Syd Little Cash in the Celebrity Attic

Hello! Welcome to Cash In The Celebrity Attic,

the show that finds treasures in the homes of the well-known

and helps sell them at auction, all for a good cause of their choice.

Today, we're in Lancashire, not far up the coast from Blackpool,

and I'm on my way to meet a supersonic comedian who was once part of a famous double act.

With his distinctive glasses, he cut a slender figure next to his rather more robust partner.

Have you guessed who it is yet?

Today's famous guest is the comedian Syd Little, born and bred in Blackpool,

and one of the county's most famous residents.

Born Cyril Mead 1942, he's best known for his partnership with Eddie Large.

Winning the talent show Opportunity Knocks changed their lives, and neither of them has looked back.

These days, Syd flies solo, and he still performs on TV, cruise ships and in pantomime.

He married Sheree in 1972, and they have a son called Dominic.

Coming up on Cash in The Celebrity Attic, Syd shows that he still has what it takes.

# Well, I woke up this morning

# I felt so erotic

# My house had been invaded by those people from Cash In The Attic. #

He's used to being the straight man.

As you can see, it is very flattering, isn't it? Yes.

But will he have the last laugh at auction?

Hands up all those who thought I was dead.

LAUGHTER

Find out when the hammer falls.

-Good morning, Jennie.

-Hi! You ready for it?

Joining us today with over 20 years' experience in the antiques trade is our expert, Paul Hayes.

Syd's wife Sheree will be helping at us out, too.

-Oh, hello.

-Hello, nice to see you.

-You must be Sheree.

-I am, yes.

-Do you mind if I make a start?

-No, not at all.

-Great.

-We'd better find Syd. Is he lurking somewhere?

-He'll be hiding somewhere, yes. OK.

Found him, here he is.

-Hello.

-Hi, how are you? All right?

-Are you hoping to get out of the programme, or something?

Yeah! Well, this is my little den. This is my little retreat.

-When I get told off, I come in here.

-Oh, right!

-How often do you send him in here, then?

-Oh, often!

-As you can see, I've got a lot to do.

-You're building boats?

-Yes, model boats, that's one of my hobbies,

apart from playing guitar and singing, which became my job, of course.

-Have you got lots of bits and pieces around the house? Are you collectors?

-BOTH: We're hoarders!

We are, yes. Many years together, we're definitely hoarders, yeah.

-Good.

-So this is a good excuse to get rid of everything.

-Yeah.

-So what are we going to be raising money for today?

-For Alzheimer's.

My best friend's father has it, he's in a nursing home, so it's very close to my heart.

-Well, both of us, isn't it?

-Mmm.

-And what target do you think you'd like to set? How much could we make?

-Well...what?

-500?

-Yeah.

-£500.

-We're not looking big. Little, not large.

Hey! First crack of the day, wey-hey!

Let's hope it's the last.

Brilliant, £500, then, for Alzheimer's.

Great cause, good target, let's get rummaging.

£500 sounds a very fair target for a cause that's so close to their hearts.

This 1930s house has been the Littles' home for ten years.

They share it with their son Dominic and Sheree's parents.

They're all rather modest about what they call their clutter around the house, but to an expert like Paul,

the Littles' life laundry contains much of value.

-So what's this, one of your favourites?

-This one, actually,

although it looks newish, I've had it a few years.

But this went to Australia with me. I did the QE2, and I do a lot of cruise ships now.

I would never do it again. I went on the QE2 for four days,

but I had to travel to Australia to pick it up. Ohh!

-It took me a fortnight to get over it.

-It's a long way.

-It is, yeah.

-So you do a bit of a song and dance act?

Oh yeah, guitar, jokes... Anything, really. Just to get through a 45-minute spot.

This is a Yamaha Pacifica. This is a range that Yamaha came up with in the 1990s,

but they originally started making reed organs in the 19th century.

They've made motorcycle parts, electronic items,

but now they're one of the biggest producers of musical instruments.

There's a big following, actually, they're quite a cult item. You haven't got an amp?

-Yeah, but it's an old one, yeah.

-Would that be able to go with it? Just to give it a chance.

-Brilliant idea.

-It's a complete package then.

-Good idea.

-I'd think that's very saleable.

-If you could sign it, I think that would help,

and if you had an amp, somebody starting out, it's a wonderful thing to have.

I mean, if I said £70-£100, that sort of price?

Yeah, that's fine, that's fine.

-OK, that's a deal. That's a good start.

-A done deal.

-We've got to the rest of the house to rummage, though, so come on, put that down, no time for playing.

-OK.

