Colin Jackson and Jonathan Edwards 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!

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?

Get 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!

MUSIC: Jump by Van Halen

Today's trip features two great British athletes who also

happen to be great friends.

-'88... '98-2008. That's 20...

-That's 20 years.

-..7 years.

-27 years! That is kind of scary.

-It is!

-I mean, I've known you nearly as long as I've known my wife.

-LAUGHTER

Yes, hurdler Colin Jackson

and triple jumper Jonathan Edwards are back in training.

For a different sort of gold.

We both like drinking coffee.

-I wonder if we could get any antique coffee stuff?

-Yeah, or tea.

-Or tea.

-A bit trendy as well, I guess.

-Yeah, I like a nice infuser.

-I'll be honest, mine will be worth more.

-You think?

-Yeah, of course.

There's no doubt about it. I don't do cheap.

You're going to struggle to buy.

No, because I can bargain.

Welshman Colin hurdled his way to world records and multiple medals.

And when he hung up his spikes, he became a TV commentator.

Although, as Strictly Come Dancing proved,

he can certainly still kick it.

That's not bad.

Jonathan was equally dominant in triple jumping,

and in 1995, he set a world record that still stands today.

Voted BBC Sports Personality that year, he too is now a presenter.

-WHISTLE

-Aw!

Not that all that will be much use

when the chaps get inside an antique shop.

So, you don't have any real prior, good knowledge?

-No, I don't really know what I'm doing.

-OK!

So exactly how sporty are the antiques experts

they'll be teaming up with?

Are you going to lie about how much you go to gym...?

Yeah, I am going to lie. I'm going to say I do SO much.

-I avoid the gym like the plague.

-Do you do any exercise at all?

I think hanging paintings is the most exercise I get.

Auctioneers Natasha Raskin and Catherine Southon

might know their antiques stuff,

but when it comes to track and field, they're more armchair aficionados.

-I can't believe we're in this car.

-I'm really holding on here.

My mum absolutely loves Colin Jackson.

I remember her cheering him on when I was a kid.

He just seemed like such a happy, nice guy.

Aw, how can I take that away from you, Natasha?

I shall wave my magic wand - ta-dah!

I'm secretly very happy to be with Jonathan Edwards,

because he's fabulous.

So, with that sorted and £400 for each couple,

it's about time the Morgan met up with the Elva Courier.

-This feels very Thelma and Louise.

-OK!

Come on, I'll drive us over the edge.

Would that be Alderley Edge?

Because we're starting out in Cheshire.

-Help!

-Hello!

-Hello, Colin!

-Thank you very much! Am I with you?

-Bit of a squeeze, bit of a squeeze!

-Lovely to meet you!

Look at this, this is a love-in.

This is a natural pairing off.

It's been decided!

-Raskin and Jackson.

-Nice to meet you.

-And you and me, Catherine.

-We're together.

-We've got it won already.

-We're the A-Team.

-We're the A-Team.

A stands for aged.

-Aged...

-Oh!

-..antiques.

-Ah!

Let's get inside because we're getting soaked!

Shopping sides scientifically selected, what are the tactics?

I'm happy to buy things which are on the trend now,

which means that we'll get a good price and we'll be able to

off-load it, sell it quite quickly at a good price.

-You talk a good game.

-Yeah, sounds like a keen viewer.

Something I would buy for myself, something that I like the look of.

And then I will look at you, and you will make a face at me

and say, "That is tat. Don't buy it because you're going to lose money."

Yeah, that happens a lot too.

So, it's chocks away in Cheshire, at Knutsford,

before cycling east towards Nottinghamshire

and then heading south to an auction in Bedford.

Looks quiet now, doesn't it?

You should see it here

when they host the slightly alarming Knutsford Penny Farthing Race.

I'm sure that a cycling enthusiast like Jonathan would love it.

-Hi, I'm Jonathan.

-Hi, Jonathan, I'm Lizzie.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Hi, Lizzie, lovely to meet you. Catherine, hi.

-Nice to meet you.

Wow, there's quite a lot to look at. Is this everything here?

No, we have 13 rooms over three floors.

-There's a medal!

-A medal?

-A medal!

-There is!

-Oh, that's mine.

-Is that yours?!

-I did the London Marathon.

-This year?

-Yes.

-Well done.

-Ever done the marathon, Jonathan?

-No, and I never will.

-Really?

I hate running.

Well, you might need to do a bit here.

-There's quite a lot of ground to cover.

-Come on, then.

Sue Stirling, what does that stand for?

-No, that's just whose cabinet it is.

-Oh, it's her stuff!

Lordy. What about Colin and Natasha, also in Knutsford?

Hello.

-Hi, I'm Colin.

-Colin, hi, Colin. Natasha, hi.

-Hi! Lovely to meet you.

-And to meet you as well.

-Where would you recommend that we start?

-Upstairs or downstairs?

-I think you can start either.

Here has got the smaller items, upstairs is furniture

and some more pictures.

Sounds like upstairs is a bit pricier,

and that is exactly where they've made for. Ha!

But despite what's on offer here,

they're already wondering what the others are up to.

So are they going to come back, Catherine and Jonathan,

with £300 and change? Are they going to buy five things for nothing?

-Possibly.

-Is he shrewd?

-He's shrewd.

-Oh, no.

But don't worry about that.

Well, he's already on the scent of something.

-That is pretty.

-The scent bottle holder?

I guess it's Continental, probably about 1850-1860.

-Is it leather? Looks leather, doesn't it?

-Yeah, it does.

Oh, no, Victorian.

£95.

Original bottles, do you think?

This is the thing, are they the original?

-They don't fit in very snug.

-No.

Yeah, I mean, you took the bottles out,

you'd halve the price, I'd have thought.

Oh, I love your bargaining skills!

He's SO shrewd!

Over to Colin. What can he sniff out?

Bizarrely enough, I kind of like that. It's a pair.

"20th century, East Asian, painted on wood panel."

-Let's have a look at the back.

-Good thinking.

Definitely is a panel, eh?

£145!

Wonder if I can get it down to, like, 100 for the pair?

Whether she'd allow me to buy it?

