Oz Clarke and Jilly Goolden Celebrity Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite celebrities...

Got some proper bling here.

..paired up with an expert...

What? What?

..and a classic car.

-Pick your legs up.

-Are you are all right, girls?

Their mission - to scour Britain for antiques.

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?

Putting 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.

Time to put your pedal to the metal.

This is Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.

Yeah!

For today's Road Trip, we're in sunny Scotland

with the nation's favourite wine experts -

Jilly Goolden and designated driver Oz Clarke.

I'm going to get my...get the instructions,

-just in case we need them.

-I am not going to read the instructions

of how to drive a car, Jilly.

Your bottom is getting in the way of the, you know...

This is Northern Scotland, they are not expecting to see your bottom.

Steady on, Jilly. At least you're not on a public road.

-There's a cut-out switch.

-Look left, look right, Jilly.

-OK.

Try and be helpful,

rather than just telling me what I don't need to know.

A cut-out switch under the dashboard. I think I need that.

Long before Jamie or Nigella, these two vintage presenters

were a TV institution thanks to their way with words.

It's as though I'm actually crushing the black grapes in my mouth.

Gorgeous peach blossom.

Clove spice and sort of lemon citrus zest.

Rosewater and witch hazel. You know, those lovely scents.

Jilly and Oz reducing grown adjectives to tears.

And this isn't the first time

these two have been on a road trip together.

-We shouldn't have stopped for that rest, Jilly.

-Oh!

There's got to be an easier way.

Thankfully for you, there is, Oz.

But you're still in control, this time,

of the beautifully preserved 1966 Singer Gazelle.

I can just look at the view and have a lovely time

while you do all the driving, and that was the same on the tandem.

When I was at the back, I was manicuring my nails -

I did not pedal.

I did notice that there was a serious lack of effort.

With £400 each, today's game is serious business.

When did you last buy an antique?

Erm...

..about 1980, I think.

I have maybe a little bit more antique experience than you,

which doesn't mean I'm going to be any better.

But I did do a programme called The Great Antiques Hunt

-for five years.

-I remember it.

And I remember it too.

But the difference today, Jilly,

is you'll be doing the shopping with a little help.

Yeah. Driving a cheeky little 1968 Triumph Vitesse -

my dad had one of those - are our experts.

Smooth, full-bodied and with a sophisticated palate

is auctioneer James Braxton.

I had a kipper this morning in Carnoustie.

That's the lovely thing about a kipper, it stays with you all day.

Bubbly, ripe, mature and with a great nose

is jewellery expert Margie Cooper.

Is it true that you can smell silver?

-Yeah, I think you can.

-I think you can.

I can smell horrible plate.

Well, you can both hone your olfactory skills with today's guests.

So, we've got two wine experts.

-Not winos, wine experts.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Oz and Jilly go under the skin of wine.

-Right.

They know about crystallisation, they know perfect temperatures.

SHE SIGHS DEEPLY

-I shall await...

-Anyway, you're going to go...

-I tell you what, Margie...

-I'm not glazing over.

..you stick to smelling silver, OK?

And you'll be sticking to only smelling wine, James,

because on this road trip, there'll be no drinking and driving.

Our pairs are setting off from Carnoustie, on the coast,

before driving through the beautiful countryside to Dundee,

across into Perthshire and then back to Dundee.

Then it's another drive south before finishing at auction,

60 miles away in Leith, in Scotland's capital, Edinburgh.

But first we need to decide the pairs.

Don't singe your bottom, Margie.

But why is it so hot?

It's the engine, love.

So patronising.

Never mind, here come our celebrities.

Here they are, madly waving.

Ah.

-Hello.

-Morning, morning.

-You've arrived.

-You lovely people.

-Very grand, James.

-Hello, hello, lovely to see you. Grand?

-Nice to see you.

-Really good to see you.

-How are you? Nice to see you.

-I'm very well.

Jilly, lovely to meet you.

-Oz.

-Hi, James.

-How are you?

-Very good. Very good.

-What a morning.

-What a day for us.

-It is, isn't it?

-Yeah. Now then.

-Now, who's with whom?

Girls together, I think we should take them on.

Girls together or boys... What do you reckon?

-Oh, let's boy-girl.

-Boy-girl, you traditionalist!

Lovely, Margie. Who could pass...?

And who could pass off the lovely Jilly?

THEY LAUGH

Well, that means... I'm not commenting about you on this.

So, it's sorted.

The two Js together in the Singer

and in the Triumph, Oz and Margie.

It works!

Their first stop today is 19 miles north in Brechin,

and it's a chance to get to know more about our wine champion.

-At university, we had a university wine team, which I was in.

-Yeah.

Then there was an English wine team, I got into that team.

And every time we won... We beat the French and we beat the Germans

and we beat the Italians...

-Oh, my goodness.

-..I thought I was the coolest dude in the world.

I take it you're interested in antiques?

Well, I am, but I gave up buying them a long time ago.

I used to buy old stamps,

I couldn't believe that nobody wanted these old stamps.

Of course, I didn't realise that there's an awful lot of old stamps

in the world and they're not quite as valuable as you'd hope.

-Yes, a lot of little boys' collections.

-Yeah.

Oh, yes. There may even be some stamps in Brechin.

Thanks to its 11th-century cathedral,

this is one of Britain's smallest cities.

Oz and Margie have come to the aptly-named Treasures...

-like them.

-There's a bicycle.

-Yeah.

-Offer them a fiver for that.

-Yeah.

And here to help them is the very cheery Ewen.

-Right, Ewen, we're going to have a wonder.

-Sure.

-Well, I feel straight out of my depth here.

-Well, don't.

-What's that?

-Straight out of my depth.

-What's that?

-That is...

That is a Shields of Dublin...

Oh, that's bits of a bagpipe.

Not so out of your depth after all, Oz.

Ewen, is that bike for sale outside?

Yes, it's for sale, aye.

Well, I said I'd give you a fiver for it.

EWEN LAUGHS

I tell the jokes here.

So, no deal on that bike.

Got any others?

-Go on, sit on it, see what it's like.