Syd may have been the most self-effacing of the Little and Large partnership,

but he was never timid when it came to music,

and he's hoping there'll be someone out there waiting for the chance to earn a signed, supersonic guitar.

As we divide our efforts across the many nooks and crannies,

Sheree leads Paul to a corner that's arguably the most tempting.

-There's a few bits here.

-Now, then, these are beautiful.

-This salad bowl here, I mean, can that go?

-No.

-No?

-Too precious. That was my grandfather's, he won that for running.

-He was a runner. It's too precious.

-So that's come down the family?

-Yes.

OK. Well, I must admit, my favourite item here has to be this.

Now, this has a special name. Do you know what it's called?

-Tantalus.

-Do you know why they're called a tantalus?

-Well, it was in the old days.

-They had a key and would lock them so the servants couldn't drink them.

-Exactly. It used to tantalise you.

-That's right.

-But Tantalus comes from Greek mythology.

You know more than I do!

He was punished by the gods and was submersed up to his neck in water,

with fruit trees around his head, and every time he reached for some fruit, the branches would recede,

and every time he went to drink the water, the water would recede, so he was poor Tantalus.

But typically, late 19th century, early 1900s, these items were everywhere. They were important.

The one thing that does detract them nowadays is the fact that,

because of they're glass and alcohol, they do tend to damage quite easily.

-Is there damage on these bottles?

-They are, yes. There was a couple of chips when we bought it.

-I see, right.

-They've probably gone further.

That's going to detract the value slightly. To find these absolutely mint is difficult.

But it's a nice frame, it's oak, it's 100 years old, but if I said, for the sake of our target today,

£70-£100, do you think Syd and yourself would be willing to let that go for that?

I'm sure he would, yes.

-Hopefully somebody else will want to be tantalised with it.

-Let's hope so. Let's keep looking.

-OK.

Now, that's a very pleasing result,

and it's spurred Sheree on to take a closer look at just about everything.

Meanwhile, Paul finds his way to Syd's den, where he discovers these cute steam toys and car models.

They date from the 1960s and once belonged to Sheree's father.

Clearly, Paul shares his love for vintage transport toys,

and thinks an enthusiast

may part with as much as £150 for the collection.

Now, who's that I can hear singing next door?

# Well, I woke up this morning

# I felt so erotic

# My house had been invaded by those people from Cash In The Attic

# They said, have you any antiques we can see?

# I said, the only antique in this house

# Is me. #

A serenade specially for us?

Yes, yes. Unfortunately, yes.

-Thank you so much.

-When are you going?

Now, guitars are really important to you. You've played since you were a kid?

Yes, I got my first - a little ukulele banjo, actually -

and my dad taught me to tune it up as, "My dog has fleas."

A little plastic ukulele they used to have in the '70s,

"Welcome to Britain, Elvis Presley" guitar for seven and six in the Daily Mirror, you know.

I sent away for one and I got it and my dad helped me tune it up, and then that was me, I was hooked.

It was all Lonnie Donegan in those days, all the skiffle, because you only needed three chords,

and that was it, you were off and running.

Then I started getting involved with Mr Eddie Large.

We were friends together in the same teenage gang, and we used to go to the pubs and clubs around Manchester.

Now, of course, you had a prime-time Saturday show, 8 million viewers, I think, most weeks?

-It was incredible. You were household names.

-Cor!

-And that went on for, what, 20 years?

-Yeah.

Well, from '71 with Opp Knocks, we just kept doing...

We did Crackerjack - Crackerjack! - yeah,

and then we did a pilot show for Roy in '76. 77 was our big year.

How did you deal with that kind of fame?

The only time we felt it was when we went to the pubs and clubs, we used to go to the bar and have a drink

and we found that you can't do that, because people would inundate you, "Can I have your autograph?"

But our feet were on the ground.

I've never had a Rolls-Royce. I've never gone to those lengths,

not that I wanted one, you know, but that sort of thing.

-So it didn't really change you that much?

-No, I hope it didn't.

I'd like to think that through my life I've been a nice guy, I really do,

because people say when, you're in showbiz, "There are some nasty people,"

but the majority of the people are very nice, and I hope I'm one of them!

Modesty is definitely one of Syd's qualities, despite his years in the spotlight.

But there is no holding back now. We've got to get rummaging if we're to raise that £500.

Paul's taken by this very delicate glass and solid-silver swan, given as a wedding present.

He thinks it should do well at auction with an estimate of £30-£50.

Sheree bought this porcelain Nelson figure for Syd as a birthday present 15 years ago.

