Episode 9 Antiques Road Trip

-It's the nation's favourite antiques experts.

-All right, viewers?

-With £200 each, a classic car,

and a goal, to scour Britain for antiques.

I'm on fire. Yes!

Sold. Going, going, gone.

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

-50p!

-There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

-You've had it a while, haven't you?

-Will it be the high road to glory,

or the slow road to disaster?

-Ooh! Ooh-hoo!

-Oh, no.

This is The Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

On this Antiques Road Trip,

two esteemed auctioneers are battling for fortune.

There's always that element of luck that's involved,

-James, and that's what makes it fun as well.

-Yes.

Anita Manning is a gabby Glasgow gal

with an eye for quality and nerves of steel.

Look.

Ah, argh!

-JAMES LAUGHS

-Most of the time. Ha.

Whilst James Lewis is a doughty Derbyshire dandy,

always keen to take a goggle at a potential bargain.

JAMES LAUGHS

Perfect for a classic car.

Scary.

Both our game gavel-meisters started this road trip with £200.

So far, Anita has managed to leverage her lolly

up to a respectable £439.32.

But James is in the lead.

His wallet positively overfloweth.

He begins this leg with a whopping £971.94.

Well, I never did.

Today, they're driving a bonny blue beauty, the 1969 Volkswagen Beetle.

You know, James, I'm quite...

happy to be driving through these Devonshire lanes.

It's quite exciting, you never know what's coming round the corner!

Their concern is it's you!

-JAMES LAUGHS

-Very good, James.

On this whole road trip, they began in Oxfordshire

and will tour the sunny southern counties of England,

before ending up in grand old smoky herself, London.

On today's leg, they're dawdling through delicious Devon,

beginning in the city of Exeter

and aiming for auction in the small town of Chudleigh.

-Now, James, we've travelled a long way.

-We have.

They're just arriving in Exeter.

Devonshire's handsome county town

seems a lively place to start their day,

but it looks like James has nodded off.

Tut, tut.

Wakey-wakey, James. Wakey-wakey.

-Ah...

-ANITA LAUGHS

This is just too nice. What a lovely day.

Oh, blimey.

Oh...

-It's too nice for antique shopping.

-No, no. Mind on your work, on you go.

Quite right, Anita.

-OK, I'll head this way.

-Bye.

-Have fun.

Anita's on her way to her first shop of the day, Otto Retro,

where resides the very dapper dealer, Lewis.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-I'm Anita.

-Nice to meet you.

-And I love your shop.

This shop specialises in 20th century retro pieces,

quirky items which appeal to Anita's wild side.

Stand by.

-It's 20th century, it vintage, it's kitsch, it's fun.

-Mmm.

-It's interesting.

-It's interesting, it's interesting.

And she soon found something which packs a stylish punch.

This, despite the fact that it looks a wee bit scruffy

is a very romantic item.

It's a suitcase, probably from the early 20th century,

1910, 1920 and it's a bit of leather, that's good

and these are quite sought after at the moment.

But what I like about this one is we've still our original...

labels on them. Look at this.

We've got one for the Royal Hotel in Windermere,

we've got a French one here.

Bruges...

So, this suitcase has travelled, it's taken someone on their holidays.

Hmm. Ticket price is £60. Lewis will be summoned.

I was just looking at this suitcase

and I fell in love with these wonderful stickers, original ones.

-And below it is another suitcase.

-This is nice.

This one again, probably very, very early 20th century,

sort of '20s, '30s. Probably colonial.

-Made in China.

-Right.

-When China was of quality.

Ticket price on that is also £60, so, £120 for the two.

But I love these. I love these little Chinese tigers.

-I love these.

-It's beautiful, beautiful detailing.

-When you go on your holidays, do you take one of them?

-I do.

You're a man of style.

She's buttering you up, Lewis. Guess what's coming.

I'd like to buy the two of them for about 45 quid.

Crikey, Anita. That would be a discount.

Am I way out there?

-Am I a wee bit out?

-Quite a bit, really. Yeah.

Would 55 buy them?

