Episode 24 Antiques Road Trip

It's the nation's favourite antiques experts.

This is beautiful!

That's the way to do this.

With £200 each, a classic car

and a goal to scour for antiques...

-Joy!

-Hello!

-The aim?

To make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

LAUGHTER

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

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

The handbrake's on!

This is Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

Welcome to the penultimate leg of this week's adventure

with a couple of old swirls -

top auctioneers James Braxton and Charlie Ross.

THEY CHUCKLE

Our likely lads are roving around in this 1961 Ford Zephyr

made before seatbelts were legally required.

And Charlie's starting the day with a refreshing drink of water...

-It's gone all over my face.

-JAMES LAUGHS

Oh! It's gone over my trousers.

In fact, you've got water all over you now.

Oh, it's gone everywhere!

Oh, poor old love.

It's been an eventful journey so far.

James has been watching his pennies and pulled in profits at every auction...

On the net at £200 dead. Done.

..while Charlie's been on a losing streak...

Oh!

Things went from bad to worse at the last auction,

when his rosewood mirror failed to sell...

Nobody interested? Nope.

I'm moving on.

Thankfully, he was saved at the last minute by Winston Churchill.

Well, a mug of him, anyway...

Yours at 180...

Thank you.

So, after starting this week with £200,

a profit on the last leg

has pushed Charlie's purse up to £214.84...

..while frugal James' original stake has increased over the week

to a fantastic £470.84.

Charlie, you've got some serious catching up to do!

I've only got two more days to do you.

-Yes.

-It's not easy. It's going to be hard.

I'm going to grapple, I'm going to hang on to that win.

-You're like Micawber, aren't you?

-Yes.

-Scrooge.

-Scrooge.

-IMITATING SCROOGE:

-How much is that? Four pounds!

I'll give you £2.50, my dear.

JAMES CHUCKLES

You might scoff, but clearly his tight tactics ARE working.

Our competitive pair began their trip in the Lincolnshire town of Boston.

They meandered through Norfolk and Cambridgeshire up to Leicestershire,

before heading south and they will finish this epic journey

in the town of Cobham in Surrey.

Today's leg will kick off in Rushden, Northamptonshire

and then they'll shop their way to auction in St Alban's, Hertfordshire.

-Pleasure to be driven by you.

-Ah, very fine.

Charlie's headed for Continental Collectables in Rushden

by the tradesman's entrance, by the look of it.

Do I want to do a bingo?

Do I want to just spent £3 here and £4 there

like that tight old fellow?

No. I want to get stuck in.

Oh, look at that canework seat!

I was going to say evocative of the '30s,

but, actually, it can't be, because it says 1948 on it!

"Madeira."

That's wonderful! Madeira - a place and also a drink.

Have some Madeira, m'dear.

MUSIC: Madeira, M'dear by Michael Flanders & Donald Swann

# Have some Madeira, m'dear

# You really have nothing to fear

# I'm not trying to tempt you

# That wouldn't be right

# You shouldn't drink spirits at this time of night

# Have some Madeira, m'dear. #

Ah!

Oh, dear...

Oh, dear, my dear.

Well, it's a BIT tatty.

"Madeira", do you think that came off a ship called Madeira?

I don't think it's called a Madeira chair.

Perhaps dealer Ralph can shed some light...

-They're made in Madeira.

-They were?

They're renowned in Madeira for making wickerwork

and they were sold to the tourists who came off the steamer ships.

I would buy that if it was devilish cheap...

but I see it's priceless, cos it hasn't even got a label on it!

-It could be devilishly cheap.

-Could it?

This is exactly what a dealer shouldn't be doing

is asking you what you paid for it. What did it cost?

-99p.

-CHARLIE LAUGHS

-How much?

-99p.

99p! I think it's just a fantastic thing, though.

I'd be very happy to pay you £9.90 as a return,

a substantial return on your capital.

I'll tell you, we'll make it easy, £10.

I can't resist that. Ralph, that's the quickest purchase and...

Do you know, every time I get really enthusiastic

about something, it fails, but this can't fail.

