Episode 25 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.

HE LAUGHS

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!

So, will it be the high road to glory

or the slow road to disaster?

The handbrake's on!

This is Antiques Roadtrip.

Yeah!

ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC

It's the final leg of this week's adventure

with our top auctioneers, James Braxton and Charlie Ross.

Do you know, I'm going to miss this. I'm going to miss the car...

I'm going miss the car.

-I'm going to miss you.

-I'm going to miss you, Charlie.

It's been as much fun as my first road trip with you.

But all good things must come to an end.

Roadtrip veteran and auctioneer Charlie...

-Arghh!

-LAUGHTER

..is ever the entertainer.

-What do you reckon?

-Uncanny.

Oh, arm up a bit more.

While his partner in crime, fellow auctioneer James,

takes a more relaxed approach to things.

-Bring the arms up...

-HE INHALES DEEPLY

..and bringing your toes down on the floor slowly, slowly, slowly.

-CHARLIE GROANS

-Do you feel that?

On this journey, our boys have been touring around

in a 1961 Ford Zephyr,

manufactured before seat belts were legally required.

I did early-morning yoga today.

Ah, that could take you back a bit

because I've noticed that since you gave up yoga,

-you've been much better at...

-LAUGHTER DROWNS SPEECH

No. No, the brain is reoxygenated.

-Oh, is it?

-I am on form.

We shall see. Huh!

After starting this trip with £200 in his pocket,

Charlie now has £258.74 to play with today.

While James has more than doubled his original 200 stake

and starts this final leg with £464.38.

Awesome!

That's a modern word.

I would urge you not to throw in all your money.

Yeah, but can't you see this is the only way I have of beating you?

Well, winning is the name of the game, actually.

Their trip began in the Lincolnshire town of Boston

and meandered through Norfolk, Cambridgeshire,

up to Leicestershire, before heading south

towards the final destination

in the Surrey town of Cobham.

Our boys start their last leg in Brasted, Kent,

before finishing at their very last auction in Cobham.

James is kicking off proceedings today in Brasted.

Situated between the towns of Sevenoaks and Westerham,

this pretty little village was once home

to Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew, Napoleon III. Huh!

So, let battle commence.

An antique shop.

What a revelation.

What exactly were you expecting, James?

One of the longest-running antique dealerships in Kent,

Courtyard Antiques, is jam-packed with potential buys.

This is lovely to have all this choice.

Choice, choice, choice.

Ah, here's a nice bit. It's a really fun faux caddy.

Now, this is when biscuit makers were making serious money.

They used to produce novelty biscuit tins.

Things that people...

You know, resourceful, this was a time of thrift,

you'd buy your biscuits, biscuits would be nicely packed in there

and then you could use it as your tea caddy.

Beautifully done, all painted and it's all tin.

And there we are,

William Crawford & Sons - biscuit manufacturers.

Edinburgh, Liverpool and London.

By royal appointment.

What have we got on it?

-£38.

-One to consider.

-JAMES SIGHS

-What have we got here?

So, we've got lots of small things.

What's this? What's this? What does it say on the label?

18th-century cannonball retrieved from the River Thames by a mudlark.

Now, mudlarks are those funny people at low tide

who rush round the embankment finding things

and that is a cannonball.

History at £12.

Right, can a deal be done with Hugh?

What generously can you do on that? Is there a discount on that?

Yeah, I think we can go to ten for that.

-Ten. Put it there, Hugh.

-OK.

-Come on. That's the first one, first one done.

-OK, good.

Come on, come with me.

£10 secures James the first item bought on this leg.

What about that faux tea caddy, James? Still interested?

I think the very, very, very best would have to be £30.

£30? Come on, put it there.

-30.

-Thank you.

There we are, I've got a cannonball and I've got a tea caddy

and I'll give a prize for any sort of connection between the two, OK?

Answers on a postcard, please. Address them to James, not me.

Now, what's he found?

An interesting light pendant, me thinks.

I like that.

A nice bit of frosted glass, Art Deco.

It's got quite a lot going for it -

stylised flowers, nice weight to it and a nice metal thing.

Complete with string.

Complete with string, even with string.