-The thing is, will I get up?

-Yes, you will.

-Careful now.

-I think it might be real.

-How do you work it?

-It's got wheels, it's got breaks.

-Oh, yeah.

Look, look, it says here...power.

THEY LAUGH

It does work!

What did you press?

They're having a good time already. Oh, look what it is.

What are those stamps doing?

-No, I don't know.

-Those are Twopenny Blues.

Now, I don't know whether they're real or not.

And I don't what the actual price is at the moment on those.

Ah... Oz has found something he does know a bit about.

-Are those Twopenny Blues there?

-Yeah, they're real.

-Are they real?

-Yeah.

There's loads of them.

Now, it's a long time since I was a stamp collector.

Well, let me remind you, Oz.

The Twopenny Blue was the world's second official postage stamp,

issued in 1840.

The ticket price for this group is £55.

-Have you still got your stamp collection?

-Yeah.

It's now worth five pounds.

So, I thought I might bring it up and offer it to you,

so that I can take your bicycle away.

-You've got five pounds on the brain.

-That's it.

Good try, Oz.

Perhaps Ewen has something else that could be part of a deal.

Can you parcel this up and let us have something whereby

it would be impossible for us to fail?

Well, I'm sure we could come to some sort of deal,

but I've fortunately found these as well.

These might be more interesting

-because they're going to Edinburgh to sell.

-Hm.

-The medals are actually there.

-Yeah.

And there's all the paperwork with the medals, as you can see.

Is there a name of a person?

-It's actually on the box.

-J Johnson esquire.

-Yeah.

These two World War II medals were awarded to an airman from Leith,

which is where our auction is taking place.

They have a ticket price of £20.

Can we not put the two together and it'll be really cheap?

Combined with the stamps, that's £75.

How much can they get off, Ewen?

-I could give you the stamps and the medals...

-Yeah.

..the two lots for 60 quid.

-No, it's too dear.

-It's too much.

-Yeah.

-Rock bottom price, OK?

-Yeah.

-38.

-50 quid and I cannae do any less than that, honestly.

-I don't think we're risking it.

-Is it too much?

-I think so.

-Cos I'm out of my comfort zone completely.

-Hm.

Right, here we go. 45 quid, that's it.

I can't take less than that, honestly.

I'm not too happy at 45. If you're happy at 45...

I just like seeing Ewen smile.

The amount of times I've made you smile and laugh this morning

-is worth a fiver.

-It's worth a fiver, yeah.

-40 quid.

-40 quid then, come on.

-Come on then, we've done it.

-There you go.

-I like your style, Oz.

Disarm them with your charm and then get £35 off the ticket price.

-That's first class and the first deal of the day done.

-Best of luck.

Thanks.

Jilly and James, meanwhile,

are making the trip 15 miles north to Pitscandly,

just outside Forfar.

Do you like being driven, Jilly?

It depends how well you drive, James.

I must admit I have been known to be a bit of a backseat driver,

-or front seat driver.

-Really?

And in this car, I have to tell you, I've got the instructions.

-So, if you do anything wrong...

-Yeah.

-..I'll be on it.

One of the things here that I would really like to try out,

and it's the cut-out switch under the dashboard

on the right of the steering wheel.

Well, is this if you're running away out of control,

do you use the cut-out switch? When do you use it?

I would like to remain in control of the car.

Will Jilly let you remain in charge of the shopping, James?

So, I'm quite, as I say, an acquisitive person,

and I've got a hell of a lot of animals,

which I acquire at a great rate.

What, horses, dogs, cats?

-All of the above.

-Really?

Hedgehogs.

-Sanctuary, you're a sanctuary.

-I'm a sanctuary.

We've got a hedgehog who's gone a bit mad.

-No!

-But anything to do with hedgehogs I would go for,

I can tell you.

Their first chance at some antique acquisition

is going to be in Gow Antiques & Restoration.

-It looks lovely, doesn't it?

-It really does, actually.

A restorer. Now, remember what I said, Jilly.

-WHISPERS:

-Always buy...

Always buy ceramics in a furniture place, OK?

-Oh, yes.

-OK.

-OK.

-Words to the wise.

-OK. Words to the wise.

And to show Jilly and James around, is Jeremy - triple Js.

-Hi.

-Hello there.

-I'm Jilly.

-Jilly, pleased to meet you.

-What a lovely place.

-James.

-Hello, James.

Jilly, in your words, I'm getting...

-HE INHALES

-polish here.

-What are you smelling?

-Shed loads of polish.

Shed loads of polish.

What about oak and walnut undertones with a touch of brass, Jilly?

I am absolutely mad about birds.

-Oh, you love birds.

-And look at that. These are little...

They're actually sort of stylised.

It looks like a bullfinch and a chaffinch.

But that's rather lovely. It's painted, isn't it?

Let me have a look there. Yeah, you're right, it's all painted.

Jilly knows her stuff all right.

Terribly smart, isn't it? Oh, lovely papers inside.

And so what date would you put on it?

Well, it's a very Regency look to it, isn't it?

1800, 1820.

It's a beautiful satinwood box and an antique,

but what condition is it in?

Is the box smiling?

-Is there... Does it fall flush...

-Oh, I see what you mean.

-..or is it bent a bit?

-Erm...

Cos it's got some cracks here, which would suggest it was on...

Very slightly not...

No, not married.

-Cos it's stretched there, isn't it?

-There's a little bit of movement.

Well, sometimes... There is, you can see it there, can't you?

-Yeah, there is movement.

-Sometimes a little bit of damage is reassuring

-both for age and also maybe helpful on the old price.

-On the old price.

I think we have to tell Jeremy, it's very cracked, very cracked.

The ticket price for the box is £365,

that's nearly their entire budget for the trip.

What magic can be done here by Team Jilly?

Erm, I like the box VERY much.

-But I can't spend a great deal of money on it.

-Yeah.

Well, to be honest, we want to try and save ourselves a bit.

150.

265.

I don't do fives.

I don't think I could go above 150 for it

because I'm terrified about our budget

and about commission and things.

-185, go on.