-Well, at

-£10... And, you know,

my opposition is going to be jealous of that.

I'm not so sure...

Anything else grab you?

How about those nice little bottle coasters?

I like those.

Certainly silver plate coasters.

-Got a bit of age, haven't they?

-Yes.

I like it when silver plate is rubbed like that...

-You see the copper.

-..and the copper comes shining through.

Um...

-but they're knackered.

-I had £40 on the pair.

-Did you?

-Yes.

Are they are buyable for me?

You can have them for 25.

Well, now I think they'd make 25 at auction. That's my trouble.

Something to think about, then.

But James is moving on towards St Neots,

the largest town in Cambridgeshire.

St Neots dates back over 1,000 years

and boasts one of the most ancient market squares in the country.

And James' first stop of the day.

Hello...James.

Hello, James, I'm Jacqueline.

-Hello, Jacqueline. What a lovely place.

-Oh, I'm pleased you like it.

I've managed to find it.

It's through that mystical archway in the market square, isn't it?

Definitely. We're tucked away, aren't we? We're tucked away.

Although Jacqueline specialises in jewellery,

there's also plenty of furniture,

collectables and memorabilia on offer.

Jacqueline, I'm a great fan,

I'm a great fan of the bamboo...

Right.

..cos I think it's just one of the most fabulous materials.

It's so strong, it is the sum of parts.

You can work it very quickly and cheaply, very cheap material,

and yet you can make out of that bamboo,

out of the thing that's growing in your garden,

you can make two very stylish

'60s, '70s side tables.

-Look at that.

-Lovely in a conservatory.

Quite fun.

If you had a '60s, if you had a contemporary house,

you could easily add these.

This is very much Margo and Jerry territory, isn't it?

-Oh, definitely. The Good Life.

-The Good Life.

I'd like those, they're very stylish, very simple...

Good price. I know the dealer very well.

Very good price. He's very keen.

-Is he?

-Yes.

Keen on prices? What has he got? 12 for the two?

It'll be 12 each, I should imagine.

He's got two after it.

Yes, we'll do 12 for the two.

-12, right, come on, put it here.

-Yes.

BOTH: Well done.

Thank you very much indeed.

See, first one in the bag! Thank you, goodbye.

And good work, James.

What's he up to now, then?

I'm just texting Charlie because he's always berating me

about getting my hand deeper into my pocket.

I just wanted to give him the good news

that I have frugally spent £12.

He's going to love it.

James knows his shrewd tactic of spending less

gets Charlie's goat.

Cor, what a scamp, eh?

Speaking of Charlie, looks like he's spotted an old friend...

Ooh... Ah, ha!

My largest success so far on this trip

has been thanks to Winston Churchill.

Well, you have an interesting one there.

Oh, blimey. Someone's given it a right bashing.

It says silver, but that appears to be silver-plate to me.

I think the medallion in the centre is the silver.

It's hallmarked...

Oh, clever, so the medallion of Churchill is silver

and the dish is plated.

Ticket price is £100.

Very best would have to be...

60.

That's a gamble lot, isn't it?

A couple of people like Churchill, they could get stuck into that.

Right...

If I rolled Churchill in with a couple of coasters,

would that shave them at all...? Or not?

-No, I don't want you losing money...

-60 for the pair of coasters.

-Pair of coasters and the dish...

-..is the very best.

I think that's incredibly generous.

I've got to keep Churchill going.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-Let's put it there.

-Thank you very much.

-60 quid and Madeira was a tenner.

-70 quid.

-£70.

Three items!

Shopping made easy by Ralph!

Good work, Charlie. Three lots with potential in your first shop.

James, meanwhile, has made his way to Bedford.

In the 17th century, this town became

the focus of a brutal crackdown on religious freedom.

At a time when the church, parliament and the monarchy were in turmoil,

there was one man who stood fast in his beliefs - John Bunyan.

He was jailed in Bedford for being one of the country's most radical religious thinkers

and went on to write a revolutionary book

that would rival the Bible's popularity around the world.

Here to tell James more is John Bunyan Museum curator

Nicola Sherhod.