Well, "she" is an art and picture specialist, Colin.

Elsewhere, while dear Lizzie makes a call

about the scent bottles and box...

OK, so, leave it with me. OK.

-..Jonathan wants more.

-I like these.

-What?

-The candelabras.

-They're beautiful!

I love the shape of those, they're really stylish.

-I've got a big feeling they're going to be expensive.

-And they're heavy!

Oh, look, and you can change it!

-Oh, they're really stylish.

-It's got a mechanism.

Oh, that's beautiful.

So they're articulated, aren't they?

-Yeah, I really like those.

-How much is on them?

-265 for the pair.

-(That's a lot of money, Jonathan.)

-Is it?

It's got to be way below 200, hasn't it? Don't you think?

Well, it's what you think that matters.

I've never been in an auction before!

Better have a good think about those.

Anything else a bit cheaper?

I am so impressed with how much he's looking at.

Because sometimes the celebrities just stand there and dither

and think, "Oh, I don't know what to do."

He looks sad.

He's got a really, really good eye. Those candlesticks, for example,

he's picked up, they're so stylish.

That's good.

But when is somebody actually going to buy something?

I love, love a good blazer.

OK, so 1935-1936, you've got a very early 20th-century blazer

from the University College of North Wales!

What price is it? It's £95.

That could just be worn today and look awesome.

I think that's a great thing. I'm going to take that to Colin,

-because how could he resist this?

-We'll see.

It seems our other pair are about to take the plunge.

Lizzie's best price on the box and bottles is £50.

We love these,

-we like the way they're really beautifully made, don't we?

-Yep.

However, to be perfectly honest with you, I think

if these were in auction, they'd be more sort of 100-150.

We usually say 10%, the rule of thumb.

So that's £26 off that, so that would be 240.

-But we could round it off to 200 for the pair.

-For the two.

Generous.

You said 50, didn't you, for this?

Is 30 a very cheeky offer?

Well, it's £95, so...

-Yes!

-It is cheeky.

-Cheeky!

I could knock another £10 off.

-90 for the pair.

-Getting better.

Time for Jonathan to leap in...

So, 230?

That's going to fall and break.

-OK, go for that.

-Are we?

-Are we the maddest people on the Road Trip?

-Is it mad?

-Yes!

-We're it going to go... Shall we go for it?

-Let's go for it.

-OK.

-Thank you very much.

-That is a bold move.

-These are YOUR candlesticks.

-My candlesticks, are they?

-OK, I will take...

-No, no, I shall take one.

-Half the blame!

-Come on, then.

Meanwhile, back at Digby Antiques -

named after the dog, not Graham the proprietor -

Colin is showing his.

They're quite quirky.

Oh, right, OK. They're really decorative, aren't they?

-I'm thinking so.

-What do you reckon, age-wise?

-They can't be a huge amount of age, can they?

-20th-century, it says.

Oh, right, OK.

First of all, what I know about this kind of stuff is

they're in the style of what is knowing as Indian Mughal painting,

which is usually on a very nice parchment paper,

and it's usually in almost this exact style of decoration

but very small. Very small scale. They are very modern.

When they say 20th century, I think we could look at the back...

-It could be 1980.

-Exactly!

I think they're very vague with the 20th century.

But they are, I think, entirely hand-painted.

They probably are, I would imagine - although they're Tibetan

in their subject matter - they're probably Chinese.

Right, now it's Natasha's time.

A University College North Wales varsity jacket for

not only just going to the college, but for football achievement.

-So it's a sporting, Welsh blazer!

-It's a sporting one!

-It's super-chic.

-It is very rare.

Does that make you feel far from home right now?

-It makes me want to be home, yeah!

-Oh, my goodness!

-But it looks good, right?

-Absolutely.

-Is that in Welsh?

-Yes, it is.

-And what does it mean?

I should really know what that means, but unfortunately I don't.

"Knowledge is the best gift." I looked it up.

Let's go for the panels and the blazer.

So, what's the retail price? 145, plus 95.

-It's 200 and...

-40.

So I want to walk out with both items at...

150.

-Max, max.

-Oh, at the very max.

Oh, I was thinking cheaper.

I'm naughty! I was thinking 120.

-Are you leading the way?

-Yeah.

My goodness, I'm going to watch a man in action.

Gird your loins, then.

-Hello, hi!

-Hi there.

-Natasha found this thing and brought it up to me

and I absolutely do adore it. It's a lovely little fashion piece as well.

Do you want to try it on for us?

Absolutely, I thought you would never ask! I'm itching!

I'm itching to try on the itchy jacket.

What do you guys think? I don't have a mirror,

-but you're nodding and smiling politely.

-No, I can see, yeah.

-It looks quite cool?

-I think it does look really cool.

This may be something we're really,

-seriously interested in purchasing from you.

-OK.

-But!

Before you say anything...

We also have these two wonderful pictures here,

so I'm hoping you would be happy to be relieved of them.

-I'm going to make you an offer that I'm hoping you will take.

-OK.

I'm not expecting you to, but I'm hoping that you will.

-Let's see if it's a major hurdle.

-Boom-boom!

-Oh, come on!

-I like that.

I'm hoping that I can get these two items...

Since my event was 110, I'd like to start at 110.

Oh, come on.

That's a good pitch! That's a good pitch!

It is a good pitch, but I want you to get past the finishing line

-and not...

-I'm not quite on there, OK.

Well, you know what? My coach always told me

to run at least five metres past the line. Always think about that.

So that takes us to 115.

Digby's staying out of it.

I was thinking more 150.

-Ooh!

-I think that's a good price.

If we can do 135, 140, I'd be really happy.

I'll do it 135 for both of them.

-And we've got a deal.

-Oh!

-That sounds very good.

-It's a deal!

Thank you very much, that's very kind of you. Thank you.

Well done. I don't know about you but I'm perspiring,

and we're not even on the track!

Yep, spending money is an excellent way to keep fit.

Meanwhile, taking a brief break from all that

tricky bargain-hunting, are Catherine and her world-record holder.

-And nobody's beat that?

-No, still no. 20 years this year.