I really, really couldn't do 55.

I... I think probably the lowest I could really do...

..on two suitcases like that would probably be 80.

-Would 70 buy them?

-Erm...

-75 would.

-It's a deal, Lewis.

-That's lovely.

-Thank you.

I love them to bits.

A good deal at £75 for the two.

This is quite fun.

This is a medical poster, which is

showing the injuries that you can get on ankles and knees.

It's in French, so I don't know what it says.

Medical items are very popular - people like them.

Look at these ligaments and tendons - they're scary.

I think I'll have a go at that.

Ticket price is £25.

Lewis. Lewis.

But, of course, Anita is going to ask Lewis for a discount.

-Poor Lewis.

-Could I buy it for ten?

We would do 12 on it.

-You could do 12?

-Yeah.

-Right. That's a deal. Thank you very much.

So, she's packed her bags and she's off.

Now James is elsewhere in Exeter

and is wandering into McBains Antiques complex,

where he's meeting dealer Aaron.

-Good morning.

-Hello there. Nice to see you.

-You too. How you doing?

-I'm very well. Very well. I'm James.

-I'm Aaron.

Hello, Aaron. You seem a friendly fellow.

Best get browsing, James.

Look out. That's Tilly the shiatsu,

and James has also to meet another member of the family.

My dad Gordon.

-Gordon boss man.

-Gordy. Lordy.

Soon enough, James has spotted someone else he's quite taken with,

though she does seem a little worse for wear.

It's a 20th century shop mannequin, who's taken

a bit of a knock on her bonce.

Ticket price is £80.

I don't think it's her head that needs covering, James.

He's going to make a cheeky offer. Stand by.

Well, she could be something really silly...

-Yeah.

-..like 20 quid or something.

-She can be 40. There you are.

-40.

The damage is still a problem,

but he's having a brainwave.

A wig would do her.

If you can find me a wig, you can have 35.

I do have a big bouffant wig kicking around, I think.

-Have you got one, really?

-I do, yeah. I could go and grab it.

HE LAUGHS

Hang on.

Ah, this is it.

-James wanted it.

-No.

I think I've got one of these somewhere.

You've been to...those 1970s dudes, haven't you?

Hmm. Suits you.

Here we go. I'll give you 35 quid for that.

ALL LAUGH

-We can do it for 35.

-You sure?

The wig for free.

-You've got a deal.

-Thank you very much.

He's got the mannequin and wig together for £35,

and he's soon reflecting on another item elsewhere in the shop.

It's a big two-handle tray.

About 1900 in date.

It's made of copper electroplated with silver.

The fact that the copper's coming through,

some people absolutely hate it, but other people actually like it.

It's known as bleeding.

It's where the copper comes through the Sheffield plate or

the silver plating.

-I can do that for £45, James.

-Hello, puss. What do you think?

Eh?

She's your lucky sign, James.

Could be.

That's Jess, the shop's pussy.

What do you think, Jess?

-Should I buy it?

-Jess says yes.

-I'll give you £30 for it.

-Go on then.

You've got a deal. £30.

On Jess' sage advice, James takes the tray and he's on his way.

Now Anita's back in the Beetle

and driving on to the town of Crediton in Devon.

She's going to spend the afternoon visiting a local collector

who can certainly provide her with some food for thought.

She's meeting food historian

and avid cookery book collector Paul Cleave.

-Hello. Come in.

-Hello, I'm Anita.

-It's lovely to be here.

-Lovely to meet you and welcome.

Well, I love food, Paul, and I know that you have one of the most

wonderful collections of cookery books.

Paul has been a cookbook fanatic since his school days

and has filled his house with a vast collection,

which tell the story of British grub throughout history.

In the modern era, we're beset on all sides by celebrity chefs

releasing cook books,

but this craze dates back further than you might think.

Paul's taking Anita to see a double volume cookbook written

by a chef who revolutionised high-class cooking in the '20s and '30s,

and became one of our first famous foodies.

You've got The Finer Cooking by Marcel Boulestin,

who ran a very smart restaurant in Covent Garden.

