Wayne Hemingway and Graham Fellows Celebrity Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite celebrities...

-Got some proper bling here.

-..paired up with an expert...

-Calm down.

-Point, point.

-..and a classic car.

Get your legs up! All right, girls!

Their mission - to scour Britain for antiques.

-GLASS SMASHES

-All breakages must be paid for.

This is a good find, is it not?

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no easy ride.

Who will find a hidden gem? Who will take the biggest risks?

Turning my antiques head on.

Will anybody follow expert advice?

I think it's horrible.

There will be worthy winners...

This is better than Christmas!

..and valiant losers.

No, I'm sorry.

Time to put your pedal to the metal.

THEY CHEER

This is Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah.

Welcome to a very different sort of Road Trip.

Gracing our screen today are two unique celebrities.

British style legend Wayne Hemingway is driving this rather

fetching 1979 Opel Kadett.

And beside him is a guest with a twist.

It's a big break for me, this, Wayne.

You know, I'm hoping to break out of the carvery circuit.

Cos I just played a hospice, you know?

Actor and comedian Graham Fellows is best known for creating

legendary characters like Jilted John,

whose song Jilted John reached number four in the charts in 1978.

# Gordon is a moron... #

But on the Road Trip today,

Graham is appearing as his longest-running comedy character,

cult musician and polo neck enthusiast John Shuttleworth.

First created for Radio Four,

John was soon given his own television series 500 Bus Stops.

He even made a brave, albeit fictional,

bid for Eurovision glory in his programme Europigeon.

# Pigeons in flight

# I want to see you tonight. #

Have you not got a car a bit like this?

I have. I've got a much newer model than this.

This is a T-reg, isn't it?

I'm used to driving a Y-reg.

-1981.

-And you sang a song about it?

-I did.

# Austin Ambassador Y-reg

# Y-reg, Y reg

# Don't keep asking me why, Reg

It just happens to be that year. #

One of John's biggest fans, and fellow Road Tripper today,

Wayne Hemingway, first came to fame after co-founding fashion

label Red or Dead with his wife, Geraldine.

He also famously designed for iconic British bookmaker Dr Martens.

-Why me?

-Wayne's, you know, a bit of a nutcase in some respects.

Throughout the 1990s, he was the fashion critic on the Big Breakfast

and became a millionaire when Red or Dead was sold in 1998.

Fashion is not brain surgery. It's nothing that important.

But what it can do for you is it can give somebody an impression.

Before they speak to you, it can say something about what

kind of person you are.

These days, he runs his own design company and has turned his love

and knowledge of vintage items into being a champion of upcycling

and recycling.

This man could give any expert a run for their money.

Do we need experts to go with us? I'm not so sure.

-We could ditch them, maybe.

-I might need some help, Wayne,

because I have a problem with selling all this old stuff.

Because I like new stuff.

What's in your house right now that you could flog?

Well, it's funny you should say that because I brought a peppermill.

I don't reckon that's an antique though, do you?

I don't reckon it's worth much, that.

-I think you are going to need this expert.

-Do you think I am?

Next to the 1983 Mini Cooper

are auctioneers Paul Laidlaw and Philip Serrell.

Who do you want to work with?

I'm easy-peasy. Seriously. Have you got a preference?

-Clearly, you know, fashion style icon.

-I was thinking that.

-No, me.

-I think that a lot.

-Me, me, me.

Yeah, here they are. Look.

Look at that. What a machine!

What a machine.

You go and get your man, I'll go and get mine.

We've paired ourselves off?

-Yeah, we've done it.

-Good man.

-Hello. John, how are you?

-Wayne, how are you, my friend?

-Good to see you. Philip.

-Hiya.

-You look very well.

We seem to have paired ourselves off naturally, is that all right?

Style icon. Style icon. We should work together and...

-Are you saying I'm not a style icon?

-You completely are.

We'll wander over this way and let them get on with it.

He genuinely wants to go to Argos.

-Can you drive?

-I can drive. Shall I?

-Yes, please, yeah.

With the teams decided, it's Midlands or bust this trip.

With £400 each, they will be starting out in the village of Bromfield

near Ludlow in Shropshire,

before travelling over 100 miles through wonderful Worcestershire

and heading for that all-important auction in Stroud.

First out of the pits are John and Paul.

-So, tell me, John.

-Yes.

-How did you get into the world of music?

I bought a keyboard. With built-in auto accompaniments.

Off a policeman called Barry.

I can do vibrato.

HE SINGS

And I just took it from there. I started playing the local hospice.

I don't play the drop-in centre so much now

because they carry on playing table tennis.

And it's not in time with the music.

I get that.

MUSIC: Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin

The first stop on the trip today for these two is Kidderminster.

Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin grew up around here,

but how will our musical guest fare in the antiques game?

-Here we are.

-This is it. John, welcome to my world.

Their first shop is Ian Warner Jewellery and Antiques.

That's quite nice, isn't it? Is that for sale, do you think?

Uh...

Nice fluorescent light fixing.

Do you think that will be up for grabs?

-Antiques, John, antiques.

-Oh, yeah.

You should be writing that on your hand.

Oh, Paul!

Can you convince John to embrace the old?

Here to help is Ian Warner.

-Hello, I'm Ian.

-How are you doing? Are you all right?

-Hello. John Shuttleworth.

-John Shuttleworth?

-Yep.

-Ah.

-I've come to look for some old things.

-Hm.

That people will want to buy at the auction.

That's the idea, all right.

I just find I'm a bit bamboozled by the quantity of products.

Wood for trees can be an issue in this game.

It's just that when you go to Argos, you've got a catalogue,

everything is listed, d'you know what I mean?

Is that Bruegel?

Sadly, it's not a Bruegel.

-Hunters In The Snow.

-Yeah, indeed.

-It was on a Christmas card we got.

And they are walking away, aren't they?

So I think that'll do well. Cos it's like a Bruegel.

PAUL LAUGHS

-Can I play you my trump card?

