Leicester 17 Flog It!

Welcome to the De Montfort Hall, Leicester's largest concert venue.

Over the years, this building has played host to

some of the greatest entertainers in the world,

from the funniest comedians to the finest orchestras,

from the smoothest crooners to the wildest of rockers.

Let's hope our experts can entertain us today. Welcome to "Flog It!"

De Montfort Hall was built in 1913.

In 100 years, the venue has put on around 10,000 shows

and entertained hundreds of thousands of people.

Almost 60 years ago, the legendary Louis Armstrong performed here.

And the list of incredible stars just goes on and on,

as does our queue.

# Let me entertain you... #

If these walls could talk, the stories they would tell

of this hall's history would be mind-blowing.

So, which of our singing or dancing experts will take centre stage?

Catherine Southon and Claire Rawle

are already squabbling to be our leading lady.

-You don't fancy that?

-I thought I might keep it.

I know, I told her to keep it!

Thank you, thank you for that. That was really helpful.

I'm standing here on stage, where Buddy Holly, the Beatles

and David Bowie performed to thousands of people.

I just wish I had a drum kit so I could rock out.

Anyway, while I fantasise about being Charlie Watts in the Rolling Stones,

here is what is coming up in today's show.

Which of these entertaining items will steal the show as we put them

under the auctioneer's hammer?

Will it be Jimi Hendrix who rocks the sale room?

Or a bit of old-fashioned recreation which takes the limelight?

But before we find out, first up,

Catherine has set her sights on a very fitting item.

So, Pam, you're at home here, in these wonderful surroundings.

Is this somewhere where you actually worked once upon a time?

Only sort of temporarily.

-My grandmother used to sell all the sweet and pops...

-Right.

..at night, when the shows were on.

And when I got old enough, I used to come and help her.

So, what sort of period are we talking that you were here?

Mid to late '50s.

So you were running around, helping her out, with your autograph book.

-Yes.

-You collected all the main stars, I suppose,

-who were appearing at the time.

-A lot of them, yes.

Let's have a look, who were you collecting the autographs of?

-Oh, Tommy Steele.

-Oh, there is Tommy Steele. There is Tommy Steele.

-And he has put a little heart in.

-A little heart.

-Were you a big fan of his?

-Oh, I liked Tommy Steele.

-Did you?

Much better than Elvis.

And who else have we got? Let's have a little look here.

Beryl Reid. "Good luck, Beryl Reid."

And she has put the name Monica,

so she must have been playing a part in a play or something.

Beryl Reid was always known in her comedy shows as Monica.

-It was her alter ego.

-Oh, right! Oh, I see.

I've got Alicia Markova in there,

-who was a famous ballerina at the time.

-Very famous ballerina.

Oh, yes. I've got Beniamino Gigli, who was an opera singer.

-Oh, right.

-I cut out a piece from the Mercury.

That's wonderful!

It's a really lovely piece of sort of social history.

-It's nice for you to remember.

-Yes.

I like it because it's not just pop stars.

-No.

-It's across the board.

-You've got across the board.

Did you actually watch the performances as well?

-Some of them, but not all of them.

-No.

-I watched Cliff Richard.

Cliff Richard, there he is.

-Was he any good?

-Brilliant.

-Was he?

-Oh, yes.

-Of course.

We all sat there, the normal... "Ah!"

Were you? You probably slept with this under your pillow, didn't you?

Cliff Richard, Cliff Richard! How wonderful.

-And now you're just wanting to sell it?

-Yes.

Well, it is been sitting on the...in the bookshelf.

-I am trying to have a clear-out.

-Time to go.

And being at the De Montfort Hall, I thought it was the perfect...

-Absolutely.

-Because they were all collected here.

And it's lovely that you have come along with it today.

Honestly, you've really made my day.

The only problem is, it's not going to be hugely valuable,

simply because of the names of the people in there.

-I mean, had you had the Stones or...

-Yes.

..the Beatles or something like that, then obviously,

their autographs are a lot more desirable.

You've still got some interesting names there.

But really, we are looking at more like £40 to £60,

-that sort of price. Is that all right?

-Yes, that's fine.

I hope it sells well. Perhaps we can go and buy ourselves some popcorn.

-Yes.

-Or some pop.

-Mm-hm.

-Or maybe even a glass of champagne.

-Sounds good.

# The stage is a world of entertainment... #

On "Flog It!", the fun and the excitement never end.

Next up, Pam has an outdated but enchanting form of entertainment.

You brought along this... Well, it's a toy, basically, isn't it?

-Yes, I suppose it is.

-So, tell me a bit about it.

Is it something you've had for a long time?

Yes, it was my late husband's grandfather's,

obviously in the days before there was radio and television.

It was a home toy that they played with and watched.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, it is known as a nursery lantern, as it was a child's toy.

Have you thought much about where it came from?

-I do believe it came from Germany originally.

-Yeah, absolutely spot on.

It is by a maker called Ernst Plank,

-and they made a lot of tin toys, a lot of lanterns.