-We'll throw the string in.

-What does it say?

"£10, no trade, cost only."

Done.

-Crikey!

-There you are.

Fast business, eh? £10 for the light pendant.

Some bold buying in James' very first shop, secures him three lots.

Charlie, meanwhile, has made his way to Westerham.

He's having a relaxed start to his day

with a visit to Quebec House,

the childhood home of one of Britain's unsung military heroes.

-Hello, I'm Trevor.

-Good morning.

-Welcome to Quebec House.

By the middle of the 18th century,

European nations were building their empires

and the British Empire was expanding fast.

One daring commander, Major General James Wolfe,

led a pivotal attack that resulted in British rule in Canada

and contributed to the British Empire

becoming the biggest the world had ever seen.

Here to tell Charlie more is guide, Trevor Gaston.

-This was his childhood home.

-Right.

And he joined the Army as an officer cadet at the age of 13.

At the age of 14, second lieutenant in charge of men...

-No! My goodness.

-..and going to war.

Yeah. Fighting at 14.

Crumbs, that's remarkable.

I think if you were big enough to hold a sword, you could fight.

-And where did he first fight? In Europe?

-In Europe, Dettingen.

And he obviously did well.

He did very well.

He was mentioned in dispatches.

His horse was shot from beneath him...

-Yeah.

-..and he carried on fighting.

By 1759, Britain and France were at war

over control in North America and Canada.

Having gained a reputation as a strong and decisive leader,

Wolfe was chosen, at the age of 32,

to lead the campaign to capture Quebec, a crucial French stronghold.

It took 100 ships to get them there.

God. How long did it take to get there?

They started in March and arrived in May.

-Really?

-And this to Wolfe would have been an absolute nightmare

-cos he was violently seasick.

-Oh, dear.

-He wasn't a good traveller.

-No.

In fact, his mother made a pronouncement when he was 14

that "water and my son do not mix."

CHARLIE LAUGHS

Wolfe experienced months of frustration and ill health.

Many thought the operation would fail.

Then, at dawn on 13 September,

helped by Native American guides, Wolfe led his men into battle.

The British had already identified the Heights of Abraham

-as being a strategic point.

-Yeah.

And Wolfe landed the 4,000 men in four hours.

Started at 2.00 in the morning

and by 6.00 he was ready.

-Took the French by surprise.

-Yeah.

The French had to march through Quebec to attack Wolfe.

-And then the battle?

-Then the battle.

-And how long did the battle last?

-20 minutes.

-20 minutes?

-20 minutes.

-Crikey! That's very one-sided.

-It was.

The French really weren't prepared.

Sadly, Wolfe was fatally wounded early in the battle

but lived long enough to hear of his victory.

Do we know exactly how he died?

He took two musket balls to the chest.

-Two?

-Two.

He was wounded before that, he took a musket graze to the wrist

and one to the thigh and two of those...

-That would do for you.

-You wouldn't last very long.

-They're heavy.

-Indeed.

# "Well done, me lads," General Wolfe did say... #

So, this man, having won this battle -

his body was brought home - became an instant legend.

A national hero.

And the whole country must have been amazed and thrilled

-with what he'd done.

-Yeah. He turned the tide of the war.

The French surrendered Quebec on 18th September and a year later,

in 1760, the rest of Canada followed.

It wasn't until 1982

that Canada gained formal independence from Britain.

And I suppose although Wolfe perhaps isn't as famous as Nelson or...

-the Duke of Marlborough perhaps...

-Or Churchill.

-..or Churchill,

he'd be really up there, wouldn't he?

If you had the top half-dozen commanders,

-he'd be there, wouldn't he?

-I think so, yes.

-Yeah.

-I mean, capturing Canada, it's no mean feat.

-No, no.

I mean, that really is a huge, huge legacy, isn't it?

James Wolfe will forever be recognised

as an important military figure

who helped his country create the biggest empire in the world.

James has joined Charlie in Westerham,

where they're making their way to the next shop of the day.

-I've got a bit of a back, I'm afraid.

-Why?

-Sitting in that...

-Oh, steady! Steady.

-Sitting in that...

-Steady.