I come seeking Bunyan! Tell me all about him.

Well, he was born in Elstow

and his family had lived there for generations.

Bunyan as a sort of a slightly hot-headed teenager,

16, decided to join the army

and went to fight for Oliver Cromwell and Parliament.

The young Bunyan had entered the English Civil War.

This was one of the most turbulent times in British history,

resulting in the abolition of the monarchy

and the establishment of a republic, led by Oliver Cromwell.

This heralded a period of religious freedom for England

and a time of great religious discovery for Bunyan.

When did the light shine for him?

It was really when he returned back to Elstow

when suddenly this voice came into his head to sort of say,

"Wilt thou have thy sin and go to hell?

"Or wilt thou leave thy sin and go to heaven?"

Heaven.

From that moment on, Bunyan's life was changed for ever.

He renounced the Church of England and began to preach

his nonconformist message around the country with great success.

But within just seven years,

the country underwent another radical change

and religious freedom came to an end.

With the return of the King and the monarchy in 1660,

basically they felt that the way to reunify the country

was to reunify religion

and bring everyone back under the Anglican Church of England

and get people to start following the Common Book Of Prayer,

having people ordained rather than just anyone being allowed to preach.

So when the clamp-down came with the restoration of the monarchy,

-what happened to dear old Bunyan then?

-Well, he ignored it, basically.

He carried on preaching.

He carried on around the country, People...

He was becoming very famous, very popular.

He was starting to be perceived as a bit of a threat by the establishment...

-Because he was outspoken?

-Yes.

Exactly, so an arrest warrant was put out which had 13 signatures,

when, actually, only two would have been necessary.

As a prominent nonconformist,

Bunyan was arrested whilst speaking just outside Bedford

and was imprisoned in the county jail in November 1660.

Bunyan ended up being put in prison, basically, indefinitely.

He ended up spending 12 years.

So we see Bunyan here writing.

Did he start writing in jail?

Certainly his spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding.

We know he probably wrote that during his 12 years.

We do believe he got the idea for the Pilgrim's Progress

-and started sketching that out.

-And this was his big book.

That was THE book, the one that made him famous

and that has gone on to be so incredibly well regarded around the world.

Bunyan was finally released from prison in 1672,

thanks to a law of religious clemency introduced by the new monarch, Charles II.

Bunyan went straight back to preaching

and completed his greatest work, The Pilgrim's Progress,

a simple tale of good versus evil.

It tells the story of a pilgrimage through this world to the afterlife.

From its first publication in 1678,

it was an instant success.

He did a sort of synopsis of the Bible.

He repackaged it.

Yes, basically, he sort of nailed it in terms of a simple, clear message

that anyone... it doesn't even have to be a Christian message.

It is the simple, how to live a good life.

Because it was such a simple story,

it was used by the missionaries to go out to other countries

and to share the Christian word

and the Bible in a much simpler way than getting them to read the Bible.

-Yes.

-So there are over 200 languages

-and dialects that it's been translated into.

-Oh, did it?

At one point there were more copies of Pilgrim's Progress

than there were the Bible in working people's houses.

Goodness!

Bunyan wrote about 60 books and pamphlets

and continued preaching right up to his death from illness

at the age of 59.

But the one he will forever be remembered for,

The Pilgrim's Progress, has been continuously in print

from its first release over 300 years ago to the present day.

Charlie's journeyed west to the market town of Wellingborough

in Northamptonshire.

Wellingborough has a strong Anglo-Saxon history

and one of the few helmets from that period

ever to be discovered in Britain

was found nearby.

After his buying frenzy this morning,

what will Charlie uncover at Hunters Antiques?

-Hello, Nick.

-Charlie, how are you?

-We've met before, haven't we?

-We have, a little while ago.

You've done some things since I was last here!

Bit of a change. Everything's expanded.

-Good Lord! Who's that?

-That's the complaints department!

-Complaints department!

-HE CHUCKLES

I like you, Nick.

Ooh!

Nearly broke something there, Nick.

Do be careful!

Ah! Look at that!

It's back to school!

-An old vaulting horse!

