It was a good try but still a loss.

Our duo seem to be taking this remarkably well though.

Well done.

It was only a loss of four.

Oh, that's alright.

I helped you.

We'll survive.

You're the experts.

We're the experts.

Absolutely.

VO: It's the amber necklace now.

£8 start me.

Who wants that for £8?

Eight where now?

Thanks.

£6.

£6 amber necklace.

Whole £5 note.

£5 somewhere for it?

Who wants that for a fiver?

Five bid.

Six now?

Six.

Well done.

Well done.

Well done, Thomas.

Yeah.

Six there.

Seven now?

Seven bid.

Eight now?

Eight's bid in the center.

Nine where?

Eight there, nine?

Nine with the lady.

Ten now?

Ten bid.

12 now?

Ten there, 12 I have.

14?

14 bid.

16?

A long way to go to 50 right enough.

Got a long way, Anita.

18 there.

20 now?

18!

20 I've got.

Two now?

22 bid for it.

He's creeping up.

Two there, four now?

22.

£22.

Pleased with that.

Are you happy with that?

I'm ecstatic.

VO: The amber has gone into the red.

And so have Thomas's profits.

We've got two lots.

One lot each.

Both silver lots, and these, Thomas, could soar.

They could certainly soar.

VO: I think it's becoming a question now of who can lose the least.

It's Anita's silver tray next.

Who wants that one there for £10?

I'll take eight.

£8 somewhere?

Real silver.

Five bid.

Six, six bid, seven bid, eight?

Eight bid.

Nine?

Ten?

Ten.

Come on.

Nine.

Silver.

There at nine.

Ten now where?

At £9 there.

At 10 now?

Ten I have.

12 now?

12.

12, like my mirror.

Like my mirror.

We're getting there, we're getting there, Thomas.

There at 12 then.

VO: Ooh!

Another loss for Anita.

But she's still smiling, bless her, that's the spirit.

Thomas has yet to make a single profit on any item, but his losses haven't been quite as big as Anita's.

His last item is the condiment set.

This might be the lot which captures the imagination of this crowd.

Might be.

But I think you could be wrong.

£20 for that somewhere?

£10 start me?

Ten bid.

12 there, 15, 18, 20, two, 25, 28.

30?

28 bid, 30 where?

Profit.

28 bid, 30 anywhere now?

Can you believe it?

There at 28.

Yes!

THOMAS: Get in there!

ANITA: Oh Thomas, you are my hero.

That is wonderful.

VO: It's a profit for Planter!

Only £3 but they all count.

Are you sad?

No.

I've had such a great time.

So, let me take you down.

Oh!

There we go.

VO: Sadly, they may not have made much money in their last auction but it was a lot of fun.

What are the scores on the doors at the end of the week?

Despite making a loss of £68.20 today after paying auction costs, it's less of a loss than Anita.

Thomas has won the final leg of the trip and finishes after five days of trading with £193.64.

Anita made a staggering loss of 112.08 today but in the overall standing she has ended the week with... ..£289.86, making her the champion for this road trip!

Congratulations Anita.

And remember, all profits go to Children In Need.

Well Thomas, that's it.

That's the last one.

I'm gutted.

I'm so sad to be leaving you.

It's been so fabulous.

It's been sweet, it's been lovely.

How've you found it?

Well, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but that's what's made it so exciting.

Let me put you in the car.

Come on.

Let me drive off the winner.

VO: It's been a wonderful week of surprises for our duo.

D'you know, it's the first time I've ever been with a woman.

ANITA: Thomas!

THOMAS: On the Trip!

Oh.

VO: There've been trips down memory lane.

But Mum soon brought him back to Earth.

It's dairy free, for my poor, pathetic little boy, who can't eat any dairy.

VO: For Anita it's been a week of romance.

Aw.

Thank you very much.

VO: Memories...

It reminds me a bit of one of my old boyfriends.

VO: And music.

# Doing the Lambeth Walk, hoi!

# VO: But for both of them it's been a lot of laughs.

VO: Next week, two old Road Trip hands get behind the wheel.

That's a bit racy, isn't it?

VO: James Braxton is hoping to spot a bargain.

Hellooo.

Is anybody out there?

VO: And true to form, Philip Serrell goes off piste.

Oh, I love that.

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