Boulestin was a French native who moved to Britain

and had a huge influence on classy dining in the inter-war years.

He even became Britain's first TV chef.

As befits the period, the book Paul has

is Upstairs, Downstairs in cookbook form.

It was published in two volumes - one for the lady of the house

and the other for her cook.

There is no need to ask which one is which.

BOTH LAUGH

So, what's happening here is they're trying to bring

the aristocratic lady, or the middle-class lady, into the kitchen.

That's right. So, she'd known what was going on.

She could issue orders to the cook to prepare a particular menu.

What other information is in the lady's book?

Details, really, of menu composition, the wines, the foods,

what was in season at a particular time of year,

everything that she would need to know.

The background to her menu and successful entertaining.

While the volume for below stairs was rather more practical.

And the cook would refer to that one.

That's right, and she would refer to that very well used,

very well worn, gravy-spattered copy.

As the decades moved on towards the Second World War,

British food continued to evolve.

Really, the story of feeding Britain in the Second World War

relied hugely on the role of women.

Women at home making the best of very, very limited ingredients.

They were very important in keeping the morale of the country up

through interesting food.

And Paul has an item which proves that women, in all tiers of society,

were involved, even at the very highest echelon.

Ah! So, what have we got here?

Well, here, just before the outbreak of the Second World War,

a story about Princess Elizabeth.

Now the Queen, of course.

Princess Elizabeth learns to cook,

and apparently she was given lessons by the chef at Buckingham Palace,

and was interested in her cookery lessons.

She made cakes, which were given as gifts to

children as treats in distressed areas.

And the gifts bearing the statement,

"This cake was made by Princess Elizabeth."

God bless her. But this subject seems to be getting to Anita.

All this talk about food and recipes has made me a wee bit hungry,

and something smells good in here.

Ah! What a treat.

Paul's cooked up some of his favourite dishes from his books.

Paul, this is a lovely, lovely feast.

Ah! And this is all Devon fayre.

All from Devon, the West Country and the books.

Hmm. Lashings of lovely grub.

Don't dally too long, Anita. There are still buys to be found.

Ooh, she likes a scoff.

Meanwhile, James is still back in Exeter

and strolling off into Exeter Vintage Warehouse.

All right, mate?

I don't think everyone's as keen on that hat as you are, James.

He's meeting dealer Simon.

-Hello there.

-Hi. How are you doing?

-Nice to meet you.

-I'm James.

-Hi, James.

It's quite a big place.

It is all yours? Is it...?

There's 3,5000 square feet here, James,

and it's pretty much all down to me.

Blimey, Simon. You've got some ground to cover then, James.

Best get on the prowl, mate.

I love this sort of piled-up stuff.

Fingers crossed there might be something here.

And in a flash, he's found a group of items that take his fancy.

How about your cases?

More luggage? After Anita's buys this morning, eh? Golly.

Well, they're quite sought after, but I can do you a deal.

Shall we get them down and have a look?

It's a collection of four pieces of vintage luggage,

two gentleman's suitcases, a lady's suitcase

and a bag in a style known as a Gladstone.

They all date from between the mid-19th century and to around 1920.

James would possibly like to buy them all as one lot,

but what can Simon do on the price?

You can see they've been there a while from the dust.

Blimey.

How about all four?

100 quid. 80 if it helps you.

-60?

-I can't.

On a bad day, they could make 50 quid.

So, how about 65?

Erm...

-75.

-That is a fair price.

-It is.

-Right. Let me think.

Now, though that's a great deal from Simon,

he's still not sure he can turn a profit on them as auction,

so he's browsing on.

HE LAUGHS

Perfect for a classic car.

And after a thorough scout about, he's heading outside,

where Simon is relaxing with his partner's children Oliver and Tegan.

That's quite fun.

Is that Egyptian, do you think?

-I'm not sure.

-Your tea table.

Honestly, James.

Let these nice people have their tea break in peace.

The table at which they're eating is brass topped

and decorated in the Egyptian style.