I mean, if it gets broken, it gets broken.

You wouldn't want somebody to break your record.

Oh, that's amazing, though.

That would be like me winning the Road Trip by thousands and

thousands and thousands of pounds - which is never going to happen!

Their next stop is just up the road in the fair city of Manchester,

at a sporting venue that cycling fan

and now commentator Jonathan is very familiar with.

-Home of British Cycling!

-And welcome.

-Bob Howden, president of British Cycling.

-Nice to see you again.

-Good to see you again.

-All right?

-Welcome, indeed. Please, come in.

-Old friends?

-Old friends, indeed.

The National Cycling Centre, and its pacey boards,

where several world records have ready been set...

-Look at the speed! It's incredible!

-Aren't they just phenomenal?

..became Britain's first indoor Olympic cycling track

when it was opened in 1994.

So, what exactly have we got here?

This is our velodrome. Next door we have the BMX track as well.

Basically, it's where British cycling's world domination

has been created.

How many medals did they get in the last Olympics?

For the last two Olympics, we've had eight gold medals.

But the other success that we've got is that we've gone from a membership

where we had 12,000 members - we've now got 108,000 members.

So, really very successful, not just in competition

but really across the whole leisure spectrum.

People wanting to ride bikes.

But the recent achievements of the likes of Boardman, Hoy,

Obree, Pendleton and Wiggins can sometimes obscure

the fact that the British have always been pretty good at cycling.

Take Beryl Burton, the Yorkshire lass who, during the '60s and '70s,

was one of the giants of the sport.

Beryl was a fantastic bike rider, true Yorkshire grit,

which obviously, as a Yorkshireman, I empathise with.

She was seven times world champion, both on the track and on the road,

but she also amassed nearly 100 national titles in her career.

Bob, a former champion himself,

even has Beryl to thank for his involvement in cycling.

Beryl caught me one day riding home from playing football

-and as a 14-year-old, you...

-You started racing her!

You started racing her.

And we got into Wakefield and got stopped by the traffic.

And her encouragement to me was,

"Well, if you think you're that good, you should join a cycling club,"

and the rest is history, really.

An all-rounder of enormous stamina,

Beryl once set a time trial world record which not only exceeded

the men's, but remains unbeaten by any other woman to this day.

Beautiful jersey, Bob. She got more than one though, didn't she?

Yes, she had seven of those -

two for the road and then five for the track.

In addition to that, she had British national titles

going across a whole range of disciplines.

But in time trialling, ranging from ten miles right up to 12 hours,

so she was phenomenal.

Although she'd been a somewhat sickly child, Beryl was

coached by her husband Charlie to become an all-conquering champion,

whilst also working full time.

-What was her job?

-She worked in the rhubarb sheds.

-Rhubarb sheds?

-Rhubarb sheds.

And work would be hard.

It was 12-hour shifts.

One of the benefits with rhubarb is it's a spring crop.

So you get the crop out of the way in March...

And then you can concentrate on your cycling?

You can concentrate on your cycling.

Although Beryl's achievements are now often overlooked,

back in the '60s, she was much more of a household name.

"Daily Express National Sportswoman Of The Year."

In the same year she was runner-up in the Sports Personality to

Henry Cooper. So she was very iconic.

But she never raced in the Olympics, is that right?

Back then, we really only had the World Championships for women

to showcase. So had there been the Olympics, who knows...

What she would have achieved.

Sadly, there were no women's cycling events at the Olympics

until 1984 - well after Beryl's era.

She passed away in 1996, but her legacy lives on.

So, what's this award here?

That's the Freedom Of The City of Leeds, which really goes

to recognise the impact that Beryl's had

on cycling in Yorkshire as a whole, but recently brought to light

with the coming of the Tour de France to Yorkshire.

What strikes me, Bob, is that she'd have been a superstar today.

I mean, such was her talent - we've got Sir Brad, Lady Beryl.

Absolutely.

Meanwhile, back on four wheels, our other sporting celebrity

and his slightly sporty expert -

came third in the 200m Scottish Schools, no less -

are making for the Manchester suburb of Levenshulme

and what was once the town hall.

Oh, look at the mosaic floor! Is this not gorgeous?

Oh, we're truly in Victorian England now, aren't we?

Antiques Village, don't you know? So, a huge choice.

But should they find something they like,

then there may well be a phone call involved.

-Oh, it's a bit more retro here, isn't it?

-It is very retro indeed.

-Tell me about these two chairs.

-Well, they're cool.

They certainly look like ercol.

Well, that one's marked as ercol on the label.

What ercol is, it's an English brand of furniture that still exists,

and so popular in the 1950s and '60s

because it's really got a sort of Scandinavian look, doesn't it?

It's very design-led, very minimalist

and very, very, very cheap at the time.

But ercol furniture at auction,

that's from the original period, has become awfully trendy.

So, sometimes it's cheap and sometimes it goes for lots of money.

But what's nice about this is it's a rocker.

Is that a child's chair? Is it a lady's chair?

-Or is it a chair just to look at?

-Not a rocking chair, surely.

You've got to get in a rocking chair!

-I've two rocking chairs at home that I never go in.

-Really?

That's odd.

You are dealing with me.

(60 quid!)

If we got this for something like 20, would it be worth it?

-He's not going to give it to us for £20.

-Why not?

-Because it's marked at 60!

-And?!

It's marked at 60, that doesn't say anything.

Nothing is impossible, right? Well, nothing is.

-If man can walk on the moon...

-Exactly.

One giant leap, eh?

-Let's mark it as a possible.

-A possible? OK.

-Our Col is definitely enjoying this.

-How about this?

How about something like this little...?

What is it? That's like a medal.

-It does look like a medal.

-That is like a medal.

It's difficult to tell you without holding it, but it cannot be gold,

although it has the appearance of gold, because it is 27 quid, OK?

So we cannot say it's gold.

What's fine about this is the fact that it's really nicely enamelled,

so we've got a kind of embossed element, it's raised.

And then the enamel has been poured in around the letters,

around the crest, so it fills in that void

and just creates that beautiful ground.

So we have these lovely pastelly colours,

a raspberry and a lovely duck-egg blue.