This is the problem with shopping,

doing a tour with a sort of more elderly gentleman...

-With a pensioner.

-You've got to...with a pensioner.

I need a bit of yoga, I think, for my back.

I've got something for a back. Shoulder apart...

-I've got it.

-..and then we bring the arms up...

HE INHALES DEEPLY

..and then roll them back, OK?

As you breathe out, roll them back, feel those shoulder blades...

-Oh, yeah.

-..bringing your toes down, heels down on the floor slowly,

-slowly, slowly.

-HE GROANS

-Do you feel that?

-I do.

It's just reacquainting yourself with the mechanics of breathing.

-I've gone slightly dizzy.

-I know, it often happens.

-You know, that's a very novice thing, to get dizzy.

-Is it?

And then, you know, you're in the hands of the master now.

Place those soles correctly, please.

I never thought I'd see that on this show.

Time to shop, fellas.

Now, Charlie, I've been in this shop before and I'll introduce you.

This is the owner. Mick, Charlie - Charlie, Mick.

-Nice to meet you, Charlie.

-Lovely to meet you.

Nice to see you again, Mick.

-Hey, Charlie.

-Yes?

-The blessed bamboo.

-Bamboo.

-Should we be on it?

We didn't have a great success with bamboo last time.

No, I don't think so.

With four rooms filled full of antiques

of all shapes and sizes, there's plenty for our boys to fight over.

There's nothing like a really good rummage.

I tell you what, if you don't look, you're not going to find it.

Ah, could this be the game changer?

TIM CLEARS THROAT I doubt it.

Now, what has Charlie spotted?

HE GROANS

The sort of radio that James used to listen to the news on

in the war, you know, with Alvar Lidell.

Is it a period radio or is it a copy?

I think it's a period radio but it's got a new flex on it.

Ah, a label.

£140.

(I'd like that for about 50.)

I can't get up.

So, Charlie's considering the radio, but does it work?

-Look, it's glowing!

-It's glowing.

-It's glowing.

It's glowing, that's a good sign.

Where's its aerial, Mick?

-It doesn't need an aerial.

-Doesn't it?

-No.

-RADIO CRACKLES

-Oh!

-Do we get the BBC Home Service...

-Sshhh!

Am I hearing something?

Yes.

There's life.

-Well, I think, Charlie...

-Yeah.

-..while you're getting a signal...

-Yeah, you carry on.

..I'm going to carry on. Do you mind?

Oh!

-We're not getting any stations whatsoever but it does work.

-Yeah.

-Well, it makes a noise.

-Yeah.

Depends on what you want to listen to, really.

Can you just plop it up on here?

Just have a think about the aerial.

James, I eat humble pie - it needs an aerial.

HE CHUCKLES

I like it, I like the look of it.

I'm just worried about the functionality of it, really.

Having a radio, it's all very well looking at it, Mick, isn't it?

But you really need to listen to it.

While Charlie puts the radio back on the shelf,

it looks like James just isn't giving up on his old bamboo.

The thing with these bamboo tables

is that very light construction.

And the thing is with light construction,

is that you want it all to be sound.

We've got some use, so we've got...the legs have been bent out.

This is all pinned or nailed.

This is totally right

and all it needs is a piece of cut glass in there

and it's just perfectly functional.

I like it.

The ticket says £45,

so Hugh's phoned the owner with James' optimistic offer of £25.

-Well, the lady wants 35 for it, so a bottom price.

-35?

Put it there, Mick.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

-Another bit of bamboo.

This is my turning point with bamboo.

Fingers crossed, eh?

And it looks like Charlie's found something he fancies, too.

A quadruple decanter for four different liqueurs.

-Mick...

-Yes, Charlie.

..look at this, a four-sectioned bottle decanter.

-Is it yours?

-No, I'm afraid not.

It's got 18 on the ticket, I would love to give you a tenner for it.

-I'm sure you would.

-Yeah.

What do you think they would take?

I can always try her...

-May you try?

-..and see what she says, yeah.

-Give her a quick call...

-No problem.

-..and we'll see what we can do.

(I think I will buy this anyway,

(even if it's a bit more than a tenner.