-Yeah.

Where on earth did you find that?

-It came from a primary school.

-Fantastic.

-The kids could never get over it, they were never tall enough!

-THEY LAUGH

Probably weighs a tonne. It's got some weight.

Oh!

If I proved I could jump over it, could I have it?

THEY LAUGH

I think my insurance man would pass out... I dare say!

I think my trousers would split, probably.

Not a pretty sight...

Feast my eyes on the cabinet. There's loads of it.

Now that is quirky and original, Nick.

-You have a gun.

-We do, we do.

Or rather a novelty pipe in the shape of a gun.

Hang on one second, I'll get it out for you.

There we go, sir.

Is that Bakelite?

I think so, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it is.

Bakelite and briar pipe.

Inexpensive, but I dare say the auctioneer would want

to sell that for ten quid or something, wouldn't he?

It's been knocking around for a bit. I don't think you'd see another...

I think that's probably the best part of 50 years old.

I don't suppose that could be insultingly cheap, could it?

Like a fiver or something?

I think the auctioneer might sell that for a tenner...

-Yeah, I could do that.

-As they say, there's not much downside.

-THEY LAUGH

You can't lose a lot on it, no.

-Sold, sir.

-Well done, thank you.

-That's not going to make you the richest man.

-No...

..in Wellingborough, but there we go.

Charlie might not have risked much on the pipe,

but novelty items often do well at auction, so it could be a canny buy.

With that final purchase of the day,

it's time for a well-earned sleep, so nighty night...

# Good morning, world, it's a brand-new day! #

Oh, yes!

And this morning, James' shrewd spending tactics

are still a hot topic in the Zephyr...

Yes, but you, by nature, are an extremely generous man.

-Yes, I know.

-It must go against the grain to shop like this.

Well, hold on, hold on. Let's put this into some proportion.

One of the greatest profits that you have ever made

was priced at 12 and you had the temerity to pay £8 for it.

-I did.

-And it went on to make?

-2,700.

-You see!

You weren't exactly peeling off the notes then, were you?

THEY LAUGH

Touche!

So far, James has only secured himself one lot,

the pair of bamboo tables,

leaving him a huge £458.84 available to spend...

..while Charlie has bagged four lots,

the Madeira wicker chair,

the Victorian bottle coasters,

the Churchill commemorative dish

and the novelty pipe.

There's also that unsold mirror from the last leg,

leaving him with £139.84.

First stop of the day is Woburn in Bedfordshire.

-This is your county.

-This is my county. Well, yes.

Not my county of birth, but I have my saleroom here,

-just down the road in Woburn.

-In Woburn.

-Yes.

-I think you might go shopping in Woburn if you're very lucky...

-Ooh!

Woburn has been burnt down and rebuilt three times.

The final fire in 1724 destroyed much of the village,

which was rebuilt in the Georgian style that remains today.

With only one lot bought so far,

James has some serious shopping to do.

-Hello.

-Hello, James.

-Hello, Alvin. Very nice to meet you.

-Nice to see you.

-Good. So this is your emporium?

Well, shop.

Shop! It's quite a big shop, isn't it?

You'd better get on with it, then.

He's on to more bamboo, look.

Nice bit of bamboo.

Incredibly light.

Now, this is very much your Victorian bamboo -

aspidistra flowing out of the brass pot...

But do people want that in a modern interior? That's the difficulty.

Quite fun if you did have a nice conservatory.

Ah, just the man!

Something like 28? Could that buy it?

Don't look at the label, no clues.

The ticket says 50.

No. No. OK, that's all right.

£40 you can have it for.

Now, I'm going to look at other items

-and I might do a collective.

-OK.

Smart thinking.

Now what's he onto?

I quite like this little lot.

I've always loved picnic cups

and you've got six there, which is really unusual.

They fit together in the cases there.

Worth a closer look, I guess.

I suppose you'd call it a nest, wouldn't you?

Well, yes.

This is...this is...very fine maker, Hukin and Heath.

-And look...

-They sit together...

-They just fall beautifully,

so when people were motoring and various things like this...