It was made by Royal Doulton in 1980 as one of a series of ship's figureheads,

part of a limited edition.

Paul thinks the bidders will be happy to part with £20-£50 for it.

While we're busy

uncovering family recollections of weddings and birthdays,

Syd finds he has many memories of his own, back when he was basking in the limelight.

-Ah, there you are!

-I'm here!

-Stage left then, for a minute.

-Look at that, a bit of memorabilia. How about that?

These are great. Look at that, the Bristol Hippodrome. Isla St Clair!

Isla St Clair, yeah. And look at that on the bottom there.

-The Great Soprendo.

-I remember The Great Soprendo.

He had a whole season on the Morecambe Pier,

but this is the golden age, really, of pantomime in the mid-'80s into the '90s.

-You've got a real piece of memorabilia there.

-This, I don't know.

Apparently, he was supposed to be quite a famous cartoonist.

Charles Griffin. He's actually a well-known caricature artist,

and he did political satire. So a bit like Spitting Image. It's all that sort of era, isn't it?

-Did he do one of Eddie, as well?

-No, he didn't.

-Just one of you?

-No, I was always the brunt of...

As you can see, it's very flattering, isn't it? You know.

So, it was always me, yeah.

What you've got to remember, items like these posters here

have a very short life span. These are ephemeral items.

Once that event happened, they're no use. They're not like a painting you'd put on your wall.

Things like cinema posters, travel posters, theatre programmes,

it's called ephemera, and people buy into that market.

One of the rarest examples you can get is Casablanca.

When that came out, they had posters in all the cinemas all over the British Isles,

and they were designed to be thrown away. A few have survived, and one turned up recently at auction.

Have a guess how much it fetched.

Em, go on.

-£40,000.

-Wow!

-I think we're more 40 quid.

-Yeah, 4p, yeah!

-But these are interesting. We've got some good Syd Little memorabilia.

If I was being conservative here, low as I possibly can, £20 to £50.

I'm sure if two people really fancied them, I think we could do well.

-Does that sound all right to you?

-Yeah, that's fine.

-All right. Can I have your Buttons?

-Ye...

-Or one of the ugly sisters?

-I can see you in panto, you'd be very good. No, Prince Charming.

-Thank you.

-Don't put yourself down.

-It's the tights, they chafe.

Let's hope there will be plenty of bidders out there for Syd's posters.

And who knows? They might make a whole lot more than Paul reckons.

32, 34, 36, 38, 40...

-I'll sign it!

-42! No, you said that last time and the price went down!

-£42.

-Forget that, then!

Find out later it if they do fetch more than we bargained for.

Thank you very much.

Our rummage in Lancashire is going very well so far.

Syd's found two china fairy ballerinas that he gave to Sheree as a gift in the 1980s.

Blackthorn and Heliotrope were designed by Cicely Mary Barker for Border Fine Arts.

For some reason, they've been sitting in the attic all these years.

Paul thinks they should take someone's fancy

and go for between £20 and £60.

As Syd continues his good work upstairs, we've uncovered some true craftsmanship in the garage.

What have you two found?

-Your furniture store?

-No, I know, we're clunked up with furniture, but Paul's quite interested in this one.

Yes, it's a very attractive piece, actually, this one.

It fits in with a modern look, it's very restrained, very elegant.

But the style itself was developed in the 18th century, and it's after a guy called Thomas Sheraton.

He came up with a method of marquetry inlay in this style, and it's very distinctive.

You get this fan decoration, where he's carved into the mahogany,

which was expensive, replaced the area with a satinwood to give contrast,

and then used this cross-banding and stringing to give a real detail and fine lines.

It's a very, very elegant style, I think.

A couple of hundred years later, about 1900, there was a revival, and that's what this piece is.

It's called a Sheraton revival. Don't forget, at that time, we were obsessed with travel,

so in here would be our knick-knacks from our journeys from around the British Isles or around the world.

And the cabinet would be full of interesting curios.

But nowadays, 21st century, we can re-use this.

-It's a very good functional antique. Fantastic.

-Oh, brilliant.

I think it's a beautiful piece, but you want to part with it?

-Well, we're willing to part with it, yes.

-For the good cause, yeah.

-That's right, yes.

-Well, it's very handsome.

-Thank you very much!

Joking apart, it's a very attractive piece and it does fit in with that modern style today.

It's very simple, very elegant.

If I was being quite conservative, if I said sort of £120-£150.

If you polished this up a bit, brought the wood back to life,

you could do quite well with this.

-As much as that?

-Do you think she should polish it up?

-Yes, bit of polish works wonders.