Isn't that Simon good-natured about having his coffee break hijacked?

Lovely man.

We could do that for 30 quid.

-It should be 30 quid, shouldn't it?

-It's worth that all day long.

James is also still keen on the collection of luggage.

He's going to make a final offer.

So...60 for the luggage and 20 for the table. How about that?

-Is that all right?

-It's a deal.

-You've got a deal. Brilliant.

-Thank you. Well...

-I guess we have to clear it now. Do we?

I'm afraid so, but James has spotted something else of Simons he likes.

You'll be lucky if you have your shirt on by the end of this, Simon.

That is wonderful!

I use it just to scare the customers with.

I usually put it under a chest of drawers and, while they're looking,

we turn it on. Out comes the spider.

I just thought, for Anita, that would be perfect.

Simon is generously going to allow James to take the spider away,

not for auction, just for a little planned devilment

when he catches up with Anita. Honestly, James.

This rare breed of arachnid is now known as spider Jamesus Lewisus.

Yes!

And with that tomfoolery, it's the end of their day. Night-night.

But nothing can keep bargain hounds of this

calibre off the road for long.

Morning greets them back in the car and bickering, as usual.

For goodness' sake, woman, you're going to kill us!

Oh, calm down, James.

Yes, James dear, calm down. Calm down.

So far, Anita's spent £87 on two lots - the two suitcases

and the French medical chart.

Whilst James has been positively profligate by comparison,

spending £145 on four lots -

the cross-legged mannequin, the silver plated tray,

the Egyptian-style table

and his own job lot of luggage.

They're driving along the Devon coast.

James, I love this south coast and I really, really,

really love the seaside.

-The seaside brings out the wild child in me.

-Does it?

-Yes!

Crikey Moses. They're heading towards the Torquay area.

The capital of the so-called English Riviera,

Torquay is one of Britain's best-loved seaside resorts

and Anita's dropping James off here.

-There we are, James. This looks lovely.

-Doesn't it? Very nice.

We'll come back to you shortly, James.

Anita is motoring onwards to Ashburton,

another pretty little Devonian town.

Anita's aiming for Etcetera Antiques,

where dealer Rob is ready to greet her. Hello, Rob.

-Hello, I'm Anita.

-Hi, Anita. I'm Rob.

-Nice to meet you.

-It's lovely to be here.

Soon enough, Anita's alighted on an unusual little something.

-That comes off.

-Careful now.

I think it's a ruler. Not to measure, but to actually rule lines.

Sometimes they're made of ebony and I think it's one of those, personally.

I quite like it.

Ticket price is £15.

What I'd like to pay for that is very, very, very little.

Is that sounding...?

We're somewhere close because I want to get very, very, very much,

-so we're not that far away, are we?

-Not that far away.

Good, good, good. Can that be bought for a fiver?

Erm...

No. BOTH LAUGH

We can get somewhere near if you buy something else, maybe.

OK. Well... I actually don't think

that I'd have a great deal of difficulty

with that because I've spotted something else that I like.

Lead on, Anita.

The other thing that drew my attention was this female bust here.

I quite like the image.

She's a...

An artistic lady, maybe from the early part of the 20th century.

This bohemian babe is priced up at £30.

Erm, is she...? Is she bronze? Can I have a wee look?

Unfortunately, she's not bronze.

She's actually a plaster.

Oh, yeah.

It's not bronze price, so that's an advantage, isn't it?

Music to Anita's ears then.

I would not be wanting to pay a lot of money for that either.

I guess we're coming to the haggling bit again.

-Is this...? Are we coming to the haggling bit?

-It felt like it to me.

I like you, Rob.

Could that be bought for a tenner? And that bought for £5?

Erm, I don't think I can go down that low.

Being incredibly generous -

I'm not known for my generosity, to be honest with you...

-I don't believe that.

-..we're going to go for £20 for both bits.

-Do you think I'll make a profit?

-Erm...

I mean, I don't need to make a big profit,

but I don't want to lose anything.

-No.

-But I don't want to upset you either.

I want you to be happy when I walk out the door.