-I think you could go slightly above it but...

I can't go to 185. I can't, I can't.

-Oh, she's a tough lady.

-I can't, you know.

-This is why she's top of her business.

-It's got, you know.

-Smiling.

-It's got a little bit of a...

Don't tell the restorer that, he knows that.

He probably restored it.

I think if we were 200 years old, we'd have a couple of cracks, too.

Maybe so, but the condition could have a big effect

on what it'll sell for at auction.

I will go to 160.

I'll go to 170.

We'll split it. 165?

-OK.

-Whey!

Thank you, Jeremy. Thank you.

Hey, that Jilly's one to watch. £200 knocked off the satinwood box, eh?

Oz and Margie, meanwhile, have driven nine miles east

to the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre.

They've come here to find out how a small airfield in Scotland

helped change the face of warfare forever.

And here to tell them more is Dan, one of the centre's volunteers.

-Good to see you.

-How are you?

-Yeah, very well.

So, Dan, what have you got here?

Well, this is the most important early aviation site in Britain,

we believe.

It goes back to the very early days of flying,

and the buildings round about you here date back to 1913.

This former farmer's field in Montrose

made aviation and military history in February 1913,

when the then Royal Flying Corps moved its No 2 Squadron here.

They were already using civilian airfields in England,

but once they had relocated the first five planes,

the makeshift base here

became the first purpose-built military airfield in the world.

Why did they create the first airfield here?

What they were concerned about

was the Germans developing zeppelins,

which were airships that were capable of long-distance flights,

and they thought the zeppelins might be spying on the Grand Fleet,

which was the main British weapon.

Montrose was situated halfway between the two bases

for the British grand naval fleet,

with the River Forth to the south and Scapa Flow to the north.

Montrose was nicely situated

to keep an eye on any intruders from Germany

looking at our battleships.

Most of the military were dubious about the benefits

of these new flying machines but the head of No 2 Squadron,

Major Charles Burke,

had the innovative idea that the planes could be used

to take aerial photographs of German positions in France.

The No 2 Squadron from Montrose

then became the first aeroplanes ever to be sent to war.

The No 2 Squadron was mobilised and left Montrose on 3 August 1914,

-the day before war was officially declared.

-Yeah.

Flew down to Dover and, ten days later,

-they flew across the Channel to France.

-Yeah.

And of course, one of the men who left here on the third,

Major Harvey-Kelly, was the first British pilot

to land in France in the First World War.

Hubert Harvey-Kelly had become the first man

to successfully land a plane in a war zone.

Although Major Burke was supposed to have the honour of going first,

Kelly had taken an accidental shortcut and beaten him.

This is a partial replica of Kelly's plane.

-It looks like a glider.

-Well, it is a glider.

The engines were very low power.

Aviation engines were a whole new thing.

So, effectively it was just a powered glider.

The engine got it up to height and kept it going along at about 60mph.

But once in France, the role of the planes quickly began to change.

The initial idea is aircraft for reconnaissance purposes,

but they very quickly encountered the Germans coming the other way

-doing their reconnaissance.

-Ah!

And they began to look for ways of stopping the enemy.

So, how did it develop?

I almost feel as though it's people getting a pistol out

and trying to shoot across at the other bloke.

That's exactly how it started, yes.

So you had to fly your plane

-and fire at the enemy at the same time, yeah.

-Oh, no!

New technology soon allowed the pilots to fire machine guns

through the propellers without hitting them,

as on this Sopwith Camel.

Bomb-dropping technology also quickly evolved.

In 1914, aeroplanes took 13 days to travel 500 miles.

The hothouse of war had quickly changed the plane

from a piece of rickety surveillance technology

into an efficient killing machine.

So, the whole range of modern aircraft

-had already developed by the end of the First World War.

-Yeah.

And Harvey-Kelly, in 1917, was a fighter pilot in effect.

It was the fighting above the Battle of Arras

that he met his death in April 1917.

How old was he?

24.

Was there a respect between the different air forces?

Yes, there certainly was.

I think they sort of regarded the war in the air

as a more chivalrous kind of thing.

When Harvey-Kelly was shot down behind the German lines,

they buried him as they would one of their own,

with full military honours.

And they returned some of his personal artefacts to his family.

By 1918, the war was over for these knights of the sky

but at what was now called RAF Montrose,

the important work of training pilots carried on.

By the end of the Battle of Britain in World War II,

over 800 pilots had got their wings here.

It closed as a base in 1952

but was reopened as a museum in 1983

to credit its unique role in military aviation history.

Jilly and James are back on the road.

BAGPIPES PLAY

And they're making the 13-mile journey south

from Forfar to Dundee, or Bonnie Dundee,

as this steering pipe tune calls it.

Dundee is the city of the three Js - jute, jam and journalism.

The jute and the jam industries are long since gone

but journalism still remains,

thanks to DC Thomson, publishers of The Beano.

-Next stop.

-Next stop, more antiques.

Jilly and James have come to Clepington Antiques & Collectables.

On hand to help is Derek.

-Hi, very nice to see you.

-What a choice here.

-I know.

I've never been confronted with so much stuff.

You could do with selling a few things, so we'll help you out.

Well, I hope you'll help me out there.

Ah, a bit of psychology, Jilly. I like it.

Time to get on the case.

I think this is nice. I love these suitcases.

I didn't mean it literally, Jilly.

It's in great order and it's got no initials.

Oh, beautifully made.

-Look at that. It's still...

-Stop breaking it.

I'm not, it'll go on forever.

-It's like you in the car.

-Does the other one do that?

Oh, listen to it.

Now, that is the sound of quality.

But quality costs, James.

The ticket price for this turn-of-the-century suitcase is £60.

First thing to go is the handle. Is it all right, sound?

-Has it been replaced?

-It seems good as gold.

It's wearing a bit, but it's good as gold, you're right.

Jilly, I like that.

You're a pro at this, aren't you?

That's a definite maybe. What else can our pro uncover?

-Now, here's an old bit, Jilly.

-Oh, coming.

An old bit of blue and white pottery here.

Here comes Derek with the key.