And there's a leather case, which is a little bit tired.

And they're gilded inside, of course, which is...

-Quite like those.

-They're quite cheap, I think.

They might join the planter in the great scheme of things...

Another possibility.

Anything else before you go in for the deal, James?

-I quite like the look of that.

-OK.

So games are always quite fun.

-That's quite big, isn't it?

-It's unusual, this size.

They are normally quite a bit smaller than that.

So that's... This is a solitaire board.

-It's quite nice having the big marbles, isn't it?

-Yes.

They are obviously all original.

I guess this is best part of 100 years old.

-It looks 1920s, doesn't it?

-Yes.

Always good to introduce into a home a dusting nightmare, isn't it?

THEY CHUCKLE

Absolutely.

-I think that's rather fun.

-I quite like that.

So I like the bamboo, the brass pot...

I like the Hukin and Heath

and I like this.

Could the lot be bought for, say, 95?

Erm... They are all priced around the 40, 45 mark, aren't they?

I'm looking for a discount!

You're not a million miles away.

Ooh! Is there a little chink of hope there?

Let's say 110.

Let's say 100.

-105 and you've got it.

-105 and you've got it?

Cor...

I got the feeling it's 105, isn't it?

-It is. Thank you, James.

-THEY LAUGH

You're slightly frightening, I was going to chance me arm.

Well, some serious shopping done there with three lots bought.

Charlie, meanwhile, has made his way to Woburn Abbey.

A stunning historic house that is a symbol

of the opulent lifestyle of the aristocracy.

Charlie, however, is here to find out about a lady

who wasn't content with her life of luxury, Mary Russell,

a formidable woman who challenged conventional behaviour,

becoming known as the Flying Duchess,

whose tragic last flight remains a mystery.

To tell Charlie more is curator Chris Gravett.

How did she get associated with the family?

She married when she met her future husband in India.

He was an ADC in the Army.

She'd gone out because her father was an Archdeacon over in India.

Yes.

They met and got married

and then the Duke at the time, who was her husband's brother,

dies and suddenly they become Duke and Duchess.

She was never expecting to be Duchess, then?

No.

Mary spent most of her time pursuing great passions in life,

one of which was caring for the sick,

which she did at the cottage hospital she established near the Abbey.

Because she was so interested,

-she trained as a nurse herself.

-Yes.

And then, of course, when World War I broke out,

the Duke agreed to use Woburn as a military hospital for soldiers.

-What a wonderful place to be recuperating!

-Wasn't it.

-When the war ended, she still worked in the hospital.

-Did she?

In 1919, she was trained enough to do minor surgery.

-So she became a surgeon?

-She became a minor surgeon, yes.

Mary said the only thing

stopping her from pursuing her medical career further

was her wretched tinnitus,

a hearing impairment she'd developed after a bout of typhoid.

It wasn't until Mary was in her '60s

that she discovered a new passion - flying.

It was a pastime reserved only for the very rich.

She went out for a pleasure flight in 1926 from Croydon,

thought it was really good

because it also eased the tinnitus that she suffered from,

possibly because of the racket in the engine, we don't know...

And employed a pilot to take her up.

She decided to take it up seriously, so she did more and more flying,

so much so that in 1928, they had a go at the record to India.

Although their first attempt failed

due to hitting telegraph wires shortly after take off -

not a great start - the next year they tried and succeeded,

flying to India and back in eight days with many fuel stops.

With her pilot and mechanic, Mary then followed it up

by breaking the record of flying to the Cape of South Africa and back

in just 20 days. Wow!

They had a few hairy moments.

I mean, at one point she was found to be asleep in the plane

because there was a cracked pipe that was heating from the exhaust

and they were being gassed.

The pilots were fighting to keep awake.

They realised something was wrong,

couldn't land cos of jungle, and had to wrestle for three hours before...

And that was the fumes coming...

Luckily, they reckoned a few more minutes

-and they'd have all been dead.

-Really?

Mary became an accomplished pilot.

By 1937, she was 71 years old with failing eyesight

and needed to clock more hours to renew her pilot's licence.