-I'll be very happy when you walk out the door.

-Touche, Rob.

OK. I think £20. I can't get you down any further, can I?

-No.

-No, can't. Well, let's just go for a deal.

I'm happy with that. I like both of these items.

Excellent. Rob stands firm at £20 for them

and Anita's got another two items bagged.

James is back in Torquay, where he's going to spend the morning

exploring the subterranean wonder

of a world-class archaeological site.

Hello, there.

Hi, I'm Nick. I'm the owner of Kents Cavern and we're here to show

you around the caves and find some exciting stuff in there.

This is a large cave complex with a truly ancient history.

-Right. Watch your head here. Just...

-Oh, wow.

The stalactites and stalagmites of these limestone caves

are a time capsule of ancient life,

which were formed over hundreds of thousands of millennia.

Human beings have occupied the warm sheltered caves for many

thousands of years.

The caves were first systematically excavated in the 19th century

and yielded up countless archaeological finds,

which shed light on the early history of man

and continue to astound scientists to this day.

The earliest sort of modern finds in the caves are actually Roman coins,

so the Victorians, when they were excavating the caves,

found these coins. So, we know that they...

The Romans were here. So, that was about 2,000 years ago.

And then, coming right through history,

there's evidence of people using the caves.

But it wasn't till the 1820s when a Roman Catholic priest,

a chap called Father John MacEnery,

started to discover something very, very strange about the cave.

And he was finding bones of extinct animals,

mammoths and woolly rhinos and sabre-toothed tigers,

lying side-by-side next to stones that had been shaped by some

kind of intelligent being.

This intelligent being was of course a human.

At the time, it was popularly supposed that human history

stretched back only a few thousand years,

but MacEnery's discovery showed that people had

been around for very much longer than that.

His finds led to the cave being carefully excavated in the 19th

and 20th centuries.

Today, the cavern is recognised as one of the most important

archaeological and paleontological sites in Britain.

Don't try saying that too quickly.

Nick's taking James to see a copy of a find that has only recently

revolutionised our understanding of early man.

-This was discovered in Kents Cavern.

-In the 19th century?

In the 1920s. This is... Well, it's a copy.

..of the oldest piece of human bone found anywhere in Britain,

and it's a piece of human jaw bone.

In the last few years, new scientific analysis

of the specimen has suggested that the jaw bone is more than 40,000 years old.

While Nick has a copy, the real thing is nearby in Torquay Museum.

It's about 42,000 years old.

Just to put that into perspective.

If we think of Stonehenge, for example.

Stonehenge is about 5,000 years old.

This discovery suggests that modern humans were living in Britain

much earlier than was previously though.

It's the oldest human bone in the whole of northwestern Europe,

comes from Torquay, which is pretty extraordinary, really.

-Isn't it just?

-So, that's...

-Incredible.

Almost 200 years after MacEnery's finds,

the cavern is still offering up the secrets of our ancient

Stone Age past.

Do you know? It's been absolutely fantastic. I've had a great time.

I really enjoyed it. Thank you very much.

One last request. Show me the way out...

-because I'm totally lost.

-It's over here, James.

-Thanks very much.

-This way.

-Thank you.

Now don't get lost, James.

People tend to get stuck down here for quite a long while.

Elsewhere in the fine county of Devon,

Anita's driven on to the town of Bovey Tracey.

-Hello, Anita.

-Hello.

-How lovely to meet you.

-And you as well.

This shop incorporates a little tea room.

-Hello, girls.

-Are you having a lovely time, ladies?

ALL: Yes.

Anita has a plan this afternoon.

She's decided that she'd like to find some jewels.

I'm continually drawn to jewellery cabinets

because I love jewellery and I like buying it.

And I like to see a selection like that.

I'm going to ask Tina

if she has any little groups of jewellery behind the counter.

Might Tina have any hidden treasures which haven't been put on display?

Tina.

Yes, Anita.

I've been looking in your jewellery cabinet here.

I wondered if you had anything behind the counter,

anything that's fresh in.

