Episode 4 Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite antiques experts, £200 each

-and one big challenge.

-Well, duck, do I buy you or don't I?

Who can make the most money buying and selling antiques

-as they scour the UK.

-Yee-ha!

The aim is trade up and hope each antique turns a profit.

But it's not as easy as it looks and dreams of glory

-can end in tatters.

-60.

-Get out of here.

So will it be the fast lane to success or the slow road

to bankruptcy?

I want to go and cry.

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

JAZZY THEME

Yeah!

Today we're back on the road with Philip Serrell and Jonathan Pratt.

Young Jonathan seems to be taking

a lot of guidance from his older road tripper.

-I am learning from the master.

-I don't know about that.

You are my master, my guru.

Steady.

But when it comes to shopping

Philip Serrell is a lover of all things daft and different

and it is often the dustier the better.

Those fit the Serrell bill, don't they?

Jonathan Pratt prefers the more traditional items

and has a real penchant for vases.

Look at that baby!

Philip's wacky strategy seems to be working a treat.

From his original £200, Philip made a profit

and now has £273.48 to play with.

Sadly, by playing it safe, Jonathan's £200 has dwindled

and he only has £161.90 for this leg of the game. Looking serious.

This road trip sees the pair travelling in their 1965 Triumph TR4

from Cockermouth in Cumbria all the way to Wilmslow.

Today, they are off to Corbridge,

with our final destination in Northallerton.

During Roman times Corbridge was a supply town for Hadrian's Wall

and is now well known for its quaint shops and boutiques.

Which is very handy, because our chaps need to shop, shop, shop!

This looks quite wealthy, JP.

-I don't like wealthy areas!

-No, I think exactly that.

-Wealthy areas have expensive shops.

-Yes.

Better be prepared to dig deep, then.

-Good stuff.

-Fantastico.

-Yeah.

Right, boys. Off in separate directions, please.

Philip, you go one way, Jonathan, you go the other.

Right, Jonathan.

The auction you are going to is a general sale,

-so please bear that in mind.

-I buy whatever I see.

Oh, dear. What have we got there?

This is a copy of a Scottish stoneware chair.

They made these highly fired glazed garden seats,

which were made to look like rustic, cobbled-together branches.

And normally, they are this sort of size.

I have not seen one like this before, it's quite sweet.

The downside is that the arms do not match.

It has been broken, and lost its arm.

Hence, the price is only £45.

This could be an object that might be popular.

Philip is not having any luck

seeking out a real bargain in his shop.

-So...

-See you in a bit.

-He makes a sharp exit.

To join Jonathan. Matey, like.

I did look at the little Scottish pottery chair.

-Has it got a price on?

-It has.

-20?

-Best price? You wouldn't take 15?

-I can't take 15, no. No.

-18?

-Go on then, yes.

-'That was a rapid change of heart!'

'What a pretty thing.'

Philip has just arrived. Coming this way.

Make sure you leave something, JP.

Are you nursing something, JP?

-I'm starting to model myself on you, Phil.

-Get out of here!

Ha-ha! Right, Jonathan, it's time for you to settle up

for what I think is a chair up your jumper.

That's it. Now, zip up.

That's one down. I'm going to leave Phil to it, and pop over the road.

And Philip is not wasting any time.

That little ashtray in the bottom, how much is he?

It has got £78 on it.

This is by Robert Thompson of Kilburn

and he was known as Mouseman.

He was known as Mouseman because when he started working,

making furniture, he reckoned he was as poor as church mice

and so his trademark was to put this little mouse carving

on chairs and everything else he did.

-What is this, 30 years old?

-Probably, yes.

It is one of the slightly later ones,

but a lot of people prefer that,

because that is more accessible to them.

It is not hundreds of pounds, is it?

What is the very best you can do on that?

£50 would be the absolute bottom line.

While Philip has a think about the ashtray, a Mauchline ware inkwell

with a jockey hat design has also caught his eye.

Northallerton. Yorkshire.

Yes, that's where the auction is.

Not too far away from Midland.

And Midland is a massive racehorse centre where they train racehorses.

I'm thinking that that little jockey's cap,

and that hoof, that might do OK there.

It is hardly Philip Serrell wacky and weird, is it?

-What's the best you could do it for, for me?

-What has it got on it?

-You've got 75, which...

-50 would be the best.

-The very best you can do on that is 50? No better at all?

-45?

I am going to go for broke here.

-Could you do the Mouseman for 45?

-OK. 45.

All right, thank you very much. Let me get some money out.

-Two more items bought then, Philip.

-Have I put all my eggs

in one big wooden basket? Oh well, we will find out, won't we?

We certainly will.

Jonathan was also unsuccessful in the shop across the road,

but he is still hiding his last purchase from the curious Philip.

What have you bought?

-Just some sandwiches.

-Sandwiches? I am feeling a bit peckish.

Poor pickings in Corbridge, so back on the road.

Sandwiches are in here, are they? Hello!

Both chaps are now heading East

to the Newcastle upon Tyne suburb of Jesmond

18 miles away.

Considered to be one of the more affluent residential suburbs,

so where better for more buying?

Jonathan, however, is not stopping here.

He is off to the theatre, darling.

But drops Philip off to carry on his spending.

-Good luck, Philip.

-Yes.

-I'm off to tread the boards.

-Enjoy the theatre, dear boy.

-Thank you very much.

-Bye, drive safely.

Hello!

Hello! Now, this shop doesn't exactly smack

of the Serrell weird and wacky.

Does that look familiar?

Seen anything you like, Philip?

Well, we've got five Royal Worcester plates.