(But don't tell Mick.)

Right, Mick's got Sue on the blower.

Can he seal the deal for Charlie?

Come on, Sue!

The person who's trying to buy it wants it for a tenner.

Come on, Sue!

Erm...OK.

-Hello, Sue!

-Right, so 15 is the best.

-Is it?

-Yes, I'm afraid.

Thanks, Sue, very much indeed. And tell her...I'll have it!

All right, he's going to have it. Did you hear that?

It's made Sue's day, £15.

OK, Sue. Thanks, bye.

Well done, sir.

Charlie's bought his first lot of the final leg of the road trip.

And with that, our boys call it a day.

So, nighty-night.

Hey, good morning, gentlemen.

I'm in the last chance saloon today.

And how much spending money? Lots?

I've got about 200... 250-odd quid.

-That's all right.

-Considerably better than it has been.

Yeah. Well, at least it's more than you started with.

That's true. Having only bought the vintage glass decanter yesterday,

Charlie has some serious shopping to do today with his £243.74.

Meanwhile, James has already secured himself four lots.

The cannonball,

the novelty biscuit box,

the Art Deco light pendant

and the bamboo tiered-table.

He's still got £379.38 available to spend.

It's the last day for Charlie to catch up.

He's starting in Reigate, Surrey.

Set at the foot of the North Downs,

historic Reigate has existed as a market town since 1150

and is home to the quaintly-named Magpie House & The Yard.

-Hello!

-Hello, hi.

-Good morning.

-Morning.

-How are you?

-I'm fine thank you.

-It's Lynne, is it?

-It's Lynne and you're Charlie, aren't you?

-I am Charlie, yeah. Well spotted.

-Good to meet you.

-This is fab.

You know, walking through, my eye line...

-took immediately to this man.

-Oh, yes. He's beautiful, isn't he?

-Isn't he fab?

-He's our Mercury.

-Mercury?

-He's absolutely gorgeous.

-The messenger god.

-The messenger of wealth, isn't it?

-Wealth? Bringer of prosperity.

That's the one, yeah.

And I think he's also god of thieves.

-Right. I think I did hear that.

-So, cheerio!

He's pretty heavy, I don't know if you can manage him.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Blimey, he's heavy!

You wouldn't be able to just walk out the shop with him.

-And it's a genuine bronze.

-Yes, definitely.

It's not old but it's quite well-modelled.

-Yeah.

-Is that very cheap?

It doesn't seem to have a price, it's free at the moment.

Well, not really.

-But I can find out for you.

-Could you?

-Erm...

-Go and find out now.

-OK.

-That's the first thing that...

That's really caught your eye, hasn't it.

I'm betting old Mercury here is going to be pretty pricey.

And from an impressive piece of metal to another,

well, less so.

Look at this. An old...an old iron stove.

Very Serrell.

You're right, Roadtrip favourite Philip Serrell

relishes his random rusty rustic buys.

It's not quite Mercury, is it?

It's not quite the messenger god but...

..the more you look in this shop, the more there is. It's fab.

Charlie's still got Mercury on his mind.

The dealer is looking for £375,

so Charlie's got some serious negotiating to do.

It's a straightforward thing,

I have got £240 and I think I've got £3.43 or something.

God, you'll get a latte with that, can't you?

-LAUGHING:

-I don't want a latte.

-You want Mercury.

-I've got to buy other things, but I want Mercury.

-You want Mercury.

Spending almost every penny you have left on one item

is a big gamble. I hope you know what you're doing, Charlie.

It's a pathetic offer and I don't make any bones about it.

-If I had £350, I'd give you £350 for him but I haven't got it.

-Yeah.

Shall I just double-check?

-Well, you'd better triple-check, yeah.

-Let me just double-check.

I think, you know, just to be...

I would.

Charlie's after a hefty discount, so what's the verdict, Lynne?

It's your lucky day, talking about those rippling muscles.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah, he's going to do it for you.

-May I hug you?

-That is so generous.

-Well, we've had a great day, so, yeah.

And do you know, I can give you an impersonation.

Now, look. Can you spot the difference here?

-Uncanny!