-Yeah.

They started off in about 1866

and made right the way through the 19th century

-into the early 20th century.

-Right.

And then if we look inside, it has got its original burner.

-So it was oil-fired.

-It was.

-So there was a flame in there.

-Yeah.

-Can you imagine leaving children with that?

-Not today.

-No, no.

And then it...

Nice, it has its little funnel that goes on top, obviously,

of the burner.

And then, basically, you put the little slides through here

and then the light shines through and you've got a good lens

and you'd project that onto a wall, usually.

You didn't have a screen or anything, just a white wall.

And then these little slides, which are showing in here.

You've got a selection of sort of nursery ones.

And we've also got some dating from the Boer War period...

-That's right.

-..with the soldiers.

-Yeah.

You can actually see them there, on horseback.

Of course, horses were used by the officers in those days.

Of course, it is South Africa as well,

which was foreign to everybody in those days.

They didn't travel to places like that.

As they say, it is early telly, really. Have you ever used it?

When we first got it, we did set it up and have the slides going through.

-Yeah.

-Whether it would ever get used again, I don't know,

but it might be of interest to somebody.

Oh, definitely, definitely. There are good collectors for these items.

And it is all in its original box, which is lovely.

Label inside here with the basic instructions on it.

It's just in lovely, original condition, but not worth huge money.

No.

-So... Had you had any idea at all in your thoughts?

-Not really, no.

It's just sitting in a cupboard these days.

Well, my feeling is that at auction,

-you are looking at between £50 and £80.

-Right.

-OK?

I would put a £50 reserve on it,

because I wouldn't like to see it go for any less than that.

-No, I wouldn't let it go for less than that.

-No.

-Brilliant.

-Somebody will enjoy it.

-Oh, I think so.

-Yeah.

Let's hope so.

But if something is worth its money and you don't want it to

sell for peanuts, it is always sensible to fix your reserve.

This great concert hall has a history of over 100 years.

It was built in 1913 at a cost of £22,000.

And its enviable acoustics in its day made it one of the best

concert venues that any band or act could play in.

Now, these ledgers go back to 1956 and they are a record

of all the artists and acts that have played on that stage.

And I've had a flick through

and I've spotted a few of my favourite bands.

We are starting off with Black Sabbath -

Paranoid, can you remember that one?

Look, they played here on the 17th of the first, 1972.

And remarks... Here, in the remarks column,

they needed a Steinway piano.

I wonder what Ozzy Osbourne was going to do with a Steinway piano.

Anyway, my favourite band of all time, Pink Floyd, played here!

On the 15th December, 1971.

And the great thing is, more and more bands,

more and more acts are coming here - stand-up comedians, orchestras...

They are still playing here

because it is still one of the greatest venues in the country.

It's just history in the making. And today, we are a part of it as well.

Hopefully, we can have our name in here.

And the lady with her name in lights right now is Catherine.

-Jill, welcome to "Flog It!"

-Thank you.

And thank you for bringing along

your lovely enamelled cigarette case.

-Where did you get this from?

-It was a present from my husband.

-Right. Birthday present?

-No, just a love-me present.

-Aw, just a love-me present, what a lovely husband.

-He is.

And you are flogging it? Do you not love him any more?

-I don't need anything to show me he loves me.

-Aw.

-But we need it.

I've been made redundant, so we thought, it's got to go.

-It's got to go.

-Yeah.

-It's a lovely colour.

Really nice vibrant blue, and that is what attracted me to it.

It has also got this lovely sunburst shape.

It is very typical of the 1930s period.

You find the sunburst, and you can see that coming up

here in the lovely guilloche, engine-turned enamelled.

Does he often buy you antiques, your husband?

Um, I just have a little, small silver collection,

but it is all tiny little pillboxes, vestas and things like that.

-This was the nicest one.

-This is the nicest piece.

-Yeah.

And this is the one you're selling?

-I've sold a few of the others already.

-Oh.

-I know.

-OK.

All right, well, let's just open it up and have a look inside.

We can see that it is quite clearly hallmarked there.

And this was made in 1935. And it is so typical of the Deco period.

The only thing that worries me about it is the damage.

It is a little bit damaged.

There is a tiny bit of enamel missing on the corner there.

-And also, these sort of silver edges are a little bit worn.

-Yeah.

-Was it like that when you got it?

-Pretty much, yes.

-Right.

And have you ever used it?

Because they're not the most commercial things now, are they?

I mean, I am a smoker, but they are too small for cigarettes

and I don't have calling cards or anything like that.

You don't have a calling card. With this name "Hottie", I don't know.

-What is Hottie all about?

-Hottie...

There is a whole group of us girls, there's about 50 of us and a

couple of honorary boys as well, but they have to wear girls' clothes.

And we are called the Flotties.

-What's a Flotty?

-A Flotty is a Foxy Lady On Tour.

-Ah!

There is a gang of about 50 of us and we all go out partying together.

-And when we have a birthday, we all do fancy dress.

-Lovely.