And the greatest exponent of painting these flowers

on Worcester porcelain was a man called Edward Raby.

And prior to 1900, the Worcester porcelain factory,

they didn't let their painters sign their work. Edward Raby had a bit

of an ego and he used to work his monogram in, ER, into the foliage.

-When you've found that, it adds £100, doesn't it?

-Of course, yes.

The flowers on this set are in the style

of an Edward Raby design.

But sadly, his trademark signature is nowhere to be seen.

-What can you do it for?

-They average just over £30 each.

I think I've go to try and buy that for £20.

-You can have it for £22.50.

-I'm going to buy that one off you.

Awfully traditional. Are you changing your game-plan, Phil?

-Thank you.

-'While Philip is off to another shop,'

Jonathan is heading two miles down the road

to just outside Newcastle's city walls for a more theatrical affair.

Newcastle began as a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall,

but today it is one of the largest cities in England.

Situated north of the River Tyne,

one of its most iconic views is of the seven bridges.

And the city wonderfully combines

its industrial heritage with impressive modern architecture.

The Journal Tyne Theatre,

first known simply as the Tyne Theatre, opened its doors in 1867.

One of the region's best-loved entertainment venues,

and one of the oldest working Victorian theatres in the world.

It is now looked after

by the Tyne Theatre and Opera House Preservation Trust

and their consultant, Brian Debnam, will show Jonathan around.

-Hello, Brian. Jonathan Pratt.

-Good to see you. Come in.

First time I've been through a stage door.

On his arrival, Jonathan is soon following in some famous footsteps.

-Oscar Wilde lectured here. William Gladstone...

-He lectured here? Wow.

-Sarah Bernhardt.

-Oh, yes. Of course.

All the great nineteenth-century stars. And behind you...

is a picture of the theatre as it might have been during

the 1880s, showing how they used to get 3,000 people in this theatre.

-It seats 1,100 people today, for safety reasons.

-But you can see,

on the top tier there, there are people hanging over the edge!

There is a huge amount of standing at the back of each balcony level.

The Victorians were smaller.

Obviously not as in love with health and safety as we are.

I am yet to go in here so this is building it up now.

I don't think you're going to be disappointed.

Time to raise the curtain.

And...there we go.

Makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

The impressive, lavishly decorated auditorium within this Grade 1

listed building was in fact the social hub for the local community.

They built the theatre outside the city walls

so that they did not need a licence from the city council.

Built out here among the pubs and whorehouses,

in the rough area of town. It has always been a people's theatre.

The Theatre Royal was where the posh people went.

The theatre still remains very much in its original condition

despite its conversion into a cinema after the Second World War.

In the '50s and '60s, the theatre went bad,

there was more competition and they

showed sleazy movies here. Which wouldn't be naughty at all, today.

When the building reverted back to its roots as a theatre

in the mid-1970s, new stars were born here.

In the 1980s, it was a famous amateur theatre,

with big amateur musicals of the stage.

People like Ant and Dec started their career here

playing munchkins in The Wizard of Oz.

Perhaps it is Jonathan's time to tread the boards.

To be, or not to be.

That is the question. GROANS

Oh dear. I think you're better off backstage, mate.

So, it's time to get a real sense of how Victorian theatres were run.

What this does, is it enables the stage above

to stage spectacular and extraordinary shows.

What you do is you pull back on this thing here.

-It drops the stage surface.

-Right.

You then pull this back quite violently across here,

taking three or four guys to do so.

And then wind this up and it has got a scene on it,

or it had horses on it, or it had people on it, a whole chorus.

-They all go up.

-Very clever.

Sadly, despite still being in working condition,

this original under-stage contraption

is no longer licensed for use.

And while Jonathan may not be exactly a theatre star,

back up in Jesmond, Philip may be about to shine in his next shop.

-Hiya.

-Hello there.

Is it all right if I have a wander round, please?

Yep. Not a problem.

This place is much more your style, Philip.

Rather random, eh?

You've got a rack of woodworking tools around, I've noticed.

Yes, we've got a few lying around. Do you want us to go and get some?

Can we put all of them on there? Can I have a look at the whole lot?

The whole lot actually involves digging them out of the basement.

-They're over here.

-Will you have a look at those!

-That's Geordie dust, you know.

-Geordie dust!

-Oh! The glamour.

-They're moulding planes, aren't they?

-Yeah.

So you'd get a piece of wood like that,

and you'd run that down there, wouldn't you? And that...

It would be for like a skirting board.

I would guess they're somewhere

-between 1890 and 1920, aren't they?

-Yeah.

Are you a gambling man?

-I'm definitely a gambling man.

-I'll make an offer for the lot.

I've got to be looking at

somewhere between 20 and 30 quid to buy. Is that ideal?

I think we could do a deal on that.

Let's take them all upstairs.

The chaps head back into daylight so Philip can assess

all the woodworking tools, including the rather dusty moulding planes.

I'd like to buy the planes for 25 quid.

It's been a hard week.

Good man! Get in there.

Is there somewhere I could go and give these a bit of a wipe over?

I'll bring this one. I can manage this one.

And the executive can show the way.

Now, Philip's not a man afraid to get his hands dirty,

but he's roped in some helpers.

No woman allowed. Men-only club.

Stop messing around! Get on with it.

You never see Fiona Bruce doing this, you?

Not in a gentlemen's lavatory, you don't.

Fantastic, chaps. Those look all right, don't they?

For £25, they look the business.

Meanwhile, all's not well with Jonathan.

But will something take his fancy here?

I'm looking for a sort of little knickknacks, little bits and pieces.

-Has anything caught your eye so far?

-There's a little table.

-Yes, we can look at that.

