Episode 17 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite celebrities...

Just want to touch BASS.

..paired up with an expert...

-Boo!

-What?!

..and a classic car.

No hands!

Their mission - to scour Britain for antiques.

My office...now!

The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction. But it's no easy ride.

-WHIRRING

-Ooh!

Who will find a hidden gem?

-HORN HONKS

-Like that.

Who will take the biggest risk?

This could end in disaster.

Will anybody follow expert advice?

-But I love this!

-Why would you buy something you won't use?

There will be worthy winners

and valiant losers.

No, I don't want to shake hands.

Put your pedal to the metal.

OK, let me get out of first gear.

This is the...

Yeah.

Today's celebrities

are actors Clare Holman and Felicity Montagu.

Clare, shouldn't you go in to another gear?

-Don't... Don't start...

-I mean, really...

-Do you want to drive?

-They're friends, really.

Although this is their debut on the same bill.

-Cos we haven't worked together, it's interesting. We don't know...

-We don't quite know...

I think we're quietly competitive, but in a very gracious way.

Felicity has become a familiar face on both big and small screens in recent years,

with clever comedic performances in everything from Dad's Army to Mapp And Lucia.

But perhaps her best-loved character has been Alan Partridge's put-upon PA, Lynn.

-You like this car, don't you?

-Well, I do! It's lovely.

I think it suits you, cos it's eccentric.

-And it's...

-I don't know what you've got,

but if you've got a really posh one, I might be quite jealous of that.

Oh, Clare...

Actor and director Clare may well have developed

a love of vintage cars from her famous role

as Dr Laura Hobson in both Inspector Morse and Lewis.

But can TV's forensic pathologists do antiques?!

I know what I like, but I don't know what sells.

So how detailed is the knowledge we need?

-I don't know.

-Well, didn't you ask?

-No, I was hoping that you were going to tell me.

-Well, I don't know. I've no idea.

Fortunately our celebrities will be on the end of an awful lot of expert

guidance from dealer Arusha Irvine and auctioneer James Braxton.

It's 1957, isn't it, this car?

-Really?

-Yeah, 19...

-Wow!

It's a Jag from the era before seatbelts were mandatory.

I'm glad you're driving, cos I think it's a bit too much car for me.

This belonged to Fred Astaire, I think.

He must have had tiny little dancing feet.

Thank God you've got slim, elegant tootsies.

But it doesn't take a genius

to work out who's going to be dancing with who.

I was a massive fan of Morse and Lewis.

The amount of nights I would shout at the screen, saying,

"Lewis, ask her out, for goodness' sake!"

He did eventually.

Best thing that man ever did, I tell you.

Well, Felicity, she was great with Alan Partridge

-and she was great in Mapp And Lucia.

-Ah, right.

-Really fun.

-So you two are going to have a foot. A hoot! A foot?!

We're going to have a hoot.

Just wait till he finds out Felicity comes with

a bit of provenance herself.

My aunt had an antiques shop on the Isle of Wight and I used to

sit in the shop and I used to love the smell of the wood,

and look at the mirrors and the lampshades,

and I always hunted for antiques but I wouldn't say I've studied them.

Well, that puts her into exalted company

as far as this programme is concerned.

So, with £400 each and a 1960s Triumph Herald at their disposal,

let's get on with it.

-I think I might need to stop.

-Oh, come on, Clare, we've only just started.

I know, it's a problem.

-It's psychological.

-I've got used to peeing in bushes, but...

I don't know if it's appropriate for this show, really.

-Probably not.

-Naughty.

After a comfort break, then...

-Good morning. Hello.

-How are you?

What a sweet, dinky car.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Hello. Lovely to meet you.

Felicity, that leaves us. Come here.

Hello. Good morning.

You're in this one, are you?

-Hello, Roo.

-We're in this one, we're in this one. You're in that one.

Clare, wind it down!

Maybe we will triumph in the Triumph.

Ah, alliteration - we love it.

Shall we get ahead?

Let's go.

We're off on a nosey around the Midlands,

Starting in the east of Old Wolverton, Buckinghamshire,

and ending up out west at the Shropshire Auction in Newport.

But just at this moment, anything's possible.

We've got £400.

-Is that a lot?

-Well, it depends.

-If you're like me, you like a bargain, yes.

-Ah, OK.

That could potentially get you 23 items.

23?!

It's her superpower, Clare.

Think of me, in a way, as the Robin to your Batman.

-OK.

-So I'm your sidekick.

So I've got your back, Batman.

All right, without the capes.

What about our other duo? Feeling dynamic?

Felicity, if you were in one of your many characters,

how would they approach these two days of buying?

Well, I think Lynn would be very good at the bargaining

on behalf of Alan, but I think she's got bad taste.

Diva in Mapp & Lucia, I think she would buy magazines.

-Magazines?

-Period magazines.

Perpetua in Bridget Jones's Diary - Petch has got great taste

but Perpetua would have a budget of 20,000.

Well, where's the fun in that?

Do you collect anything?

Well, I love mirrors,

I love antique mirrors, and I have a penchant for lampshades.

-I love pleated lampshades.

-Are you receiving treatment for this?

SHE CHUCKLES

Our first destination today will be a shared one.

Just as well we're all friends, for the moment.

Maybe we should actually develop a code word.

-Yes.

-So you can shout "tomato" across the room

-and I'll know to come and find you.

-Do you think that's wise?

Or something more exciting than "tomato".

What about "pathologist"?

"Pathologist, come hither!"

I think Roo may overthinking it.

Anyway, this is Old Wolverton, which, 50 years ago,

became part of the brand-new Milton Keynes.

"Gu-dad's."

-Is it "Gu-dad's"?

-"Gee-dad's," isn't it?

Here we are. Look at this - very exciting.

What about "gee whiz"?

Good morning, hello.

-James.

-Hello, James, I'm Mark.

-Hello, Mark.