So, actually, visually...

-It's quite attractive.

-Appealing, yeah.

Now, what's interesting about it is this is a badge of the steward

for the Royal Masonic Institution.

I think that is an excellent spot, genuinely.

Because that is already quite a good price, by the bye,

so if we can knock off something we're onto a winner.

What do you think I could knock him down? Give me a price.

Oh, I'm thinking sort of 15, 18?

-I'm thinking 12.

-OK. Of course you are!

Well, let's take a closer look first.

Lovely, thank you.

Really nice enamel. That's, for me, the key.

So if we flip it over, we have a maker - G Kenning & Son -

and what we don't have is a hallmark.

What we DO have is a few nicks out of the border,

which means people have been testing this to see if it is gold.

So it's gilt metal, is how we have to describe it.

It just all looks good.

Underneath the glass it looked nice,

but in the flesh it's good!

Time to see if you can MEDAL, Colin.

My event was the 110m hurdles

and I ran at 12-point-something seconds for it,

so I'm going to offer £12 for it

because I'm that type of guy.

Well, let me try and chase up the fellow that does own it

-and I will get back to you in two seconds.

-OK.

-You're mad.

You're so bold, I like it.

That was quick, Ronnie.

Yeah, I've got good news. He said yes to the 12 quid.

Perfect. Absolutely.

-Are you happy with that?

-SHE BURSTS OUT LAUGHING

That is the best sales pitch... I am dumbstruck.

Ronnie, between the two of you, you're geniuses.

That's amazing. Well, there's 20 quid.

If you wouldn't mind terribly grabbing us some change,

-then I will stand here with my jaw hitting the floor.

-Thank you.

And that is the end of a long and busy day.

-They are so infectious with their company, are they not?

-Yep.

-All I've done is laugh.

-Absolutely.

It has been a ball. Bring on Day Two.

Look at those beautiful rape fields.

I could go running through there, naked.

-There's a thought!

-COLIN LAUGHS

Night-night.

Next morning, the Olympian mind games have already begun.

Have you still got a lot to spend?

We've got a lot to spend.

We haven't got so much!

Well, if you need a loan, you know where I'll be.

With cunning like that, Colin is already a hurdle ahead.

We've bought quality, though - with a "K"!

COLIN LAUGHS

Yesterday Jonathan and Catherine parted with £230

for a pair of candelabra and a case and some bottles.

-Are we the maddest people on the Road Trip?

-Is it mad?

Yes!

So they still have £170 left to spend today,

while Colin and Natasha picked up a Masonic medal, some painted panels

and a blazer.

I think it does look really cool.

These cost £147,

leaving them with over 250 for today's purchases.

Colin drives a hard bargain.

-No...

-Come on, I mean, "£100? I'll offer you five."

-One of the things, I got over 50% off.

-That's not bad.

-The other one was like 35% off.

-That's not bad.

-It's not terrible, when I think about it.

-No, that's not too bad.

I'd have been bitterly disappointed myself, only getting 50% off,

but that's each to their own, isn't it?

Well, I think they all did awfully well!

And they'll soon be heading for an auction

in the county town of Bedfordshire.

But their next stop is in Newark-on-Trent.

You won't be clapping when you see my parking!

We're just glad that you're here! Hey, that's not bad.

Our foursome are here to share a shop in the marketplace

where King John of Magna Carta fame

passed away back in 1216.

THEY ALL EXCHANGE GREETINGS

Yes, I'm Vicky.

Hello, Jonathan.

Is there scope for us to split up? Is there plenty of space

for Colin and I go one way and these guys to go another?

Yes, there's upstairs and downstairs.

As always, I think we should start...upstairs.

You know, when you start at the top, there's only one way...

-ALL: Down!

-Aw, that's fighting talk!

Let's hope Vicky and Savvas have taken a shine to our lot,

because they'll soon be asking

some of the several dealers in here for their very, very best.

Hi!

Hello, bonjour!

It's plain to see which of our celebrities is feeling

the more confident this morning.

I think we don't need to be safe

-because I think we can kind of...

-Why do you say that?

-Some of our purchases are already quite safe.

-You reckon?

-Mm!

-Wow. I don't know if I agree with you.

-Good.

THEY LAUGH

Blimey. I wonder if Colin's bluffing has backfired a bit.

He's loosening his purse strings yet further!

I like this big old vase here.

-Oh, you do want to splash the cash today. It's the biggest one.

-I do.

It's the biggest and the most expensive in the cabinet.

It does have a price tag on it of £210!

On the bottom of Moorcroft you can sort of age it

if we look at the base, which we can do, because this is handy.

-Oh!

-Oh! They've got "trial".

Yes, so it's not actually signed,

so this is a trial piece. OK, that's quite cool.

What this is, is painted by the decorator

as a trial to take to the sort of higher echelons

in Moorcroft to say, you know, we've trialled this design...

BOTH: What do you think?

Vicky, Colin is quite attracted to the Moorcroft.

Yes. No problem.

Right, OK.

-Looks pretty good to me.

-Looks pretty good.

It's got a real touch of Vienna about it, or something.

It's so continental Art Nouveau, which is called Jugendstil.

-The Jugendstil.

-Jugendstil.

-It's just really good.

But do you like it, now it's in your hands?

Really do.

Now, what will inspire Colin's opening gambit this time?

My favourite distance in training to run

was about 150m.

-So I'm looking at perhaps £150.

-£150. Right.

-He's so good. I mean, that's just so good.

-The logic to it!

THEY LAUGH

Time for an anxious wait while Vicky finds out if the dealer concurs.

Meanwhile, Jonathan's going all misty-eyed.

Oh, I remember this!

-Oh, bagatelle.

-Oh, I love this.

-Aw...

Do you have to do it like this?

Hang on... That's not how you play it.

-Oh, the concentration!

-Oh, 50!

-Will you have a go?

-That's not bad.

-SHE CLAPS

No, because I'll get ten.

And here you go, "As supplied to His Majesty the King,

"His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales

"and many members of the Royal Family."

I like this old box.

£7. Oh, £7, I mean...