She took to the air

and headed towards the fenlands, inland from the North Sea.

It was a reasonably good day when she set out in the afternoon,

but the weather closed in and by 4.30,

the Duke was getting worried because she hadn't come back.

And she was never seen again.

And, to this day, we're not sure what happened.

There are two theories as to what actually happened.

The first is that with failing eyesight,

she may have misread her compass and ended out over the North Sea

before running out of fuel and crashing.

But there is an even more tragic possibility.

The other alternative is that she deliberately did it

because she knew that the hospital was liable to close,

she knew that... Because of the funding.

She knew she may not get her licence back

because of her age and she'd already said,

"If I didn't have the hospital, and the flying,

"I'd have virtually nothing."

She was so deaf she couldn't communicate with her husband.

It could be she got in the air and decided,

-"Well, let's go out on a high."

-Yeah.

And a little while later, four struts were washed up,

the first at Yarmouth and then around the vicinity.

-From her plane?

-From the plane and we have those here.

-Gosh! How poignant.

-(Yes.)

So it's still a mystery.

Thank you very much indeed, Chris.

It's been a real treat to see you

and to learn about that remarkable woman.

-Pleasure.

-Thank you.

Back on terra firma,

James has made his way to Bletchley in Buckinghamshire,

famous for the wartime work done at Bletchley Park and home,

it would seem, to a rather large family of Canada geese.

James has one last shop of the day.

-Charming weather out there, isn't it?

-It's lovely, isn't it? Hello.

-James.

-Mags.

Hello, nice to meet you, Mags.

Fenny Antiques is full of the combined treasures of 40 dealers.

-Anything upstairs?

-Only general furniture.

Only general furniture.

Ooh! I might have a look up there.

That's quite nice. I've got a carpet here...

..and it's tapestry

and this is known as a design called aubusson

and it comes from, the design comes from France

and they're very often these, sort of, light colours.

What do you look for when you look at a carpet?

You look for holes, don't you.

And Mr Moth! Any moths?

But rather nice. You know, somebody has made this.

It's probably made by machine now.

But, you know, there is evidence of craft here.

Look at the back of it.

(For £20. I think that's quite a good deal.)

Can Mags do an even better deal?

It's got a couple of wine stains and things...

Fortunately it hasn't got a hole - I've checked it all over for a hole.

Hasn't got the moth, which I'm pleased about.

I wouldn't mind buying it for a tenner, if that's possible?

OK, I'll go a tenner.

Oh, well done, Mags.

Well done.

With one aubusson rug bagged for half price,

both our boys are bought up.

James spent a total of £127 on five lots...

The pair of bamboo wine tables,

the late Victorian bamboo plant stand and planter,

the nest of picnic cups,

the hardwood solitaire board...

..and the aubusson wool carpet.

Charlie spent less, shelling out £75 on four lots.

The Madeira wicker chair,

the Churchill centenary dish,

the late Victorian plated bottle coasters

and the vintage novelty pipe.

He will also take his unsold rosewood mirror

from the last auction to this auction.

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

God, where do I start?

Talk about the Battle of the Bamboo!

I bring you the 1970s in the guise of my tables,

Charlie Ross brings the most extraordinary Madeira chair

and he buys it for a remarkable £10.

I think he's got a winner there.

And a game of solitaire, £25.

I've seen them for ten in the shops!

That pipe! Now there's no excuse for that pipe.

It's quite fun that it's in the style of a colt 45,

but at the end of the day, it's a pipe and it's a fiver.

As for your rug at a tenner?

(Well, off to the skip with that!)

After starting this leg in Rushden,

our experts are now motoring south

towards auction in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

A place many a famous face has called home,

from the late, great comic Benny Hill

to world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking.

Charlie, great shame you didn't go all-in on this one, wasn't it?

Oh, I really wish I'd spent all my money!

Because I think the auctioneer would be well-suited

to have the sale outside today.

THEY CHUCKLE

Go on!

Our boys will battle it out at Hertfordshire Auctioneers.

What does auctioneer Chris Small make of our experts' lots?

There's quite an eclectic mix of items.