-SHE LAUGHS

-What do you reckon?

-Uncanny.

Yeah, that's one way of putting it.

Charlie's spent almost all of his money on the statue of Mercury.

It's a very risky punt and let's hope it pays off.

James is still in Kent and has made his way to the village of Hever.

He's come to Hever Castle,

a 13th-century castle saved from ruin

then extensively restored to its former glory

by a fabulously wealthy New York Senator,

William Waldorf Astor.

Here to show James more is guide Ian Smith.

-James, welcome to Hever Castle.

-Isn't it glorious?

It's a lovely setting,

moat and this wonderful defensive stronghold.

Astor was captivated by the castle's royal connections,

particularly Anne Boleyn, who grew up here.

She was the ill-fated second wife of Henry VIII

and mother of the future Queen Elizabeth I.

And here we are inside.

What you see is not medieval

but a beautiful Tudor house from the late 1400s.

We believe built by Anne Boleyn's great-grandfather.

And subsequently, after many other owners,

by William Waldorf Astor in 1903.

-This was going to be his country retreat...

-Yeah.

..and he was going to lavish his millions

in bringing this building back to life.

William Waldorf Astor's great-grandfather

was a fur and real estate tycoon

and was America's first multimillionaire.

William inherited a personal fortune,

which made him the richest man in America.

After a failing political career, William moved to England in 1891

with a reputed 100 million to his name.

He set about trying to be accepted

into the upper echelons of English society.

He invested in newspapers and property

and purchased the historic Hever Castle.

Ian, what sort of state was the castle in

when William Waldorf Astor bought it?

In the 19th century,

it had become an absentee home

and tenant farmers lived here.

And it's suggested that the ground floor rooms

were inhabited by animals.

Upstairs, there was an artists' commune,

-so you can imagine...

-JAMES LAUGHS

..the mess that was here.

So, what did William Astor do to this marvellous place?

This is an extraordinary room and it looks almost old Tudor.

Astor was an historical romanticist.

He wrote historical novels

and like many others he had fallen in love with the Anne Boleyn story.

But if Anne Boleyn walked into this room now,

she would be astonished.

"I just have to ask you, what has happened to my kitchen?"

-Because it's been given this tremendous makeover.

-Yeah.

William Waldorf has turned it into an inner hall.

Not using oak, as any normal person might use

but walnut, to give these wonderful effects.

-Right.

-So, he created these wonderful interiors

inside the moated walls for himself.

-Outside those moated walls, he built a Tudor village.

-Really?

But not a Tudor village where, you know,

-peasants wander from house to house.

-Right.

All the rooms interlink.

William Waldorf was a newcomer to England

but he'd actually housed himself in a medieval stronghold.

In other words, given himself 700 years of history

that his family here didn't really have.

Between 1903 and 1908, William restored the ruined castle,

creating magnificent gardens and a lake.

The remarkable mock-Tudor village he built

was the perfect place for his society friends to stay,

while attending his lavish parties.

And here we are in Anne Boleyn's bedroom.

Tradition says that this is where she spent her time as a girl

and she would keep coming back to Hever

all the way up to the time of her marriage to Henry VIII.

The panelling behind the bed conceals William Waldorf's wardrobe.

-This was his dressing room.

-Right.

And he chose Anne Boleyn's bedroom for that purpose.

-But he would have this wonderful window to look out.

-Rather fun.

He was in the castle, he looks out onto his village there.

As well as being completely enchanted by Hever Castle,

Astor became increasingly fascinated by the tragic story of Anne Boleyn.

William Waldorf searched the world for artefacts

that he could link to Anne.

He acquired many that have proved to have doubtful provenance,

but this is as close as you're going to get today to Anne's DNA.

It's a beautifully-illustrated book of hours, prayers,

that were said during the day.

Her fingerprints will be all over that book because she signed it.

-Really?

-The inscription there says,

"Le temps viendra." The time will come.

"Je Anne Boleyn."

And there's a little celestial sphere there as well.

And she signed it on the page of the Last Judgement.

One would love to know just what she meant by, "The time will come."

Did it mean her marriage to Henry?

The birth of an heir?