Thanks, Paul!

So Sheree needs to get to work on it.

But not just yet, as we have to find a few more things to take to auction.

Paul comes across a ceramic tankard in the study, designed to celebrate

the 50th anniversary of the National Maritime Museum.

Sheree bought it for Syd as a birthday present about 20 years ago.

It should attract any nautical enthusiasts in the saleroom.

The stage was very much at the heart of Syd and Sheree's lives.

But panto has a deeper meaning for both of them.

-Because you two met in panto, didn't you?

-We did.

-Yeah.

-Go on, tell me more.

-Do you really want to know?

-I do, I do, I do.

-1972 and we'd just done Crackerjack, do you remember that?

-I do.

With Elaine Paige. I've got a picture of Elaine Paige somewhere.

And that was it, Crackerjack, and then we went into pantomime

-and it was Diddy David Hamilton. Remember him, the DJ?

-Absolutely.

-And me and Ed.

And Sheree was one of the dancing girls, and that was it.

It was love at first sight in a way, really, wasn't it?

Was it?

That's the wrong answer!

-Well, for me, it was.

-No, it was, yeah.

Sheree took a bit of time to come round, because I didn't get off to a good footing

-because I sent my brother, who was our road manager at the time, to ask her for a date, for me.

-You didn't!

-He did.

-She said, "Well, come and ask me himself," you know?

-I don't blame you. What, "My mate says he fancies you"? Is that what... That's it.

-Sort of.

-If he wants to invite me out...

-"Let him ask me himself."

I'd love to know more, though, about the charity, the cause today, Alzheimer's.

Well, it's something close to my heart because it's my best friend Tracy.

Her father suffers with it and he's in a nursing home.

And it's a way of saying how much I care about her,

in a way, because I do, and it doesn't just affect the person that has it.

It affects the whole family, like Margaret, his wife,

the grandchildren, everybody, and it's sad.

-We've seen the deterioration from the beginning.

-Oh, yes.

-And it's really sad.

Well, it is a great cause and hopefully we'll make at least £500.

-Maybe a bit more, if we're lucky, yeah?

-Fingers crossed, I hope so.

As a well-known person says, what is it, every LITTLE helps.

-Indeed...

-Little, Little.

-Oh, very good!

But we'll have to do some more work

-if we're going to make the money, so let's lead on, we'll find somewhere else...

-OK.

-..to look around.

-I don't want to leave that fire.

-I know, it's lovely, but let's go.

Do you know, it's great to have the chance to help Syd and Sheree raise money for such a worthy cause.

And it feels as if we're doing well so far.

Just to move us along, Syd's friends at the charity

have sent over this box which contains a silver-plated bangle, a cigarette box and a pocket watch.

They all date back to the 1920s and could fetch £40-60.

Meanwhile, Paul's down in the kitchen scouring the shelves.

-Oh, you're here!

-Hello, Syd. I've just put the kettle on.

-You love your tea!

-I do.

-I've found this, Paul. Well, I haven't found it, it was given,

-donated by the charity. Alzheimer's.

-Oh, that's fantastic, isn't it?

-It looks a good one.

-Does it? Oh, good.

-Have you ever worn a pocket watch?

I did have one, I remember when I was in my 20s, but everyone took the mickey out of me, so I lost it.

Well, these really were kept for best, it's a dress watch.

What would happen, a gentleman would have a silver pocket watch for every day,

or perhaps a gunmetal, and that would be worn on their waistcoat.

These gold watches tended to be for special occasions,

so if you were going out for the evening or a wedding, you'd wear this item,

and why lots of them have survived in this condition. It's beautiful.

And what a generous thing to give. There are three different types.

The first one being a full case, which is where you can't see the face at all.

The second one is a half-hunter, where it has a small gap where you can tell the time,

and the third type is an open face, which this one is, where you can see the whole face.

All these Roman numerals on the back. This one dates some time after about 1910,

-so I'd put this about 1920, 1930.

-Oh.

I can tell that because it's got a screw wind, it's not a key-wound,

but let me see if it's rolled gold or solid gold.

Let's have a look. No, this one is solid gold.

-Look at that.

-Oh, so it is gold then?

-Solid gold.

-Oh.

-They didn't give you a chain that went with it, or anything?

-No, that was it.

So what you've got is a 1920s solid-gold open-face pocket watch in good condition.

-If I said around the £100 mark, £80-120?

-Whoa, yeah.

-Does that sound all right to you?

-That sounds all right to me.

It's handsome, but will it turn out to be worth its weight in gold?

We'll find out soon enough.