I quite like the pipe revolver.

What it's worth and what it will make, I don't know.

I don't really rate the bamboo tables at all -

I think if we get a tenner for those, we'll be doing well.

The Churchill centenary dish, a little bit of damage to it,

it does have its original box.

Yes, I think that's probably going to make...

maybe the most money today.

We've got bidders in the room and online.

Get comfy, chaps, the games are about to begin.

At £10, at £10...

-Here we are.

-Back in your favourite position.

-Front row of the stalls.

-Front row, I'm looking forward to this.

Well, you're up first, James,

with the late Victorian bamboo stand and planter.

-15, you've got 15, have you?

-Ooh!

15, I've got. £15 I've got.

To my right at £15 I've got now.

At 15, I'm bid.

It's on the net at 15.

And 20, Steve at 20.

-Taking off now, James.

-Taking off.

At 20, I've got now, £20 I've got.

20 for this one, at £20 for the bamboo,

plant stand and brass pot there.

£20 only I'm bid.

All done with that one at £20?

-Go on, James.

-£20.

You've halved your money!

-Half my money.

-Less a little commission...

You're coming back to join me, James. You're coming back!

Much to Charlie's delight, that's a disappointing start for James.

Will his pair of 1970s bamboo tables do a bit better?

Give me a tenner, who's in?

-Quiet!

-Ooh!

'£5.'

-Cheeky monkey!

-I've got 5, it's a bid, it's a bid!

£5 I've got.

10 bid, £15 got.

£15 I've got.

-See, he's out.

-15, got now at 18.

-18. Keep going.

18 and 20, bid 20.

You're riding it now, James.

-22.

-Oh!

£22 I'm bid.

Uncharted territory.

Amazing. £22 I am bid for these.

Any more now at £22?

Can't be!

-22 salvaged.

-That's marvellous.

Indeed, bravo, James.

Charlie, m'dear, it's your Madeira chair.

-Ten I've got, thank you, at ten.

-Well done.

-We're away.

£12, 12 I've got.

12 I've got now. At 12, you're out at £12.

To my left is the bid at £12, I've got.

It's from Madeira, my dear!

1948 Madeira sunlounger there.

£12 is bid to my left, at £12 for it. Is there any more now?

£12 for the sunlounger.

It's got to go, then.

£12, oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear!

Once, twice and...

Ooh!

It's like a bullet through the heart.

I don't think he's taking it very well.

-So you're not pleased with the 12?

-Desperately disappointed.

-Desperately. I feel a moistening of the eye.

-JAMES CHUCKLES

Come on, chaps, dry those eyes.

Your rosewood mirror that failed to sell at the last auction is up next.

Start me at 20, who's there?

20, 30 I'm bid. Goodness me.

Oh, come on, folks - lovely thing.

-£30.

-Thank goodness for that, Charlie.

30 on the net, £30 I'm bid this one. Is there any more now?

At £30 on this one.

£30, doubling money.

-Good work, sir.

-Well done.

Well done.

A lovely profit and Charlie can finally say farewell to the mirror

and we don't have to cart it round any more.

-You doubled your money!

-You are all fire...

You are smelling of roses here, I don't know what's going on.

-Rosewood.

-Rosewood!

-Rosewood!

Can Charlie's luck continue with his silver-plate bottle coasters?

-20, got 20 I'm bid straight in.

-20, straight in.

At 20 I'm bid these, at £20 I've got.

Nearly all the bidding is online, isn't it?

I don't know what all these people are here for.

£20 I've got now.

It's the net bidder at £20.

-Are you done with them? Gone!

-£20.

-I think the buyer will be over the moon.

-Yes.

Someone's bagged themselves a real bargain there.

Charlie's up again now with his Bakelite pipe shaped like a gun.

20, thank you, straight in. £20 I got.

20 I'm bid, it's on the net.

£20 I've got. 20 and 5, 25.

-In with...

-25, madam.

I've got 25 in the room, 25 I've got, lady's bid.

Are we selling?

-30, back in.

-Oh!

-35.

-35.

-35.

35, got. 35, it's in the room now.