-Sure.

-I can show you that.

-This little table here?

-I mean, it's not the most stable, admittedly.

-No.

-I just thought, it's made of mahogany.

-Uh-huh.

It's got a little bit of age, it's early 20th century.

-It's like making stuff when you're children.

-Yeah.

-It's quite fun.

-It is.

You have the princely sum of £25 on there.

And I'm wondering how much...how much I might be able to persuade you?

I'm Scottish. I don't discount that easily and it's discounted.

-If you're Scottish, you paid very little money for it.

-Cheeky!

-But it's working.

-Let's go upwards from where you start.

-Make me an offer.

-Steady.

I'm going to start low

-and then we can haggle upwards, OK? £12.50.

-£12.50?

-That's ridiculous. Come on, higher.

-I wouldn't want to go as far as £20,

so, somewhere under £20.

Have a think about it.

Mm. I'd keep looking, if I were you, boy.

-Oil of a watermill.

-Uh-huh.

-It says £35. Would you take an offer on that?

-I certainly would.

I like buying pictures. They can always surprise you.

Early 20th century.

It's not badly painted.

It needs a clean.

-Yes.

-When it's cleaned, the blue of the sky will come out.

So it's like a little discovery.

The person that buys it, cleans it, see how much it changes it.

I'd only want to pay £15 for it.

Right, put your best offers on the table, then.

I'll do the painting for... 17.

I will...

Come on.

-Take the picture.

-Right.

And leave the table. As much as it pains me.

-I think you're making a mistake.

-I know, of course you do.

I'll do it for 15.

-Go on then.

-Deal. Fantastic, thank you.

Not bad. Her Scottish charms sold you two more items.

Excellent, bye-bye.

Time for the chaps to get back on the road together

and head for more buying.

But of a different kind.

So, reunited,

Philip and Jonathan are heading to a market in Tynemouth.

-What I haven't told you, Phil...

-Yep.

..is the market opens at 10 o'clock in the morning

and it finishes at four o'clock.

-What time's it now?

-It's about two.

-We'd better get on with it.

THEY LAUGH

Fingers crossed, there's something decent left for you to buy.

Let's hope it's an undercover market, too.

-This is just wet.

-Yeah, let's get inside. Come on.

In fact, today's market is actually being held

in the Victorian Tynemouth railway station

and stalls here sell everything from food and plants,

to valuable antiques.

Good luck.

The boys split up. So with only two hours of buying left,

the pressure's on. Go get those real antique bargains, Jonathan.

Hello.

What is he doing?

Rather sweet with little cut buckles.

Victorian.

You wouldn't take, you know... £25 or something for them?

No, I paid more than that for them.

I think I'll say no to that chap.

-You wouldn't sell me a box of toy cars, would you?

-Absolutely.

-For?

-£10?

Call it a fiver.

Call it seven and you've got a deal.

-Call it six.

-OK.

JONATHAN LAUGHS

Thank you very much. Brilliant.

OK, I suppose there is a market for toy collecting.

Philip's also on the prowl for a bargain.

Love those clogs.

They look familiar.

-How old are they?

-Aren't they Victorian?

They've actually been worn.

They've been kitted out with things rubbing up against the heel

-and they're shod and everything.

-They're beautiful.

I'll have them if you sell them for 20 quid.

I can't because I paid 30 for them.

-I'll be back in a minute.

-Right, OK.

Might try to buy them off you for your money back,

but we'll see how we get on.

With nothing else catching his eye,

Philip's mind is still on those clogs

and he's going to offer £30 for them. You watch.

I've got to be quick, I've got a train to catch.

-Look, there you are.

-OK.

-30 quid.

-All right.

-I love you, you're an angel.

-Yes.

-You are, you're ever so kind. They're fantastic. I love those.

-Enjoy. They're gorgeous.

-Who would buy these? A doll collector?

No, just, sort of, women who've got, sort of, dresses

and they get little bits to put on.

Can I just say, I've not bought these because I collect dresses,

I have no dresses in my wardrobe.

Huh, the gentleman doth protest too much, methinks.

-Thank you my love, you're an angel.

-Enjoy your day.

Jonathan will be mad that he's bagged those.

What's he up to, anyway?

Hornsea dog.

-Really?

-Two quid.

-Go on then.

-Hey! There we go.

JONATHAN LAUGHS

There you go. Thank you very much.

Five items bought!

And I've spent about, how much, 60 quid. Get in there!

This wasn't exactly the kind of buying I had in mind.

Dear, oh, dear.

I quite like this pair here, to be honest.

A pair of decanters, blown glass, with little...

a nice rib declaration on it. People don't use these things like they used to.

-Ten each.

-A tenner each?

-Yeah, and that's a bargain.

I'll be generous.

-Eight pounds.

-For each.

No, for the two.

SELLER LAUGHS

I'll do 15 for the pair. Just because you're...

you're one of the boys.

Do you know what?

I'm on fire.

If you say so.

15 quid. Thank you very much. OK.

-That's it.

-There we go.

-Shopping complete,

Let's jog our memories on what each expert has bought.

Philip snuffled up five lots - a Royal Worcester plate,

a box of woodworking tools, the Mauchline inkwell,

a Mouseman ashtray and a pair of 19th-century children's clogs

totalling £167.50.

Jonathan parted with only £73 for his five lots -

An early 20th-century painting, a Scottish pottery chair,

a mahogany plywood table, a box of toys,

a pair of glass decanters and the Hornsea pottery terrier.

The loss of time - and what do they make of each other's items?

I think this is really, really interesting now because JP -

he's gone out there and he spent no money, he's clearly

disciplined himself not necessarily to buy his taste what he likes.