-So, it's all integral, the stand?

-Yes.

Oh, yeah. That's...

That doesn't float my gravy boat.

It's whether it'll sink at auction that really counts, Jilly.

It's probably 1790, something like that.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Oh, well.

-You're handling history.

Well, we know how old it is, but what is it?

I don't think this is big enough for gravy.

I think this would have been a sauce...

-SHE GASPS

-Like a bread sauce.

-I'm going to tell you exactly what it is.

-What?

-It's the most disgusting thing ever.

-What?

That wet nurses used to pre-masticate babies food

and spit it out into bowls like this

and feed it to babies, and it has a special name.

-The posset.

-That's what this is.

-No.

-No?

-No.

-Well, James, enlighten us.

This is not for the nursery.

I think this would have been bread sauce, horseradish sauce.

-You don't think it would've been that? OK.

-No.

Thank you for that. I'm feeling a little queasy.

THEY LAUGH

The ticket price on the sauce boat is £40. Now, what else?

You know you have to get your eye in somewhere like this,

cos there's just so much bewildering stuff.

The only good news is that, if I feel slightly bewildered,

Oz will be demented.

-Yeah.

-He will not cope.

Oh, I do hope not.

Oh, this is rather lovely, isn't it. Beautiful vase.

Very nice. I think it's Scandinavian cos it's got that kind of...

-It has, hasn't it?

-It's a good look.

-Scandinavian?

-Yeah.

Derek isn't far off, geographically.

That's a late 1940s, early '50s German glass vase.

The ticket price is £28.

What could that be?

What's it got on there, 28?

Do that for 20.

20? Oh, you're a tough man, Derek.

You're going to say, "What's your best price now, aren't you?"

-Have you met James before, Derek?

-Let's leave it with Derek

on one side for a minute and see if it's worth...

-Yeah, because we've got a clutch of items.

-We're going to have a clutch.

Jilly is using that famous nose of hers to sniff out another bargain.

I've found something. Now, this is rather intriguing.

What's that, a club?

It could be a club, but it is actually a telescope.

It's rather a beautiful object but I can't get it to work.

Oh, it's got a maker's name, though.

I know, it's all quite glamorous, isn't it?

So, it's a single-draw telescope.

So, the draws are this.

And then you look down it...

But I can't see through it.

Well, that doesn't help if...

-Blimey.

-Can you see?

I can see Derek's left ear.

DEREK LAUGHS

-Can you really?

-No.

-Oh.

There's some dirt inside obscuring the lens,

but this Doland of London Victorian telescope is in working condition.

This is quite military like, isn't it?

But Scotland, you know, with all its deerstalking and everything.

James and Jilly are adding the telescope to their haul,

along with the suitcase, the sauce boat and the glass vase,

but they only want to buy three of the four items.

I think, at this point, Derek should give us the prices.

-Give us the prices.

-Come on, Derek, give us the prices please.

You have to give us your best, best, best, best, best.

-So, what could that be?

-That could be...£20.

£20.

-How about 18, Derek?

-I don't think...

-Can we just go under?

-All right, 18 then.

-18.

What do you think?

God, she's a hard...

-Anyway, 18 at the moment.

-18.

What else?

40 on that one.

-How much?

-40.

Do that for 30.

We talked it up too much, didn't we?

-So 30, let's put it down there...

-Well, I know,

-but I'm not accepting that yet.

-OK, OK.

48.

-Cos we don't have to buy them.

-We don't.

Er...it's 55.

-I'll do that for 40, the telescope.

-OK.

Now, this is for me, the deal breaker,

this case with the key that doesn't work.

-You've got to be tough on this.

-Right, it's 60.

60 is a big, big price on that.

It is, isn't it.

-What about 30 on that, Derek?

-I think 30.

I couldn't do 30, no.

-32?

-Well, let's talk about it as a whole.

-I couldn't because...

-So, we're happy with the telescope at 30.

-30.

-Happy with that.

-And we've got the vase at 15.

So, just in case you've got as lost as me there,

that's the sauce boat ditched

and the telescope and the vase agreed for £45 for the two.

It's just the suitcase left.

At the moment, Derek wants £40, making it a grand total of £85.

Just like to bring it below with the 40, wouldn't you?

-What did we say, 85?

-What were you going to say?

-£80.

-£80?

-£80.

-£80.

OK, thank you. £80 for the three.

-That's really good.

-OK.

-And good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, Derek. You've been very kind.

-Wahoo!

-Very kind.

Thank goodness. That's the deal finally done.

£80 for the telescope, vase and suitcase.

Good work, you two.

Thank you.

Have a good trip.

Time for a rest and a nice glass of wine,

once you're back at your hotel, that is.

It's the start of a new day on the Road Trip

here in stunning Perthshire.

So, what did our oenophiles think of yesterday?

That means wine lovers, by the way.

Your first shopping in the last 50 years. Tell me how that went?

Well, it was about... So, it was my last shopping in the last 50 years.

Not very successful.

The last time I ever bought anything was about...

It was in some auction house south of Leicester.

I think it was the same thing that I bought yesterday!

I think actually maybe the precise same item.

No-one has wanted it for 40 years.

And I thought it was in a box under the stairs.

It's not, it was in an antique shop in Brechin.

-Now, how did you do?

-Well.

Well, well, well.

Have I got all my items or have I got very nearly all my items?

She's certainly pleased with herself.

-Sorry, I haven't got this out this morning.

-Oh.

The Gazelle instruction manual.

I'd rather hoped you'd eaten it for dinner last night.

Now, I didn't need it with James.

To keep your sylph-like figure, I thought you ate notes for dinner.

They're quite a pair, these two.

There is in the car this thing that I haven't yet used,

which is a cut-out switch.

Go on, use it, use it, because it will actually mean...

I don't know if it's on the right-hand, I have to do this.

Get your hand off my knee, Jilly Goolden.

-The cut-out switch is over here.

-Dear, oh, dear.

-It's here.

-I can't reach it.

-That is my other knee.

Ha-ha! Let's hope you're right, Oz.