-Is it 7 or 17?

-17.

-You like this, don't you?

-Yeah.

-Well, we've got to have it.

-Got no money, but we've got to have it.

-It's all about timing.

-This is a great toy.

JONATHAN LAUGHS

-I'm just the champion!

-You are the champion.

There's just no getting away from it.

I've never ever been good

at anything like that in my life, and now...

-But it's beautiful, isn't it?

-Is there a gold medal for bagatelle?

No. I'm not sure it will make the games any time soon, anyway.

But that one's looks to be in the bag.

Hey up! Vicky's back.

What's the verdict?

I've had a word, she's looked at the price and she's said

-she could do it for 160.

-160?

So that's not quite what you'd...

How often did you run 160m?

-Never.

-Never?

Oh, well, there's a first time.

I've got my arms folded, you see? Which is not a good sign.

Will you meet halfway?

What about yes?

155. How about that?

If I got it for 155...

I'll go for 155. 160, no.

All right, 155, then.

How's that? Deal?

-Deal.

-Are you quite happy to do it?

-Yes, yes. All right.

-155.

-155. Thank you very much.

Huge reduction, but still a big spend.

At the other end of the scale, can Savvas spring a deal?

This is from my childhood.

Oh, not only yours.

-Yours too?

-Yeah.

And these are all plates, aren't they? They're not actually stickers.

-No.

-And this lovely thing here.

-But you see them all the time, Jonathan.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. You do, don't you?

-Yeah.

-You like it.

-I like it.

-So then we have to have it.

-Yes.

-It's all about price.

-Ten.

Eight.

Well, don't look at me.

Go nine?

Nine.

Yeah.

-Deal.

-Deal.

-Thank you very much.

-Pleasure.

-You've made him very happy.

-I'm very pleased with that.

-I am happy with happy.

Well, we're all happy.

Meanwhile, Colin and Natasha have discovered the jewellery section.

Look out!

That's quite nice, actually.

That brooch there is Victorian. It's SO fashionable,

and I think that is a real joy.

It's an amethyst.

I think that's my birthstone.

-Really?

-Aquarian - I think it is.

-So what month is that?

-February.

I'm quite keen on that. 11 quid!

-Yeah.

-It's pretty cool.

And my birthstone's on it.

And I see a price tag of three quid coming.

Oh, my...!

Any particular reason, Colin?

It's the 0.3 of my existing world indoor record,

so I'm thinking...

The world record is 7.30, so I'm thinking,

forget the seven because that's way too much.

I want to go for the three.

Do you know what that could potentially be?

Our most antique item yet.

Aye aye!

It's quite difficult to tell if it's rolled gold or not.

I think it probably is actually brass or something.

-You like?

-What are you doing?

What is wrong with you?!

I just thought it would go with the brooch.

Very tasteful, I'm sure.

Now, what does Vicky make of it all?

I absolutely adore this.

-It's Victorian, as we know.

-Yep.

I love the stone.

The problem is, it's got a little bit of a...

-Well, it's quite a big chunk that's taken out of it.

-OK.

But I do like it, so I'm happy to offer three quid for that.

-If you give me a few minutes, I'll go and see what I can do.

-Thank you.

While Vicky heads off to find out, the others are a bit stuck.

It would be really good to find something Olympic-related.

It would be. A medal, maybe.

-Possibly.

-If we get desperate, can we sell yours?

Steady on!

What about Colin's latest cheeky bid?

-£3.

-£3! It's your lucky day.

It is very much my lucky day. That is fantastic.

My goodness, Vicky!

So, £158 for two items,

one risky and one cheap.

But at least with their shopping done, these two can now relax.

Let's get out of here. This is my first time driving this Morgan.

You'll enjoy this.

Whoo!

Back inside, Catherine has made a find.

-This is lovely.

-What is it?

This is really nice. It's actually a sewing accessory.

You put this on your table, clamp it up here.

-You put your pins in there.

-You put your little pins in there.

People collect sewing accessories but the thing is about this,

this is ivory but we don't need to worry because it's pre-1947.

Date-wise, we're looking at about 1860, 1870. This is Cantonese.

Look how well that is carved there on the top.

I think that might be a potential.

The ticket price, however, is £68,

while Jonathan has designs on this tie press for a mere £8.

-Do you wear ties?

-Sometimes, yeah.

And they do get crushed, especially when you travel.

-Yes, so every man needs a tie press.

-Look at the mechanical thing.

That is a definite possibility.

It's certainly a lot cheaper.

Hello!

-Hello.

-We are calling on you again.

-Yes?

-The tie press?

-Smile sweetly. Best price for this?

I really like it.

-It's good, it's functional.

-It's functional.

£1 for you, Jonathan.

-Quick work!

-Oh! OK, that's done.

-That's done!

-That's done.

-Let's try and see if we could do this one.

-He's in a good mood.

-If you could do that for £1...

-No, unfortunately.

Price-wise, for you guys, 28.

My hand is there. Sorry.

You just did a deal, so I'm just doing a deal.

-I'm happy.

-Partner.

Phew!

With Savvas' help, they've really reined things in.

Now, elsewhere in Nottinghamshire, Natasha is at the wheel.

I'm dressed to drive you today. I've sort of put on a bit of a...

This is the equivalent of a clip-on bow tie.

Well, it's very effective.

It does the trick and it's actually improved your driving.

-Do you reckon?

-Yes.

I feel like I'm driving Miss Daisy. Slow and steady here.

You're trying to say I'm Daisy?

They have successfully tootled the short distance to Upton

where our watch collector, Colin, is keen to visit this fine mansion.

Neoclassical, beautiful.

Also the home of good timekeeping.

-Hello! Hi, there, you must be Robert.

-Hi, how do you do?

-I'm Natasha, nice to meet you.

-Hi, Colin, pleased to meet you.

Colin, hi, how do you do?

Welcome to Upton Hall, the home of the British Horological Institute.

-Thank you for having us.

-Do come in.

-Thank you.

The Institute and its unique collection has been based

at the hall since 1972, although its founding dates back

to the Industrial Revolution.