He's got a real plan and strategy.

I don't know whether it's going to work or not,

but that's what he set out to do.

The chair, the little chair, I think that's a really interesting lot

and if he hits the right market he could do well with that.

What about the clogs, Jonathan?

-To be honest, I don't really want to talk about the shoes.

-Go on.

Well, you know. I get asked obviously round

to go and soften up the clients

and then he goes on and takes the stuff afterwards.

So I am annoyed, absolutely.

She should have said, "You can't have them."

Oh, Lord. On this leg of their road trip the pair have travelled

from Corbridge to Newcastle Upon Tyne

stopping off in the suburb of Jesmond and then on to Tynemouth.

Their last stop is the auction in the town of Northallerton.

Set between two national parks, Northallerton, the county town

of North Yorkshire, is the largest market town in the district.

Northallerton auctions Ltd are a long-established firm

holding livestock markets and antique sales.

Settle down, everyone. It's auction time.

-Here we go, here we go.

-Crikey.

First up, Philip's Royal Worcester blush ivory plate.

Start me £20, straight in.

10 bid, £10 only bid. 10 bid all out.

Little money for a good bit of Royal Worcester.

At 10 only bid, 12 off the rail, at £12, 12, 12, selling at 12.

That's done well, then.

Whoopsy! That supposedly safe buy hasn't paid off.

Now for Jonathan's early 20th-century painting of a mill.

Start me £50 for it straight in. 50? 30?

Well, 20, for a start. 10 bid...

You've got a bidder there.

15... Keep going, keep going.

At 15, 18 bid, little money at 18.

Only bid all out in the ring now. At 18. At 18 bid, at £18.

And selling at 18.

I have worked it out, you know, that the less he sells stuff for,

the less commission you have to pay. That is the one bonus.

Ooh! After commission's deducted, that's not even a profit.

Let's hope Philip's box of woodworking tools serve him well.

-30 bid. At £30.

-A fiver a plane.

50, 55, all out in the ring.

60, 70, 70 bid? I'll take five. At 70 bid.

Only 70 bid, £70 and selling at 70.

-That's a bit of a relief.

-Good man, well done.

A classic Serrell.

Dusty lot turned him in a handsome profit.

Another of Philip's items,

the Mauchline Ware horse hoof and jockey cap inkwell.

Quite a bit of interest in this. £40 for a straight in? 30 bid. £30.

See, that's a result.

58. 50. All out in the ring now. 55.

60, 65, 65 with me.

I'll definitely take that.

Are you all done and finished at 65?

Ah, Philip.

-You're good at this, aren't you?

-No, lucky.

Lucky, lucky, lucky.

Well, that trotted out at the auction, didn't it?

Next is Jonathan's mahogany plywood table.

The occasional table. Where will you start me? £5?

5, 10, 15, 20, 20 with me on the rail.

Flabbergasted.

I'm going to cry because it's more than my Worcester plate.

At £20 only bid at 20, and selling at 20.

And he's elated with his first decent-ish profit.

-I've made profit overall so far.

-Don't rub it in.

Up now is the Mouseman ashtray, bought for £45 by Philip.

-£20 for it straight in.

-Go on.

£20 bid, bid at 20, bid 22, 22, 25, all out in the ring now.

28, 30. 30 I'm bid.

At £30 bid, a harmless price for a good Mouseman piece. At 30.

That failed, then on, didn't it?

Still going.

32, only bid at 32, bid and selling at 32.

Sorry, Phil.

Eek, a loss.

It's time to see how the assorted box of toys goes.

10 bid, at £10.

-Profit, JP.

-Yeah.

-No, no, no. Come on.

-12.

15. 15 bid.

At 15, only bid at 15.

Take 18 where? At 15, bid and selling at 15.

-Well done, mate.

-Steady, great.

I like your positive attitude.

-You're racing away.

-I am.

Uh-oh, it's Philip's pair of 19th-century children's clogs next.

-Don't look, Jonathan.

-Bit of interest in these.

Start me £50 straight in. 20 bid.

I have £20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45.

All out in the ring now at £45. 45 bid. 48.

48 with me. At 48 I am bid. At 48 I am bid. Are you all done...?

And 50. 50 bid. Take two.

50 I am bid. 52. 52. 52.

54, 56, against you on the rail, 58 I am bid. At 58 I am bid, 60.

At 60 against you. 60 against you, try another one.

At 60 I'm bid and selling at £60.

-How about that, eh?

-So, if you'd have bought those,

you would have made a tenner profit.

I didn't want to make a tenner profit,

I wanted to make £30 profit, Philip.

You owe me commission for my services.

They were a very clever buy, Philip.

Next, the rather random lot of a pair of glass decanters

and the Hornsea pottery terrier.

-A fiver for them.

-He's got confidence in them, hasn't he?

Three, three, five, five bid.

-At five, eight, eight against you, 10.

-go on.

12. 12 with me.

15, someone 15, come on!

£12, 12 bid and selling at 12.

So, where are you now, JP?

Oh, Philip, do you know, I'm in the doldrums.

Aha, Philip did warn you, they might not do well.

Last lot, although it's unlikely

the 19th-century Scottish pottery chair will make the profit

that Jonathan needs.

10. 10 bid. At 10, 10 only bid for it,

all out, left or right. Ten only. All out on the rails.

That's only because people don't understand it. Really.

At £10 only for it.

Are you all done and finished at £10?

A dreadful state of affairs!

Oh dear. Ending on a low with a final loss.

I want to go cry.

I can't believe it!

And without stating the obvious, today's winner is Philip Serrell.