Yesterday, Margie and Oz spent £40 on two items -

the Twopenny Blue stamps and the World War II medals,

leaving them with a healthy 360 to spend on the day ahead.

-Thank you, Ewen.

-Good.

-Thank you very much.

Jilly and James spent a whacking £245 on four items -

the satinwood box, the suitcase, the German vase

and the Victorian telescope.

That leaves them with £155 to spend today.

Having traversed Angus yesterday,

both our teams are starting today in Abernyte, in Perthshire.

It's the home of the Scottish Antique & Arts Centre.

Look at them waiting patiently for their celebrity guests.

So sweet. Ah, here they are.

They're going to pin my legs to the...pin my legs to the bonnet.

-Hello.

-Good morning, how are you both?

-Morning, morning.

-Hi again, lovely to see you.

-Are you ready for the fray?

We're very well, but I doubt you and Oz are,

-cos we have got so many items.

-You're rocking.

-We're ahead of the game.

-You are ahead of the game.

It's quite embarrassing when she gets like this.

She gets very competitive.

Can our teams find that bit of treasure

that might just fly at auction, in this place?

Martin and Margaret are ready and poised to help them when they do.

James thinks he might have found something.

Ceramics from the firm Mason's.

Robert is the dealer.

What could be the best on that fella?

I remember Mason's.

I remember going to a flat in Eastbourne

and the lady had a vast collection of Mason's.

-I could do it for £50.

-£50.

And that, you know, years ago that would have been...

What would it have been? 250, 300?

Probably.

Isn't it extraordinary how it's plummeted.

So, just an open...and two-handled.

It's that lovely shape. That's a lot, lot of ceramic.

What you were saying about, you know,

the smart houses in New Town, Edinburgh.

I think that would be quite attractive.

I think that's a definite...

-Do you think it's a definite?

-..possibility.

OK, that's one possibility for them, but what are Margie and Oz up to?

-Well, it says, "Please do not touch the piano."

-Right.

So, that's what it means.

I think the sign said not to play it, Oz.

HE PLAYS SOME CHORDS

Very nice.

-But you don't want to buy it?

-I don't want to buy it.

That was about four chords.

-Was it?

-Yeah, I do want to buy it. I can't fit it in my house.

You're not supposed to be buying it for your house.

Jilly and James know that.

Look at this, I've never come across it before.

It's a squeezer glass.

So, you squeeze your lemon in the bottom.

Yeah, but it's the wrong way round for that. Isn't it?

So, it should be out the other way.

-Isn't it?

-It's like a...

I think sometimes they were known... You can get a lemon squeezer base.

-It was a decorative device.

-Oh.

-But it's a deceptive.

-Oh, I see. It's a deceptive, OK. Oh, I see.

-So, you're giving a large glass to your friend...

-I see.

..but you have your normal glass for yourself and you pour a glass.

Isn't that naughty?

Tenner. Lemon squeezer base.

-It's quite a nice glass, isn't it?

-Hm.

Something your...you know...

-I think it's very funny, isn't it?

-This is one of the tools

of your business, isn't it?

Very pretty glass.

The fact when you look in, you see it's like a kaleidoscope.

Oh, it's lovely, isn't it? Isn't that pretty?

You get all the...

It's good that.

This Victorian glass has a ticket price of ten pounds.

Can they do a deal with Martin?

Do your best, Jilly.

Come and have a hug! I'm going to use everything...

Oh, well, I do like my hugs.

-Now, we like this glass a lot.

-Right.

Well, we don't like it at all actually,

that's a bad way to start my negotiations.

-So...

-We like it at the right price.

-Yeah.

There's a little bit of flexibility, but not a great deal.

-I would say probably...

-What were you thinking? Three quid?

-I couldn't do three.

-Couldn't you?

-I couldn't, no.

-What could you do? £3.50.

I couldn't. The best price I could do on that would be seven.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Not five?

-I couldn't do five.

-Already?

-Split it, six?

No, that's not going to work!

Jilly!

No, my hands are tied really.

-Well, untie them. Free yourself, Martin.

-Untie them. Six.

-You're a grown man.

-Yeah, so my wife tells me anyway.

Six pounds.

-Give me a minute and I'll come back, OK?

-OK, you can have a minute.

-You can have a minute.

-OK.

Whilst the jury's out, let's see if Margie and Oz

have seen anything they like.

-Yeah?

-This is a couple.

Oh, is it? What are they doing?

Our director thought it was a woodpecker.

-MARGIE LAUGHS

-I think he's had a sheltered life.

It's not a woodpecker.

Hm, with nothing really catching Margie and Oz's eye in here,

and with another shop still to go,

Margie's decided to move on to pastures new.

-Ah-ha!

-Ah-ha!

-The opposition.

-The opposition. Have you conquered?

-We're off.

-You're off? Why?

-Have you conquered?

-We're under pressure now.

Have you... How much have you bought?

Er, we've not bought anything here.

So, we're on... So, we've got panic stations.

-You're at panic stations.

-So, I'd love to chat...

I've found a lovely thing for you in this cabinet.

-Diamond hearts.

-See you later.

-OK, bye.

-Only £3,000.

-Good luck.

-Bye.

-Doubter!

Now, back to the two Js and that Victorian glass.

-Here's Martin. Is it good news?

-Here's Martin. Good news?

Well, the news is I'm afraid

it's got to stick at seven pounds, I'm afraid.

-Really?

-Yeah, yeah.

-30% discount.

-I'd go for it, Jilly.

-Would you?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Come on.

-All right then.

I was tough to begin with, but I'll be as soft as putty.

Martin, put it there. We can't complain about that.

No, that's great. Thank you.

They tried but just couldn't get Martin to six.

Still, seven pounds for the glass is nearly a third off.

And with their shopping now complete, Jilly and James are moving on,

heading back east to Dundee.

This was the thriving juteopolis of the 19th century.

The Victorian railways helped make the town

amongst the richest in Britain

but also caused the darkest day in the city's history.

Ian Fletcher, of the Dundee City Archives,

is here to tell them more.

What a glorious position we're in.