The Institute started in the 1850s because most British clock

and watchmakers perceived the Swiss and American attempts

at mass manufacturing were lowering standards.

So those indignant craftsmen at the Institute set about keeping

British standards high and the companies small, with some success.

To such an extent that when one big company was halfway through

being set up, it acquired something like £20,000, £30,000

worth of capital for investment.

The BHI deliberately put their broomstick in the spokes

of the bicycle and wrecked the company rather than allow it

to set up mass-producing what they saw as inferior goods.

-There was that much snobbery?

-Yes.

So at the time of its foundation, who would have had access to these

fabulous clocks that were being produced?

Frankly, it was only for the very wealthy.

Clocks had traditionally been the toys of princes,

noblemen and wealthy merchants.

Ordinary people couldn't possibly afford to have a clock.

They would know the time perhaps from a sundial,

perhaps from a church clock.

They might be able to see or hear a clock but other than that,

the regulation of their lives was - is it day, is it night?

But beside their attempts to suppress the sort of mass-manufacturing

techniques that would one day enable us all to own a watch or clock,

the Institute's dedication to accuracy

produced several innovations.

This was the design for the mechanism for the clock

in the Palace of Westminster,

the great clock which we probably know as Big Ben.

This was the most accurate public clock in the world.

The inventor was Edmund Beckett Denison,

the Institute's second president, also a barrister and an architect.

What was it with this mechanism that made it so accurate?

The difference is - and it's quite fun when you watch it -

is that the wheels and the pendulum are separated

by these two little legs either side.

That just allows a little bit less interference with the pendulum

than on a traditional clock.

It works outstandingly well for a public clock to keep time

to better than a second a day.

Denison's design was soon adopted by other public buildings,

enabling everyone to keep better time.

You find this mechanism being used in some of the biggest town hall

clocks across the country.

So this really was the very first mechanism for the masses.

In a sense, yes.

But it wasn't until the 20th century that time was truly

democratised and this incredible-looking machine,

the Speaking Clock, played its historic part.

This is early 1930s in design.

It was first put into use in 1936 and essentially

it was a means of being able to put all the recordings you needed

on a series of four glass discs, just like modern CDs, and then

a series of regulators to broadcast only the relevant clips

of "the time is 3:30."

It all came about because the London Telephone Exchange

was becoming overwhelmed by calls from the public

asking for time checks to see if their mass-produced

watches and clocks were correct.

So a 1920s improvement on Denison's design

called the Shortt Free Pendulum Clock

was combined with the all-important human touch.

The London Telephone Exchange

employed thousands of charming young women

to work as exchange operators.

It was announced as a competition inside the exchange

-and I believe there were 15,000 applicants.

-Wow!

Like a modern-day talent contest?

Like a modern-day talent contest.

The lucky winner was Ethel Cain

and pretty soon millions were dialling 846,

spelling out the letters T-I-M to hear the girl with the golden voice.

Not accurate now, obviously, but it was then - very.

Astonishingly, in the first year, they received 20 million

telephone calls to the Speaking Clock.

And technology in those days was good enough?

They could manage all those calls?

Yes, this machine will cope with pretty much

anything you throw at it.

The demand, funnily enough, is probably not dissimilar to today.

SPEAKING CLOCK: At the third stroke, it will be 8:34 precisely.

Oh, 8:34 precisely.

-Absolutely. And that means one thing.

-What does that mean?

It means that we're late to meet Catherine and Jonathan.

Yes, we are, we'd better go.

In the meantime... Is that bargain meantime?

Anyway, these two want to win...

Colin always talks a good game,

but sometimes he just doesn't back it up.

I think they've spent about £100 in total.

They haven't gone risky, like us.

..while Jonathan and Catherine still have one shop left,

in Southwell, home of a very fine minster.

Since 1884, it's been a cathedral too, although, interestingly,

that hasn't turned the town into a city.

-Hello. Jonathan.

-Hello, Jonathan.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Hiya.

-Hello.

-And you are?

-Terry.

-So, what's it to be,

a canny Catherine-inspired purchase or something Jonathan

-would plump for?

-Well, I like clocks. What do clocks do?

Well, at the risk of stating the blinking obvious...

Good 18th-century clocks can do extremely well,

but these are like Vienna wall clocks

and they are not the easiest to sell, I have to be honest with you.

-You can buy these all day long for 50 quid.

-Really?

-Yes.

Timely advice. Anything else?

It's a Tonka toy.

Now, it's seen better days...

-Oh, my goodness, it has seen better days.

-I think it is fair to say.

-But you had one?

-Yeah, I had a few. I had...

Not this very one, but this very model.

Quite nice. But it's not that nice.

And there's no interest there, at all.

Not a fan. Him, that is!

Now, what is Terry about to show them?

It's a little piece of Worcester. I can do you a price on those.

-Does this float your boat?

-I mean, I don't like this stuff at all.

-No.

But if you tell me I'm going to double our money...

Well, what's the ticket price?

So, this is 70 for this one and 75 for this one.

-Yeah, but don't worry about the prices.

-Oh, OK.

-Don't worry about the prices.

-Don't worry about them. Free.

-Worry a little bit.

-Worry a little bit!

Terry has got them interested.

That's 65. Just pluck me a figure out of nowhere.

-What would that be?

-25.

-Oh, gosh, that is a bit of a jump, isn't it?

-That's a big jump,

-it's a good jump.

-Not as good a jump as your jump.

-Oh, thank you, darling.

-Catherine is on top form today.

-I should get about 40 for that.

-I should've thought so.

-A profit is a profit.

-You like it now, don't you?

I think it's beautiful.

Shall we go and have a little chat? We need to rethink.

-Fine, let's do that, then.

-Excuse us while we have a little confab.

You are excused.

OK, team, time-out. What's the game plan, then?

We trade one of our items.

So we'd do a deal with Terry for one of our items

and hope he would give us whatever?

Yep, and maybe, sort of, swap it for what we've got.

-Make an early profit.

-Make an early profit.

-Does that count?

-Yeah.

-That's like an extra deal.

-Yeah.

-OK.

She is thinking outside the box.

So, it's got to be the tie press, which, actually, got a great deal.