So, let's crunch the numbers.

Jonathan started this leg of the trip with £161.90

and after deducting auction costs,

ends today with an even less £150.40.

Philip started with £273.48,

and after auction costs, now has £301.96 p.

No wonder he's smiling.

Oh, JP, where do we go from here?

Look, Philip, YOU made money.

You made money. You did very, very well.

I am still trying to learn here.

I'm sure you'll have better luck next time, Jonathan.

as Jonathan's being somewhat outshone by his rival,

what's his game plan?

I'm going to ignore the fact that I didn't do well in the last auction,

or the one before and I'm going to go in

in my normal haphazard and jovial approach.

Ignorance may not be bliss, Jonathan.

This week's trip sees the chaps travelling 140 miles

from Cockermouth all the way to Wilmslow.

On this leg, they're heading first to the market town of Darlington in the Tees Valley

and eventually on to their auction in Doncaster.

Darlington was originally an Anglo-Saxon village.

The Stockton and Darlington Railway was opened in 1825

and the town is proud to be home of the world's first passenger railway.

And there it is. Ha!

(AS RAILWAY ANNOUNCER) These two passengers are pulling in to their first stop.

Jonathan will alight at Darlington

and Philip will continue on to his first shop.

Mind the gap.

Time for the spending to begin.

-Good morning.

-Good morning, Gordon.

-Jonathan, how are you doing?

-Very well, thank you.

Look at this, isn't is a wonderful place? Jam-packed.

Used to drive a Mini. Nothing like this, though.

-Sorry, I'm skitting around like a grasshopper.

-Maybe Gordon has got an idea.

-Walk this way.

-Like that?!

Ooh, it's an oak bureau with a price tag of £80.

-Nice little thing here.

-From the 19...yes '20s.

-'20s again.

Nice thing, tidy.

Even has a little...

..inside here we've got the manufacturer's tag in it somewhere.

-What does that say, then?

-If you can read it.

-It's made by Lebus.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Nice one.

-I've heard of Lebus. They made a lot of desks.

They did a lot of roll-tops. So made by Lebus.

It's all there. Forget the ticket price.

£35 to you today. I'll be disappointed

if you don't double your money on this in that auction.

-I would take it.

-Did you hear that?

-I did!

-JONATHAN CHUCKLES

How about 25, just to really help you out and take it away?

Do 27 and you've got a deal.

Oh, what the heck.

So one deal down.

But Jonathan quickly has his eye on more furniture.

-This is 19 sort of '60s, '70s.

-About '76.

And the style is... I thought was quite fashionable.

Would you take £20 for them?

I would like to see them going somewhere.

-Put your hand there. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Two lots bought.

Not bad going, he's now bagged a trio of G Plan tables for £20,

as well as the bureau.

Jonathan's buying is under way and Philip's off to his shop in Yarm.

11 miles east of Darlington.

Yarm began to thrive as a town during the Georgian period,

nestled on the south bank of the River Tees,

it has an old-world charm, with its quaint, cobbled streets and historic buildings -

like the 18th-century town hall.

Let's hope the shops Philip's heading to our as appealing as the town.

-How are you my dear, is it all right if I have a look round?

-Probably a good idea.

That might hit the right note. Could be a squeeze, though! Ha.

This is a squeeze box that was made in London in about, what?

About 1891, something like that.

SCREECHING NOTE

Ooh, that's terrible, isn't it?

Clearly it's not just my ears that are tone deaf.

If you look there, there's a paper label

that gives you the maker's mark.

And this is fret cut and the think you want to look at

when you see this is to make sure there is no damages

to any of the frets, which there doesn't appear to be.

You just open it and squeeze it.

If life were that easy, Sandy.

Clearly, my fingers and thumbs are too fat.

How often do you come across these?

And especially complete with box.

And I can do you little deal on that.

-Sandy, you'll have to do me a fantastic deal.

-Well...

-This has been a long time hasn't it?

-It has.

-So you probably want to get rid of this, don't you?

-I do really, yes.

I do.

How did you know it'd been in a long time?

-Was it the dust?

-No, my love, you've got it originally marked up at 195.

Then you've knocked 70 quid off it

and you might have to knock another 70 quid off it and then who knows?

Philip!

-I'm going to have a look upstairs but hang on to that for me.

-OK.

-Thank you, my love.

I like that.

All this is is a little cane picnic hamper.

But I said.. Agh! Cor!

A little cane picnic hamper with a sharp nail sticking out of it!

Gordon Bennett!

I'm going to speak to Sandy and see if I can buy this.

Sandy, have you got your best dealing hat on?

Yes.

I'd like to give you 60 quid for that.

And I'd like to give you 10 quid for that. 70 quid for the two.

How much?!

-Watch my lips.

-My God, she's a strong lady, this one.

-Right.

I was thinking, and I'm really being generous here, 110.

What about if I gave you 80 quid for the two?

90.

-Come on, get your hand out.

-I'll give you 85 for the two. Split difference.

-Go on. Put your hand out.

-Go on, then.

-You're an angel.

-Deal.

-Thank you, my love.

So that works out at £75 for the squeezebox and £10 for the hamper.

Music to everyone's ears.

So the auction's in Doncaster. Doncaster is in Yorkshire.

If I buy Yorkshire produce and put it in there,

some jams and chutneys and cheese.

-That would be unique.

-Off we go.

Sandy, you've been an angel. Love you lots. Speak to you soon.

-And you.

-See you.

-Thank you for everything.

-Thank you, bye-bye.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

Time for a spot of lunch.

This is my best deal, because I'm really hungry.

-I tell you what, are these lobster pots?

-I believe so, yes.