Net bidder, you're out at 35.

Selling it once, twice...

-Well done.

-Thank you, madam.

-Well done.

What a result. Fabulous profit there for Charlie

and something to bang on about, heh.

Today, you are a man in form.

I am, I'm on fire.

It's the pipe.

Auctioneer Chris' son James is taking the helm now.

And it's the turn of

James Braxton's hardwood solitaire board with marbles...

£10 I'm bid.

At ten on this, at £10 I'm bid.

-Keep going!

-12 on the net.

-12 on the net.

-Here we go.

-Keep going.

Back in. £15 now, 15.

Are we all done then?

-Oh.

-New bidder at £18.

£18 now. At 20. You got 20.

-Over at 20, you're out.

-Keep going, madam!

At £20 in the furniture.

22. At 22, says no. At 22.

-25?

-At £22 I'm bid.

Down the front at £22.

Last warning at £22...

-Nearly bailed you out.

-Nearly.

Thank you, madam, thank you. Thank you.

James seems pretty relieved with that result.

It's the auctioneer's pick next...

..and Charlie's final lot -

the commemorative Churchill dish.

-Start me at 20.

-Oh.

20 I've got, at 20 now.

-20 on the internet.

-22.

At 22, got 28. 28, 28, 28. £28

I'm bid and 30. At 30, got 30.

-30.

-Come on, we need to get on a bit here.

This is Winston Churchill, this isn't Enid Blyton.

The saviour of a nation.

With the box, as well. £30.

-With the box!

-At 30.

32, at £32. 32.

35. 38. 38, bid 38.

38. Now were getting there.

-We're getting there.

-At 40. I've got 40.

-We need a bit more, sir.

42, got 42. At 42.

At £42.

That should be enough.

No, no, no. I think we need a little more.

-48, got 48.

-It is Churchill.

At £48 I'm bid. Any more?

'Are we all done in the room?'

On the net at £48, the hammer's up.

-Well done.

-A rollercoaster.

Churchill does Charlie proud again.

Another profit.

Will James' six plated picnic cups prove popular?

Bid 20, got 20 at £20 in the room.

And two, and five, and 25.

Got 25, at 25. At 28, got 28, at 30...

Now we're going!

-At £30 I'm bid for this.

-30.

-30, 2, 5, 35.

-James!

-At £35 I'm bid.

35, 38, 40, at £40 I'm bid.

At £40 now, 42, 45.

£45, 45. Still cheap for these.

-Hukin and Heath.

-48, at 48.

They're a good size, aren't they?

-At £48.

-Go on, go 50.

-50!

-At £48 I'm bid.

Are we all done? At £48, I'm bid.

Are we all done at 48?

Nice little profit there.

It's their last lot of the day

and to have any chance of winning this leg,

James needs a good result on his aubusson rug.

Here we are, here we go.

My bids, then. I've got 10, £15 I'm bid.

-At 15 on this, 15.

-15.

At £15. Left bid at 15,

20, 5... 25.

-Keep going.

-Bid 30, got 30.

Keep him rocking on!

I'm out at £30. £30 I'm bid.

35? Got 35.

-Well done.

-At 35. At £35 I'm bid.

At 35 I'm bid.

At 35 on this. Any more?

-At £35 are you out?

-No!

-We need another one!

Once, twice, third and final time at £35...

Serious triumph, though, 10 to 35.

10 to 35!

Lovely profit there for James.

But has he done enough to win this leg?

James began with £470.84.

After auction costs, he made a small loss of £6.46,

but he still goes into the last leg in the overall lead

with a fantastic £464.38

and he's looking very prosperous, if you don't mind my saying so.

Charlie started this leg with £214.84.

He made a profit of £43.90 after auction costs,

which means he goes into the final leg with £258.74

and is crowned today's winner.

Well done, old bean.

Very good, sir, very good.

Well, as the winner, winner takes all.

-Thank you very much, sir.

-Thank you.

-Take me away.

-Take you away.

-Where to, sir?

-Somewhere exotic.

-Exotic, sir.

Ah, home, James.

See you soon, road trippers!