Or it certainly couldn't mean the fact that

she was going to be beheaded after 1,000 days as Henry's Queen.

Over the years,

William donated a substantial amount of his fortune to charity.

He eventually achieved his ambition of acceptance into the aristocracy

when he was given the title Viscount Astor of Hever Castle.

It remained in the Astor family ownership until 1983

and is now a popular tourist destination.

Charlie meanwhile has journeyed to Dorking,

where Charles Dickens wrote much of his Pickwick Papers.

This historic market town holds Charlie's final shop,

Pilgrims Antiques Centre.

After taking a massive punt on Mercury,

here's hoping Steve will have a hidden bargain

for Charlie's remaining few pounds.

-Do you have a sort of bargain basement area?

-Yes, we do indeed.

Where's the area where I might be...

Can I introduce you to the final death zone here.

CHARLIE LAUGHS

This is as cheap as it comes in this shop, really.

When they get to red labels, that's...

That's it, no negotiation.

-Exactly right.

-Other than a few pence possibly.

Very possibly, yeah.

Yeah. Well, I do hope so,

as it's unlikely Charlie will find something

with an exact ticket price of £3.74.

Oh, £8.

(It's not easy shopping with £3.74.)

Oh! I've seen something rather splendid.

WHISPERING: £5.

£5.

That's a 15% discount or thereabouts,

if I were to get it for £3.74.

-Right.

-There's rather a charming glass there,

cordial glass. Sadly I don't think it's 18th-century.

No, I think you're probably right.

But it's got some nice diamond cutting into the side.

It's got a little bit of fruiting vine engraved round the top.

I'm really making it sound particularly good, aren't I?

-Well, I think it is rather good.

-Edinburgh Crystal.

What would the Scots put in there?

I mean, it looks to me like a sherry, a port glass, I suppose.

Oh, I should think some...

Port, are you a drinker of port?

..Scottish wine in a Scotsman's measure.

A small measure, sir?

Poor old Greg.

That would probably be in my price range, wouldn't it?

It's not that much of a discount.

It's priced at five.

I should think we could scrape that down to 3.75

-or whatever the last...

-3.74.

-3.74.

Looks like that's a done deal.

Och aye the noo.

Och aye... Oh, you're Scottish, too!

Would you like all my money?

-Yes, I will actually, I think I would.

-Aye.

On the final leg, our Charlie has spent every last penny he has

on a pretty piece of Scottish glass.

James has now made his way to Dorking too

and he's going to try his luck in the Christique Antique Centre.

He's meeting old friend there, Christie.

Christie, get it?

-Oh, a familiar face. How are you?

-How lovely to see you.

Yeah, really nice to see you.

With just under £380 in his pocket, there's plenty on offer.

What will catch your eye in all of this lot then, James?

Rather interestingly, I've just seen a bit,

which I hope is Tunbridge ware.

Quite an interesting, very fine tesserae mosaic of a butterfly.

And it's either £5 or 500, let's have a look.

No, it's five. Bound to be, down there.

-Is it?

-Yeah. I just took it in the other day.

Let's have a look at this.

It reminds me...

I think this was a modern maker.

It's signed, "Robert Vorley, 1980."

In the Tunbridge ware tradition.

Tunbridge ware was made as, sort of, high quality souvenirs

for the spa town of Tunbridge Wells.

I think it would be churlish of me to argue about that, wouldn't it?

£5. Shall we say three, to give you a fighting chance.

Three.

It doesn't normally work that way, Christine.

Cor, you're a lucky man, James.

Go on, put it there.

Thank you very much indeed, thank you.

So, it's rather fun.

That was my only specialism in my working life

was Tunbridge ware.

And I've found a modern piece of Tunbridge ware.

James has played it safe this leg

but his last purchase is something he loves.

James spent a total of £88 on five lots.

His cannonball,

the novelty biscuit box,

the Art Deco light pendant,

the bamboo tiered-table

and the modern Tunbridge ware box.

Charlie spent every penny he had on three lots.

The vintage decanter,

the Edinburgh Crystal glass

and his pricey purchase, the bronze of Mercury.

So, what do they make of each other's lots?

Has Charlie put all his eggs in one basket?