-Really?

They are made out of cane.

Only Philip could find an item for auction in a chippy.

-Um, how much is fish and chips?

-4.90.

So could I buy fish, chips and a lobster pot is, can I do that?

-How much?

-I'll give you £7.50. Fish, chips and a lobster pot.

-No.

-Go on then, how much?

15 quid?

-How much?

-15.

-No, no, no.

I tell you what, this is my best deal, because I'm really, really hungry.

Fish, chips, and a lobster pot, £10 and there is a "but" coming.

-Mushy peas.

-Mushy peas, as well?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. A tenner.

-£10, yeah, mushy peas.

-You're an angel. Thank you so much.

First prize for the most random catch of the day,

a lobster pot for £5.10.

About the same price as the plaice.

And these have got to be the best fish and chips in the north, haven't they?

-You're an angel, thank you.

-You're welcome.

Gosh, I'm feeling hungry now.

It's really good this is.

He's at it again, but with a full tummy.

Philip is now on a mission to fill his hamper.

# Shopping, shopping, shopping

# When mommy takes me shopping #

I'll have some home-made jam, as well.

That's all right. I wanted to buy some Wensleydale, Gromit. Rambler's chutney.

Yorkshire biscuits. That's got be good stuff.

Now, I wonder if there's a Yorkshire beer? Captain Cook.

-I've got to buy that.

-Yes. It would be rude not to.

I've got to be mean on price. Can I make you an offer for this stuff?

You can have a go.

Are you really haggling in a deli?!

-Will a tenner buy that?

-Go on then, seeing as you've asked so nicely.

-Thank you, bye!

-Bye-bye.

So, with a weird and wonderful combination of buys,

time for the boys to get back on the road.

How did your shop go?

-I did three shops.

-You did how many?

-Three.

How did you manage three?

-Well...

-Hang on a minute. You do three times as many shops as me.

This is a conspiracy. There is going to be further investigation into this!

Little does Jonathan know that only one was actually from an antiques shop.

The boys are now travelling 37 miles east of Yarm

to Whitby in North Yorkshire.

It's a fantastic place. I really like it.

Ah, I'm off to see Captain Cook.

Whitby is famed for being where 18th-century British explorer and voyager Captain James Cook

began his life as an ordinary seaman.

Still dominated by its ancient abbey ruins,

Whitby lies at the mouth of the River Esk.

In Cook's time, the port was a centre for shipbuilding and whaling

and, today, a small fishing industry still exists.

Cook is renowned for charting and mapping the Pacific,

New Zealand and the east coast of Australia.

It was this harbour-side house where he started his apprenticeship.

Sophie Forgan, chair of the Trustees of the Captain Cook Memorial Museum,

will take Philip on the journey to this remarkable man.

-Hi.

-Good to meet you.

-I'm Philip. How are you?

-Very well, thanks.

-This is lovely, isn't it?

-Isn't it gorgeous?

-Cook is famous for being an explorer.

-He is.

Like a sort of a latter-day Neil Armstrong, I suppose.

I think that's a good comparison,

because not only did he discover lots of new places,

-he placed them on the map.

-Did he?

-He charted them.

And he charted all sorts of places that had never been charted before,

and he did it so accurately

that they were still using his charts 200 years later.

Time to find out more.

In 1768, the British admiralty wanted to explore unknown territory

and observed the transit of Venus from the Pacific,

which was to be useful for navigation.

They chose Cook to lead the expedition in a Whitby-built ship called the Endeavour.

This was to be his first of three major voyages of discovery across the globe.

-What was Cook's first voyage?

-The first voyage starts in Plymouth.

Yeah.

And they call at Madeira

-and then we swap around to the other side.

-Right.

And they go round Cape Horn and then across the Pacific

until they get to Tahiti.

Then he has secret orders from the Admiralty, which he opens,

and the Admiralty say go and search

for the great undiscovered southern continent,

if there be such a continent, and so he sails south, due south.

Doesn't find anything much,

so he turns westward and they hit New Zealand.

Discovering that it is two islands, not one.

Then they go westward again

and they hit the east coast of Australia,

which no-one had seen before.

Cook embarked on a second exploration

and became the first man to sail around the world

in both directions. But it was his third voyage,

to find the Northwest Passage, that would prove to be his last.

He was killed in Hawaii in a fracas over a stolen boat with the natives.

A misjudgement.

He didn't have enough men with him, he was killed

and committed to the deep, as was normal with sailors,

in Kealakekua Bay in Hawaii.

Cook was stabbed to death by islanders in 1779

and so the man who radically changed our view of the world for ever

was never to sail again.

After a long day,

it's time for Philip to bid farewell to the museum.

Jonathan's also in Whitby and still on the hunt for a bargain.

Will he be able to seek out the truly bizarre?

I'm looking up at this hull of a boat and inside it you've got what

I can only assume is the remains of possibly a steam

or petrol-fired engine, so it would have had a cover and a mast.

People collect these things,

because people who are engineers like to repair these things, make these things better.

I might ask him about that.

This model of a World War II torpedo boat is priced at £85,

but with missing bits, I'm sure there's a deal to be done.

I bet you that is built to scale. Give me £50 and we'll have a deal.

OK. I'm going to be brave

and I'm going to say...

..all right.

Thank you very much.

-I've no idea what it's worth, but I'll say thank you. 50 quid.

-OK, then.

-Great.

That's a bold move for someone who is trailing behind.

Anything else worth a, er, punt?

-I saw the green glass vase with a silver collar.

-This one.

Yeah.

I like this iridescent glass, it's like Austrian glass.

A bit like the Loetz factory.