-I have a hidden little box I might be able to show you.

-Yes!

SHE LAUGHS

Ah! Now this is what I call very exciting.

I'll get my wee glass out.

Anita's selecting a little group of rings -

two nine-carat gold pieces, a gold and platinum ring

and a 22-carat wedding band.

All of these items bear some damage or a little tired in style.

She's aiming to build up a lot that might appeal to a scrap gold dealer or a rag and bone man.

And you're dealing with gold, which you know has to be recycled,

and I sometimes think that that is a wonderful aspect

of our business...

-Yes.

-..in that we are the original recyclers.

I'd like to make an offer on that little group.

I'd like to be paying £25 on that wee lot.

-You're happy at that?

-Yeah.

-That's great.

-That's what I had in my mind.

-Is that what you had in your mind?

-Yes.

What a team we would make.

Indeed. Anita's happy with the lot of gold rings

she thinks might sell for scrap,

but she's spotted a broach fashioned of a non-precious yellow

metal that she'd also like to throw into the lot.

This is not for scrap. I think it's cos she just likes it, to be honest.

-See this wee thing here?

-Yes.

-If we put that in with it.

-30.

You're a very decisive woman.

You are, Tina.

Let's go for £30 AND let's shake on that again.

Thank you very much.

And with that, Anita has all her buys for auction.

Now James is back in the Beetle and he's got some company.

I'm not quite sure how to break the news

to Anita that she's been replaced.

He's hatching a plan to return to Exeter,

if he can figure out how to get there.

Erm, excuse me. Hi.

You couldn't tell me the right way to Exeter, could you?

-Go up to the top of the junction.

-I do apologise.

-That's quite all right.

-She's showing a bit too much.

-Turn right.

-Yeah.

You need to get down on to the A380.

Thank you, sir. Much obliged.

The windblown look certainly suits you.

So, why exactly are you going back to Exeter, James?

I have a... A little plan.

And that is, the hotel that Anita and I stayed in last night

is littered with odd antiques here and there,

so I had a word with the owner

and she seems rather keen to sell the odd one.

And so back to Exeter.

And to the Gipsy Hill Hotel.

The owner's name is Grace, but she's a little camera shy.

So, James is meeting the duty manager, Thierry.

-Hello there.

-Hello.

-Hi, I'm James.

-Hi, I'm Thierry.

James is hoping that he might find a forgotten treasure amongst

the hotel's knick-knacks and objects.

Remembering the Chinese vase he made a bundle on

in an earlier leg,

James is keen on a pair of 19th century Chinese vases he spotted.

At the moment, these are really doing OK,

so these are quite fashionable.

They're Chinese and they're known as famille rose.

Of course, being French, you'll know - family of pink. Erm...

And we've got warriors and we've got these figures of the Oriental court.

It's got a chunk out of that one.

-On the top there.

-Yeah.

But it's a small... In overall terms, it could be worse.

Oddly enough, there's no ticket price because this is a hotel,

but what will James offer?

It's got one perfect, one damaged.

£100.

-What do you think?

-I'll go and find out for you.

Have a word. Thank you.

Thierry will got and ask the owner if £100 would buy them,

but James is having an uncharacteristic change of heart.

I've come in at 100 because I want to be fair.

Do you know, I think even if he says yes to 100, I think I'm going

to give him a bit more.

150 probably. What do you think?

-She said it's not enough, £100. She said 150.

-Oh, did she?

OK.

I'm going to give you 180.

Gosh. He must be feeling guilty.

That's because it's not a shop, it's not a dealer situation,

so I'm taking a bit more of a risk.

But I'm hoping that they'll do well.

But I want you to feel that it's been fair as well.

James also upped his own offer for the other Chinese

vase on an earlier leg of this trip.

This is a rare thing for me. I'm going to give you 40.

He's making a habit of this.

And he's certainly feeling confident about it.

Thank you. That's great. Thank you very much.

So, both our pair have all their lots for auction.

Anita's caught up with James in Exeter

and they're ready to unveil their hauls.

Anita's up first.