-Well, you can try.

They are not antiques!

I'll come back later, privately, and put in an offer.

Look at that kettle!

Now that is gorgeous.

-Eh...

-It is.

You're a dark horse, you.

Because I do a bit of acting. And sometimes I have to do a warm up.

And you go, "A proper cup of coffee and a proper cup of coffee pot."

Go on, you do that.

A proper cup of coffee and a proper coffee cup...

Clearly I'm no actor.

That's the late 19th century, you know?

-Is it?

-And in its day, that was startlingly avant-garde.

-Right.

There is no ticket price, but it's old. And crucially, John likes it.

What else can they find?

Paul, come look at this.

Look at that, Paul. I saw it on the way in.

-What do you think?

-Let me tell you why you should buy that.

Oh, go on, then.

You know Pears, the soap manufacturer?

-By appointment to HM the Queen.

-Yes, I do.

That has all the hallmarks of a Pears print.

I daresay, if you bought enough bars of soap, you'd get that for

Christmas in 1895, frame it up, and you've some fine art on your wall.

And you know what, it's lovely!

Let's put an offer in.

Pears reproduced artwork as posters in the 19th century -

ground-breaking advertising at the time that helped make them

a household name.

Time to strike a deal.

-Are you a haggler?

-Yes.

I once knocked an old lady down...

Not knocked her down, got the price down at the charity shop.

-..from 85p to 60p.

-Haggling a charity shop?

For a Nolan Sisters record.

In that case...

This should be interesting.

How about £100 for the lot?

Oh, you don't know what we are buying yet.

There is a kettle we like. Could you do that for... Well, how much is it?

-LAUGHTER

-Just stopped myself on time.

-What were you going to say?

-LAUGHTER

-I was going to say 32.

-Oh, were you? Oh, dear.

-50 quid.

-That's far too much.

I don't know that it's far too much, but it's a risky one.

Might have to think on that one then.

What else were we interested in?

A picture. It's 85, it says.

-It says 85. 50 quid.

-Nah, it's too much.

Don't commit to anything.

35 quid is the death on the copper kettle.

OK, what's the death on the Pears print? If it's a Pears print.

-40 quid.

-Have you got anything up your sleeve that you'd go,

"Well, do you know what? I think that's hot at the moment."

I've just bought a piece of Ruskin.

It's 40 quid.

It's a quality antique, but will John like it?

Ruskin. Ruskin Pottery.

Named after John Ruskin, arguably the father of

-the Arts & Crafts movement.

-To me,

that looks like what an art student would do for the end of college.

Right, let's talk business.

This, the kettle and the picture for £105.

I was going to say 100, but I'm feeling generous today.

The wheels are going.

Yeah? What about that then?

Is that too much?

-Uh...

-No, slap me hand.

LAUGHTER

-Yes!

-What have you just done?

John's bought some actual antiques.

And with a bit of money knocked off, he's showing some great promise.

-Thank you very much.

-Can I have a receipt, please?

Certainly.

Well, you never know, do you?

Time to see now what our other pair are up to.

Back in Bromfield, Phil is still trying to get

the measure of his new companion.

I don't want to buy things just for the sake of turning it

-and making money.

-OK.

-I want it to be an interesting piece

and something that I feel passionate about.

We might not find anything that I feel passionate about.

Right, well, we've got called to an antiques shop.

But before we go there, I know this area quite well,

and over the back there is a big food hall. OK?

And in the food hall, they have things like old vegetable crates

and that sort of stuff. Is that your sort of bag?

Yeah, well, there is a demand for vegetable crates.

You know, they are remaking them, aren't they?

It's what they call shabby chic. Yeah, let's have a look at them.

OK, let's go and have a wander.

Our Phil does like to take us to the strangest of places.

And he may have found a kindred spirit.

Lovely. But not exactly our normal fare, boys.

Oh, they're nice. Hopefully, manager, Edward, can help you out.

Known as King Edward to his friends.

Get it? Spud.

So, these are said ones. Now, I would say...

-That's an old one.

-Yes.

-That's an old one.

-Yes.

That's an old one. And these - one, two, three - are repros.

-Repros, yeah.

-Is that right? Right.

Nice work, Wayne. This is a man who clearly knows his vintage goods.

Number one, first of all, would you sell them?

I think we'd sell them. Seems like a good idea.

What about a quid each?

-A quid and one for the almshouse?

-Yeah. Go on, then. So that's...

Two a box.

Ten quid the lot then?

-Ten quid the lot?

-All of them?

-All of them. Old and new?

-I'll take the repros as well, yeah.

-I can make use of them.

-OK.

-Ten quid the lot?

-Done.

Well, that could be the quickest deal I've ever seen on the Road Trip.

Ten pounds for six boxes. Great.

He's very, very good, isn't he?

I tell you what, I'm going to stick around with you.

It looks like these two might just get along.

Where can Phil take Wayne next?

How about 32 miles from Bromfield, in Phil's hometown of Worcester?

The drive is a chance for Phil to get to know his travelling companion.

One of the things about second-hand

and vintage is about appreciating things that stand the test of time.

For me, old things are not about making money.

-And more often than not, not about nostalgia.

-Yeah.

I really like the idea that something can have been

designed, can have been made,

and then can carry on being used by different generations after it.

Because they have got a purpose. And they are attractive as well.

I've always said that the antiques business is the greenest

-business there is cos we do tend to recycle.

-Recycling, yeah.

We recycle everything.

An issue close to Wayne's heart.

And in the name of recycling,

we seem to be staying off the beaten track this morning.

What on earth will we find here?

Someone's garage.

Lawrence, lovely to see you.

Hiya, Phil. Yeah, I'm all right, mate.

-Now, Wayne, this is Lawrence.

-Nice to meet you.

-Hello, Wayne.

-How do you do?

-Great, thank you. This is what I like to see.

-Is it?

A wisteria and ivy-covered garage in somebody's back garden.

Phil has known Lawrence Harper for years.