Well, the fewer items you buy, you know, you're narrowing,

you're shortening your risk, aren't you?

I've lengthened my risk with five.

He bought that little bit of Tunbridge ware for £3.

Actually, I think that's a very good buy.

I think his cannonball is pretty ghastly,

his bamboo table, frankly, is even worse.

What is it with him and bamboo?

Bim-bam, bim-bamboo. He'll lose money on that.

Charlie has bought a whopper, though, £240.

It's a lovely item.

I think he'll do well on it.

I'm slightly worried about that.

It might make £100.

It might, God willing, make £500.

In which case, victory will be mine.

After starting this leg in Brasted,

our experts are now motoring towards their final auction

in Cobham, Surrey.

I can't believe it, this is the last few hundred yards of our trip...

-Yeah.

-..to the final auction.

-What are we going to find in the auction room?

-Our destiny.

Our destiny? Oh.

Well, we'll soon find out as our chirpy chaps have arrived

in the village of Cobham to battle it out

at Fryer & Brown Auctioneers.

I don't think whatever the auctioneer does

will provide me with enough luck to beat you.

I hope the wind of Mercury stays trapped.

CHARLIE LAUGHS

The lady with the gavel today is Jane Brown.

What does she make of our experts' lots?

One of the interesting things is the tea caddy, the biscuit tin.

We've seen a lot of interest in advertising ware lately

and that one's quite unusual.

The large bronze, it's a very good thing as a garden statuary piece.

I don't think it has a great deal of age

but it is a very attractive subject.

Well, let's hope the buyers think so too, for Charlie's sake.

Today, there are bidders online and in the room,

so for one last time on this trip,

take your seats and deep breathes, boys.

CHARLIE INHALES DEEPLY

First up is Charlie's vintage decanter.

£10, please.

-She's rather nervous.

-Oh... £10.

10, I have. Thank you, sir.

12.

£12 with the lady.

-Disappointment.

-£12.

Any interest on the internet? It is £12 with...

-Oh!

-15.

-Excitement.

Sniping at the last minute. £15 against you.

20. £20 with the lady.

Are you all done in the room? £20 then.

A profit to kick things off, great stuff.

-Do you know, after commission...

-That was a result.

-It was a serious result. £20?

-In the money.

Will James' Art Deco light pendant spark some interest?

Here comes your big hope, lampshade. Lampshade.

I have a bid at £15.

-Hallelujah!

-£15, it is yours.

And we're going...15.

A pleasing little profit there for James.

That was superb, well done.

James' cannonball is up next.

-£20.

-£20.

-£20.

-All around her.

-Fell off a cruise.

-MAN SHOUTS

-Oh!

-£20, I have.

On the internet, £20.

Any advance on 20?

Maiden bid it is.

£20, on the internet.

-20.

-Well done. Doubled your money, old bean.

Another huge success.

That solo bidder means James pulls in another profit.

How many bidders will there be after Charlie's Edinburgh Crystal glass?

Just the one.

£5, please.

And a host of hands.

£5 with the lady in the pink.

Six, sir. Six.

Seven.

-Eight.

-Huh!

-Nine.

-This is a world record.

Ten.

-11.

-They want it.

11 with the lady in the pink.

Oh, I'll buy you a pint... Oh!

12.

13.

£13.

We have £13 with... 14.

The gentleman's come back in.

-£15.

-This, by percentage,

is the most extraordinary profit I've had on this trip.

£15.

15. Thank you, madam.

Well worth the round of applause there.

What a nice little earner.

Do you know, that's the finest bit of auctioneering

I've ever heard in my life.

On that basis, my bronze could make £1,500.

-It could, it could.

-Yeah.

We'll have to wait and see as next, it's James' canny little buy

that Charlie fancied, the Tunbridge ware box.

20. Yes, sir.

20.

-£20.

-With an outlay of £3, this is good.

-Any advance on 20?

£20.

£20? No.

£20 then, squashed.

Another maiden-bid sale there

and what a wonderful result.

If you carry on for the rest of your life

buying things for three quid and selling them for 20...

-Yeah.

-..you'd be a happy man.