What? To swap it? Do you think he might be interested in swapping it?

Give it a try.

Well, I've got it in my bag. I'll go and fetch it.

Let's go and have a word.

Back in play.

-Terry...

-Yes.

-We have a proposition for you.

-I like propositions.

-OK.

-So, maybe a trade.

-What is your offer to me?

-It's a tie press.

-The tie press of all tie presses.

-It's a beautiful piece.

It's just the design which drew us because tie presses are...

-Tie presses aren't overly used now, though.

-No.

Or obsolete.

-It's quite a pretty thing.

-It's an unusual piece.

For the man who has everything.

-Yes.

-We did wonder whether it might be a straight swap.

TERRY CLEARS HIS THROAT

Sharp intake.

-For easy, sort of, sake.

-For easy sake.

We don't have to dirty our hands with money.

TERRY CHUCKLES

-No cash either way?

-No cash either way.

-It's a bit of fun, isn't it?

-Yes. Hmm.

-Go on, then. Why not?

-Oh!

Touchdown!

One Worcester spill jar for, effectively, £1.

-I've never had a tie press in before.

-Never had one before?

Never had a tie press, no.

-May it bring you so much luck and happiness.

-Thank you very much.

I hope so too.

After that bit of excitement, let's get them

-back together to see what's been acquired.

-Are you ready?

Let's do this together, let's do this. Are you ready?

-Whose idea was this?

-This was my idea.

I had one when I was a child and I saw it

and just immediately fell in love with it.

I mean, the balls are a bit ropey at the bottom

but it just evokes my childhood. It was an emotional purchase.

£9. I quite like that.

-I don't.

-'Yes, moving on.'

The candlesticks. Let's have a look at those.

These are more interesting for me because I do like those.

-They were just a huge purchase.

-Were they pricey?

-We paid a lot of money.

-It hurts me to...

-190.

-Wow! OK.

-But I love them.

-I do like that.

I think I would've got that for about 120,

-though, but it doesn't matter.

-You wouldn't have.

You wouldn't have bought those,

but the cheapest of the cheap is a Worcester vase.

-Hand-painted Worcester.

-And how much do you think that is worth, Natasha,

-if you are putting that in auction?

-£30-£50.

We paid... £1.

-One of your pounds?

-Wow!

-Who made a good deal here, then, Colin?

-What would you have got that for, Mr Jackson?

-50p.

-That's pure profit, right there.

-That is pure profit.

-Look how smug you are!

-And furious.

Don't worry, don't let it worry you.

-Go on.

-It's only one item.

-'Time for Colin's little pile.'

-Right, shall we do this together?

-Three, two, one.

-OK.

-What catches your eye first?

-The jacket.

-The blazer!

THEY LAUGH

-Clock the Welsh vibe.

-Yes.

-University College North Wales.

Oh, I see.

Bangor tailor and it's a footballing blazer. It's a varsity blazer.

So we bought this blazer along with our two pictures here.

Yeah, pretty scary. Here we are. What do you think about these?

That's when you look repulsed.

'Catherine?'

No, you're speechless.

You're allowed to say you don't like them because I said...

I don't like them.

-You're fine.

-I've seen this look over the last two days. Trust me.

Moving swiftly on, you've got a nice little pot

and we've got a nice big vase - a lovely bit of Moorcroft.

It's so gorgeous and on the bottom it says "trial",

so it's a trial piece,

and I just think it is really heady and delicious.

-I like that.

-Yes.

-No, that is lovely.

-Yeah, so, it was our most expensive purchase.

-Really?

-Really?

-We spent quite a lot of money on it.

All I can say is good luck.

It's going to be an interesting fight.

-See you at auction.

-We will.

-See you at auction. Best of luck.

-Catherine.

-We should shake hands.

-We should. All is fair in love and war.

-Thank you very much.

-See you at the auction.

-Good luck.

Now, let's be even more brutally honest.

I think they quite liked our table and what we had on it.

They were very shocked by that £1...

-Worcester vase.

-That Worcester vase.

-It's got to be the Worcester vase.

£1? It is possibly the deal of the century.

Those paintings I thought were hideous.

-It just didn't look like Colin.

-So no style there.

-Exactly.

I cannot tell you, Colin, how many bagatelle boards

I have sold for a fiver.

I can't.

Nostalgia doesn't pay bills.

-Gold medal?

-Yeah.

-Gold medal.

-Your second gold medal.

-My second gold medal.

After setting off from Knutsford in Cheshire, our celebrities

and experts are now heading for Bedford in Bedfordshire

for the auction that will decide both winners and losers.

Are you going to play the blame game?

That was your purchase as opposed to our purchase.

No, there's no blame there. Me and Natasha are a team, man.

There's no blame anywhere. How about you and Catherine?

Well, Catherine has always said to me, the candelabra,

if it does well, it's our candelabra.

If it does badly, it is my candelabra.

Bedford was the hometown of the Chariots Of Fire sprinter

Harold Abrahams.

He was born here in 1899, just a couple of years before auctioneers

W&H Peacock were established.

-They look nervous. Hello. Hello, again.

-Welcome.

-Are you ready for this?

-Thank you, of course.

I have to say hello to our rivals quickly. I really don't mean it.

-Hello.

-Air kisses, air kisses. Hello.

Exciting, very exciting.

-We're going to get the gold medal.

-Oh, she said it first.

-I was going to say that.

-We've got it in the bag.

Are you going to buy this thing?

Because you're not going to earn it today, that's for sure.

Fighting talk, hey?

So, what does auctioneer Matt Baker think might pick up the laurels?

The Moorcroft vase. Moorcroft is really popular at the minute

and selling well.

The painted panels, they're decorative,

but there's not much else I could tell you about them, really.

The candelabra. Fantastic. They're probably my favourite lot.

I think they're functional, quite stylish.

The Steward's jewel. Probably one of the things I wouldn't have bought.

We've just put £5-£10 on that one.

After a bold start, Jonathan and Catherine ended up parting

with the least, with 268 spent on five auction lots.

Colin and Natasha, meanwhile, splashed out £305 on their five lots.