He's been buying and selling old fairground equipment,

government surplus and just about anything, really, for decades.

To a vintage enthusiast like Wayne,

this is like being a kid in a huge, retro sweet shop.

So you want to buy a few fairground bits?

Interested in all sorts of stuff. This is interesting.

This is obviously where you shove your 10p and land it on a...

-Yeah. It's a roll down...

-Yeah.

-We call them roll down boards.

Commonly known as the roll-a-ball,

as you roll a ball into a hole and win a prize.

These hand-painted boards are pre-1940s,

and eight of them would have linked together to form a circular stall.

Once a common fairground sight, they are now much rarer,

making them of interest to vintage fairground enthusiasts.

Lawrence, how much are those?

I wanted about £140 a piece for them.

Ah, possible then. Wayne is rolling up his sleeves and getting stuck in.

What else will catch his eye?

A shop display rack.

That could bring in money.

Yeah, that's interesting. It's shabby chic, isn't it?

-It's shabby.

-It's shabby chic.

-It's very shabby.

They are government surplus.

-Keep your toast in.

-Yeah, I'm interested in them.

Some toast racks and...

Old overalls.

-I'll give you them.

-Right. He's giving me them. I'm having them.

Retro overalls? This is getting wackier by the second.

-They are off pickled onions.

-No, we don't want them.

Pickled onions?! He's not serious, is he?!

-Look at the jars.

-No.

-Look at the jars.

-Kilner jars.

Really nice old Kilner jars.

Listen, do not say that because I can remember my mother using those.

How does that date me?

I can just feel one of my headaches coming on now.

It's just rearing up a treat.

Wayne is loving it in here.

It seems Phil is being out-Philed.

Listen, on a serious note now, I think

this little parcel that you've put together here...

I don't know what he's going to ask you for it, my only input is this,

cos I know you're going to buy what you want anyway.

But those boards are the most auction marketable thing we've seen.

I know. And I'm thinking about it.

Sound advice from our expert.

But Wayne "The Whirlwind" Hemingway is not done searching.

I'd actually love to buy these stairs. Now they would sell well.

I don't think he's joking either.

Going off-piste might be Phil's forte,

but Wayne is taking this to a whole new level.

-You can buy the door.

-What's the door off?

It came out when we restored the coach house.

It's full of woodworm.

-It's not!

-Does it matter? It does, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-That ain't full of woodworm.

-Full of it. Look at it.

If that is a fiver, I'll take it off your hands.

Will that make a start to you buying all the other things?

-Yes, it would be a start.

-Right.

We're off the mark. A woodworm-infested door for a fiver.

But will Wayne take Phil's advice and go for that roll-a-ball?

Right.

One of those boards then.

We reckon that...

That even at 80 quid, it's a risk.

Can we have a go at one of them for 60 and see how we get on?

-Wayne, I'll have to leave those.

-What is the absolute lowest?

I would have thought... They've got to be 120 quid.

You want £120?

100 quid.

Try and roll it into this stuff.

Yeah, I'm trying to think about that.

I tell you what, let's just say 25 quid.

I think we are edging towards a deal.

By my count, that's 100 for the ballgame

and 25 for the assorted items.

-110 for the lot.

-We'll split it. 105 board and these.

-105.

-105. Done.

-One roll down board and this lot.

-OK.

Well done, Lawrence and Wayne, that's the mixed vintage and retro lot,

and the roll-a-ball game, and not forgetting that door

for the grand total of £110. Wow. That was a shop with a difference.

-Cheers, Wayne, thanks.

-Cheers, Lol.

-OK, mate.

-Lovely job.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

Paul and John are taking our trip to the Georgian town of Bewdley.

I've started to like this buying old things, Paul.

I don't know what's come over me.

Yeah, you've worked wonders, Paul. He's a convert already.

Should make their next shop a breeze.

We've come to buy some items.

For a knock-down price, if possible.

Is it all right to have a little browse?

Fill your boots.

Why, thank you, Matt.

What antiques will grab John in here?

Paul.

I can't see anything that I like.

John, we've just walked through the door.

-I know, but...

-Relax.

-Get your mojo focused.

-Yeah.

Oh. Hang on. "Silver-plated sugar box and scoop."

-It's Victorian.

-It's nice.

It's modelled as a coal box.

-So it's a novelty piece.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Shall we have a look at it?

-Have you got a key?

-Certainly, John.

-We've seen something we like.

It's the sugar box and scoop.

Thank you. Quite a nice weight to it, Paul.

-Victorian.

-Do you want to feel the weight?

It is heavy because a lot of that is lead.

-Oh, I see.

-Britannia metal is the base to that.

But the truth of the matter is, that's a really good edition.

As Matt knows, once that's been polished within an inch of its life,

it'll look like pewter.

The sugar box and scoop has a ticket price of £55.

On a bad day, that's 20 or £30 worth.

-On a good day, it is £30-£60 worth. It isn't priced badly.

-No.

I mean, that's a very fair price if you want to take that home.

Would you mind leaving us, please? We are discussing...

-PAUL LAUGHS

-a price to...

-No problem at all.

We'll be with you shortly.

Thanks, John.

-You are too reserved.

-25 came to my mind.

-Is that a cheap starting price?

-I think that's a finishing price.

Oh, well.

All right, well, I think we should definitely consider this.

-Do you mind, Paul?

-Am I the keeper of the sugar box?

Apparently so.

Apparently so. I know my place. I'm comfortable with it.

So that's one possibility. Anything else?

I found something of interest, Paul.

Oof.

GONG RINGS

Oh! Bring out your dead.

-It's got a medieval quality.

-You think?

GONG CHIMES

I think this would go well because it's practical.

Cos everyone wants to come on time for dinner, don't they?

Funnily enough, John, nobody wants these things.

Well, I do.

You are more likely to text somebody to come down to dinner

than ring a dinner gong.

Wise words, Paul. Next.

Hey, Paul.

Talk to me.

-PAUL SNIGGERS

-That's gorgeous, isn't it?