-Hello, Mark. I'm Felicity.

-Hello, Felicity.

Good to meet you. So, how many floors do you have?

Two floors, ground floor and a first floor.

We do have another showroom further down the wharf.

-And what does that do?

-Mainly furniture.

-Ooh.

-But we do have some bits and pieces down there as well.

Bits and pieces?

-Bargains, Mark?

-Absolute bargains, yes.

-Absolute bargains? Well...

-We heard it.

-Well, what do you think?

I'd like go there first.

How could they refuse?

Especially when they have lampshades.

I mean, you know, they're practical.

How much is that lampshade?

Five for the... Was it five for...?

-We've...

-Well, I mean...

-We've got £400 to spend.

She really likes them.

Oh, look, this mirror now.

It's a repro - I can tell that from here.

-Can you tell that from there?

-It's too flat.

It's called a fret-cut wall mirror.

-That shape.

-Of course it is - I can see the fret.

-The frets.

-Frets, yeah.

Thank you, James, that's a bit of nice little information.

He has his uses, ma'am.

That's exactly the sort of thing that my parents had -

I was brought up with something like that and I had a loathing of it.

-But they're now very...

-They're quite trendy, aren't they?

Shall I see how much it is? It's not something I'd buy, James.

What did your father play? Collected marching band music?

Probably. But he would get very roused.

Felicity's from military stock.

Ah, the enemy have arrived.

Oh, no, they've actually got a head start.

Might be vulnerable to a flanking manoeuvre, though.

Come on, partner, let's go.

Thanks to the prospect of absolute bargains elsewhere,

Clare and Roo have got this part of the shop to themselves.

You see, Dinky toys are very collectable.

They make a lot of money, but they've got to be rare editions.

Would you know what the rare one is?

Probably the one that's priced at £170!

Holy insight, Robin!

Very nice, unusual Art Nouveau...

-Crumb brush.

-..crumb brush, which would really interest me.

But is that really Art Nouveau? Cos it looks a bit clumpy.

Art Nouveau figures are very feminine, elongated -

long, flowing hair.

This lady looks a little bit more like she's off to the supermarket,

picking loo roll from the top shelf.

-49.

-That's all right - could get them down.

Sounds like Clare's keen to haggle.

Gosh, look. Look at this.

Chicago, circa 1930/1940, American.

It's obviously an address book, but...

Look. Ta-da.

-Look, Salem.

-That takes me back to being...

"Salem Cheese & Milk."

-Do you know Salem?

-Yeah.

It's where the witches were, from Arthur Miller's play.

The Crucible. She may well have performed it.

It's very Art Deco there.

-And is that genuine?

-It is very genuine.

It's not something that's valuable enough

to do a reproduction of or a fake of,

so that is genuine of the period.

But people wouldn't buy it, would they?

Unless they're from Salem.

-Onwards?

-Yes.

-And upwards.

-Any progress elsewhere?

-I've noticed that you stand still.

-Yeah.

And you just... Like, you're there,

and so you absorb peripherally everything that's going on.

I tend to sort of wander and I think I miss tricks.

I'm picking up tips from you.

-Trying to.

-It's just like sport - it's all in the footwork.

Very Zen, James.

But watch out - tomato!

-Hello, hello.

-Hello!

Fancy seeing you two here.

-Any luck?

-Not as yet.

-We're just thinking.

-Not a sausage.

-Anyway, good luck.

-See you around.

-Good luck.

NARRATOR: Well, there's very little worth spying on so far - that's for sure.

What about this? I know it's probably not an antique.

Right, I'm going to walk for you with this and see if you think that

a woman might buy it. OK, now, what you think, James?

That's very... I'll tell you what -

-by modelling it, you've brought it alive.

-OK.

That be acting, that be.

Oh, I've got my Oyster card.

-Oyster card.

-My gym pass...

Gym pass!

-And I like the age on it.

-I like the different shades of the...

Yeah, it's good-quality leather.

It's not heavy. It's stylish, isn't it?

Do you think it is, or I've just lost my buttons, basically?

No, Felicity.

How are Clare and Roo faring?

See, that's quite interesting.

-I like that.

-It's called a Yard Of Lead propelling pencil.

-1941.

-Which is right in World War II, London, hallmarked.

So, what were they writing and who were they writing to?

I know. What letters and correspondence would have been written with this?

I think that's fantastic. Does that kind of thing sell?

-It does.

-I love it.

-It's silver, it's got quite a good weight to it

and propelling pencils are really collectable.

And the price, £28 - that's reasonable.

What else has that dealer got?

-Oh, I like this. Can I just...?

-Ooh!

Now, I don't know whether jewellery sells but that is, yeah, marcasite.

It's beautiful, and a good thing to check with marcasite jewellery

is that all the stones are intact.

-Good point.

-It's got that beautiful sort of, you know,

citrine stone in there.

Well, you know, those two together wouldn't be that much, would they?

-We could try and get those down.

-Yeah.

-It would be a nice start.

-I think we should get the dealer.

-Definitely.

-Let's. I'm excited now.

I think we all are.

-Mark?

-Yes.

Do fancy coming upstairs?

-Certainly.

-That's an invite, isn't it?

Cheeky!

There's a couple of items that have caught our eye...

-OK.

-..in this cabinet. First one is this propelling pencil.

-Yes, OK.

-What's the best you could do?

I'm allowed to do 10%, £3.

It's got some dents on it.

-OK.

-And so I was thinking,

if you could do us 14?

I don't think we can go that low.

-Would you be able to give the dealer a call?

-Yeah, I can do.

-And we have one other.

-This brooch, which is at £15.

-OK.

We were thinking sort of eight for that.

Normally, we don't do trade under £20.

-But you've got the beautiful Clare here.

-I know.

-This is what's doing it.

-Who can resist her?

-I know what I would say straightaway.

But while Mark goes off to call the dealer,

the bag's been abandoned and they're about to move on.