Now, get set...

-It's all very exciting. Are you nervous?

-Yes.

You've gone a bit introverted. You've gone awfully shy.

It's nearly his race face, isn't it?

First off is Colin's amethyst brooch - their cheapest buy.

As long as we make something, I'm happy.

-Cos we've got plenty to lose after that.

-We sure have.

-About £30.

-That'd be nice.

£20 to get on. £20. Who is five, then?

He's looking for five.

He's only looking for five.

We'll take six. Six, we've got. And eight.

-Take it at ten. Thank you.

-OK, that's all right.

14, 16, 18, 20.

Don't get too used to this feeling. Don't get too used to it.

At 24, 26.

£26. Looking for an eight. The bid is at 26. We'll sell at £26.

-Well done.

-I was going to high five you!

'A fine profit to start with. Now what?'

What is up next? The bagatelle.

Why are you laughing? Why are you laughing?

It's nostalgic and wonderful.

I think the auctioneer will just take it and drop it in the bin.

'Despite Colin's cheek,

'it didn't cost much and Jonathan is very fond of it.'

-It's his childhood.

-It's my childhood.

If they trample on my childhood here, I'm going

to have to storm out in tears.

Where do we see that? £30 for it.

-20.

-Oh, no!

-£20 we've got. £20, thank you.

20 bid. £20. I'll take two. At £20.

At two, four, 26, 28.

-The bid is online at 28.

-Are you listening?

The bagatelle board, I'm going to sell. 28.

-Well done.

-Good work.

-Do you feel smug?

-I think we'll leave.

'Jonathan's nostalgia paid off. Bagatelle is back.

'Now for Colin's almost-as-cheap Masonic medal.'

£10.

£5 to start me off, then.

5 I'm bid. Thank you. 5 in the room. I'll take 6.

-I'm looking for...

-6, 8...

10. £10 bid standing. 10 bid. I'm looking at 12.

12 online.

-14 I've got.

-Washed its face. Wiped its face.

14. Bid at the back at 14.

-You've done well.

-Oh, good!

-14...

-We'll take it.

'A tiny profit for those two.

'But what can Catherine's little sewing clamp make?'

Where do we see this one, about £40?

-CATHERINE:

-Oh... Come on!

Bid me 20 to get going. Thank you, 20 we're bid.

In the room at 20.

Oh, come on! Internet.

24.

26. 28.

-30. 35.

-Well done!

40. 45.

50.

55. 55 bid now. 55. Quite sure, then?

£55...

-That's brilliant!

-Well done!

-That was...

-That's brilliant!

'Yup, well done. They're off to a good start.

'Time for Colin and Natasha's first big buy, the Moorcroft.'

This is the big one. Once this is done and dusted I'll calm down.

Where do we see this? About 150 to start me. 150.

£100 to get on.

Start me at 100.

Who's 80 to start, then? Thank you. At 80 bid.

We've got 80. 80 bid.

The Moorcroft vase. 85 online.

And 90.

90 against you out there. At 90. 95.

100. 110.

-Well done!

-120.

-That's sounding better.

120. At 120.

-Keep going, keep going!

-120.

120 bid. We all done? 130.

-Oh!

-130 online. 140.

-One more!

-140.

-At 140.

-Come on, online!

Well done!

140.

-No! So close.

-Yeah, but that's really good!

-That's good.

-140. It's all right, it's OK.

'Yeah, that could have been a lot, lot worse.'

We just had our most risky item

and here comes the world's least risky item.

£1.

'Quite! I don't think they'll be too worried about their Worcester

'making a profit, do you?'

Where do we see that? About 40?

20 to start me.

Someone's got to give £20 for it.

£20? 20?

-20.

-Just like that!

Who's next at 20? 20 bid over here. Who's going to make it 22?

Come on!

22. 24. 24 bid now. 24 in the room.

Great! I was looking for 40.

Oh, come on, that's a huge profit!

£24.

-Bit disappointing.

-Listen to these guys!

Only you two would be disappointed.

-It was worth more than that, wasn't it?

-That's £23!

-It was worth more than that.

-It wasn't.

'The profits keep rolling in.'

191. Driftwood Central.

'Yes, it's Colin's other slightly worrying purchase,

'from the 20th century.'

They did a dance and I was mesmerised.

40. I'll take 50.

Bid me 50.

-20 to get me started.

-Let's get 20 going.

Answer came there none? 20 we've got. Thank you. £20.

-At 20. 20 bid.

-Someone's got to give you 20!

-Don't laugh.

At 20. 20 bid. The two panels at 20. 20 bid on these. 20.

-£20 bid.

-He's really trying!

Quite sure at 20?

He's gutted. Not half as much as us.

Look at this guy!

You OK there?

'Jonathan can't believe his luck. That might just have sealed it.

'Next, the bottles in the box,

'a makeweight in Jonathan's candelabra deal.'

I've got plenty of commission bids. I'll start at 40. 40 bid.

45 online.

50 with me. 50 bid. 55.

AUCTIONEER DROWNS JONATHAN

No, you didn't!

£60. At 60. 65. 70.

-70 bid.

-Yes!

-70.

£70. Bid here at 70. 70 bid.

75 at the back. At 75.

-75 in the room!

-75.

£75...

-Excellent!

-Well done!

-You're a star!

'Another sweet-smelling profit for those two.'

-It has gone well so far.

-Yeah.

But we got the big-risk candelabra and candlesticks.

They're beautiful but we paid £190 for them.

-Yeah, but the momentum seems to be with you guys.

-It's rolling well.

It's looking strong for you. I think you may do all right with them.

-Mind you, don't take what I think to be gospel.

-I won't, actually!

'No, a pinch of salt, more like. How will Natasha's blazer fare?'

About £40 for it?

20 to start me off, then?

Thank you. At 20 bid.

-It's sold.

-That's a good thing.

20. £20.

-Is 20 our unlucky number?

-I know, we seem to just...

No! That's too cheap!

20. 20 bid. Nobody else in? 20. £20...

We made two profits out of five! Colin!

We're rubbish!

Don't rub it in.

'That may well be true, but it's not over yet.'