-I want to show you my wonderful pieces first of all.

-Come on.

Uh! SHE LAUGHS

I have a little plaster bust, early 20th century, of an artistic lady

and I thought that that suited us quite nicely.

If you say so.

But I have to say...luggage?

-I know.

-Who buys luggage today?

Er, you do, James.

These are things that cool dudes would buy.

-Cool dudes buy leather luggage?

-Yeah!

You've sold it to me. I now agree with you

that young trendy men buy leather luggage.

Let me show you my lots.

-I'll start with that.

-Oh!

Very droll, James.

A nice pile of leather luggage.

Admit it, how young am I? How trendy am I?

I like these, James.

-These were not owned by a dealer at all.

-Right.

They were in the bar area of our hotel.

-How much?

-£180.

£180. Well...

Worried, Anita?

-So, is that all, James?

-Aha! No.

My star lot. DRUMROLL

Don't look.

SHE LAUGHS

What do you think?

Is that your new girlfriend?

She's called Anita. SHE LAUGHS

-I just thought she reminded me of you.

-Thank you, darling.

-James, take that afro off.

-No.

Take off her wig, so that we can have a look at her bonnie,

bonnie face.

Her bonnie, bonnie face has a big hole in the middle of her forehead.

Of course, James has one last surprise for Anita.

Look.

SHE SCREAMS

-Come on. Come and have a look.

-James, no!

-No, no, no.

-Anita...

-No!

-Come back. Anita...

-No!

BOTH LAUGH

What do they really think of their rival's lots?

His vases. He's playing that old Oriental card again,

and he's found them in the hotel.

My goodness. No place is safe with James Lewis about.

And as for his mannequin. That piece of old junk.

I mean, she might have been a good-looking bird at some point,

but now...

I'm sure she speaks very highly of you, Anita.

So, what do you think?

To the...other one?

The other Anita.

She's not saying.

Anita's things, well, what has she got?

We've got a little ruler, the art nouveau bust.

She's not going to lose anything.

And that gold, my goodness. Guaranteed profit.

On this delightful Devon road trip,

James and Anita began in Exeter

and are now motoring towards

auction in the town of Chudleigh.

And indeed to Chudleigh's town hall,

wherein today's auction will take place.

-Oh, look, it's the town hall.

-Oh, yeah.

Certainly is, Anita.

And presiding over this morning's sale is the auctioneer

Michael Bowman.

Before battle commences, what does he make of Anita and James' buys?

I think my favourite lot is the pair of Cantonese vases.

The showstopper, in a sense, would be the mannequin.

That's the unmissable item.

It reminded me of Phil Lynott from behind.

Hey! I like the cut of your jib, sir.

On this leg, Anita began with £439.32.

She's spent £137 and has five lots in today's sale.

While James began with a budget of £971.94.

He's spent a total of £325 and also has five lots

to show for it.

The sale is about to begin. Oh! The tension.

First up, it's Anita's French medical chart.

Start me at £10 for the chart.

Ten is there? Five if you like.

This medical chart. Five bid, thank you. £5.

At five. At £5.

We'll have one bid at £5. At five.

I'm selling at £5.

-That wasn't a good start, James.

-HE LAUGHS

Not very healthy.

Next it's another lot for Anita,

as her two leather suitcases meet the crowd.

£10 for the two.

-£10.

-£10.

12.

15. 17.

20. At £20.

-Gentleman's bidding in the centre at 20. At £20.

-No!

At 20. In the centre at 20. All done?

At £20.

Slaughtered, James.

20 quid!

Oh, dear.

They're sent packing at a stinging loss.

See if they like yours better, I'm going to burst into floods of tears.

So, with hopes that Anita's mascara is waterproof,

it's James' own lot of luggage now.

Start me at £10 for the lot.

10 bid, thank you. 12.

15. 17.

20. 22.

25. 27.

30. 32

35. 37.

40. 42.

45.

At £45 in the centre seated.

-Well...

-At £45.

Gentleman's bid at 45.

All done? At £45.

Still pretty depressing, isn't it? SHE LAUGHS

Cheer up, James.