-That's a word, I remember that one.

-Silver mounting, 1905.

Little bit thin, but the neck's quite good.

I would be happy to offer you

not 10,

not 15,

£18. JONATHAN CHUCKLES

I tell you what, you give me 20 and you can have it.

All right?

What the heck, go on then. I'll take that as well.

Philip's now going for a spot of shopping

just down the road in Sleights.

Much of the small village sits on hillsides

on either side of the pretty River Esk.

Philip's gone to see what Eskdale Antiques have to offer

and immediately he can see that things here are right up his street.

Where else other than the antiques world can you get old quarry tiles

an anchor or a cartwheel?

-Hi, how are you, I'm Phil.

-Hi. Phil Smith.

-Phil, Phil. It's like an echo. How you doing?

All right, thanks.

Philip's absolutely chomping at the bit to buy something here,

just look at all these big, old lumps.

I love that spice box. What I love about that

is in the middle you've got a nutmeg grater and you just grate your nutmeg like that.

Smell that, that's absolutely lovely.

Mm. Spicy.

-Could I have a look at that one?

-Yes.

-How much is it first?

What's the ticket price on it? The ticket price is...

-..30.

-30 quid.

Your pony's head goes in there.

-And then?

-Packed out with straw with leather back to cushion it

and fasten your straps there and then fasten onto the cart behind.

Right. Deal time.

I'll give you 15 quid for that.

Go on, then.

-Have a deal.

-I like that a lot.

Let's just hope somebody in Doncaster has got a pony with no harness for it.

Time to trot on. Trot on!

Reunited, the chaps are off to the seaside town of Scarborough.

I do want to go to the promenade, or whatever it is, in Scarborough.

Let's drive through the promenade first.

There's no point of coming to the seaside and not seeing the sea.

We should buy one another a stick of rock, JP.

Scarborough, known as the Queen of the Yorkshire coast,

is full of attractions.

The historic and dramatic looking Scarborough Castle for one,

but it's been a booming seaside resort for the last 360 years

and is still as popular as ever.

Sadly, there's no strolling beside the seaside for these two.

There's a competition to continue.

Let's hope Philip's last shop looks promising.

-You've got some good things in here, haven't you?

-Lots of things.

-Yeah.

-Just going to look at that fish. Can we get the fish down, please?

-Yes, you can.

-I'll pop it down here.

-Thank you.

Now the first thing we want to do is is there a label on the back?

There's absolutely nothing.

I mean, the big exponent of doing these was a man called Cooper

and Cooper was a great taxidermist.

-Is that some sort of a trout?

-I think it is.

-Is it the old trout?!

-LAUGHTER

But what bothers me is condition.

If you look here, you can just see that he's starting to flake away.

What someone is going to have to do is take this out of its case

and remount it and re-glaze it

and that's going to cost what this thing is worth, really.

Typically, Philip's drawn to the only thing in the shop that's not theirs.

It's being sold for a friend who wants £150 for it.

-Does your man definitely want to sell this?

-Yes.

He doesn't want it back in his house.

I like that and I'd like to buy it off you.

I am worried about condition.

Um, can I give you £40 for it and that's my best?

-Yes, sir.

-You're an angel.

Blimey!

Is Jonathan having similar bargaining power next door?

That conjures up a strong image, doesn't it?

Perhaps that's something I should put in the sale.

Our militaria always tends to, in any sale, whether it's a general or specialist sale,

it always tends to do OK.

It's obviously depicting a battle scene in the Boer War.

That's a Scottish regiment.

It's a colour print, signed and dated in the print as 1900

and this is probably a reproduction not long after that.

What would you sell that for?

-The best I could do today, Jonathan, is a tenner.

-Oh, crikey.

How's that?

-Oof.

-HE LAUGHS

Didn't expect that, did you?

-I'll take it for a tenner.

-Yes?

-Why not?

Jonathan's keeping his last buy under wraps.

So let's jog our memories as to what each expert has purchased.

Phillip bought five lots.

A Victorian squeezebox,

a hamper filled with Yorkshire goodies, a cane lobster pot,

a pony harness and a stuffed fish

totalling £155.10.

Jonathan forked out

a wee bit less than his rival,

£127 for his five items. An oak bureau,

a nest of G-Plan tables,

a model torpedo boat,

a Loetz-style green vase

and a Scottish military print from the 1900s.

Time to get the knives out and find out what they really think.

For me, the Achilles heel in the whole operation is the boat.

Because he paid £50 for that and I just don't see that.

On a bad day, it could really make, I don't know, £15 to £30,

something like that.

For me, I'd be really nervous if I owned that.

Crikey! I mean, Phil's gone off his rocker buying a hamper

and buying some jam from down the road.

For goodness' sake.

On this leg of their road trip, the pair have travelled

from Darlington to Yarm, Whitby, Sleights, Coxwold and Scarborough.

Let's see how their buys fare at auction in Doncaster

in South Yorkshire.

Oh, this must be St George's. Is this a cathedral or a church?

I don't know.

Is Doncaster a city?

I know a man who will tell us. OK, Tim, tell us what it is.

Well, chaps, St George's may look impressive,

but it's a church, not a cathedral,

and Doncaster is in fact an historic market town

founded in AD71 by the old Romans.

Sitting on the River Don, it has a rich horse-racing and railway heritage

and some famous faces were born there,

including Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

Hear we are, this is it. Excellent. We've got a spot just outside.

Tudor Auction Rooms are house clearance specialists

and have been doing business in Doncaster for over 30 years.

I know Jonathan's trailing, but I've got a good feeling in my waters for him about this auction,

which auctioneer George Allen is running today.