In 1879, at the peak of the Industrial Revolution,

Dundee was one of the wealthiest towns in Britain

thanks to one textile, jute.

Grown in India but refined in Dundee with whale oil,

jute was the polythene of its day.

Below us, we're on the Law hill, or The Law as it's known,

and we still see the remains of Dundee jute factories all around us.

Around the other side of the hill, we have Cox's Stack,

a wonderful million-brick stack just to say how important they were,

the biggest jute factory in Western Europe.

The railway brought raw materials and coal into the mills

and then got the finished jute back out to the world,

either by ferry or a slow train inland.

A direct route across the Tay, south to Edinburgh and beyond

would make the journey faster and Dundee even richer.

I think Dundee industrialists wanted to be up there

with Manchester and Birmingham.

They were very well aware they were pushing for city status,

they didn't have it yet,

and they thought a rail bridge would be that signing off,

a wonderful piece of Victorian engineering joining it up.

The man that got the job of building the new bridge was Thomas Bouch,

who had already successfully built two bigger bridges in Wales.

But under pressure to get the bridge up quickly,

lest Dundee lose any esteem or money,

Bouch decided he would use the cheaper but weaker cast iron

over steel.

Worse still, his men took shortcuts with the cast-iron girders.

Quality control was not a strong thing,

so we do know that at the foundry,

which was a temporary foundry, was set up in Fife.

If there was any obvious holes in the cast iron,

they would fill it with Polyfilla

and then paint it to look remarkably like cast iron.

The Tay also turned out to be muddier and deeper than expected,

so Bouch had to redesign the supports for the bridge.

But despite these problems and after a Board of Trade safety inspection,

this monument to Victorian engineering

opened as the biggest bridge in the world on 1 June 1878.

A year later, Bouch was knighted by Queen Victoria.

Mr Bouch was the bloke who actually, possibly, poor man,

has been attributed with having done a bodge job in too quick a time.

That's right. So, a classic tale of something under pressure,

economic pressure,

directors of the railway pushing you to get it finished

-as quickly as possible...

-Yeah.

Because... Like the Channel Tunnel.

They were besieged by, "You didn't build it on time."

So the same pressures were being put on the builders of the Tay Bridge.

Those pressures were tragically revealed on 28 December 1879,

when Typhoon-strength gales buffeted the bridge.

At 7.15pm, a six-carriage train full of passengers

was about 200m across when a section of the bridge collapsed.

The entire train plunged into the icy Tay,

killing everyone on board.

46 bodies were recovered

but the number of deaths may have been as high as 75.

Nowadays, if you have a very high wind,

high bridges are closed, they wouldn't allow traffic to go across.

But maybe they either didn't know the danger

or they were so gung ho about getting on with their coal

that they didn't care.

Yes. I think...

it was beyond anybody's ken.

I think a force 11 gale in this part of the world

is a 250-year occurrence.

-I don't think they'd ever thought...

-Oh, really?

-Oh, I see.

-So, it's a freak combination.

-A freak combination.

-I see. So, just really unlucky, really.

-Yes.

In the days before the welfare state,

the disaster left families of the bereaved facing destitution.

But the Dundonians rallied.

That very night, church collections were held across the city

to raise funds for the families.

An enquiry was held into the disaster and it concluded that the bridge

was badly designed, badly built and badly maintained.

They recommended all future bridges

should be able to withstand the highest of winds.

Thomas Bouch lost the contract to build the new Forth Bridge,

near Edinburgh,

and several of his existing bridges were condemned.

He died a ruined man just ten months after the disaster.

But do we think that Bouch was a bad man? Was he...?

No, he was a very successful engineer.

Like I suppose the disaster in the oilfield, Piper Alpha,

they just hadn't realised what could go wrong.

But this really hit the Victorian sensibility

because they thought this bridge was impregnable.

But with lessons learned from the disaster

and the enquiry's safety recommendations,

another Tay Bridge was built just seven years later,

right next to what was left of the old one

and it still stands to this day.

Margie and Oz are still on the hunt,

and are hitting the road

four miles south, to Rait.

They're coming to Rait Antiques Centre -

home to a whole host of different antique businesses

all on the same site.

Their first stop is Carse Antiques, run by Andrew.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-I'm Margie and this is Oz.

-Hi, I'm Andrew.

-Hi, Andrew.

-You're Andrew, yes.

-And this is yours?

-This is my shop.

-Yeah.

So we're going to have a quick look round, if that's all right.

-Please do.

-Yeah.

If you've got any suggestions, we're always happy to listen to them.

-I'll have a think about it.

-Would you?

Clock's ticking, you two.

This Hardy salmon gaff might be worth looking at.

-Right.

-Obviously, Hardy were the best makers of fishing tackle.

-This is a wading gaff.

-Mm.

Which was obviously used to wade out into the river.

So you don't fall over.

-This is a protection thing here?

-Protection thing.

This would stab your finger.

Margie, don't move. I want to see how sharp this is.

-That's very sharp.

-Is it?

That's very sharp. I'm putting this straight back on the end.

-Late 19th century?

-Probably early 20th.

Probably about 1910 to 1920.

Oz seems taken with it.

There's no ticket price. So where does Andrew start the negotiation?

-That is £65.

-MARGIE LAUGHS

Slightly more than I expected.

-What were you expecting?

-Where's the silver then?

No silver, I'm afraid.

-Can we just pop it on one side?

-Certainly.

It's a maybe. But they need to start finding definites.

-Is that a set?

-This is a... Oh, it's a... Is it...?

Is something missing or...?

-It's loads of rulers.

-Yeah.

-In a box?

-In a box.

They are rather beautiful things.

These Victorian boxwood rulers are from Stanley of London,

makers of fine engineering instruments that helped design,

draw and map out an empire. Ticket price is £100.

But this is, again, me finding something which attracts me,

but may not attract anybody else in the British Isles.

For the time being, shall we move on a bit?

There's three other places to look at.

But we're getting a few ideas, aren't we?

Yeah, they're not ruling them in or ruling them out.

Time to find another vendor.

How about Nicky?

-Hi.