Oh, come on, James.

Hold on, just let me... Sorry, I'll just get...

Well, trying to.

I'm in.

Oh, bingo.

James, you gentleman.

I am very, very impressed.

Drivers, start your engines. ENGINE STARTS

It's all under control.

Now, with that kerfuffle over, do we have a deal?

I've spoken to David and told him what lovely people you are...

-You're so sweet.

-And he's agreed to go to £18 on the pencil...

-OK.

-..and £10 on the brooch.

-So that's 28 for the two.

-I'm happy with that.

-I'm happy with that, too.

-Yeah?

-Let's go for it. Thank you so much.

-Thank you very much.

Well worth waiting for.

Probably should take the items.

-I think you'd better.

-Clare's definitely got the hang of this.

Slightly slower off the mark, although not for want of trying,

has been her friend Felicity.

Are you a haggler, Felicity?

Well, I don't haggle. What I do is passive aggressive.

So I need you to tell me what to do.

Well, you need to put the fez on,

you need to focus and you need to haggle like somebody from a souk.

And you need to party like it's 1999...

in the county town of Northampton.

From Old Wolverton to the Old Bakehouse.

-Here we go.

-Yeah.

The TARDIS parked outside is a bit of a clue that there's really

quite a lot in here.

-Oh, that's fascinating.

-What are they? Very spiky.

It looks like flower displays.

-Shall I open up?

-Yes, OK. Are we allowed to?

Yeah, course we are. Dive in there.

-Dive in.

-Oh, it's heavy.

So, why would it be so heavy? That's the weight test.

Yeah, but what is it?

Do you put it into the base and then you put a large piece of foam on,

and then you do your flower arrangement -

-that's how it works.

-Oh, I see.

-But they're heavy and stick in the water.

-They are different shapes.

-But why?

-Because you can join those two.

-That is clever.

-They're Japanese.

-Are they?

-Yeah, it says, "Made in Japan."

-Where?

That's handy.

Worth a go or should we just put them back?

-Too expensive, aren't they?

-Yeah.

Crikey, I thought that was a possibility. What about upstairs?

Like that, James.

Well, there's a turn up.

I don't like the lamp stand but I love the lampshade.

You're magnetically drawn to anything pleated, are you?

-I am.

-Does it come off?

-Do you know if it comes off?

-No, James, you can't.

Yeah, you can. What material is this?

-Is that chiffon?

-Cheap chiffon.

I think making lampshades is a real skill and I'm in love

with it. There's a certain store on Fulham Palace Road, which I

just go and look at the quality of the pleating.

It's like a beautiful dress. It's like a wedding dress, you know?

It's very feminine, I suppose.

I will look at lampshades with renewed interest.

I sort of think it's quite theatrical, I suppose.

I like to walk in a room where the lamps are low, setting the mood.

This is reduced from 80 to 65 for the whole thing.

I would no more have that than fly to the flipping moon.

-No, nor would I.

-So if we put an offer for the lampshade,

-it would be a tenner, wouldn't it?

-Let's hope no-one sits on it.

Still, at least Felicity's happy.

But, now, a bit of beachcombing.

It's very smooth, it's very polished.

Like you, then, James.

You could add this to any hall of any flat or house in the land.

So it should have some sort of demand.

I'm going to take this to Felicity.

Steady, James.

It is quite a weight. It's a very slim fit.

Again, a bit like you, James.

Don't touch the drawer.

Look at this - what a handsome piece.

-I think it's unusual.

-Yeah.

I think... I like the Edwardian period.

-It's older than that.

-Is it?

-It is, yeah.

-Seriously?

-Victorian. I'd say mid-Victorian.

-How do you know?

You've got a rather nice sort of Grecian element here,

you've got a triangular pediment.

That's what I like, cos it's so unusual.

And I like these ribbon-turned legs. They're nice, aren't they?

It's slightly clumsy round here.

-It's got knobbly knees on it.

-Knobbly knees.

Yes, and what about the knobbly price?

225?

That's... That's expensive, isn't it?

If I was an auctioneer, I'd probably put 100 to 150,

-hoping it would make 150, 200.

-Really?

OK, with a pricey table and an inexpensive lampshade on the list,

let's talk to the proprietor.

Who's this young man?

-Hello, you two.

-Hello. James.

-Pleasure.

-Felicity, hi.

Pleased to meet you. Steve.

Steve. Good to meet you, Steve.

We've spotted a couple of things.

-That hall table.

-We like the hall table.

-Bit expensive, Steve. 22...

-5.

-It hasn't been here long.

-Really?

Only a couple of days.

I have spoken to the trader and he's looking to be nearer to 170.

165?

I think lower than that.

-160?

-No, I think...

This isn't going to plan.

-I think we can go lower than that, don't you, Felicity?

-Yeah, I do.

What do you think? What about sort of 130?

Need a bit more, I think, for that.

165's got to be the death on that one.

We'll come in at 150 - that's it. I'm done.

-150.

-Go on, let's do it.

-Really?

-OK.

-Well, that's good.

-Thank you, Steve.

-Hurrah.

-And there was one other item, wasn't there?

Yeah, the lampshade without the lamp stand.

It's rather like having the hake without the hake, isn't it?

It is, but I think a tenner?

-For that?

-You liked the pleats, didn't you?

-I liked the pleats.

So you just want the shade, but not the base.

-Not the base.

-That's where the value is, in the base, isn't it?

Nudge, nudge.

Well, not...

-No, we'll do that.

-Great.

-Shake the man's hand!

-Shake the man's hand.

So, Felicity finally has her shade.

-160.

-Thank you very much.

And while those two take a break,

our other couple have been doing a bit of bonding.

I love Art Deco.

I love glass.

My love and passion is glass.

Is it? My husband's father was a glass-blower.

I never met him, but he was responsible for all

-the lights in Piccadilly, you know, the neon lights?

-Really?

-Yeah.