Now it's Anita's plaster bust of a bohemian lady.

10 bid, thank you. £10.

At 10.

12. 15.

17. 20. At £20.

Up on the stairs at 20. At £20.

At 20. Up on the stairs at 20. Are we all done?

I'm selling at £20.

Well, that is a tiny, tiny blood transfusion after the blood bath.

A profit. Let's hope this is the lot that changes their fortunes.

Now, will James' silver plated tray shine?

Start me at £10 for the tray.

10 bid. 12.

15. 17.

20. At £20.

Back of the room standing at 20.

-What?

-£20.

-No way!

-It's not good.

25. 27.

30. 32.

35. At £35.

Back of the room now at 35.

Gentleman's bid standing at 35.

All done? At £35.

It does scrape a small profit,

but he'll have to pay auction costs on that.

Now the lot that made such an impression on Michael

the auctioneer - it's the bewigged mannequin.

At 10.

Is there 12 anywhere? At £10 for this mannequin.

12. 15.

17. 20. At £20.

-Go on.

-On the stairs there, 20.

At £20.

At 20. Up on the stairs at 20. We're all done?

At £20.

Oh!

Surprise, surprise - no-one else likes it as much as James does.

Anita's cylindrical ruler is next.

Will it draw a straight line to a profit?

10 bid, thank you. At £10.

At 10. 12.

You're in profit. £12.

15. At £15.

-Trebled your money.

-15. Back of the room now at 15.

15. On my left at 15. Gentleman's bid at 15.

Are we all done? I'm selling at £15.

That does rule in her favour.

Now it's James' Egyptian-style brass top table.

20 bid, thank you. At £20.

And five, may I say? At £20.

Are we all done then at £20?

At £20. I'm selling if there's no further bids at 20.

-All done?

-No way.

At £20.

LAUGHTER

No need to throw your toys out of the pram, James.

It was a ghastly thing. Although that is a loss after costs.

-Bad boy.

-HE LAUGHS

Now it's Anita's job lot of gold rings,

along with a yellow metal broach.

James fancied it. Will the punters?

20, is there? 20 bid, thank you.

25. 35. 40.

Five. 50.

Five. 60.

-65.

-It's climbing.

100. 105.

110. 115.

And climbing.

140.

And 140. Are we all sound at 140?

At £140.

A very nice profit pulls Anita back from the brink.

NARRATOR WHISTLES

-Wow.

-£140.

-Well done.

Now it's James' moneybags purchase,

two Chinese vases privately bought from a hotelier.

At £50. 60.

70. 80.

90. 100.

-110.

-It's getting there, James.

130. 140. 150.

160. At 160.

-On the landing at 160.

-No.

No, no, no.

Don't panic, James.

-Don't panic.

-I'm not panicking.

180. 190.

200. 210.

-Telephone's still in.

-220.

It's got legs, this one.

320.

340.

360.

SHE WHISPERS

380. 400.

-(400.)

-Well, that's what I thought they should make.

It's gathering momentum.

420. 480.

500.

That's good now.

520.

540.

At 560.

At 560 and I'm selling.

At £560.

(Yes!)

Jeez!

Look out! He's more than trebled his money on that one.

Well...

It's been a very odd day.

Certainly has been an odd day.

Still, there we are.

Anita started this leg with £439.32.

After paying auction costs, she holds a small profit of £27 exactly,

giving her £466.32 to carry onwards and upwards.

Whilst James began with £917.94.

He made a smashing profit of £232.60, giving him

a whopping £1,204.54 cash in hand.

Oh, James, that was a bit of a rollercoaster ride.

Wasn't it just?

That's all it needs - one star lot.

-Come on.

-Thank you.

So let's hope there will be some more star lots on the next leg.

Drive on!

On the next Antiques Road Trip, Anita takes to the saddle.

It would probably take my weight.

SHE LAUGHS

And James encounters some wild beasts of his own.

There's a bird sitting on a cat's head - that's bonkers.

Subtitles By Red Bee Media Ltd