He would indeed.

The auctioneer had high hopes for this next lot -

it's James' novelty biscuit tin.

-£15.

-MAN:

-Yes.

-15, I have.

-Oh, the internet's bubbling along now.

-15 is against you all in the room.

-In the room.

18 with the young lady at the back.

18. 18 against you, internet.

Oh, it's all over the place.

I have 20 with the lady in front.

-Keep going.

-22.

25.

28.

£28 with the young lady at the back.

£28, internet.

Last chance.

-Hovering on the net.

-Hovering.

-Hovering, madam.

-Hovering, they are.

28, though, is going to take it.

All done.

28.

-Nearly got out of it.

-A small loss, a small loss.

Yes, but a small loss is better than a large loss.

Wise words, wise words.

The biscuit tin failed to deliver

but the loss doesn't put much of a dent in James' impressive lead.

Up next is bamboo table.

Putting the sheets on it for the auction.

Sshhh!

£10, I have.

Any advance on £10?

There'll be masses.

-Oh, madam.

-12.

14.

Striking a chord here.

£14.

Do you want me to hold it up? £16.

18.

20.

22.

At this price, it's worth building a conservatory.

LAUGHTER

22, then.

-25.

-25. Well done, madam.

28.

-30, madam. Go on!

-I can't believe this.

Internet?

Are you all done at 28?

-30, at the last moment.

-James.

35, madam. Come on.

-Go on.

-32.

Go on, it's only money.

-35.

-35!

37. Thank you.

It's got three tiers.

If it doesn't make any more money

you'll have a lot more than three tiers!

Last chance.

-37.

-Where did that come from?

-That was superb.

-That was hard work, wasn't it?

Worth it in the end, though.

Five days of toil, driving around...

-Yeah.

-..banter, buying, selling has all come down to one bronze.

-Held on a puff of wind.

-Oh.

Here we go then, it's the biggie.

Charlie's hopes for a big profit,

enough to catapult him into the lead,

all ride on the wings of his bronze of Mercury.

Deep breathing, James, deep breathing.

£200 for this nice bronze, at 200.

Shall we try 150?

It's all gone very quiet.

-150.

-Oh, no.

-I'd try 30, if I was you.

-James!

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

-How dare...

-100.

100 for the bronze.

-I'm going to fold up my glasses.

-He is 104cm high.

-It is.

-50.

-Oh, no, James.

-50.

£50.

-50, I have.

-Oh, good Lord!

-Oh, good Lord.

-Only another 400 to go.

-LAUGHTER

£50.

Someone help this gentleman out.

-Any advance on 50?

-I'm beyond help, madam.

£50.

-I think £50 is where...

-Our Father...

-..is where we are stopping.

-Who art in Heaven...

-£50.

-Ah!

-169.

Arrow in my heart, madam.

-No, that's Cupid.

-Well done, James.

It was a bold move and we commend you for taking the risk, Charlie.

Someone is walking away with a bargain bit of bronze.

Hello?

Oh, dear. And he hasn't even heard the final figures.

Charlie started this final leg with £258.74.

Sadly, he made a loss today of £189.04 after auction costs.

That's dreadful.

So, he finishes with £69.70.

I'm pretty sure that's the worst result we've ever had.

Oh, dear! Oh, dear!.

James began with £464.38 after auction costs.

He made a profit of £10.40,

which means not only has he won today's battle,

he's crowned King of the Roadtrip -

finishing with a massive £474.78.

And all profits go to Children in Need.

Will it be champagne, sir?

-I think for me.

-I won't be buying it.

I think it's a mild for you.

The pint of mild.

And so it's the end of our gentlemen's journey.

It's been a tough old trip for Charlie.

Oh, it's gone over my trousers.

He tried his best to climb the ladder of success...

Oh!

..and although he put his back into it...

Ah!

..he failed to deliver.

Oh!

While frugal James took a much more Zen approach.

I bring yoga.

And he proved himself to be the supreme athlete of antiques.

But our boys remain the best of pals.

-I will take you out for lunch...

-Oh, excellent.

..at a restaurant of your choosing.

Oh!

Farewell, fellas, it's been a pleasure.