Do you know, it seems like those two have got much more in common than

just TV detectives. And now, they are also in Northampton,

a town that's justly famous for footwear and engineering.

But tucked away in a Georgian terrace is a bit of Glasgow style.

Who'd believe that?

-Hi there. I'm Roo.

-Hello, Roo, I'm David.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Hello, I'm Clare.

-Hello, Clare, very nice to meet you.

-Good to meet you.

-Would you like to come and have a look at 78 Derngate?

-Absolutely.

-Very excited.

-Follow me.

-Lead the way. Thank you.

100 years ago, this home was substantially remodelled

by the legendary Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

David, this is amazing.

This is the only place outside of Glasgow

that Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed - is that right?

That's right. It's more or less his final sort of major architectural work.

It was a really difficult period. During the First World War,

the building trade really, you know, suffered.

So Mackintosh and his wife Margaret were making most of their money

at that time from textile design.

But this really would have been very welcome to Mackintosh, this commission.

Although nowadays his work is justly lauded, in 1916,

Mackintosh was no longer actively involved as an architect,

and was a fairly obscure figure outside Glasgow.

So much credit is due to his patron, Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke.

Bassett-Lowke was a model engineer.

He virtually invented the concept of the home model railway.

And he had a factory here in Northampton and made a lot of money,

and therefore was able to indulge his passion for good design.

And one of the things he wanted to do was to have a house in which nothing was older than himself.

And did they collaborate, or was it all Mackintosh's...?

It was very much collaboration,

unusually in Mackintosh's work, his sort of history with clients,

because he was quite a control freak.

Bassett-Lowke was a lot more forthcoming,

and almost was telling Mackintosh, in some cases, what to do.

And, you know, it would have been interesting to have been

a fly on the wall in the meetings between the two -

both very strong personalities.

Their creation, which became a girls' school for many years

before it was restored earlier this century,

is both clearly a work by Mackintosh, but also heralds something new.

In a way, the design almost seems ahead of its time,

because you think of Mackintosh, you think of Art Nouveau and soft,

flowing curves and geometric lines.

This is almost Art Deco.

It is. 78 Derngate is significant for that reason, really.

It's the first, I think, glimpse of Art Deco in a domestic interior in Britain.

Before the term was even invented,

Bassett-Lowke was very plugged into modern aesthetics.

He'd been in the continent, he'd travelled.

He was in touch with the latest trends,

particularly in places like Vienna which was a hot spot,

with the Secessionists and the Wiener Werkstatte.

Mackintosh was also in that scene -

he'd been in Vienna and he could deliver that.

And that's why we've got, really, in a way,

a little bit of Vienna here in Northampton.

Well, it's been a delight to meet you and to see the house.

-As two art lovers, I think we've enjoyed every second.

-Yeah, it's thrilling.

-Really thrilling.

-Great pleasure to have you. Thank you very much for coming.

-Thank you so much.

Now, back in their respective cars, but for how long?

Is there anything we can do about driving the Jag?

Well, I have to say that is a beautiful car.

Well, you know, tomorrow, in the name of Morse and Lewis...

-What are you thinking?

-I get in that car.

I think we keep it between ourselves,

and then we just get in and drive off.

-Yeah. I think so. Shall we try that?

-Yes, as long as you can get it started!

Nighty-night.

Next day, we're amongst the lakes, in Leicestershire.

Oh, look at this bridge - isn't this lovely?

Oh, this is amazing!

-There's water. I might have to stop.

-Oh, come on, Clare!

It's at about this point that we usually recap what's been purchased.

Did you find anything yesterday?

Well...

there was a, er...

I'm watching you.

-I don't know. Let me think.

-FELICITY CHUCKLES

-How many?

-Oh, I'm not saying how many, am I?

Unbeknownst to her chum,

Clare picked up a silver propelling pencil and a marcasite brooch,

leaving her with over £370 for today's purchases...

-Probably should take the items.

-I think you'd better.

..while Felicity splashed out a bit more

on a side table. And, yes, a lampshade.

You're magnetically drawn to anything pleated, are you?

But she still has £240 - to go forth and haggle!

Felicity comes from a military background.

She's tough, she's thrifty.

She played Captain Mainwaring's wife, who is particularly fierce.

Clare was really good. She did sort of ask my advice,

but then she went straight to it and did the deal.

We might even be redundant by the end of this road trip, James!

Yes, those actors are very quick on the uptake.

-Look at these...

-Morning, ladies.

-..two glamorous ladies.

-Morning.

You're looking very summery.

-Morning, morning. How are you? How are you?

-Fine, yeah.

-Very good.

Here we go.

It's a bit frightening. It's a bit too much.

-What's going on?

-ROO:

-Have a lovely day!

She's always been lusting after that!

Really, I'm not surprised. Bye, Clare. I know what you're doing.

-Yeah. Watch the gears, Clare.

-Watch the gears!

May the best ladies win. Bye.

Later on, our celebrities and experts

will be bearing down upon Shropshire

for an auction at Newport.

But first stop today

is in the city of Leicester.

-They've nicked our car.

-I wasn't surprised, though, James.

-Why?

-Because Clare's had her eyes on it from the beginning of day one.

-Naughty girl.

-Yes, she's a naughty girl.

What's the mood in the getaway car?

Does it suit me better or does it suit me better?

It suits you perfectly.

-It's nice, is it?

-Yeah.

-How do you feel in this one?

Maybe now we're in the Jag, we can take our buying to the next level.

-I definitely don't want to play it safe.

-No, let's risk.

Yeah. Cos no-one wants a £10 profit here and there.

-MOOING

-I think I just heard a cow mooing in my ear.

-I did. I did, too!

What have you got to lose?

Yeah. Apart from complete failure.

That's the spirit.

Exactly the sort of attitude which has made Leicester's football team

rather famous in recent times.

Their ground is close by.

Wow! this is my kind of place.

-I like this.

-Yeah, almost big enough for a Foxes match.

Although the antiques would definitely get in the way.

That is gorgeous.

-You want the price?

-Go on, then.

Let it be 79.99.

-650.

-I was close!

What do you think of this?

£68. That's not very much.

-I like it.

-British railway lamp.

-This is not my style.

-OK.

-At all.

British railway lamps are really collectable.

I wouldn't like it, but a trainspotter would.

They would. What we need to look at -

-it's in very good condition.

-Yeah.

So has it been repainted?

It looks like it might have been.

Have a feel of the weight of that.

Oh, my God! We've got some delicate stuff

and now we've got something that's a bit sort of industrial.

-It shows that we can be both.

-Industrial is in, isn't it?

Industrial is very in. And it would be cool...

-Can I put it down now? Cos it's heavy!

-Quickly.

That's exciting.

What about advertising signs? Cos I see something over there.

-The BP one is lovely.

-Mm-hm.

The Fry's chocolate is glorious.

That's the one that's rare.

And it's called The Five Stages Of Fry's.

Look, Desperation.

-Pacification.

-Pacification. Expectation.

-Acclamation.

-Acclamation.

-Realisation.

-BOTH:

-"It's Fry's."

A real bargain at £2,800.

I know.

OK. So where to next?

Do you know what? There's too much exciting stuff here.

I know. Where do you want to go?

I'll follow you. I am...

I am your Robin, remember.

Not a round robin but just a Robin.

Your superpowers are failing. Oh, hello, what's this?

These are quite interesting.

-Are they silver?

-No, they're actually silver plate.

-Right.

-And these are very interesting

-because they're WMF silver-plated vases.

-What is WMF?

Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik.

-With a roll of the R, which is not German.

-Are you serious?

Yeah, it's a German manufacturer from the 1850s.

They actually started off making boring cutlery and,

from the 1900s to sort of 1930, Art Nouveau, Art Deco time,

they moved into vases and some of their items

-can go for thousands of pounds.

-What have we got?

-£40.

Which is quite a bit for silver-plated vases,

but the name is brilliant and if you look at the bottom here...

..tiny little logo.

-W...

-MF.

-Oh, that is a good one.

If we can get that down, that's a good buy,

because we're then adding a solid name to our bunch of items.

-Well done, you.

-Not redundant just yet, then.

Now, Clare's gone solo.

Oh, that's nice. French.

It's a globe de mariee, or marriage globe.

I've seen one of these before. They're very beautiful. Roo!

Time for a second opinion.

It's late-19th-century French.

Which is your...

-Which I love.

-You love late-19th-century French.

And you put your wedding photograph in and then into the cushion,

you stick anything memorable on it.

-So maybe a flower from that day...

-Yes.

-..or a ribbon.

-Yes. Yeah.

But is it the real thing?

It's little clues that give it away.

If you look at the jagged teeth around this mirror,

you can see little signs of age, genuine wear,

and the lovely velvet has worn away on the cushion.

-Yeah.

-That little bit of damage is good...

-Yeah.

-..because it shows it as authentic.

Because the glass domes are fragile, it must be quite rare.

I like that. You said that was 160.

It's expensive - that's the only thing.

What would you think, in terms of price-wise, that you would buy that at?

Well, I'd love to offer 80, but I think that's going to be...

-Yeah.

-..low. So I'd say 100.

Time for a breath of fresh air.

Yeah. This is not my kind of stuff.

Too much rust here. But this stuff sells well.

I want that.

-Oh, I'm sensing a bit of conviction there.

-Yeah, conviction.

-Shall we have a closer look?

-Yeah, let's have a look.

Wow! That's some amount of rust on there.

That is original, isn't it?

Yes. If you look closely, the actual glaze has cracked.

But it's called crazing and that's the sign of age.

And what about the rust - is that a problem or does it come off?

Oh, look, it's already off on my finger.

Well, if you carry on, you might be able to clean it up for us.

Once that's restored,

that would be beautiful cos that green is so vibrant.

£80.

-50?

-It's, er...

-45?

-40?

-40.

-Shall we try for 40?

-Let's try for 40.

Sounds like they urgently need to talk to shopkeeper Jane.

Now, we've got quite a few things we've fallen in love with

-a little bit.

-Yes.

Well, no, we can take or leave them.

-Yeah.

-THEY CHUCKLE

The first one is this Art Nouveau fireplace.

-Yes.

-Can I make an offer to you?

-You can. Yes.

-Would you take 40 for it?

I'm afraid I can't do that, no.

We're supposed to only take 10% off, which would put you at £72,

but I'm sure we can do a little bit more.

What's the best you can do for us?

We could possibly stretch it to 60.

-The WMF vases, silver-plated ones.

-Yes.

They're on at £40, I think.

What is the best price you can do on that?

The best price I can do on those is 30.

The railway lamp? Which is at 68.

We could do that at 50,

-I think.

-The marriage dome.

Yes, I think our best price on that would be £120.

-OK.

-Plenty to think about.

-Who's good at maths?

Well, it adds up to 260 at the moment,

but we might be about to lose Clare's globe.

It could make £30, it could make 200.

I think I will bow to your expertise and you decide.

So, are you happy, then, with the three items?

The fireplace, the two WMF vases and the railway lamp.

140.

-OK, that's fine.

-My brain can breathe again.

Thank you. Done deal.

Thank you very much. You've got some lovely stuff here.

And those two have just bought a nice chunk of it.

-Shall we go?

-Yes, let's go.

-Phew! OK.

But while Clare and Roo leave Leicester,

the others are on their way there.

How did you get into acting?

It hit me at high school, because I was in Pride And Prejudice.

-Yeah.

-I played Mr Wickham.

-Yeah.

-And I had one line.

And I winked at the audience and they all howled with laughter.

So I did it again and again.

What did your parents want you to do?

It was Father that wanted me to join the Wrens.

Why the Wrens?

Well, I think he thought I'd be a good officer.

It's all about bonding in the Army and acting is a bit like that.

It's nothing... You know, it's nothing like as serious

as fighting in the Army, but it's teamwork.

Felicity's father served in the second Punjab Regiment

of the British Indian Army.

And they've come to the New Walk Museum to learn how followers

of the Sikh faith acquired their reputation as skilled fighters

from Gurinder Singh Mann.

The Sikh religion is founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century,

in the area of Punjab, which is in northern India.

They were facing a persecution from the Mughals so, as a result,

they militarised themselves and were able to actually

combine themselves into a military force.

Did they integrate these combat skills within their religion?

-Absolutely.

-They had the religious side of actually praying, etc,

with the Sikh scriptures,

but they balanced it out with these military skills, as well.

So they became Saint soldiers, in a sense,

using a number of weapons which they actually kind of also used

to worship, as well, in a similar way

that they worshipped the Scriptures.

But during the 19th century,

the powerful and very wealthy Sikh Punjab region was threatened

by the expansionist plans of the British East India Company.

It was one of the last states for the British to really seize upon

in terms of gaining control over all of India.

The Punjab was the last prize?

It absolutely was, yeah.

The Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in 1839.

He didn't actually leave any successors and, as a result,

the court has gone into chaos, so the British, looking inwards,

saw this is a great opportunity

to actually now move in on the territories.

So were the British confident they could take the area easily?

Yes, they were, but they had never come across a fighting force

such as the Sikhs. The Sikhs had actually been trained

by European generals, but on top of that,

the Sikhs had better hand-to-hand fighting skills, as well,

and this was demonstrated in the Battle of Ferozeshah, for instance,

where the British were on the verge of defeat

and state papers were sent to be burnt,

because they never thought that they'd be able to win

that particular battle.

No wonder, when you consider the bravery of the Sikhs

and the weapons at their disposal.

We actually have a punch dagger known as a katar.

They would actually have this on their attire and then eventually,

when it came down to a particular kind of battle,

they would just pull it out and they would use this with deadly force.

-Goodness!

-So what about this?

I'm familiar with this.

The Greeks invented this.

Did they?

-The quoit.

-The quoit.

So this quoit, in particular, what we call a chakra or chakram,

was actually used by the Sikhs,

who actually used to wear them within their turbans.

They used to wear it on their necks as well

and then actually used to use this within warfare

to actually fight against a particular enemy.

What is this, this insignia here?

Some of the Sikh weapons actually had verses from the Sikh Scriptures

and it was actually a reminder

of their Sikh faith whilst going into battle.

Eventually, after four years of conflict, the Sikhs were defeated,

their territory becoming part of the Empire.

So that slow war of attrition.

Absolutely.

Sikh numbers weren't being replenished and the British

were increasing their forces day by day,

so when we get to the Battle of Gujrat in 1849,

the British overran the Sikhs with ease, really.

After that, the Punjab was annexed by the victors

and the Sikhs would remain under British rule

until independence almost 100 years later.

The British saw the Sikhs as being a very formidable enemy,

so as a result, the Sikhs were actually employed

in various campaigns, so this mutual friendship

developed over a course of many years,

where the Sikhs were the backbone of the Commonwealth

in terms of the numerous places they went to.

So military opponents quickly became fellow fighters?

That's absolutely correct.

Despite being just 1% of the Indian population,

the fighting Sikhs came to make up a quarter of the British Indian Army

and play a vital role in two world wars.

Now, the last time we saw Clare and Roo, they were busily stocking up.

How are you finding the haggling?

-I quite like it.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Have we created a beast?

Well, maybe, yes.

Every shop I go into now, I'm going to have to haggle, aren't I?

10% off, at least.

That bulging boot must be a source of some consolation, too,

because as our teams make for their final shop,

this lot have work to do.

-Two items.

-Only two.

That's all we've got. I hope you don't think I've been too fussy?

Well, whoever makes it to Market Harborough first, hey?

Triumph, Jag, Jag, Triumph.

-Triumph it is.

-Look at this.

What a place.

There should be plenty to go around, mind.

3,000 square feet, to be exact, plus £240 left to spend.

What we need to do is we want to walk around the whole extent

of this shop and find out the good stand.

James, there's a taxi sign there.

I wouldn't have that in my home, but some people love things like that.

-Plastic.

-I don't like it.

Do you mind?

Definitely doesn't seem too fussy now.

-I'm beginning to panic, James.

-No, don't panic.

Let's keep walking round.

We're going quite fast, that's the thing.

I know. It's important to walk fast.

Don't panic, Mrs Mainwaring.

On second thoughts...

We've got quite a bit of money left to spend.

-I want to go big.

-I'd love to go big.

Best foot forward, everyone.

Oh. How are you doing?

Very well, how are you?

Yes, we're doing well.

Clare, what would you put in here, what would you put in there?

-Scotch.

-Possibly.

-Vodka.

-No, no, no.

Anyway, girls, we must rush.

-You must rush.

-Busy, busy, eh?

-Busy.

-Things to buy.

-Things to buy.

-Bye.

-They have a desperate look about them.

Quite the opposite, I'd say.

Ah, now they've split up.

Now that is lovely.

Real Arts and Crafts tradition here.

This is a sort of tree of life.

Look at the depth of the carving.

You get carving in low relief and high relief.

And this is really high relief.

And it would have been in a cabinet.

You can see where the polish was.

Something that might have come from Liberty's.

Possibly under the influence of the celebrated designer Archibald Knox.

What's the price?

58 quid. I love that.

Felicity! What do you think of that?

So that's real Arts and Crafts.

-Very cleverly carved.

-It's beautifully carved.

I wouldn't go for it but I appreciate the craft in it.

-Yeah, yeah.

-And I can see somebody might go for this.

So you're going to have to do your Mrs Mainwaring.

Time to chat with dealer Sally.

Now, we love this panel, hate the price.

But if you were buying that, what would you pay for it?

About 58, I would think.

Yeah, I thought she might say that!

Can I make a cheeky offer? 25.

25 is too cheeky.

-30?

-No.

She would let it go for 53.

Other than that, we need to make a phone call.

-I think 35.

-35.

-35 is your offer.

You communicate 35.

In the meantime, we've got more buying to do.

-Yeah, we have.

-OK, happy hunting.

-Yeah.

Now definitely not from Liberty.

-1950s.

-It's 1950s.

And, guess how much?

Less than 50?

-48.

-I like it.

It screams 1950s, which is good.

I mean, it's so kitsch and plasticky.

Post-war is now becoming really fashionable.

If it was a crisp flavour, it would be a Quaver.

-Or a Wotsit.

-Yeah.

A hint of cheese.

Other snacks are available.

The others have stepped outside.

Isn't this fun?

Quite a choice here, too.

-Do you like that the lamp?

-No.

-No.

-Sorry.

Still awaiting news on that carved panel, but needing to buy more.

I love these enamelled signs.

And enamelling's a great thing.

I think it's incredible workmanship.

It is, it's fantastic.

And I love the colours. But it's so heavily damaged, James.

If we found it in mint condition, it would be too much, big money.

-OK.

-I'm expecting that to be low, low, low money.

Excuse me, sir, are you the stallholder, sir?

-James.

-Andy.

Good to meet you, Andy.

Price on your enamelled sign.

I can do £85 for that one.

Oh, dear, oh, dear.

It's got a lovely wear on it as well.

Lovely wear! To me it looks like damage, Andy.

Patina on it.

Patina!

There's very little patina left on it!

-I can move down a little bit, though.

-Can you?

-OK.

-55.

-No, maybe 70.

60.

Go on, then, yeah, I can do it at that.

60? Do you think...?

-Thanks, sir.

-Well done, OK.

A steely resolve.

-This is Cookie.

-Cookie.

And Cookie, is that a French Bulldog?

-It is indeed, yeah.

-Bonjour.

-Does she not speak French?

-No.

-Oh.

Shame. Anyway, £60 spent.

Well done, Cookie.

Alors, eh. And back inside,

Clare seems to be thinking along very similar lines.

Just tell me about this.

That is actually very collectable.

-It's tobacco.

-Is that not problematical?

No, it depends what you're buying.

The fact that smoking was obviously banned in public

and then smoking advertising was also banned,

that makes this now rare.

So there would be an interest in it?

Yes, definitely.

In fact, if I was to pick my ideal enamel signs I would find,

it would either be chocolate and confectionery, or tobacco.

-It's 145.

-145.

-So we can afford it.

Yes, they still have over £270.

Do you want to ring for attention, or shall I?

-Ring for attention?

-There's a little bell over there.

I'll let you do it.

We will be with you shortly.

Here comes Sally.

We're looking at this enamel sign here.

It has got a big piece of damage there,

which we think means it's worth a lot less.

What would you say about £60?

What's the ticket price on that one?

It's 145.

I think that's a no.

What would be your best price?

That you could do?

The best on that will be 130.

-Right.

-It is a lot of damage.

Would you do it for 80?

We'll do 85 for you.

Do you think we might be able to get a little bit lower

-if you speak to the dealer?

-Maybe.

-Could we try?

While they wait,

I wonder what happened about the carved panel, ticket price £58.

Sally, did we have any luck?

We did. We spoke to the dealer and the best that they'll do for you

-is 38.

-38? What do you think?

-I think we should go for it.

-I think we should go for it.

-Sally.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Sally.

Thank you for doing that, it's really kind.

-Money.

-Thank you.

More deals. Quick, Sally, back to the others.

Hi there. Did you manage to get a hold of the dealer?

We did and she said the absolute best price she'll do for you is £80.

Are you happy with that?

-I think so.

-I think we've got a good chance at auction with that price.

-OK.

-Brilliant. Done deal. Thank you again, Sally.

Would you like some money?

Good plan. Quite a team, aren't they?

Which just leaves Felicity and James looking for one more buy.

But it's getting late.

How do you feel about snooker cue stands?

Is that high on your shopping list?

If you had a snooker table and a snooker room,

that's a very easy fit.

It's 30 quid.

30 quid? Doesn't seem a lot.

-Yeah.

-I quite like that.

So what shall we go in at? With it?

I don't know. Might do it for 20, mightn't they?

Ah, here's our seller.

Hello. You are the owner of this fine object?

-I am, yeah.

-James.

-What is your name?

-Mervin.

-Mervin, Felicity.

-Hi, Felicity.

-And have you had that long, Mervin?

No.

Scout's honour?

He's had it for ages.

You don't want to load it back in the lorry, do you?

No. It doesn't take much room, but...

-No.

-But I'm willing to sell it.

Yeah. Would 18 buy it?

-19.

-Go on, you've got yourself a deal.

Come on. Let's furnish you with the money, Mervin.

In there somewhere.

Mervin, there we are. Have you got £1 on you?

Oh, dear, twinge.

50p...

Parting with money normally does that!

Well, it's over now, James.

So let's see it all in the full light of day.

-Hot.

-Are you melting, James?

-I'm quite excited to see your stuff.

-Are you?

-Yeah, really interested.

-I'm a bit nervous.

-Ready, one, two, three.

-Ah!

-Wow.

These are WMF.

Yeah. Are they heavy?

They're not bad. They're silver plate as opposed to silver.

Ah, they won't be that heavy, then.

But they are, it's got the signature at the bottom.

-WMF. Magic initials.

-Very collectable.

They're quite elegant.

Yeah. And the smaller bits?

They look interesting.

That's a silver propelling pencil from 1941.

-And the ring?

-That's a silver and marquetry brooch.

-Ah.

-Yes. So we paired the silver items together,

made a nice delicate little lot.

-Oh, that's clever.

-Compared to this not very delicate item here.

Lovely bull's-eye lens.

Probably that black is covering up rust?

No, it's just very well preserved.

And the fireplace?

Lovely Art Nouveau fireplace.

-Really?

-Look at those tiles. Those tiles alone.

-They are nice.

-And we have...

An enamelled sign.

-"Players please".

-"Players please".

-Yeah.

-Good condition. How much did you pay for that?

That we got from 145 down to 80.

-Well done.

-Well done.

OK, a change of ends.

One, two, three.

-Go, James.

-Oh, lovely.

You've got a tobacco enamel sign.

Oh, yes, there we are.

Just wave that off.

What's your favourite bit, Felicity?

-The lampshade.

-No, my favourite bit is this.

Oh, you see, personally, I love brown furniture,

but does it make much at auction, James, Mr Braxton?

We're going to find out. That's my favourite bit.

James... I think that's rather beautiful.

-It is. Lovely.

-It's the craftsmanship that's extraordinary.

-It's Arts and Crafts, yeah?

-Arts and Crafts. Bang on.

-Bang on.

-I've a bit of a passion for lampshades.

-Pleated lampshades.

-Yeah.

They're like lovely dresses.

But I like silk pleat but that was the best I could find.

-And that strange object is...?

-That was James.

A cue stand. Snooker cue stand.

-Oh, brilliant.

-I think game is on.

-Game is on.

-Well, we'll see you... Shall we see them at the auction?

Well, it would be very nice if we did.

It would be lovely to see you.

-See you there.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-Bye.

I think it's quite imaginative, what they've chosen.

-Yeah.

-It's a nice sort of wide sort of choice.

I think the table looks lovely,

but I'm not sure quite whether that will sell.

And there's so much damage on that sign.

You could actually poke a few holes through their sign.

-Yeah.

-I do think we've got quality.

We have got quality.

We could furnish a flat with that.

Is that a proposition?

After getting started in Old Wolverton,

our celebrities and experts have headed west for an auction

in the Shropshire town of Newport,

with just one Morris Minor alteration.

-Third car.

-How are you finding this one?

Like it. I like the colour.

I like the starter.

Not quite so welcome is the fact that seat belts weren't mandatory

in the early '60s, so they're not wearing any.

Seat belts, that is, girls.

James is really confident.

So is Roo. How are you feeling?

Well, I didn't sleep well last night.

You nervous?

A little bit worried if nothing sells.

Cheer up.

Welcome to the Norman new town they used to call Novus Burgus.

Also noted for a wine bar once owned by metal maestro Ozzy Osbourne.

This is Brettells saleroom, with internet bidding.

That's what I call an entrance.

Come on. Hello, how are you?

-Making an entrance.

-Fine, a bit...

What, excited, nervous?

All of the above.

Felicity and James parted with £277 for five auction lots,

one of which appears to have settled in transit.

Shake the man's hand.

Shake the man's hand.

While Clare and Roo spent a bit less,

£248 for five auction lots.

I might put it down now because it's heavy!

But who does auctioneer David Brettell think will shade it?

The lampshade...um...yes.

Virtually unsalable.

I am not looking forward to it.

It will not take long on this auction.

The railway lamp, well in favour, railway items here at the moment

are doing really well. It's got its burner inside,

which you don't always find.

The Arts and Crafts panel is by far the best thing.

It is a stunner.

It's caused a huge amount of interest,

by far and away the most watched item on the internet.

Exciting!

So how are you feeling?

Yeah, excited. A bit nervous.

It's like we're standing in the wings,

and we're just about to go on.

It's that terrifying moment, you think...

Well, you're first, Felicity, with your biggest buy, too.

-I think it'll do well.

-Do you?

-I like your side table a lot.

-We paid a lot for it, though.

-How much did you pay for it?

-150. 150.

-It's beautifully decorated.

It is lovely. It stands out.

It's very practical, isn't it?

I can start at 50. Five, 60. Five, 65,

70, anywhere. 70 at the bottom. 75, bid for me.

-75 bid...

-It's moving.

75 bid. Hammer's up.

80 on the bottom. 85, 85 bid.

85, 85.

-It's edging up.

-Nobody on the net.

85, hammers up.

Last chance, round we go. Sold this time at 85.

I would say that you're probably in the lead at this juncture.

Yeah, own goals have that effect, don't they, James?

Well, this stuff doesn't sell easily now, you were saying...

I think I was saying when we were buying it how well it would do!

Clare's propelling pencil and brooch should be a banker, though.

How much did you pay for this item?

-28.

-For both.

That's not playing the game, that's too cheap!

Pretty lot. £20 for that.

20 bid, 20 on the net.

£20 I have, 22's on the net.

Very good.

25... 28 bid, 30 on the net.

£30...

-In profit.

-All internet so far.

Nobody in here. £30, two's on the net.

We really want 40 and above.

32, five anywhere?

32 internet bid.

32, nobody in the room.

Five in the room now. 35's in the room.

I think that's enough, don't you?

Fair warning. At 35.

Eight on the net. 38, 40 in the room.

£40 bid. £40, hammer's up, your last chance on the internet,

I'm selling in the room, all done at 40.

40, well done.

Well done. A solid start, you two.

Nothing so obscene as people crowing over this.

We are the least crowy people I know.

No, we're very humble.

Humble!

Time for Felicity's pick.

It doesn't look too crumpled, does it?

It's a set piece,

I can see it in a Tennessee Williams play lighting the set.

I can see it in a farce, can't you?

I can see it wobbling on the lampshade!

There we are, tenner for it.

Fiver for it. £1 for it.

50p for it.

30p for it.

20p... Stop me when you like!

20p. 10p for it.

A penny for it.

Sold.

I didn't know you could go down to pennies!

Apparently you can.

Can we just review things, Felicity.

-We're doing quite well.

-Can you just shut up, James?

I don't want to be polite any more.