Our day in Lancashire is almost over,

but it seems there's one last offering in Syd's den that could help us to victory on auction day.

Now, I've got to ask you, Sheree, where have all these boats come from?

It seems to be a fascination with all things nautical going on here.

There is, that's Syd. He builds... These he's built.

-Yes, you found the one I didn't build.

-Oh, right, OK.

So you made some of these? That's fantastic.

Yes, but not that one. I got that, would you believe, in an antique shop.

Well, it wasn't an antique shop, it was like a junk shop. I think I paid about £30 for it.

But to me, it's worth everything.

Just the way it was built, I don't know when it was built, you'll know that, but...

-These tend to be very 1970s.

-Are they?!

-The Golden Hind. These are reproduced.

Don't forget, this originally, the original Golden Hind, was sailing in the 16th century, 1570s,

so in the 1970s, there was a massive interest in that particular vessel,

so lots of these things were inspired.

So you get lots of paintings, models, lots of kits you could buy.

And of course, the Golden Hind, famous for circumnavigating the globe, commissioned by Elizabeth I,

which is why you've got "ER" on the sail here, fantastic,

but it was belonging to Sir Francis Drake, and it really was the ship that sparked the Anglo-Spanish war.

When they went out to Brazil and the Caribbean, he bumped into lots of Spanish ships

and apparently, the booty that he brought back home

after circumnavigating the globe was enough to pay off the national debt.

-Wow!

-Which was amazing. Can you imagine doing that today?

It's lovely, that. I just love anything nautical.

It's a nice little ship and I just hope it does well.

-I hope it gets a lot of money.

-Well, let's hope so.

I think it's the sort of thing that people do tend to collect.

It's quite desirable. It's one of the most famous ships that the British Navy has ever had,

-so if I said about the 100 mark, £70-100, would that help you?

-Wow.

-Yeah.

-All right.

-That's brilliant. If we could make that at auction, that'd be wonderful.

Wonderful for you, wonderful for the charity,

and I think that means, with a grand finale like that, we can end our rummaging

which is a great relief all round. OK, well, if everything goes to plan at the auction,

and based on Paul's lowest estimates... Now, what was your target this morning?

-£500.

-£500, all right.

Well, we're hoping that you will make, actually...

-£680!

-Oh!

-Oh, fantastic!

-Yeah.

-So fingers crossed, then.

-Absolutely.

-That would certainly help the charity.

-Dead right, yeah.

-That's lovely.

-OK.

Well, thanks ever so much. We've had a great day

-and we'll pack everything up and see you at the auction.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Considering Syd's attachment to his nautical memorabilia,

it's very generous of him to send the Golden Hind into service.

What a great end to our rummage, and here are some of the other pieces going under the hammer.

Syd's showbiz memorabilia.

Some Little and Large fans might just pay well over £20-£30 for it.

The Yamaha Pacifica guitar

could rock-and-roll its way to the stars at £70-£100.

And let's not forget that Thomas Sheraton-style cabinet,

which deserves to make its asking price of £120-£150.

Still to come on Cash In The Celebrity Attic - the Little lots just fly out of the saleroom.

-Whoa!

-What a result. What a result.

It doesn't take Syd long to prove he's still got that old magic...

Going, going...gone! Hooray!

Well done, that was brilliant.

Be there when that final hammer falls.

Well, we certainly had a laugh up there at Fleetwood with Syd Little and his lovely wife, Sheree.

Syd's donating some wonderful items to help his chosen cause, the Alzheimer's Society,

and we've brought everything here to Cuttlestones Auctioneers at Penkridge near Stafford.

Now, Syd wants to raise £500 for the society,

but we're hoping the bidders here will be even more generous when his items go under the hammer.

It's early on auction day in this very picturesque village.

A cattle market in Victorian times, the modern-day saleroom is already getting busy,

with plenty of interesting lots to keep the bidders occupied.

One man who's certainly at home here is our expert, Paul Hayes,

and he seems quite excited about the Littles' chances today.

Do you remember Syd's garage, that bit of furniture that was a bit distressed,

-needed a bit of loving care? Take a look. Isn't that fantastic?

-My goodness!

-He's given it a good old polish. It's got a lovely, rich colour.

-It's scrubbed up well.

-It has!

-Rather like you.

-Thank you very much.

Sheree's efforts have definitely improved the cabinet's chances of making a top sale.

As our couple take in the saleroom buzz, I hope they're feeling as optimistic as we are.

You're saying goodbye to some quite personal items today, really.

You've kindly donated your guitar, I suppose, is top of the list.