-Hiya.

-How are you?

-Very well, thank you.

-This is Oz.

-Hi, Oz.

-And you are?

-Nicky.

-Hi, Nicky.

-Welcome to Rait.

-Thank you very much.

-The hot Rait.

-Yeah, it's roasting, isn't it?

-It's supposed to rain today.

-It's on its way.

THEY LAUGH

We are going to have a look round. In desperation.

They are feeling the pressure.

-These look quite nice.

-What are those?

Are those rolling pins?

Yeah. They were like gifts from... Actually, sailors gifts really.

-A friend's gift?

-Yeah.

-You can't spell friend.

-Oh.

That's five quid off.

Bristol blue.

-Bristol blue is...?

-Is the powder that was used to make the glass.

These glass rolling pins - or salts as they were known

because they stored precious salt -

were used as gifts to loved ones from sailors

and sold in ports like Bristol in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The ticket price is 66, but can Nicky do a deal?

-Right, I've spoken to Donald, the dealer.

-Yes.

And he is happy to give you them for £15 each.

So basically, buy one get one free.

Oh, that's... We've got to have these.

-I think we do.

-For £15 each. Get your hand in there.

I think these are... There is something about some I rather...

-And I think it's the history.

-They are beautiful.

And I like the idea that you could actually quietly go down

and make yourself some scones with these if you wanted.

Oz, shake Nicky's hand quick.

Let's shake the hands. Goody.

-Thank you very much.

-My pleasure.

Fantastic! A deal on the salts at £30 for the pair.

Now how about those items back at Andrew's place?

Ah, yes, the rulers that helped rule an empire.

Right, so you really like these, don't you?

Across the room, I just was drawn to them.

There was something sort of serious and respectful about them

that I rather liked.

You seem keen, so let's just get the final countdown.

Remember the ticket price was 100. How low will Andrew go?

The best I could do on those would be £60.

Earlier we saw the fishing...the Hardy. What was the price on that?

-65 was the price on that.

-Yeah, yeah. And that would be...?

What could you give us on that?

I could only come down to 60 on that.

-That would be really it on that.

-If we had the two...

I was just thinking, if we had the two, can you give us

a price on the two?

I'll go to 110 if you take them both.

This is our last place. We are just about to call it a day.

What about 105?

I'm not going to argue over five pounds. You've got a deal at 105.

-105.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Andrew.

-BELL RINGS

-Sorry to be such...

-Turning the screws.

-The bells go.

THEY LAUGH

They're chiming.

Hallelujah that was.

Hallelujah indeed!

That's the last deal of the trip done.

The rulers and the angler's gaff picked up for a bargain £105.

So that's both our teams all bought up.

But what will they make of the competition?

-I presume there's some under there?

-Stop touching our stuff!

-Sorry.

-Is it very delicate?

-I think... Come on, come on.

Reveal all.

One, two, three.

-Oh!

-Look at that.

-That's lovely, a lovely box.

-We love our box.

-That's lovely.

Have you checked that in?

No, not yet. No, funnily enough, it might just pass.

It might just pass as hand luggage, that one.

-Has it got a name or maker?

-Yes.

-It has got a maker. Funnily enough.

-Yes?

-Regrettably, a Glasgow maker.

-Oh, right. Oh, what a shame!

-I think that's...

That won't do well in Edinburgh.

It's like having a Liverpool maker in Manchester.

Quality, yes. How much is the box? It's a very pretty box.

-I love it.

-What would you give me for it, Margie?

I love it. I would give you 40 for that.

Would you? It's Regency. It's got a Regency paper interior. Satinwood.

-Can I touch it? No, I can't touch it.

-Painted.

-That is gorgeous.

We gave away big money for this. We went large.

-100 quid?

-No, larger.

-More than.

-Lots for that. I love it!

-Is it...?

-160.

-165.

-Well done.

-It's gorgeous. I absolutely love it.

I absolutely love it too. I fell for it. But it's a lot of money.

We saw nothing like that all the way through.

Much better to go down with a good piece

than to go down with a bad piece.

THEY LAUGH

-How true is that in life?

-How could you say that?

'OK, that was the big table. But what about the wee table?'

Ta-da!

-What have you got? Oh!

-Hey, look at that!

-Oh, what have you got?

-Oh, I like that!

-Back to school, isn't it?

-How unusual!

-First thing we bought was this.

-The thing that you might have bought...

There should be 14.

-Two, four, six...

-They're Twopenny Blues.

When I was a stamp collector, aged 12,

none of us ever had any Twopenny Blues.

Penny Black has always been rare.

Penny Reds are quite common.

But Twopenny Blues, we just saw 14 Twopenny Blues. They're watermarked -

they've all got different marks around there.

Some of them are in different condition.

You can see they've got a different printer.

We just thought... I just thought...

Poor old Margie, I don't know whether she was convinced.

-I just thought...

-Let's have a crack.

-Let's have a crack.

-Let's have a go.

-So what's in the box?

-Couple of medals.

I thought they'd be girlie things. They're all so boyish.

That's why I looked so pale and drawn and wan.

They're from Leith. This poor chap, Johnston from Leith,

-where we are, actually.

-Yes, we quite liked the idea...

Yes, I think that's very tactical.

-Yeah.

-Keep an eye on the end.

So here's to the auction.

We wish you well. No, we don't.

THEY ALL LAUGH

-Yes, we do.

-Can I just say, with my lovely little glass, cheers.

-Cheers.

-To the auction.

What's the verdict on the opposition's item then?

All I can say is that I know I love every one of our items more

than I like any of theirs.

I think that lovely painted box is just gorgeous.

It's the most lovely thing we've seen almost.

-Yeah.

-Sounds a bit expensive to me.

-They've entered the danger zone.

I loved the blue salt rollers. Those, I think, are gorgeous.

And they have got a real buy there,

cos I'm sure people will put their hand up for those.

The two items, the ruler and gaff,

are made by the best people in the business.

Somebody might really think they are exactly what they want

and bid a proper price.

-Well, I hope so, for your sake.

-Oh, for my sake.

-I can take the hit.