Price tag...

15. >

15 quid?

Eh, that was the starting price.

I think that could go to the right buyer

for about 25.

You could be right.

But I also like the sugar bowl.

The sugar bowl is an antique.

Why don't we see what price we can get for both the items?

OK.

-See what the numbers are.

-Yeah?

It's not really an antique, or even vintage, and Paul's not convinced.

However, John likes it. And there is that much older Victorian sugar box.

Time to talk to Matt.

We've not seen much that we like, to be honest.

No disrespect to the shop.

It's lovely. But we're only looking for a couple of items.

Possibly just one.

We do like this Victorian silver-plated sugar box and scoop.

And we are prepared to offer you £14.

What do you say?

I couldn't do it for 14, John, to be fair.

I could do the box for 14 and the scoop for 16.

-Pff! That's a pricey scoop.

-PAUL LAUGHS

Um... How about we meet you halfway at 20?

For both. We're on a tight budget, you see.

-That sounds...

-20 sounds fair, doesn't it?

25 would be more realistic, wouldn't it?

I mean, that's still £30 off the marked price.

What about the leopard?

What about the leopard? The leopard started off at 15.

Yeah. If we got them both...

..for 30, then we might be talking business.

Come on, it's getting late.

You want to have your tea. And so do I, actually.

I tell you what, to give you a fair crack of the whip,

-I'll do the two for 30.

-Eh!

-Thank you very much.

-You've struck a deal.

That's the least likely auction lot we'll see this year.

So that's £20 for the sugar box and scoop, and ten pounds for the cat.

Well done, chaps.

Wayne and Phil are now taking our trip back to Kidderminster.

They've come to find out how this small town came to be

the carpet-making capital of the world.

Just as Wayne's designs coloured the 1980s and '90s, designs from

Kidderminster displaying the home interiors of the '50s, '60s and '70s.

And here to tell them more is Melvin.

-It's nice to meet you.

-Welcome to the carpet museum.

-I'm Philip, how are you?

-Welcome to the Museum of Carpets.

Kidderminster's carpet industry first boomed in the 18th century

thanks to its position on a new canal connecting

the rivers serving the North and South of England.

Factories sprung up making the famous Kidderminster weave.

And the town's skyline was dominated by the carpet mills' chimneys.

The industry dominated life in the town,

generations of families worked in the mills, playing for the mills'

sporting teams, and even had their weddings in the mills' social clubs.

But during World War II,

the factories were turned over to military use

and production of carpet dropped dramatically.

But this pent-up demand led to an incredible time for Kidderminster.

When was the heyday of Kidderminster carpet manufacturing?

The heyday - after the Second World War.

During the World War, there were five years of no production.

The looms were pushed back to the wall

and we had a situation where no carpet was woven.

So the moment the war had finished,

as soon as raw materials were available, the carpet boom started.

And what a boom it was.

At its peak in the 1950s, Kidderminster was producing

millions of square yards of carpets every year.

In the boom years, how big was Kidderminster then?

Kidderminster had 25 companies and about 15,000 people.

It was quite a large company.

The whole of the town centre was covered in carpet factories.

-Carpet town.

-It was a carpet town.

In the post-war consumer and housing boom,

many families bought wall-to-wall carpets for the first time.

After years of austerity, drabness was out and colour was in.

Design had become everything.

There's some very recognisable designs here.

This must be from the late '50s, early '60s, is it?

Yes, it's the '60s.

It was one of the carpets that we sold 1,000,000 square yards of.

It's called Skater's Trail.

You can probably see why it's called Skater's Trail.

I think my nan had this.

I also remember seeing it in every single mail order catalogue.

-Absolutely.

-It would have been everywhere.

-It was perfect.

You could join it together and carry on. Wall-to-wall carpet.

Then I noticed down here that there is one of my design heroes -

Lucienne Day.

Her and Robin Day, heroes of me and Geraldine.

You know, husband and wife design team. Just amazing.

She was very forward-thinking.

And looking at this here, it's very Lucienne Day.

It says it retailed at

two pounds 18 shillings and sixpence a square yard.

If you had some Lucienne Day carpet that was unworn, it would

be very, very collectable. But you just wouldn't come across it.

Lucienne Day was just one of the big names that carpet company

signed up to create cutting-edge designs.

But the Goya design,

seen here in almost every '60s and '70s household,

was designed by Heather Goodwin -

a less celebrated in-house designer.

The factories even had their own school of art and design,

here in Kidderminster.

Doing florals and doing flowers was an age-old...

-It was very, very popular.

-An age-old thing.

1,000,000 square yards. Both these.

I imagine that would have been split.

That would have been for the traditionalists.

-And that would have been for the modernists.

-Yes, yes.

Kidderminster carpets covered floors from Australia to America.

Caesar's Palace, the Eiffel Tower, the Russian Tsar's Summer Palace,

even the White House all sported the Kidderminster weave.

However, decline began in the 1970s.

And today, only one of 25 chimneys remain in the town's skyline.

But five companies and 500 people are still employed making

the carpets that once covered the world.

That was quite a day.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Nighty-night.

Good morning, Road Trippers.

How did it go for you, then, yesterday?

I'm not telling you, Wayne, it's confidential.

Was it home, was it big stuff you bought or knick-knacks?

Well, you know, I'd have to kill you first, Wayne.

I've only just noticed these furry dice.

What... Do you reckon you'd get something for them at auction?

I wouldn't put it past you, Wayne.

How are our esteemed experts this morning?

I'm going to try and steer Wayne, if that can be done.

It's a bit like steering the Queen Mary.

It's on a course, it won't move from it.

I'm going to try and steer Wayne into some antiques shop

and some antiques. But I've got a feeling,

I've got a real feeling that just might not end up that.

Let's just have a quick reminder how they got on yesterday.

John and Paul spent £135 on five items.

The copper kettle,

the Pears print,

the Ruskin vase,

the sugar box,

and the cat.

That leaves them with £265 for the day ahead.

-See you next time.

-No problem.

Wayne and Phil spent £120 on a rather eclectic mix.

Some food crates,

a door,

an assorted lot of retro items,

and a fairground roll-a-ball game,

leaving them with £280 to spend today.

-Cheers, Lol.

-OK, mate.

-Lovely job.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

-Here they come.

-Here's the guys.

-Moment of truth.

-Morning.

-How you doing, John?

-I'm very good, thank you. How are you?

-I'm all right.

-Sleep well?

-As well as can be expected.

We are off now to go and buy some quality items, aren't we?

I don't know. You didn't manage to do that yesterday.

-Whereas we did, you see?

-Actually, you didn't.

But we'll go and find something that's...

-Well, spectacular.

-Better than yesterday.

No, no, no. I'm very pleased with what we bought yesterday.

In the light of what Wayne's been telling me in the car,

I'm feeling quite optimistic about our chances.

Glad to hear it, John.

Both our teams are heading to Evesham. And to the same shop.

First to arrive at Twyford Antiques Centre

are Wayne and Phil.

This looks interesting.

Well, it is your first antiques shop of the trip.

Big enough too.

But how will Wayne get on in a more, shall we say, conventional setting?

-Everybody's here.

-The oppos' vehicle there.

-Yeah.

My Austin Ambassador would have beaten this car.

-PAUL LAUGHS

-1-0 to the Kadett so far.

-Here we go.

-Right.

Bargains might have been snapped up before we got through the door.

Come on.

Love the optimism.

-Wayne.

-Hello, John.

-Phil, hello.

-Good to see you again.

John, how are you? Lovely to see you.

Yeah, well. Only recently that we parted.

-Absolutely right.

-Happy here?

You're going to like it here, I think.

This first box here. Look at this here.

Records. Seven-inch vinyl. 50% off the purchase price.

-Hey!

-First one - Rod Stewart - Do You Think I'm Sexy?

Well, I prefer the B-side. No, I don't.

WAYNE LAUGHS

-That was a very rude title.

-It is a very rude title, yeah.

Dirty Weekend. I'm not in music mode. I'm in antique-buying mode.

These are... Well, come on then. Let's go, let's go and look.

Nice video camera there.

But again, will it do well at an auction?

-No, no.

-Depends on the auction, is the answer.

Very wise words there, Paul.

Phil...

What have you got, my friend?

It's a nice, old sledge. And it's just kind of rusted up enough.

-That's fun, isn't it?

-It's had a modern...

-Plywood seat.

-A plywood seat.

-Don't show me the price yet.

-Yeah, so it's...

-Don't show me the price.

That's going to make 15 to 20 quid at auction.

Which means we've got to try and buy it for five to ten pounds.

-Yeah.

-But what I like about that is that, in fact, what is it?

-'50s or '60s? Hammerite paint.

-Yeah.

It's the kind of thing that people put on display.

Or they might buy it for their kid.

I'll leave you to have a deal with him.

The ticket price for the sledge is £35.

Here to do the negotiating is Andy.

-I found this.

-We haven't had any snow for the last two years.

Yeah. So, I mean, would you take something like £7.50 on it

and give us a chance to make some money?

Make it eight quid.

-I'll have it then.

-Yep.

-Deal done.

-OK.

-OK, cheers.

You can tell he's done this negotiating before.

John and Paul are still in here somewhere.

Eh, now look.

I don't know where Paul's gone, but I think I want to buy this.

It's a shame rent has been crossed out.

But obviously rates became more important.

I think I'm going to buy this.

Paul.

Are you there?

Paul!

Are you coming?

Hurry up then, Paul.

COINS RATTLE

-How goes it, John?

-There you are.

-You cracking open the piggy bank?

-You found something good?

-I have, Paul.

-I thought I'd put some money in.

-You've put some money in?

-What do you think?

-What have you put into it?

-Well...

-Let me see.

-I think this would do well in the auction.

Let me see what you put into it.

You've put in a penny more than it's worth.

In times of post-war austerity, money boxes like this would have

helped households keep track of their finances.

Ticket price is £12.

I tell you what shade of green that is, that's thermos flask green.

That's what that is. That's why it's got you.

For me, it's not so much nostalgic as depressing.

-You see, look, he's left an extra column that's free.

-Yeah.

And you can write your own category.

That's for your plot at the graveyard.

Yeah, yeah, save up for your plot. Because after taxes, come death.

John may love it, but I don't think Paul's on board yet.

How much are we prepared to pay for this?

Well...

I think up to £1.34.

£1.34. I will back you all the way. I'll be behind you.

It'll be a safe distance. It'll be that sort of...safety.

Three quid.

A pound.

Two quid.

Hang on, why are we...?

PAUL LAUGHS

Not a penny more than a pound and it's yours.

Potentially, it's unsalable

at auction.

-I'd rather cut our losses.

-I'm going to prove you wrong.

This will go for double figures.

Oh, yeah(?) Time to see Andy then.

Hello. We've found an item that we like.

Let's have a look.

-He's using that we loosely.

-Ah right. I see.

Paul's not so keen.

Look, I've got 11p there.

-I was thinking if I took a penny back...

-Yes.

That's what we would like to offer for it.

Because, as Paul rightly says, no-one's going to buy it.

-It's just, I like it. What do you think?

-Well, em...

I'm prepared to increase my offer by 1,000% and no more.

I can do it for six pounds for you.

Pff. No, no. £1.20.

£1.11. That's all we've got.

I was going to say £1.20, but I can't come down to 1.11, I'm afraid.

-1.20.

-It's just too much...

-Good man.

-You are a good man.

Thank you very much.

I can start saving for me funeral now.

Have you got a black marker?

Excellent work, John.

Let's just hope it makes more than pennies at the auction.

Ooh, and he'll want a receipt, Andy.

I'd like a receipt, please.

Told you.

-LAUGHING:

-See you.

-We've forgotten it.

-Don't forget that.

-Bye.

Wayne is still on the hunt.

He's uncovered some vintage advertising.

A 1950s poster for a local dairy.

What drew my eye to that was the fact that it's local to here,

so to somebody that can mean quite a lot.

It's a local dairy. It's a nice old piece of original...

It's obviously not reproduction,

it's a piece of original advertising.

Good spot, Wayne.

But where is your expert?

Do you know, there are times in your life

when you feel totally superfluous, and this is one of them.

I've suddenly realised that I'm in the Wayne Hemingway show.

Indeed. With no ticket price on the poster, Wayne is back with Andy.

I think we can probably come up with some sort of a deal on that.

25 quid?

I think that's coming down a bit too much.

I was thinking I might get away with 35 for you.

Split it, 30?

-Go on, then.

-OK.

-Cheers.

-OK.

He's good at this. Wayne has got the sledge and the poster for £38.

I think he even enjoyed his antique shop experience.

Paul and John are heading 20 miles west from Evesham

to Birtsmorton.

They are headed to the Royal Pigeon Racing Association

to discover how the humble pigeon helps the Allies

win the Second World War.

Pigeons.

# Pigeons in flight. #

-Are you ready for the second line?

-Hit me with it.

# I want to see you tonight. #

That's all I'm giving you at the moment.

The peak could be too much for me.

Perhaps we could squeeze in some more singing later

as here to tell us about our oldest domesticated bird is Stewart Wardrop.

The first thing that strikes me, Stewart, is the sound of the cooing.

It's very restful.

It is indeed, yes. Behind you is a loft with almost 600 racing pigeons.

Man's relationship with the pigeon goes back centuries.

The ancient Egyptians and Romans used pigeons for relaying messages.

Wellington's army used them at Waterloo.

And Reuters news agency couldn't have started without the pigeon's

famous homing instinct.

There are various theories on their homing instinct.

Whether it's the sun, the Earth's magnetic fields, or even their

sense of smell, it's helped pigeons travel over thousands of miles.

-Stewart, you say they've got a homing instinct.

-Yep.

Does this diminish when they become teenagers?

-Do you know what I mean?

-LAUGHTER

When they go off on their own.

-And then realise they can't cope and come back.

-Yes, they do.

-Yeah.

When you are training pigeons, the first time you let them out,

some of them, when you take them three or four miles

and train them, some of them come straight back.

But some of them are like naughty teenagers.

They'll go off and they won't come back for a number of days.

It was in wartime that pigeons became unlikely heroes.

In the First World War, they had cameras strapped to them and

were used for reconnaissance before the aeroplane took over that role.

By the Second World War,

they were considered essential to the war effort.

This is a call up paper.

-This is the National Pigeon Service.

-It is.

There were a quarter of a million pigeons called up

in the Second World War to serve with all the Allied forces,

you know, supporting the troops.

So these are private individuals, they've got a few

pigeons in their loft or whatever,

and the government writes to them saying,

-"We're calling up your birds for National Service."

-That's it, yeah.

And you had to have a licence to be able to keep the pigeons.

"It will be esteemed a favour

"if you will kindly place birds on rail on 26th of April, if possible."

They didn't just have call up papers.

I have a...

A ration book for a pigeon.

THEY LAUGH

Basically, each of the lofts were issued a ration card,

and you went and called off your grain on a weekly or monthly basis.

And fed your pigeons.

Then once your pigeons have been called up,

and your pigeons have been fed,

you have to have a way of carrying the pigeons in the aircraft.

And this is what this was.

This is an American military pigeon carrier.

All bombers, all reconnaissance aircraft

carried a box with pigeons in.

So, basically, because of the early radios, if you were shot down,

the navigator would get the box out, put a message on the pigeon's leg.

And this is the message carrier.

So the message is, "We're down and these are our coordinates."

-Indeed, yeah.

-"Come and save us."

One of the first medals awarded to a pigeon in the Second World War

was one of the King's pigeons called Royal Blue.

And his message, brought home exactly like this,

saved the lives of the whole crew of a Blenheim bomber.

Yes, pigeons were awarded medals during the war.

In fact, the animal version of the Victoria Cross,

called the Dickin Medal, was awarded 53 times during the war.

32 of its winners were pigeons.

Do you think it's fair to say, without the help of the pigeon

we would have lost the Second World War?

It would have been considerably longer and many,

many lives were saved through the activities of pigeons.

After the war, pigeons went back to their previously popular

role as sporting stars.

It's hard to believe now, but in the 1960s and '70s

it was pigeon races that adorned the papers' back pages,

with over 100,000 enthusiasts regularly taking part.

Pigeon racing still has many fans, amongst them

is our very own celebrity guest.

I've written a song about a pigeon.

-Good. I'm looking forward to hearing it.

-Yeah?

Well, I'd like to play it for you now.

Time for a treat.

With one of his most successful songs, Pigeons In Flight, ladies

and gentlemen, live from a field in Worcestershire, John Shuttleworth.

# Pigeons in flight

# I want to see you tonight

# Oh, I want to hold you

# If I may be so bold to

# And tell you some things that you like...

# To hear

# Oh, my dear

# In your ear

# Pigeons in flight

# I want to see you tonight

# I want to see you

-# To... #

-MUSIC STOPS ABRUPTLY

Oof. That's a funny ending.

-THEY LAUGH

-Thank you very much.

Gosh, I never thought I'd see that on a Road Trip.

What can rivals Wayne and Phil do to match that?

They've headed north, back to Worcester,

but this time to an antiques shop run by the very lovely Gabrielle.

Gabrielle, lovely to see you.

-Hi, how are you?

-This is Wayne.

-Hello, nice to meet you.

-Wayne.

We've been buying all sorts of things

and I haven't had too much say thus far.

So he's going to really put me on the spot here.

But I want to try and buy something that he likes.

-I want to try and convert him.

-Yeah, this is...

So far on all our trips, I've been kind of pushing him to one side.

-But this is our last stop.

-Yeah, right.

-And his job now...

-It's his moment.

-It's his moment.

Our Phil's more than up to the task.

Ooh, a vintage toy track could be just the thing.

I quite like this. Do you?

I do. I've got quite a lot of this type of stuff in cupboards at home.

Gabrielle, how much is that? What's the best on that?

That one, I would take £45.

-It's a figure of eight, isn't it?

-Yeah.

No, it's just an oval, isn't it?

No, cos you've got a bridge here. Where is the bridge? There.

In an auction, would they set it all up so people can see it?

You're in the hands of the auctioneer.

Are people that trusting?

When it's set up, yes, it looks beautiful.

But if it's not set up...

You're the expert. Not me.

Well, first things first, is it complete?

And is it a loop or figure of eight?

There's got to be a mathematical solution to this, doesn't there?

I think you're right.

Yes, or you could just put it together.

That looks like a nine to me.

If that goes through there it doesn't work,

it doesn't bring you back.

-It doesn't bring you...

-Oh, hold on.

Hold on. No. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ah, he's got it.

-That is good.

-I think I've converted him.

I have converted him.

But it... Look.

If it doesn't make money, it's your fault.

Thank you so much.

Right, I've got to pay you, Gabrielle.

-Very good. Thank you.

-Right.

So, with Wayne convinced and no need for further negotiation,

the deal is done. £45 for the cars and racetrack.

-Thank you.

-Bye.

That's the shopping finished.

And now it's time for our teams to reveal their items.

Are you ready for this?

Three, two, one, go!

-Ta-da!

-Ta-da indeed.

That is so boring.

'Don't hold back, Wayne.'

-How can you say that's boring, Wayne?

-Well, it's...

It's beautiful.

-I'm disappointed because I think...

-That's very patronising of you.

I think you have listened to the expert, only listened to the expert.

What?! What?!

I listened to my heart, Wayne.

That's your heart. I can imagine that.

-I like the tin!

-I know you like saving coppers.

Interestingly, that's the last item I bought.

-New is boring.

-But what's that? What's that about there?

Well...

-Ruskin Pottery.

-It's Ruskin.

-Phil understands that.

Ruskin Pottery. And you knew a lot about Ruskin Pottery, didn't you?

And that...

Well, copper's in a bit, I suppose.

Look at the funny design. It's Egyptian. Isn't it?

LAUGHING: No.

Well, it looks Egyptian, doesn't it?

What have you got to offer? Come on. Lift your cloth.

-Hold on, hold on.

-Goodness me!

'There is a lot of cloth to lift.'

-Man alive!

-It's like a fairground.

-That's what I was going to say.

-How much is it to get in?

THEY ALL LAUGH

Wayne, my first reaction is it's very eye-catching.

But totally unsellable.

-What's the sell-by date on your jars?

-Long since gone.

Body parts. What is that?

-These are over 30 years old.

-What?!

And we've got a box of them.

-A proper full box of 30-year-old damsons.

-Of course you have.

That door needs sanding down.

-Awful condition.

-PAUL LAUGHS

-It needs a bonfire, is what it needs.

-Listen...

The door is, you know, it's got a perfect patination on it.

The woodworm is just the right amount of woodworm.

Can I just say, I think this is a clue for us we've won.

Come on, quick, quick. Off, off, off!

See you at the car boot... I mean, the auction.

See you at the auction.

Get a move on.

So what did our duos think of their rival's lots?

What do you think? Victory roll or pigeon plop?

How are we doing?

Well, I think that we will win.

Because it seems unlikely that we will.

And often unlikely things happen.

-That cat, it's funny, isn't it?

-Yeah, sort of.

But I think he actually thinks that cat's going to be his saviour.

We didn't discuss the lovely painting with the porridge oats.

They were embarrassed. They were intimidated by the picture.

-Fine art compared to their barn doors.

-Yeah.

-You're not trying to humour me, are you, Paul?

-I...

-Do you think we've got a chance?

-Yes, I do.

-We've won, in my opinion.

-You think so?

-We've won, yeah.

What a man. What a man.

And so, to auction.

After starting in Shropshire

and winding their way through Worcestershire, this unconventional

Road Trip will draw to a close in the beautiful Cotswold town of Stroud.

They're heading towards the sometimes called

Covent Garden of the Cotswolds,

home to a famous farmers market and its own fringe festival.

But today, it's all about the antiques.

It's a lovely day, Wayne.

You all prepared for a big defeat at the auction?

Well...

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to beat you by a considerable margin.

But I have been having nightmares about the cat.

-Have you?

-The disco cat.

-Well, that's because you're frightened.

Subconsciously, you know that you are going to suffer a heavy defeat.

I reckon it's going to fetch between...

200 and 300.

Pence. If you're lucky.

Ha-ha! We'll soon see.

They're arriving at the aptly named Stroud Auctions.

-We are here!

-PAUL AND PHIL LAUGH

You parking IN the auction room, John?

You worry unduly.

-How are you, my friend?

-I'm really well.

-It's good to see you.

-How are you, Wayne?

-I'm all right now.

-In the safe zone.

-John, how's it going?

-Yeah, good.

-Ready for the fray?

-Yeah.

-How are we going to do?

-Well, I'm pretty confident.

-He doesn't seem it, does he?

I'm really worried about that sugar bowl.

The sugar bowl has just come back to me.

It's the disco cat that's bothering me.

Everyone is calling it the disco cat.

I'll take that, if they like. Disco cat. I'll take that.

Can we persuade the auctioneer to say disco cat?

-Let's go and have a look, shall we?

-Let's go.

Come on, my friends. Come on.

Today's auctioneer is Nick Bowkett.

What does he think of our teams' idiosyncratic items?

My personal favourite is the roll-a-ball.

I think that's quite nostalgic. I think it's quite in fashion.

And it's a little bit different.

The Ruskin vase - Ruskin is very popular

and we have a big following for ceramics in this auction,

so I would think it would make £40 or £50.

I'd see it in that sort of bracket.