Yes, it's been around the world a few times with me and I played it on the QE2 and, yeah, yeah,

it'll be sad to see, but I've got my felt-tip pen and I can actually sign it, if they want it signing, that is.

-Brilliant.

-Do you think that's a good idea? Do you want to sell it on the rostrum?

Oh, I'd love to, yeah. Oh, great.

But beware, though, I'll be on there for an hour.

Well, the auction is about to start, so let's find a good place. Shall we go this way?

Follow me.

The first of Syd's lots has a nautical theme and, as we know, that's very close to his heart.

Paul had high hopes

for this model of Sir Francis Drake's famous Tudor warship.

On the Golden Hind at £40. At £40. Who says 45? Quickly...

-At £40, the bid's with us and no mistake.

-Oh, come on.

-At £40...

At £40. Is there interest?

We've got a commission. That's all we've got.

At £40? We sell it and no mistake, at £40...

-There's profit...

-There's profit for you, but it's less than we expected.

-Yeah.

Well, we had been hoping for a much more exciting start.

That's just over half Paul's lower estimate.

Still, there's plenty to come. In fact, the room ought to be buzzing over the next lot.

It's more unique than we thought.

I think we might have a bit of a sleeper going on here.

-Do you know what a sleeper is?

-No.

-Not a clue.

Something that's come in with a low estimate that might do quite well.

This is the bust of Nelson, which is very collectable anyway,

but it's made by Royal Doulton and it's a limited edition,

-so that's very collectable to the collectors.

-Good.

And we'll start the commission straight in at £50.

50 already. There you are, see?

£50, 5, 60,

-5, 70...

-Come on!

-..5, 80,

5, 90, 5, 100.

The bid's with me at £100.

At £100 bid, £10 now.

-At £100...

-It really is a sleeper.

At 110 on the web, 120 with me.

At £120, the bid is with me, the web is out. At 120, we sell.

-£120... On commission at £120.

-Yes!

A lovely surprise - six times Paul's lower estimate.

Syd and Sheree are obviously delighted with this result.

Next to go under the hammer is another birthday gift

from Sheree to Syd, again with a nautical theme.

Where do we start? Do we start the bidding at £30? £20, start me surely.

-Come on.

-20, I'm bid. 22, 24. 26, 28. I have the lady's bid at 28.

-28.

-30, I've come to you all.

-Oh, they're all bidding for it, there you go.

-Blimey.

-Quite a lot.

35 standing, at £35.

-38?

-Come on.

-At 38, fresh money. 40, sir?

-Oh!

-40.

45.

50. I have gentleman's bid at £50.

At £50 bid on the post there, selling £50, going at £50. Yes, sir.

-Yes!

-Brilliant.

A bit of a battle - they recreated it there.

THEY ALL LAUGH

Another great result. It's so good to see everything selling well.

Back when Syd was a regular fixture on our screens with comedy partner Eddie Large,

it was his job to be the butt of jokes.

And to this day, he's still up for a laugh.

228, the Yamaha electric guitar and case, with amp, used by Syd, and he's on the way!

THEY CHEER

-He's fast, isn't he?

-< How do you get in here?

Right, afternoon, I won't keep you...

I am Syd Little. Hands up all those who thought I was dead!

I've never seen so many hands go up at once. Did you see that?

In an auction room. Yeah, well, this is a guitar that, actually...

I've got a few at home, but this one is very dear to me, because this has been all round the world with me

a few times, and other places, so I'm going to start the bidding at...

-Ben, what do you think?

-We've got a commission bid of £50.

-Oh, £50!

-Wey-hey!

-And if anybody wants it signed, I've got my felt-tip pen,

and it also comes with an amp. I actually found an amp in the attic, so we've got an amplifier,

so it's a nice Christmas present for a budding Jimi Hendrix or Syd Little.

LAUGHTER So £50, anybody?

-Oh, we're in at 50. 51. What's that?

-It's all over the place.

£60? Any more than 60? I'll sign it. 60, 70, £70. £70...

£80! Do you want it signed?

£90! Oh, I like this. £90! Any advance on 90? 100 quid. £100!

He's got 100.

I won't sign it, it'll be worth more. No, 110. Is that unsigned? Yeah.

-£110, unsigned.

-He's getting excited, isn't he?

-Where? 120, wow, £120.

130. £130 for this fantastic guitar.

-He's getting excited!

-140, he's there.

140. That's double what we were expecting, actually.

140! 140, any advance? 150. 150!

Any advance on 150? 160.

Sorry, folks, you'll be here till midnight. 160, any advance on 160?

-His voice can't get any higher.