-I can't take the public humiliation.

-I'm an antique dealer.

-The public humiliation will be just too terrible.

-I can take the hit.

-Come on, let's go.

-Let's go.

And so to auction.

After a couple of days spent driving around the beautiful

scenery of Angus and Perthshire, it's time to travel south, through

the Kingdom of Fife, over the River Forth,

and finish in Leith, Edinburgh.

How are you celebrities feeling about the auction that awaits?

Are we allowed to bid for our stuff if we think it's embarrassing

-and want to have a go or are we not?

-You are not, Oz.

-Do they still do that auction ring thing?

-I don't know, Oz.

-Maybe you and I could become a ring, Jilly.

-A ring?

-We could keep the prices artificially low.

-We don't want to.

The whole object is to make the prices as high as we can.

Then we'll have a different sort of ring.

We will be the kind of ring which inflates the prices.

I think Oz has seen too many films.

Talking of films, our duo are now in Leith,

the setting for the film Sunshine On Leith.

It's also home to hip bars and restaurants.

Today's auctioneers are Ramsay Cornish,

they are housed in an 18th-century former bonded wine warehouse.

How fitting.

-Here they come.

-Here they come!

-Anticipation. Leap to the floor.

-Morning!

-We shouldn't look so relaxed, should we?

-No, we shouldn't.

-We should be bleeping out. Look.

-Hiya.

-Hello.

-Good morning.

THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER

Today's auctioneer is Richard Edwards.

What does he think of our teams' bunch?

The German vase has attracted interest.

It's a very good example of, I think, early 20th-century art glass.

I think it should do quite well.

The mahogany box and rulers are a nice,

nice example because they are very complete and in super condition.

Technical drawing instruments,

particularly 19th-century ones, are a big collecting area still.

So I think that was probably a good buy and could do well.

Margie and Oz have spent £175 on five items.

Jilly and James spent £252, also on five items.

It's a packed house today, and don't forget we've got people on phones

and online who are also going to be bidding.

We are all good to go, so over to you, Richard.

First up, for Oz and Margie are the Twopenny Blue stamps.

We all take 20. 20 I've got. £20.

INDISTINCT SPEECH

Five. 30.

Five. 40.

£40. Lady's bid. Seated at 40 in the room.

£40.

Well done. That's a nice little profit to start on.

A profit!

Very good. Well done. Well done.

Next, it's Jilly and James' Victorian tumbler.

I'll take ten. Ten I've got.

I'll take 15. 15. 20.

Five. 30.

Five. 40.

Yeah? 40. Five? You sure?

£40 on my right. £40.

I'm selling at 40.

BANGS GAVEL Goodness, that did well!

-That's a whisky glass for £40!

-It was a beautiful glass.

-Well done.

It's another item for Jilly and James next.

The German vase that Richard, our auctioneer, thought might do well.

Several commissioned bids so I'll go straight in at £80.

I'll take 85. 85. I've 90. Would you like five?

I've 110. Do you want 20?

120 with you. I'm out. It's 120 in the room.

On my right at 120.

I'll take 130.

Any advance on £120?

BANGS GAVEL

That's even better than the tumbler.

And puts Jilly into a commanding lead.

-Sorry?

-You've gone pink.

-Have I?

-THEY LAUGH

He's matching my dress.

Now it's the turn of Oz and Margie's sailor's salts.

Ten pounds. 15. 20. Would you like five?

25 with you. I'm out. 25. 30.

35. 40. You sure?

Cheap. 35 still on my left.

35 then, on my far left at 35.

Oh, no. Go a bit more! Bit more.

We'd like a bit more please. £35. 35.

BANGS GAVEL

It's a profit but not enough to keep them in the game, I fear.

Jilly and James' telescope is next.

20 and 25. I'll take 30.

30 with you. I'm out. You're in at 30. I'll take 35.

£30 seated. 35 behind. 40?

-45. Gentleman at 45.

-Can't go wrong.

-I'll take 50.

-Smiles.

£45. 50 new bidder.

Five. 60.

-You can't see...

-60. Five.

-70?

-No. 65 seated in front of me. At 65. Any advance on £65?

BANGS GAVEL

Cor, that's not bad at all.

And keeping them in the lead.

We are just smelling of roses.

THEY LAUGH

How's their satinwood box going to get on?

£50 I have for the satinwood box. I'll take five.

£50. Where is five?

Five. 60. Do you want five?

65 with you. I'm out. You're in at 65.

I'll take £70. Seems very cheap still.

65 in the room. I'll take £70.

65, the lady's bid.

70. Five? You sure?

-£70. £70. Ewan's bidder at 70. I'll take five.

-What a joke.

£70 on commission. Any advance on 70?

It's on the right at £70. I'm going to sell at 70.

Oh, dear. And it was all going so well.

That's Jilly and James' first loss of the day, and it's a big one.

-THEY GROAN

-Dear, oh, dear.

-That is bad.

-Oh.

It's the ruler box that the auctioneer liked.

Oz and Margie, this is your chance to make up some ground.

I've got 20, 25, £30.

I'll take 35.

At 40. Do you want 45?

Well done. Well done.

-OZ:

-Not there yet. Not there yet.

-He's trying to talk you up.

-Go on!

45 on the phone. I'm out. You're in at 45.

I'll take 50. Book's out, phone's in at 45.

Any advance on 45?

Still seems cheap but I'll sell at 45.

Ah, another loss.

And a chance to catch up gone.

-You lost? Oh, it was a loss?

-Gave them all up.

And he had the nerve to be on the phone.

Can they catch Jilly and James with the wading gaff?

Give me £40 for the Hardy gaff.

£40. £20.

£20 for the gaff.

20 I've got. I'll take five.

Five. 30?

Five? You sure? It's cheap.

£30. Still seated at 30.

I'll take five anywhere else.

Oh, a new bidder. 35. 40? Five. 50. Sure? 45.

-New bidder at 45.

-45.

-I'll take 50.

Any advance on... 50, new bidder again.

Fi... You sure?

-£50. In the far corner at 50.

-I'm tense.