Both teams started this Road Trip with £400.

Paul and John have spent £136.20 on six auction lots.

Phil and Wayne also have six lots and have spent £203.

As well as the bidders on the phone and in the room, there is

a lot of interest online.

So, with great expectations, let's start the auction.

First up is John's money box.

John did predict this would make double figures. So good luck.

Got £12 on the book. Two bids, would you believe?

Straight in at double figures.

-14. 16.

-Internet.

£16. 16.

18 on the net now.

18's the same as me.

£18.

-At £18.

-£1.20 you paid.

-You've gone right red, Wayne.

-GAVEL BANGS

By my calculations, that must be one of the biggest percentage

profits the Road Trip has ever seen. Well done, John.

-Is that all?

-I'll congratulate you on that.

-Thank you very much.

Next, it's Wayne and Phil's wooden crates.

I can open the bidding up.

-Conflict on the book at £35.

-What?!

£35 for the fruit crates.

38 was with me. 40 takes me out.

Any further bids?

At £40. Will sell.

GAVEL BANGS

Great profit.

Is this a sign of a vintage-loving audience?

I think you'll see that at the moment, I am in the lead.

Yes, you are. Just slightly.

Now it's Paul and John's Pears poster.

I have a commissioned bid of ten pounds.

Ten pounds.

In the room!

-Oh. Oh.

-It's going up.

12. 14 now. 14 I have.

At 14. 16.

18.

£18.

20, net bid. £20.

22. Conflict on the net. Selling then to the net at £22.

GAVEL BANGS

It's a small loss, but it's still early days.

Could've been worse. I think that's a result.

But you lost eight pounds.

Yes, we did.

But we'll get it back on the next item.

It's the door. Beautifully displayed outside the auction room.

I can open the bidding up at five pounds.

Five I have.

They've got a bid.

Five I have.

Five pounds.

Six, seven, ten, 12.

Look at that!

12 I have. £12 now.

14. 14 in the room.

-You took the mickey out of me so much for that.

-18.

Look, it's going up. Look at the people bidding in here.

Come on!

18. I'm selling at £18.

Another great profit for Wayne and Phil.

-Well done.

-There we go.

Well done, Wayne. £18.

Here's the copper kettle for John and Paul.

£20 I have.

At £20.

22. 28.

32. 35.

38. 40.

40 with me still. 40.

42. I'm out.

At 45.

-At 45.

-50!

-50.

£50. 50 I'm bid.

-£50!

-It's going.

At 50. Five. 55 on Stuart's phone.

-55.

-He's catching us up here.

It's with Stuart.

That more than makes up for their earlier loss.

-Well done.

-Yes, thank you, Wayne.

-Well done.

-Yeah, a bit of respect finally.

-Yeah.

Wayne actually bought this next lot in an antiques shop.

I've got two bids on the book. 48 opens the bidding.

-At £48. 48.

-Oh!

48. 50 room bid. £50.

It's with... I have an awkward bid at 51.

52 to you, sir? 52.

52.

Any other bids at 52?

Selling then? Room bid. £52.

GAVEL BANGS

Yet another great profit for Wayne and Phil.

It's John's Ruskin vase now.

Bought with expert advice.

£35. 35.

On commission. 35. 38.

38. 40.

£40.

42. 45.

45.

48. 50.

£50. 50 now. Five. 60. 65 net.

65. 65. 70.

Five. 80.

85. 90.

95. At 95.

INDISTINCT SHOUT

95.

GAVEL BANGS Paul was spot on about this antique.

More than doubling their money.

Back in the game with that one.

-More than back in the game. Well done.

-Thank you.

Here's to the most interesting lot of the day -

Wayne's assorted barn finds.

£20. At 20.

£20. 22.

-25.

-Eh!

28. 30. 30 I'm bid.

-32. 35.

-WAYNE LAUGHS

38. 38. 40.

£40.

-42.

-I'm trying to watch Wayne's face.

45. 48.

It's with the net at £48.

50. 50 room bid.

50.

Any other bids? £50. Will sell.

That is quite amazing.

Great profit on one of the Road Trip's most eclectic ever lots.

Hats off to you. Good lot.

The sugar box next.

Paul and John need a good profit on this to stay in the running.

Two bids on the book.

At £25. 28.

30 still with me.

It's going!

'£30.'

With me still on commission at £30.

GAVEL BANGS

Another profit. There is no stopping them today.

Now it's what Wayne has dubbed "the Christmas toy set."

The sledge and the racetrack he loved.

-JOHN:

-It's rubbish!

Don't bid for it!

And it's beautifully displayed, thankfully.

Got the cars going, so it does work.

Someone start me off. £30.

30 bid. Thank you.

30 bid.

30 it is. £30. 32. 32.

32 I have. 35. 38.

38. 40.

Good mixed lot. 42. 45. 48.

Wayne, come here.

-You're wanted.

-55 still with me.

At 55. 60. 65 still with me.

-Oh, my goodness. It's going.

-Yeah, look.

-You've got a fan in the audience.

-That's £65.

It's selling then at 65.

-Any other bids?

-GAVEL BANGS

This is some run, you know.

Not a loss yet for Wayne and Phil.

But now it's the hotly anticipated cat,

the item Wayne fears the most.

I can open the bidding at £12. 12 I'm bid.

-£12.

-14.

16. 18. 20.

22. 25. 28.

28. 30. 35.

35.

It's the star of the show!

42. £42.

Disco cats are go.

-Net bid at £42.

-What if they think it's solid silver?

Any room bids? 42.

-Selling then at £42.

-GAVEL BANGS

Unbelievable. Well done, John.

Great profit for the disco cat.

-Ye of little faith.

-WAYNE LAUGHS

-No, actually what you mean is WE of little faith.

-We.

That's what you mean.

It's the roll-a-ball game.

Can Wayne and Phil keep up their winning streak?

I've conflict on the book. At £120.

WAYNE CHEERS

120. 130.

140. 150.