-160?

-Going, going...

-Are you bidding, madam?

Where, where, where? Ooh, careful. 160? Going, going...gone.

-Sold, £160.

-Hooray!

-Well done. That was brilliant?

-That was really good. Fantastic.

-That's great.

Syd's got a real flair for this - well over Paul's highest estimate.

Let's hope the next lot gets as much interest

and that someone here collects fairies.

At £35, on the net.

-That's great, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-That's good.

Another good sale for Syd and Sheree.

People here seem to like their bits and pieces.

Next is another of Syd's favourites. In fact, he likes it so much I'm surprised it made it to auction.

What we're looking for now is £70 for your tantalus,

-which is a very generous donation, because you still use this.

-We do.

Yeah, we're going to miss it next Christmas, so...

-shame but we'll find another one, won't we?

-Hopefully so.

-We'll start the bidding at £50 on the nice oak tantalus. At £50.

-£50.

55, 60, 5, 70,

5. I'm out at 75 on the tantalus.

At £75.

£75.

-80, thank you. 85.

-Yes!

-90? I have the lady's bid at £90.

Are we five now? 95, back in. Fill it up, madam.

-Fantastic. £95.

-< It is for charity.

100, thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

At £100... It's for charity, John.

It's not going to work twice! At £100, and we'll sell and no mistake at £100. Thank you.

-Oh, well.

-There you go, that's good, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-That's brilliant.

What a relief, especially in view of that damage to a decanter.

And what's more, we made Paul's top estimate.

In fact, he's been bang on target for most of the sales today,

so let's find out how well we're doing so far.

-Halfway through. It's been sort of jittery, hasn't it?

-Nervous, yeah.

-When was he last that nervous?

-Probably our wedding day!

Well, I'll tell you there's really no need to be nervous,

because at the start of the day, we said £500 would be great for your charity, the Alzheimer's Society.

Well, at the halfway point, you have made £505!

Wow!

-How about that?

-Fantastic.

I think we deserve a break, or have a look around the auction. OK?

-Let's go.

-Let's go.

-Yeah.

Not bad, eh? And we're only halfway through.

Time for a well-earned cup of tea before the rest of the sale.

Now, if you want to raise some extra cash at auction,

don't forget that commission and other charges will apply

so check the details with your saleroom to avoid any unexpected costs.

So far today, we've done better than any of us could have hoped.

Let's keep up the momentum in the second half, which promises even more.

There's that lovely silver and glass swan given to Syd and Sheree as a wedding gift.

And how could we forget that handsome Thomas Sheraton-style cabinet?

Up next, a blast from Syd's past.

Do you know what I have noticed actually,

and well done to your credit again, you two,

you've framed this caricature and he looks very well presented here.

-It does.

-An odd piece of paper is one thing,

but a framed picture, different thing altogether.

-Let's hope it'll do all right.

-Let's hope it works.

And we'll start it straight in at £20.

There we go, £20, we've got a commission. Fantastic.

And the poster's at £20, who says 22? Thank you.

At 22, I'm only bid at 20... 24.

-24.

-26, 28, 30.

32, 34, 36. 38, 40.

I'll sign it.

No, you said that last time and the price went down!

Forget that then.

-He tells the jokes.

-Are we 44 anywhere?

At 42 and we'll sell and no mistake, at £42? You've got it, sir.

There you are, I think that's great, thank you very much.

So supersonic Syd rides again.

The memorabilia from his heyday will no doubt adorn

someone's wall for many years to come.

Now, what interest will there be in our silver?

At £60...

-Oh.

-Very good.

Fantastic, bang on Paul's upper estimate.

Up next is this beautiful wedding gift

and we're all expecting it to make an impressive show.

-And we'll start at £20.

-20 we're in.

Silver swan at 22, 25, 28, 30,

32, 35, 38, 40.

£40, at £40. Who says 45?

At 40 I'm bid, five quickly. At £40.

At £40, we're selling and no mistake, £40...

-Yay! Fantastic.

-Very nice.

Everything seems to be selling today

and that was right in the middle of Paul's valuation.

Syd and Sheree must be thrilled we're doing so well.

Next to go under the hammer,

the 1950s pocket watch.

At nine carats, let's hope it really is a pot of gold.

We've got another of the charity's donations now here, I think the pocket watch.

It's from the society again, the Alzheimer's, yes?

Yes, I was quite surprised actually because when it was shown to Paul.

he opened it up and it's solid gold.

So, you know, I don't know if that will bring the price up, it should do.

-Yes, gold is rocketing at the moment, isn't it?

-It is really.

The bullion price of gold has gone up, but don't forget this has an added value as well.

It has the price of gold but also of the value of a watch.

It's an intrinsic item in its own right,

so I've put this in at £80 to £120.

Let's hope somebody agrees, but I think it's a great example.

At £50 I'm on with the watch. At £50, £50.

Five, thank you, at 55 I'm bid.

55, 60. 60.

70, 5. 80, I'll come to you all.

85. 90, sir?

90. Five.

100, 110.

-This is good.

-No? 110 I'm bid.

The lady has bid at £110. Are we 120? 120, thank you.

-130, I have £130. The lady's bid at 130.

-I want it back!

At £130, I sell at £130.

Fantastic.

£10 over the top estimate.

The bidders are lapping it up,

that's another one to top Paul's upper estimate.

Let's see if the next lot,

which belonged to Sheree's father, is one for the boys.

Lot 290A and we'll start in at £100.

£100, how's that?

Start me at £100. I'm bid 110,

120, 130. I'm out at 130, the commission is at 130.

At 130, I'm only bid at 130, who says 140? 140.

-That's it.

-140.

150. I'm bid £150.

It's all gone quiet because you know the cameras are here. 150 bid.

I'm selling at £150.

All done at 150.

-How's that?

-Thanks.

These 1960s steam toys often attract enthusiasts

of all ages and today they've done us proud.

Just one more lot to go.

Display cabinets often sell quite well,

and with that extra polishing from Sheree,

we could be on to a winner here.

We want to know if all your hard work has paid off

with that display cabinet. It looks great now.

It's a great example, and you've done yourself a favour.

Let's hope people agree here.

Let's see what value you have added to it.

We already have commissions at £100 to start.

Started with 100!

We'll start with £100, the display cabinet at £100.

110 I'm bid, at 120, 130, 140,

150, 160, 170. I'm out at 170 bid.

-170!

-170 bid, are we 180?

At 170 bid. At 180 quickly. At 170.

It's 170.

170 all done now... 180, fresh money.

-180.

-190, 200. 210...

-It's your polishing!

-220, 230.

Have another look at it.

230 bid.

240. 240 at the back.

At 240. At 240, we sell at the back of the room at £240.

-Whoa!

-What a result! What a result!

Thank you! Thank you!

Whoo-whoo-whoo!

Fantastic, what a finish!

What an amazing finale.

Everything has sold, and for very respectable prices.

There's only one thing left for us to do now and that's tot up our total.

-It's over. It's been really exciting.

-It has, it has.

I'm pleased because it's the first one I've put stuff in and sold so we're over the moon.

-You did your bit, selling that guitar, that was fantastic.

-Yeah, that came good.

-At the start of the day... You're dying to know what we made, are you?

-Yeah!

At the start of the day, £500 was the target for your charity, all going to the charity.

You know you've made your target because we did that at half-time.

You've actually made £1,167.

Fantastic!

-Isn't that good?

-I'm so pleased for the charity.

-So are we.

I think it's been worth coming just to see you auction off that guitar.

-That was priceless for me!

-I don't want to do it again.

Don't come round for another 20 years, will you?

Thanks ever so much for taking part, it's been a pleasure to meet you.

Well, we've enjoyed every minute of it, thank you.

Syd has raised his money for the Alzheimer's Society.

It doesn't matter whether it's tuppence or £2, or £2 million.

Every little helps, I'm there again, aren't I!

Well, Syd Little is my name.

His donation will support many of the charity's activities, like this weekly tea dance.

It's held at Twickenham village hall in Middlesex

and helps people with Alzheimer's keep fit and relaxed, like Janice and Terry.

It gets you out. Otherwise we'd be very isolated at home.

If it wasn't for the Alzheimer's Society, we'd be stuck in the house most of the time,

and it's people who have the same sort of problems and they understand.

They're understanding, kind people and it's just lovely.

It's like a second family really with the Alzheimer's group, it's just really nice.

You really enjoy it, don't you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, it does get us out and he loves music. He loves music.

Sally and Martin also have no doubt about the benefits of this kind of gathering.

No matter how old they are and what problems they have at home,

they come in here and we're here to make them laugh

and share our worries and our experiences.

-I don't know what we'd do without it actually.

-No, it's exceedingly important for us.

So that's a fabulous result for Syd, Sheree and their charity.

They made more than twice what they had been expecting.

If you'd like to raise money for something special

and you think you have some bits and pieces hidden round the home, why not apply to come on the show?

You can find the form on our website, and that's...

Good luck, and maybe see you next time on Cash In The Attic.

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