Here we go.

First, one of Philip's more randomly acquired items from the fish-and-chip shop.

The cane lobster pot. 5 anywhere? 5 bid. Any advance on five?

Any more? All done. Tenner bid. £10.

-Get in there, George!

-I'll have to sit down.

15 bid. £15. Any more? All out. Done at 15.

If I'd known that, I could have had another portion of chips!

I'm aghast.

He knows what he's doing, our Philip.

A decent profit on the lobster pot.

Second is Jonathan's 1900

Scottish military scene print.

Rather nice. Very collectable. War memorabilia. 5, surely. 5 bid.

Any advance on 5? All done.

7.50 on the book. 7.50 bid.

-Going.

-10 bid.

-Oh!

-12.50.

-Yes!

-15.

£15 bid. Have you all done? At £15.

-There you go.

-That's cheap.

Yes, it's a couple for me.

Ha. Not a bad buy. The print served him well.

Next is Philip's pony hame.

Highly collectable, ladies and gentlemen. 5 bid.

Any advance on 5? 10.

15. 20. 5. 30.

£30 lady's in at 30. 35. New bidder. 40 bid.

£40 bid.

£40 bid. I'll take 2.50, if it will help you.

42.50 is back in. 45.

45 bid. All done at £45.

-The drinks are on you tonight, Phil.

-They certainly are.

Another profit for Philip and mine's a Campari and soda.

Next, Philip's been at it again. It's a bad case of stuffed fish. Ha.

10 bid. £10. Any more?

15, 20, 5, 30, £30, still cheap.

-£30 bid. Any advance on 30? 2.50, if you like.

-It's crashed and burned.

35, she's back in. 37.50.

New bidder. 40 bid.

£40 bid. Any advance on 40? Have you all done? At £40.

No complaints at all.

I'm quite happy now. You can give the rest away.

Minus commission, the fish floundered and was actually a loss for Philip.

Now for Jonathan's Loetz-style green vase.

10 bid. £10 bid. 15 bid. 20 bid. 25, 30 bid.

35 bid. 35 on the side.

35 bid. Any advance on 35? Still cheap is this.

-35 bid.

-It is cheap, it's a great vase.

-Any more? All done.

42.50.

At £42.50. Another chance.

At 42.50.

Go on, go on!

-That's all right, JP.

-Yeah.

-So after commission that's...

I'm on the way back!

You'll need a bit more than that to put you in the lead, Jonathan, or even to get you back

to where you started. Oh, dear.

It's time to see if anyone's in the mood for a picnic.

It's going to be red-hot tomorrow. It's the picnic basket

and it is full.

5 anywhere? 2 bid. £2 bid. £6 bid.

He's going to work the room.

8 bid on the front row. Any advance on 8, have you all done?

10. Very cheap that. That jam must be worth 20! 10 bid.

You buy it, George!

Any more? A bit of cake, as well!

12 bid. 14. We're getting better.

16. 18.

18 bid, we've got her. Any more? Done at 18.

See you down by the riverside.

-He did really well.

-Tell you what, old George works them well, doesn't he? Bless him.

Maybe so, but you still made a loss, Philip.

Aha. It's the 1920s Lebus oak bureau up now.

10 bid. £10 bid. 15.

20. 25.

-25 bid.

-Keep going.

25, 7.50. 20, please? 30 bid.

£30 bid. £30 bid. Any advance on 30? Have you all done?

-At £30. 43.

-Oh, goodness.

So what are the tables going to make now?

They've got to make about £100 for me go in a profit, I think!

Well, it's not over yet, Jonathan.

So let's see what his nest of 1970s G plan tables make.

£10 bid Any advance on 10?

That is ridiculously cheap.

Are you sure? 15 bid. 20 bid.

Lady's in at 20. 25 bid.

25 bid. Any more?

All done at £25.

-Good night.

-You were hard done by. I'll shake you by the hand.

You were hard done by, old mate.

He was a bit. Not a whopping profit when he needs it most.

Time for Philip's rosewood concertina to face the music.

30, 40, 50.

60. 70. £70 bid, lady's in at 70.

£80. 90, 100.

£100 bid. £100 bid.

110. 120.

130.

130. The yellow cap in at 130.

140. 150.

-£150 bid.

-I feel a bit better, JP.

-Are we all done?

At £150.

JONATHAN CLAPS

Well done, George.

You doubled your money, Phil.

And that's a fantastic profit for Philip.

He's got a hard act to follow.

Last, but by no means least,

Jonathan's slightly incomplete model boat.

This is a rather nice craft, ladies and gentlemen(!) A gunboat.

5 anywhere on the gunboat? 5 bid. Any advance on 5?

7.50 can I see? 7.50 bid. Lady's in at 7.50.

-A lady's going to buy it.

-Interesting project. 10 bid.

£10 bid. 12.50 new bidder. 13.50 bid.

13.50, have you all done?

At £13.50.

I don't quite know what to say now, JP.

LAUGHTER I'll go down with my ship.

SPLASH!

And he's sunk. Ha-ha.

GURGLE!

So, with that final lot, it's safe to say

it's a hat-trick for Philip Serrell,

who has now won his third auction on the trot.

Jonathan started this leg of the trip with £140.40

and, sadly, after auction costs,

ends today with even less, £126.70, to be precise.

Oh, dear.

Philip started with a healthier sum, £301.96.

But even minus commission, has increased that even further

and now has a decent £366.62.

Steady Eddie.

Surely now it's time for Jonathan to change tactics.

Have you got a plan for the next leg?

Um, as always, Philip, my plan is to have no plan.

-That's good enough, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Just get in the car and drive.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd