Episode 4 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite celebrities...

-Oh!

-I just want to touch base.

-..paired up with an expert...

-So...

-Boo!

..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.

GEARS GRIND

Who will find a hidden gem?

-HONK

-I 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're not going to use?

There will be worthy winners and valiant losers.

No, I don't want to shake hands.

Put your pedal to the metal.

Let me get out of first gear.

This is...

Yeah!

Today, we're hotfooting it around the south of England

with Strictly Come Dancing Glitter Ball champions

Ore Oduba and dance partner Joanne Clifton.

How much do you know about antiques?

HE CHUCKLES

If we were to put it on a scale of one to ten,

is there a minus?

What TV presenter Ore doesn't know about antiques,

he certainly makes up for in sport.

A familiar face on our screens,

he started out on kids' telly before moving to BBC Sport,

where he's hosted everything from the Commonwealth Games

to the Rio Olympics.

And since waltzing his way to Strictly's glory,

he's shimmied onto The One Show sofa as well.

-Oh, yes!

-Oh, that was good one.

We're not a team any more.

-That's a shame.

-I've got my own team, and we're in it to win it.

Strictly pro Jo is a proper twinkle-toes

and has been ballroom dancing

since she was a tot. Boasting five British Championship titles,

Joanne joined the Come Dancing team in 2014, but she's now hung up her

Strictly shoes to appear on the West End stage.

So, how will the team tactics play out when these two winners

are pitted against each other?

There's a little tiger on there.

Yeah, it's called... Do you know what that is?

-A tiger.

-It's not a tiger.

-What is it?

-It's a jaguar.

Oh, is this a Jaguar?

-Yeah.

-Oh!

-This is a Jaguar.

A 1988 Jaguar XJS, to be precise.

I think I'm getting used to this car, though. Whoops!

-Are you?!

-Oh!

THEY LAUGH

Let's hope their buying is better than Ore's driving.

Oh, hello. Who's this in a classic Alfa Romeo Spider?

Partnering up with our two Strictly celebrities are a pair of Road Trip

regulars - it's antiqueurs David Harper and Catherine Southon.

I love Strictly.

Oh, I'm such a big fan.

I bet you, even though they were partners and they won together,

I bet the competition between the two is absolutely immense.

I'm looking forward to this.

Oh, I can't stop dancing!

After starting out in Brighton, our teams will saunter around Sussex,

before heading into the Kent countryside

to eventually arrive in Essex and

Southend-on-Sea for an auction.

Oh, we have a Jaguar. Oh, here they are. Who's driving?

They're going to show us how to really drive.

They're going to show us how to move.

Let's get out before it's too late.

I'm going to be a gentleman, that's what I'm going to do.

-I nearly forgot.

-Oh, gosh, they almost killed us...

-I'm meant to be a gentleman.

-..before we'd begun.

-Hello.

-Hello!

-Lovely to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you, too.

-Lovely to meet you. That's fantastic.

-Yes - outfit!

-I really hope my driving...

-Hello. These are my dancing pants.

-Amazing!

Take your partner by the hand, it's time to get this show on the road.

We've got to get going. Come on, let's get going.

-Jo, you're with me.

-Yes, team!

-Can I drive?

-Yeah, you drive, you drive.

-OK.

-Am I driving again?

-Yeah!

-Well, that was a bad move.

Look, can they actually even start that car?

Bye, then. See you.

Each pair has £400 to spend, and best get cracking.

I know you're competitive, but I didn't think you'd be

that competitive in buying.

Well, here's the thing...

Jo Clifton is a world ballroom dance champion,

she is also a Strictly Come Dancing champion.

I only have one of those titles to my name,

so if I can add Antiques Road Trip Champion to my CV,

then we're on level pegging.

-The world's your oyster.

-What's the mood in the Alfa?

-I'm so excited!

-I love the energy.

You exude energy.

-It's fantastic.

-I've had a lot of coffee.

I've thought of a team name.

-Go on, tell me.

-Cos we're both Northern...

-Both Northern, yeah.

-So we're Team Northern lights.

Oh, I love it already.

And I've thought of a team name for them, Team Runners Up.

Excellent, I love it!

Jo and David are starting their shopping

in the very fashionable Brighton.

This is pretty.

Isn't it gorgeous?

It's very hipster by the sea, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-I think it suits us.

-I think so.

-Are you feeling comfortable?

-Yeah. I think we're cool.

-I think we're cool.

-We're very cool.

I mean, how would you walk to be cool?

-Oh, I love a bit of a swagger.

-Yeah?

-Is it all in the hips?

-Yeah.

I think I've got it. Mind you, my hips are giving up.

Careful, David, you've only just started.

Their first stop today is Oasis Antiques.

Have you ever been antique hunting before?

-Never.

-Right.

-Let's get in there.

Come on, then.

Proprietor Anne's shop is packed with curios.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-I thought there were two people there!

-I did, for a second!

-We're twins.

Who will we get the best deal from?

Her.

THEY LAUGH

Fantastic. Well, can we have a mooch around?

-Of course, yes.

-Thank you.

Let's get started.

Jo is used to winning.

Strategy is the name of the game, David.

-Something Chinese...

-Something Chinese.

-Toys...

-Toys are good.

And no paintings.

-No paintings.

-But...

Why are you saying no paintings? Is that because I paint things?

No... No, I just thought, you know, paintings...

-Everyone goes for paintings.

-OK, all right.

We want something quirky, don't we?

All right, OK. Have you ever been a collector?

I have. I have 77 dolls

and 101 trolls.

-Is that normal?

-I think so.

I was a real girlie girl at home.

My bedroom was all pink and fluffy.

Do you know, I've heard David has a room like that, too. Ha-ha!

All right, come on, enough chat, let's get buying.

Right, I'm going to test you.

-OK.

-You've been doing loads of research on the internet

-before you came on this show, haven't you?

-Yeah...

-Right.

And you've been looking at silver

things with hallmarks on, haven't you?

-Yeah...

-You have to tell me, first of all,

is it silver, then, if it is,

when it was made, and then what it is.

-Right. There's the hallmark.

-HE GASPS

You have amazing eyesight.

You're like a hawk. Date?

Well, by looking at it...

Let's put it up to the light a little bit.

I'll give you a clue, turn it over and have a look at the label.

Oh, 1899.

-You are absolutely brilliant.

-Yes!

-So that's a real antique, baby.

-Yes!

-And what do you put in it?

-What do you think?

Try and work it out.

-Erm...

-The bottom is a striker.

-Oh, matches!

-Matches.

It's a tiny little Vesta case.

Vesta, after the brand of match,

and that would attach to a chain, and I think it's lost...

It has... Typical!

It should have a little hook on there which would attach

to a chain which would hang from your waistcoat...

-Yeah.

-Or your watch chain.

People, if they got it nowadays,

they could put in there some false nails.

Put them in there like that, get them out,

stick them on with a little tube of glue and then file them.

You've got a brilliant imagination.

So it's missing its hook, Anne.

-The little ring hook.

-Jo's not convinced.

The little Vesta case goes back on the shelf.

We'll leave them to browse on.

Meanwhile, Ore and Catherine have made their way

to Brighton's suburban neighbour, Hove.

Let's pull in there, shall we?

Are you ready for the first challenge?

I hope so.

They're kicking off their shopping at Department,

with two floors of furniture and collectables.

Let's get some antiques, Catherine.

-Let's rock and roll.

-Let's do it.

Sophia's in charge, so stand by.

-This looks good. Hello.

-Hiya. Catherine, lovely to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you.

-I'm Ore.

-Hi.

-Lovely to meet you. And who is this?

-This is Monkey.

-Do you shake paws?

Oh, look!

CATHERINE LAUGHS

Ouch! Better move on.

Where do you want to start?

I want to start...everywhere!

OK.

We danced on a drum in the Strictly final, you know?

So, let's buy this one. That would be perfect, wouldn't it?

He's not hanging about.

This actually does look like something I might buy.

-Really?

-Well, yeah, it looks really nice.

So, it's the Young People's Band, The Salvation Army.

In 1878, when Salvationists were confronted by an unruly mob,

the Frys,

a family of musicians, played to distract the crowds.

Soon afterwards, Salvation Army bands sprung up around the country.

I think this is a good start. Shall we have a word with the lady?

Yes, let's have a word with Sophia.

Sophia!

And Monkey.

The most expensive thing in the shop.

-Really?

-Well done.

You really have an eye, don't you?

I've been hanging around with my wife for too long, that's why.

If we wanted this, would it be hard to prise it off your hands?

No, but it is going to be £395.

Oh!

That's almost all of your money, and it's only the first shop.

-This could be risky.

-That would be heavy on someone's back,

carrying that around in a marching band, wouldn't it?

-I want to see...

-Actually, it's quite light.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-Do you give try-outs for people?

-You can try it out.

-Can I?

-Yeah.

It is actually quite light, you'll be surprised.

Excuse me, just coming in.

-Oh!

-Do you see what I mean?

Yeah.

-There we go.

-And it's...

-Have you got the beater?

-No.

-No.

That's enough. I really like this.

We should probably take another look, but...

Is there movement on it?

Allow me, Catherine.

All right. I'm going to let you lead this.

Sophia, have you ever danced

with a Strictly Come Dancing champion before?

I can't say I have.

Well, people pay big money for that.

So if I can throw that in the deal,

might you be willing to part with this magnificent drum for a little

-cheaper?

-I think I can do 350.

HE CHOKES

-WHISPERS:

-She's not budging.

The charm's not working, Ore.

-Move on.

-Are you a Strictly fan?

Don't answer that question.

Let's...let's continue the journey.

You do that.

Back in Brighton, how are Jo and David faring?

OK, what about that ring? I mean, I'm not really into jewellery.

Is it silver?

Let me have a look. Is that silver?

It's got a hallmark on it.

-Has it?

-It has. Look, there.

-Can you see it?

-Yes, it has, yeah.

"ND", it says.

-ND.

-ND, 925.

I've got the song in my head.

# I work "nine to five"... #

I know that's TILL five, but you know what I mean.

-What does that tell me?

-Silver.

It sports a ticket price of £20.

-Do you like it, first of all?

-Yeah, I do like it.

-It's what you call...

-It's going to make money, is it?

-At a tenner...

-At a tenner.

-..I think it would make a bit of money.

-At a tenner.

-Go on.

-Shall we do it?

-I'm ready.

-There you go. Do your first deal.

Shake, Jo, quickly. Thank you very much, Anne.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you, that's great.

Jo's playing it safe and spending low.

A kind discount and a deal of £10

for the late-20th-century silver ring

means this team's first purchase of the trip is done.

While done the road in Hove,

they're sticking to a Strictly theme.

I think these are great. Jo would love these, wouldn't she?

Well, I think she aims a bit higher than seven.

-I know.

-But if Len was in, he'd love them.

He would love them. You never got a seven, though, did you?

I got a couple of sevens.

-Oh, did you?

-Of course, yeah, you've got to start somewhere.

You have. And Catherine's keen to start the buying.

There we are. There's a pile.

And, more importantly, we have a dot.

Decimal point. Everybody needs a decimal point.

We all need a dot. I mean, they're worth nothing, really,

but they're just... I just think...

-I think they're fun.

-£20 for the lot.

If we can nab them off you for 12.50,

we will walk out of this shop...

Well, we won't, cos we might want to buy something else.

But we'll walk round the corner and out of this corner for £12.50.

-OK.

-Yes!

Their first purchase in the old bag.

Well done. Let's just hope Len is at the auction. Ha-ha!

Come on, keep rummaging, Catherine.

There's a '60s leather coat, fully lined.

I know it's not the season.

It's in the sale with a price tag of £25.

I mean, normally if you're thinking about buying vintage clothes,

you're looking for labels - you're looking for Chanel,

you're looking for Hermes and, you know, really good, serious names.

And this obviously isn't a name, but I just thought...

-WHISPERS:

-..at £25, that seems quite good.

Yeah, that's true.

-Shall we think?

-Let's have a think about it.

-We'll have a think.

-OK.

I'll put it back.

I think several hundred pounds is burning a hole in Ore's pocket.

I really want to get the drum.

What would you really like to pay?

I think we're going to have to go big.

It's going to take out a lot of the budget, but it is a really...

It's awesome.

-Yeah.

-It's really cool.

-It is, but it would be a big gamble.

And I think...

..whatever we pay for it, it'll be much less than it should go for.

So, I think we've got a chance, if we spend big,

of making a big profit.

Catherine doesn't seem convinced.

Ore, time to crank up that charm.

We would love...

..your drum. You very generously did drop it down to 350.

If you give me that 300, I will love you forever,

I will give you 17 dance lessons.

-With those eyes...

-Oh!

What do you think, Monkey?

-OK.

-BOTH:

-Oh!

Wow! A very brave buy from Ore, but wasn't there something else?

There's a little coat back there that you want to chuck in

-while we're here.

-I did like that.

I thought that was quite...

You've got a leather coat down there, a leather mac.

Can we have it for 15 quid?

How about...

..17?

£17 for a leather mac, we've already got the drum...

You don't care about anything any more.

Let's all shake hands.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah!

-Oh, OK!

-We've got three items out of this.

-I didn't know you desperately wanted that.

-Well, I just think...

-Oh, hello.

-Hello!

She's the one with the money.

I'd better pay for all this.

That's the number cards for £12.50,

the drum for 300 and the jacket for £17.

A total of £329.50 in their first shop!

Thank you so much.

It's been wonderful, but remind me never to go shopping

-with you again.

-It's a deal!

Double deal.

-Bye.

-Triple deal, actually.

They've just got over £70 left to spend.

-Gosh.

-Just carrying a drum!

Over in the Alfa, is Jo touting for a new dance partner?

Would you do Strictly?

I would for the outfits.

-I love the outfits.

-You love the sparkles?

I do love a bit of sparkle.

I'll bet. Well,

let's see what our sequinned starlet thinks of their next stop.

They're cruising along the coast to Shoreham-by-Sea and a 19th-century

fort that ended up being a 20th-century hotbed of movie-making.

Once a key coastal defence against Napoleon,

the dilapidated ruins of Shoreham's old fort were transformed

into one of the world's first film studios in the early 1900s.

Founder and chairman of Friends of the Fort

Gary Baines knows the story.

It's a fascinating area, Gary,

but I see nothing relating to the world of movies.

No, well, it's a bit different today.

We've got an industrial port next to us that's very, very busy.

-An airport!

-And an airport just down the road as well.

So it's a very busy and very loud area.

It was nothing like that in the 1913s,

when they were here with the film

-studios.

-So, who was it that brought film-making here?

Well, it was a collection of two people, really.

It was Will Evans, who was a theatrical artist

at the time, a comic,

and Francis Lyndhurst, who was actually... Nicholas Lyndhurst -

our famous British actor -

it was his grandfather that brought the film studio together.

Famous for the quality of his work,

Lyndhurst was a respected theatrical set designer who painted canvas

backdrops by hand.

This, combined with his love of movies

and the newly developing camera equipment,

inspired him to establish Sunny South Studios.

So, why did Francis Lyndhurst choose this location?

Well, being a fort, it was definitely secure,

as you can imagine,

which was a definite pro for the site.

But also, because of the open air,

you would have had the canvas backdrops that would have created

a ripple effect if it was out in the wind.

Now, with the high backdrop that you can see here behind me, with the

ramparts and what would have been

a barrack block behind us over there,

it would have created a draught for the wind to go up and over those

canvas backdrops, instead of across them, causing the ripple effect.

So very cleverly chosen.

-Yeah.

-Oh, definitely, definitely.

And with the light that you can see today,

that's definitely what they needed for those old cameras,

-as you can imagine.

-With the help of local artists,

the foundation has recreated the backdrop from the Showman's Dream -

the first film ever made here by Lyndhurst.

It's been painted in exactly the same way as Francis Lyndhurst

would have painted it back 100 years ago.

So it's as close as we can get it to an identical replica, and it's a

fantastic piece of art, I think.

Isn't it fascinating, the fact that it's painted in black and white?

Because, of course, it predates any thought of colour movies.

That's it, why go to the effort of painting all the colour in there if

you're going to be filming in black and white?

It keeps the costs down and, yeah.

So, how would the filming actually happen around here?

They would have just filmed up against these backdrops.

Back in the day when they were making the film, the archway

that you can see behind us as well, that was cut out.

As if by magic, the artists

could go out through and disappear off of set.

As the film industry took off, Lyndhurst expanded the business,

building a new and improved indoor glass studio further down the beach.

Instead of filming out in the open,

they filmed in what was like a massive greenhouse.

It was 70 foot long, 45 foot wide and 30 foot tall,

so a massive studio complex.

But what made it different was that we had everything on site,

as it were, for everybody to stay in.

Everyone that was needed to make the film would live on set,

including the stars.

The outbreak of World War I made film-making in Britain impossible,

just as the industry started to blossom in America.

Lyndhurst sold the studio and reverted back

to his former occupation as a scenic artist,

but tragedy was just around the corner.

Have you seen any of these original movies?

None of the original movies from here,

that were filmed at Shoreham fort exist, unfortunately.

Francis Lyndhurst,

he took all of his films back to his house in Strawberry Hill in London,

and then about came the Second World War,

and his house was no longer safe,

so he moved it all to West Wittering,

which is just down the road, where he had a holiday park,

and he put it all in a barn, and that barn was the only barn

to be hit by the Luftwaffe in World War II, so he lost the lot.

A very unfortunate man.

Yeah, if it wasn't for the Great War,

Shoreham-by-Sea rather than Hollywood

could have been at the centre

of the world's multi-million pound movie industry.

Back in the present day,

and Ore and Catherine are enjoying a lovely drive through the stunning

Sussex countryside.

-Can you...? Oh, gosh, it really smells here.

-Oh, that smells nice!

-Oh, yes!

-Oh, no!

-Fruity!

-It smells so bad.

That now smells like somebody did it in the car.

Let's put the windows up.

Oh, no...

It'll keep it in. It'll keep it in, Catherine.

No, OK, we need to get rid of it.

Get rid of it!

Phew, stinky! They're travelling

west to Worthing, and Reginald Ballum,

a shop packed full of decorative antiques.

Remember, we have a smidge of money left.

We don't have the wodge any more, that's gone.

-Who needs money when you've got a massive drum?

-Absolutely.

Ore's drum has nearly blown the budget.

It's time to count the pennies.

How much have we got left?

Well, you've got 50p.

-That could make all the difference.

-We've got £70.50.

We've got £70 and a couple of items still to buy.

-I make that £35 per piece.

-Mm.

How far are we going to get in here with that?

I don't think we're going to get very far.

Oh, dear. The last of the big spenders is going rogue.

This could spell trouble.

I have no idea how we're going to find anything at 30-odd quid.

Especially in here, it all looks so fancy.

Oops.

Oh, OK.

Ah-ha, he does have his eye on the ball, after all.

We have...

..a box of boules balls.

OK, do you know what?

This is exactly the kind of thing that I think could work quite well.

£48.

I think we can definitely get that down.

Let's see what our expert thinks.

Ore, Ore, Ore...

-Where are you?

-Hiya.

-Oh!

-I found something.

-A game of bowls.

Yes, it does exactly what it says on the box, this!

Go on, then.

Nice.

So, I just thought it's the kind of item which is functional...

-Yes.

-..popular...

-Yes...

-..in certain parts of the world, and importantly for us...

-Cheap.

-Yes, really cheap.

Do we think that these actually go together? Definitely?

Well, I mean, that's not French.

-No, I know that's not.

-But these are French.

So, perhaps not.

Ore, if you want this, my love, we can have it.

I tell you what, I'm going to sit here.

You go and get Darren and I'm just going to sit and, sort of, nothing,

-really.

-I'll put that there.

-You have a think about it and I'll go grab Darren.

-OK.

What's the problem, Catherine?

We've got a complete mixture of French...

and we've got a mixture of an English box,

and it's just a marriage.

And I don't like a marriage, an unhappy marriage.

-He heard that.

-Hello.

-Hiya.

-I brought Darren.

-Darren, I think we might need you.

Ore did pick this up, but I said we've got a mixture here

of some French and a mixture of an English box,

and I think it's just a bit of a...

OK. I've got a bag for the balls there, if you like.

Oh, there's the bag that it fits into?

It's a lovely French bag that I'd be prepared to let go with the boules

set, if that works for you guys?

-Oh, I'd love to have a look.

-Shall we have a look at that, then?

-Certainly. Bear with me and I'll run and pick it up for you.

-Oh!

You might have something here after all, then.

You've changed your tune.

-Oh.

-Oh, hello.

So, there it is, all original.

-A lovely little bag.

-And what would you do on this whole...

..thing? What is your...?

Well, that's labelled up, we've got 85 on the bag and boules set.

I could do the set for 50 quid, if that helps you out.

I think that's a bit too much for us.

What Catherine said.

If you do us this for 40, I'll kiss you.

-Will you?

-I don't know if that's going to do the deal or not,

but I will kiss you if you do this to us for 40.

To get you out the door,

I'll have to stick you on a six-month ban so you can't come in

and haggle again, but you've got yourself a deal.

-Are we doing it?

-Yeah, we're doing it.

-Oh, my goodness me.

-We've got a bag of boules,

-and all of them are French!

-There you go.

-Come on, then.

And one for you. They do it twice on the Continent.

-Lovely, lovely.

-Come on.

Oh-la-la. Tres bien, Ore.

That's one set of boules to go dans le sac for £40.

-Thank you, buddy.

-Happy bowling.

-You take care.

-I hope you do well with it, anyway.

-Thanks! Bye.

-Thanks again. Bye-bye. Cheers.

They've shopped till they've dropped,

so it's time for our weary celebrities and experts

to have a well-earned rest. Nighty-night.

It's the next morning.

How are our celebrities feeling today?

How did you get on yesterday, then?

-Better than you.

-Well, you don't know.

I only got one thing.

Maybe it's worth millions.

HE LAUGHS

For your sake, I hope it is.

Ore and Catherine have only £30.50 left to spend today because

they've already had four items bought - the Salvation Army drum,

a leather jacket, the scoring number cards

and a boules set with that bag...

-Thank you, buddy. You take care.

-Happy bowling.

..while Joanne and David have only bought one item so far -

the late-20th-century silver ring...

Thank you.

Thank you, that's great.

..leaving them a whopping £390 to spend today.

Look at this. Look, she's raring to go.

She's giggling already. She's got so much energy.

She has, it's unbelievable. She was born excited, this one.

-Morning!

-Good morning, come on in.

-I love your energy.

-DAVID:

-Are you excited?

Oh, well excited.

We're very relaxed today.

But we've got a strategy.

-What is our strategy?

-We can't tell them that, can we?

Cos I can't remember.

I'm sure it will come into play someday soon.

Cor, the competition is heating up today.

Is that fighting talk?

The race is on to get to the first shop,

as both teams will start today's buying

in the Kent parish of Sevenoaks

and the historic town of Otford.

The best thing, though, about today

is they're shopping in the same shop as us...

-HE GASPS

-Yes!

-So we can give them some grief.

Head-to-head.

This is where the battle begins.

May the best pair win.

We've only just started.

So the other guys, I think they're a little bit overconfident today.

So they'll be going at it quite calmly, not really bothered.

-Yeah.

-We need to go in for the kill.

Oh, God, that was shocking. Seriously.

We're off to the Otford Antiques and Collectors Centre.

Set within this oak panelled 18th-century building,

there are 25 dealers selling their wares.

First to dance through the doors, Joanne and David.

How do we enter an antique shop?

Right, one, two, three, kick.

One, two, three, kick.

-I can do this.

-SHE HUMS

I'm not even trained, it's natural.

-Oh, hello.

-Hi.

-Sorry, we're dancing ourselves in.

Here come the competition.

-Oh, no!

-Cheeky monkeys.

They have beaten us to it.

That is not what we wanted.

Do you know what? It doesn't matter, though,

cos they've got a lot of buying.

We don't.

I know you're going to find something immediately.

-Well, that's...

-It's going to have the Ore stamp of

"I have to buy it, no matter what."

And then we'll discuss it like a team does.

But my concern is the fact that Jo and David have already been in here.

All the stuff that's in here...

-There they are.

-Oh, hello.

How are you getting on over there?

Why have you got such a smirk on your face?

-Oh, I haven't, I'm just asking how you're getting on.

-Yeah, fine. You?

-Very well.

-Have you not seen how relaxed we are?

I mean, we're just...

-DAVID:

-Catherine Southon, I know you too well.

You are not relaxed.

Do you know, underneath here, I'm like, "Oh, my God!"

And best get a shifty on because these two aren't hanging about.

Oh, look at that! Isn't that sweet?

-Isn't it pretty?

-Isn't that sweet?

-A rocking chair.

-OK, I'm going to ask you the same questions.

Well, I'm looking at the label straightaway.

-What does it say?

-It says Bossloo.

Bosloo?

Bostock? Rocking chair.

That says Boston.

-Oh, does it?!

-Yeah!

-God knows what I was...

No, but that's very specific.

They're often... Well, they're always referred

-to as American rockers.

-Right.

Cos it's a chair made by the Americans,

designed by the Americans, but shipped all around the world.

This spindle form of turning on the chair

is typical of American rockers of the late 19th century.

Look at the fabric. Now, the fabric has been on for a very long time.

I think, genuinely speaking, as a historic little chair,

I think that's fantastic.

I think it's fantastic.

Ticket price is £66.

Time to call in dealer Kim.

What's the big question, Jo?

Can we get the price down a little bit?

-How much is it?

-It says...

Well, if you don't know, how much do you think?

How much were you thinking to give us it for?

Well, they're saying on here they would give you a trade of six,

so 60 would be the best for what's on the label.

But we can always phone up and ask the dealer if you want me to.

Would you give the owner a call?

Yes, I will give her a call.

-Go on, then.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thanks again.

-While Kim tries to get Jo and David

the deal of the century,

what's Catherine found?

-Oh, hello, pail!

-We have a well bucket.

-We have a pail.

-That's...

That is... I mean, that is big.

-It is.

-That is a big, wooden pail.

OK? I'm just thinking... Obviously, we've got age to this,

and I'm thinking this would look fantastic

with a load of flowers outside your house.

Yes, that is a good point, actually.

Do you think? I was attracted to the price

cos I thought we could possibly

get that down, even to our pathetic level.

Do you think we've got the final piece of our puzzle?

If we can get it for what we want to get it for. Feeling confident?

I'm always confident.

You are really confident.

I've never met anything like you.

Shall we see what Kim thinks?

-I think we have to.

-OK.

While Ore is off to find one Kim,

the other Kim is back with news on the rocker.

The very, very best that they will do is £50.

50?

-It's no money.

-Let's take a risk on this, then no more risks.

I... I think we should, because I think you love the chair.

-I do.

-Buy it because you love it, let's just...

And darn the consequences!

-How's that?

-Let's have it.

-Sounds good. Yeah.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Kim.

-Thank you.

Jo has her purchase sorted, but can Ore steal his deal, too?

-This is nice.

-It is.

-Beautiful.

-It was brought to my attention by the lovely Catherine.

We haven't got much money left, but we want to give you a good price.

-OK.

-And I feel like - I don't know what you think - that for £30.50...

That's all our money.

That's all your money?

And the 50 really counts.

..that we might take this pail off your hands.

I will have a word with the dealer and see what she says.

Make that call, Kim.

Fingers crossed.

Kim.

Well, I negotiated very hard on your behalf.

-Thank you.

-And as long as there is the 50p as well, £30.50.

Oh!

-That is tremendous news.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

£30.50 for the well bucket means Ore and Catherine are all

bought up, with not a penny left.

-Shall we?

-I think we shall.

-We've got to get this to auction.

-Come on.

-Come on, then. Let's go.

-Come on.

-Let's go!

But how are the other two getting on?

What in the world is that?

-Do you like that?

-What is it?

Well, that's a very interesting little object.

-It's like a shoe.

-Well, it is a bit like a shoe.

But it has a distinct purpose.

Any ideas what it is?

Well, as you taught me...

-Look at the label!

-Yeah, top-secret trick!

-Go on.

-It's an ale warmer.

An ale warmer, it is. Shall I show you how it works?

-Yes, please.

-OK, so you've now got to transport yourself back in time

to, let's say, George III period, 1780.

-Yeah.

-Right? We're at home.

It's evening. There's no television.

What on earth are you going to do?

You're going to drink ale, aren't you? Right? Or wine.

But you want to drink it warm, so you use what you've already got,

which is the fire, so when the embers drop down through the grate,

they're still hot. You fill your jug here,

and you shove that shoe foot into the hot ash and embers.

Warm or mulled ale was once a popular winter drink.

Many thought beer was healthier when drunk warm, too.

-That's brilliant!

-It's fantastic.

£12. Let's get it down to 8 or 9.

What would we say in the North of England?

-It's 12 quid?

-12 quid.

-It's nowt.

-It's nowt, is it?

-Exactly, it's nowt. Shall we have it?

-Let's do it.

-We're going to have to have it.

-Yeah!

-Let's go and have it.

-Come on, then.

-Let's go and see Kims.

Kim, we found another one.

That's lovely. Excellent.

It says £12.

I can't do anything on that.

The dealer has said no trade on that one, I'm afraid,

so it would be £12.

-Oh, right, OK.

-That's just...

-OK, then.

-I think we're going to have to have it.

Yeah, so that £62, then, please.

That's the late 19th-century American child's rocking chair

for £50 and the copper ale warmer for 12.

But these two still have shopping to do, so best get back on the road.

-Oh, perfect fit.

-Perfect fit.

With nothing left to spend,

Catherine has a treat in store for Ore at their next stop.

Do you think you have covered, in your Olympic experience,

pretty much all sports?

Erm...

Yeah, I would say I've got a pretty good grip of most sports, yeah.

OK, well, I may have one today that you've never heard of.

Go on, I'm intrigued.

Stool ball.

Stool ball? As in a stool?

-As in a stool...

-And a ball.

-..that you sit on.

Erm... Yeah, that would be a new one.

They're heading south in the Jag to Stonewall Park Cricket Club.

Not for a game of cricket,

but to find out about the rich history of a ball game

that began in Sussex over 600 years ago.

Anita Broad from Stool Ball England is here to give these two a lesson

in this historic game that was the forerunner to modern cricket.

Now, I know a few sports.

Stool ball is one that I've never come across.

Tell us what this game is all about.

Its roots go back to farm workers and field workers and villagers

playing a game with things that they just had around to play with.

So they played with a three-legged or four-legged stool,

hence the name - stool ball.

They would throw something at it, might not have been a ball,

could have been a...

..turnip or an apple or something.

We have the earliest reference to it, literary reference,

is in 1450, and that was advice

to parish priests not to allow people to

play stool ball and other sports in their churchyards because,

of course, they should have been in church, not playing, not having fun.

Stool ball was predominantly played by women.

The story goes that milkmaids would use their milking stools as wickets.

The sport evolved through the centuries,

even travelling across the Atlantic with the American pilgrims.

The stools would have become bases, so around in a circle, let's say,

which then becomes baseball in America.

Back here in the UK, it then becomes baseball, cricket,

everything comes out of this original game.

By the 18th century,

stool ball rules were formalised and competitive games were being played.

We can see the ladies playing today,

but when did the mixed teams sort of evolve?

It's difficult to say exactly,

but it may have come out of a time

just around World War I, when the sport was used

as a rehabilitation sport for World War I soldiers

who'd come back, needed to be in hospital because they'd lost

an arm or a leg or were injured somehow else,

and it was a really easy game for them to play.

Gentle exercise was vital to the soldiers' rehabilitation.

More strenuous games like rugby and football would aggravate their

injuries, so stool ball was the perfect remedy.

Stool ball remains a relatively niche sport,

but here in Kent, it's definitely the ladies' game of choice.

You have a wicket at each end,

you have a batting side and a fielding side,

you run between the two wickets to make runs,

so the bat is held to the wicket.

We bowl underarm to it, hit the ball,

fours, sixes, just like in cricket,

and we have overs, as they do in cricket.

Right, shall we have a go, then?

-Are you ready for this?

-Let's have a go, let's do it.

Stool ball in the rain, we're going to remember this forever.

-Here we go!

-Oh, a wonderful applause!

-Thank you, thank you.

-Catherine,

-would you like to go to the other end?

-Yes, I would.

-And take that.

Ore, if you take that end.

The finest stuff.

This is an old bat. It's a beautiful bat.

So if you give yourself an open stance like this.

An open stance... I've seen the girls, they've been doing this.

So, Ore, when you hit this, we both run, yeah?

-Is that right?

-On it.

-Run!

-Run!

I'm going to get out.

Oh!

Could we have done that again?

We need a video referee.

Is it me now?

God, I feel really nervous!

Don't be nervous. You've got this, Catherine.

Yes! Great shot!

-High five.

-Very well done.

While they play on in the drizzle, Jo and David are in the Alfa,

headed to their final shop.

I wonder who they're chatting about.

I think Ore is a very good shopper, by all accounts.

Yeah, but he'll just go in and go, "I'll have that."

-Exactly.

-He doesn't think about it.

-Yeah, that's right.

He was going to buy this jacket which made him look like a tomato.

It was red. I had to stop him.

He just picked it up and I was like, "No, don't do that."

I bet they haven't got anything with a hallmark on it.

-I bet they haven't.

-No, we won't lose, there is no chance of that.

I love your confidence.

Their next stop is the village of Godstone.

With £320 still to spend,

they're sure to find something in the Godstone Emporium,

a co-operative with 16 dealers selling everything

from small collectables to big bits of furniture.

Let's hope there's some hallmarks in here.

Shimmy, two, three, four, roll, two, three, four, and shimmy sideways,

shimmy sideways.

-I'm in!

-Lordy!

Gloria is on hand to help our antique hunters

spend the last of their money, so let's get down to business.

-What are these?

-It's like a kitchen...

Grab one of those.

Would you use... They're measures...

-..for...

-Is that a hallmark there?

Rather than a hallmark, that's a maker's mark.

This is pewter.

These are your hallmarks, right along the top edge.

-Oh, yeah.

-They are pewter hallmarks.

-OK.

-But you know what they are for, measuring liquids.

-Yeah.

-And for a kitchen, probably a big kitchen, I would say,

maybe even a commercial kitchen,

and they are there to be displayed as a graduating set,

so a set of seven right down to...

-You've got the biggie.

-I'm interested in the price, me.

-Oh, go on.

-Oh!

-£22!

-That's cheap. They're cheap.

Time to call Gloria.

-Gloria...

-What do you want to have a look at?

It's these measures. I'm more of an imperial kind of guy.

-Oh, right.

-I'm assuming they're continental?

They are, yeah. I think they are...

Let's have a quick look.

So, glasses off. Decilitre.

-What's a decilitre?

-That's going to be a tenth of a litre.

Date-wise, I think they're 20th century, probably.

-They are, yeah.

-I don't know, '30s, '40s, '50s.

Yeah, I was thinking '30s, maybe late '30s.

That sort of period, yeah. They're 22 quid, Gloria.

What sort of money can they be? Can they be 15, for example?

Well, I'll be honest, they can't be 15.

22 is a good price.

-Oh, right.

-As you are such pretty faces coming into our shop...

Gloria, honestly, please!

The price is going up. I'm going to give you 30 quid in a minute!

Oh, stop it!

We could certainly do them for 20.

-20?

-20?

-They're no money.

-Yeah.

-They're no money.

-Let's have 'em.

-Gloria, thank you, that's the first sale done.

-Sale done.

-Marvellous. Keep them there and we'll keep on looking.

That's a set of seven touch-marked pewter measuring jugs for £20.

What else will tickle Jo's fancy?

Look at you, now you're learning.

You go straight for the label.

Victorian or Edwardian.

Oh. So what it would that make it, then?

I don't know, don't ask me that!

More than 100 years old.

-Yeah.

-No?

-Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

-Aww!

-Oh, so it's a little purse, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-That's a sweet thing.

So, Victorian, Edwardian, so they're dating circa 1900 thereabouts, 1910,

maybe, which is about right, so what's it made from?

Let's have a look.

No hallmarks on there, is there?

No, there isn't. So it's just steel, a white metal.

If you were in 1905, that would be the perfect...

-..companion.

-Just hold it on the wrist like that.

-Exactly. Isn't that great?

Yeah.

-OK.

-Isn't that good?

-That's nice.

There you go, that's you.

As an Edwardian lady.

That's going to make, in auction, £10 or £20.

-25.

-25 quid. It might make 30.

-But...

-But? Oh, what?

Well, this is our final buy, isn't it?

So put it there, but that's a potential.

If we can't find anything, there might be a few pounds' profit in it.

Yeah, we'll think about it.

Righty-ho, righty-ho, cabinets, cabinets, cabinets...

A bit of... They're quite interesting. Let me show you these.

-It's a snuffbox.

-Right!

As in sniffing up your nostrils.

-Yeah.

-Because in the 19th century and before,

it was very popular to take snuff.

-Quite sweet, isn't it?

-Yeah.

It is quite sweet. I quite like that.

Date, 1880, 1900.

-Then this one.

-It's pretty, isn't it?

-Do you like that?

-Yeah, I do like that.

-What's that for?

-That is just like a little trinket.

See the base, it's metal,

and then it is lacquered and inlaid with bits of mother-of-pearl.

It's Japanese more than Chinese.

-It's really pretty.

-It's really sweet.

It's 12 quid, for no money...

How much is this? That's ten.

-Do they go together?

-Yeah, of course they do.

-Let's go and see if we can do a deal with them.

-OK.

So, with a whopping £308 left, they're playing it safe.

We need a double deal.

-Yeah.

-A double deal.

-Yeah.

-OK.

I would think we can do you a deal of 20.

-I think that's fine.

-I think you'll do really well with this.

I think there's profit in those, for certain.

For a total of £40,

they've bought the set of pewter measuring jugs and the combined lot

of snuff box and lacquer bowl.

Little sweeties, aren't they? They're very good.

-It's raining!

-That's us done!

-Oh!

But what will their big spending opponents make of their frugal buys?

-OK, OK.

-Who's going to go first?

-Shall we?

-Team Runners Up.

-OK.

-Runners Up, go on.

-OK, OK, we're happy, we're happy to do that.

Much better than you.

-And we're going to go...

-We have...

A drum!

-Like this.

-A drum!

It gets more and more interesting.

A bucket, a jacket...

..and a game of bowls.

-I'm good at that.

-Are you?

-I won a prize.

-French boules.

OK.

With a French bag.

- Nice. - Yep, that's all one.

I'm loving the drum, I've got to tell you, I'm loving the drum.

-Yeah, I do like drum.

-The drum...

-..was...

-Your idea?

Maybe. The drum was also very expensive.

Come on, Mrs, value the drum.

That was more than £200.

150.

She, the expert, is right on.

Oh! My training.

- As in, it was more than £200. - Oh.

-We bought it for £300.

-DAVID GASPS

That's more than we've spent in total by a mile.

Good, because we went brave...

Well done for winning the show.

I think, you know, congratulations, yeah.

Don't get too cocky, Mr Harper, you're up next.

Oooh.

Right.

Oh, I love the presentation.

-Hello!

-Oh, sorry, and yours, yours is good.

Good dismount - wonderfully done.

I would never put you two together.

-What us two or the chair?

-What, this?

No, not you two, these two.

-You wouldn't?

-No!

I've got 77 dolls at home.

-Have you?

-I was a real doll girl, so I thought it was really cute.

So they're all going to go on there?

-Yeah.

-Oh, that's nice.

-Are you buying it, then?

-Well,

that's what I wanted to do, but he said I can't.

-No, she's not allowed, yeah.

-And that was £50.

That's not a bad purchase.

I think really it's down now to the auction buyers.

So good luck, you two.

-I think we really need it.

-We need it, we need it.

-Good luck, you two, though.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-See you there.

Don't sit on the chair.

-See you...

-Get off of me!

-See you...there.

How do they really feel about each other's buys?

Jo, you've seen the wares of the other team.

THEY LAUGH

I think they've bought well, if very conservatively.

And the numbers, what's all that about?

It's about the seven, isn't it?

But that's only one number - there's nine of them.

THEY LAUGH

When you said to me first off,

you said, "I want you to find something that catches your eye

"and makes you go, 'Wow!' "

-I think we've got more wow items than they have.

-Oh, yes.

-I think overall, they're going to lose quite a lot of money.

-Yeah.

Whatever happens...

-It's been fun.

-Brilliant time, come on.

They set off from Brighton

and shopped their way around Sussex and Kent,

now ballroom buddies Ore and Joanne

are motoring towards Southend-on-Sea

for the big auction.

What we should have done is just do this whole road trip just together,

because we're obviously the experts.

That would have been a disaster, darling!

-All right, Craig!

-We wouldn't know what to pick.

If you lose...

-Yeah.

-Are you going to blame it on David?

Probably, yeah.

I'm not a good loser.

You're telling me!

On this trip, Ore and Catherine spent every last penny

of their £400 on five lots for auction.

They do it twice on the Continent.

-Lovely.

-Come on!

Joanne and David also bought five lots, but spent just £112.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant.

-Thanks, Kim.

-Hosting today's sale are Chalkwell Auctions,

who've been selling in Southend for nearly 30 years.

-Oh!

-Let them in, let them in.

Are you ready for this, are you ready?

So ready!

-Be lucky.

-Yes, be lucky.

Look at you!

- Are you feeling lucky? - You look great.

-I'm feeling lucky.

-BOTH:

-Are you?

I'm not feeling lucky, are you?

-Well, not now!

-Come on.

I know she's got no confidence.

-Let's go.

-Come on, then.

-Come on.

-I'm feeling lucky.

The man with the gavel is Trevor Cornforth.

What does he make of our teams' lots?

The Salvation Army drum is brilliant - I love it.

It's vibrant, it's colourful, it's big, it's architectural.

The American child's rocking chair is a lovely item.

The problem is that the buyers for it are going to be in America,

almost certainly, the best buyers,

and it would cost quite a lot to ship it,

but it should sell for doll collectors

or some rich person with a child

that they want to pamper.

Take your seats, please.

Today's auction has buyers online, on the phone and in the room.

-Exciting times.

-I'm really excited.

First up is Jo's late-20th-century silver ring - with hallmarks, ha!

Start me at £20 on it.

20 surely anywhere.

Is that a bid? £20.

Yes!

At £20 to start, any advance on £20?

- I love that guy. - A room bid at the moment at £20.

-Come on.

-Looking for 25 on it.

The room bid at 20...

Are you being coaxed, ladies and gentlemen?

Don't be miserable!

At £20, I have in the room, is that going to be it at £20?

-No!

-All done at 20?

I'm squeezing as long as I can...

£20.

Great start, Jo.

Must be down to that hallmark.

You are £10 up on us.

Next up, Ore's well bucket.

Start me at £20 on it.

20 I've got straightaway.

Front row here, at £20.

At 20, any advance on £20?

OK, it's with me at 25, personally, I'm bidding at 25.

Are you 30? 35 with me.

Are you 40? 40 with the lady on the front row,

I'll let her have it at £40.

I'm not going against it at £40.

I've got £40 on the front row, and I'm selling...

Well done, Ore!

-Made some money!

-Well done.

Something. Yes, no, we have!

Jo's 19th-century American child's rocking chair is up next.

Start me at £50 on this one, surely.

- Original... - Any interest at £50?

-Nice, little, original American rocking chair.

-It is. American?

-Yep.

-Anybody with grandchildren, dolls...?

£50 to start?

£50 I've got on the front row, lady's bid here at £50.

-Ooh, she's got it.

-Any advance on £50?

-Come on.

We've got a room bid here of 50, I'm looking for 60.

-Go on!

-A room bid of 50, are we all done at £50?

Are you girls going to bid against each other again?

-Go on, girls!

-Shame on you!

I've got £50 on my right, then, in the room at £50.

-You're done.

-Oh!

What a shame, someone's got a bargain.

Do you think that's a good price?

I think that was a really good price there.

Ore's French boules set is next to go.

£20, I'm bid. And 25, and 30.

25 with the gentlemen here.

We're at £25.

Come on, people. Come on.

-Let's play the boules!

-I've got £25 in the room.

-35 on the net.

-Oh!

These French boules in a bowls box, £35...

Sacre bleu, Ore!

They are loving this, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-There's some serious gloating going on here.