So, it wouldn't be the done thing for a Foxy Lady On Tour to be

carrying along a guilloche enamel cigarette case.

-There's nowhere to put it.

-Not quite the right thing.

-No.

-Right.

-So it is time to sell it, to move on.

-Yes, definitely.

They are not the most commercial things, being cigarette cases,

-however, people do use them as card cases these days.

-Yeah.

And it is a lovely, bright colour, and it is attractive.

But I would probably only put an estimate on of about £40 to £60.

That is about what I thought.

-And you can put it towards one of your other trips.

-Yeah.

-Where's next?

-Couple of weeks' time, I've got another birthday party,

and the theme is military.

In a local pub. We've got a disco and everything.

Well, listen, have a fantastic time

and I'll see you at the auction in a couple of weeks.

-Hi, Sylvia.

-Hello.

-Good to see you.

Glad you came along today with your pencil box. What do you know?

Have you just dug this out the back of a drawer?

Yes, it's been in my cupboard a little while.

We've had it in the family for at least 70 years.

You didn't use it, then?

-No.

-Didn't keep your pencils in it?

-No. No, I didn't.

You just thought, "Flog It! is in town..."

Yes, cos my granddaughter is hoping to go off to college soon,

and I thought it if makes any money it'd help with her fees for

the equine course she is taking.

Oh, right. So, do you know where it came from?

No, I've no idea where it came from. It's always been around.

-It's probably about 1910, 1915 something like that.

-Yes.

It's actually made of papier mache, and then it was lacquered

to give it this black finish, and then originally you would have had

some lovely, bright gilt paintwork around the side.

And then this wonderful chromo-lithographic

panel in the centre,

of the flight of the zeppelin.

Being hailed as flying.

-It was the new thing, they must've been fantastic things to see.

-Yes.

There are some really enthusiastic collectors of airships and

all things zeppelin out there,

because there are all sorts of bits of memorabilia with them on.

So this, I think, will appeal.

It adds to somebody's collection.

It is one of those quirky objects that if you put

a sensible estimate on it,

especially with online bidding,

it'll get picked up and I think do quite well.

-My feeling is you should look between £40-60. OK?

-Right.

And I'd put a discretionary reserve of 40, the lower estimate.

-Does that sound right?

-Yes, yes.

I think it might go higher.

I have seen items with zeppelin on go higher,

-but there's no point frightening everyone else off.

-No.

-So if you're happy with that...

-Yes, I'm happy.

-..we'll go forward, and hopefully help towards the equine studies.

-Yes, right.

Fingers crossed we'll get a sky-high price for this quirky little item.

'Queen of the skies, seen here from a Universal newsreel

'camera plane as it sped over New York.'

The zeppelin became the cutting-edge form of air travel at the end

of the 19th century.

Passengers were transported under an enormous rigid balloon-like

structure full of highly flammable hydrogen gas.

The space-age looks and the excitement of the new

made this form of transport highly popular.

But in 1937, the German airship Hindenburg

made a transatlantic flight which was to hasten the demise of the airship.

Due to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey,

the voyage ended in disaster.

'The Hindenburg appeared a conquering giant of the skies,

'but she proved a puny plaything in the mighty grip of fate.'

As she attempted to dock, the airship burst into flames,

and 35 people lost their lives.

This tragedy quickly changed people's opinions of these giants of the sky,

and in a few years, the zeppelin's glory days were a distant memory.

Before we head off to auction,

there is something I would like to show you.

In the early 1970s, Leicester was much like any other city

in the Midlands.

But in 1972, some 6,000 miles away, in Uganda,

a landlocked country in East Africa,

one man's political beliefs were about to have

a lasting affect on this city.

Idi Amin was the president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979.

He was a ruthless dictator.

And in 1972, he announced a shocking policy -

Africanisation of the country.

Asians made up only 1% of Uganda's population,

but controlled 90% of its wealth.

So, Amin wanted them out, to return the country

and its economy to the Africans.

Amin ordered the expulsion of a staggering 80,000 Asians

from the country that they called home.

He believed that they were Britain's responsibility, as Uganda

had been ruled by the British.

And that is why I said that the responsibility of Asians

in Uganda, it is the responsibility of Great Britain.

The Asian community was given just 90 days to leave Uganda

and were only allowed to take one 30kg suitcase

and £55 in their pocket.

All of their other belongings they had to leave behind,

from homes to businesses, jewellery to graves.

Jafar was expelled from Uganda

when he was a young man of just 21.

Today, he is a prominent businessman.

But his memories of Uganda are still vivid.

I remember Uganda as a beautiful country.

I lived in a small village called Masindi.

My father had built up over, sort of, 30 years a very thriving

hardware, DIY, building materials business.

And in first week in September, Idi Amin announced from

the barracks that he had a dream

and that he has been asked to expel all the Asians from the country.

When we heard this, we thought this was simply a joke

and we started laughing. How will this country survive without us?

The professionals, the doctors, lawyers, accountants.

But as the days went by, you know, he became very serious.

So we started thinking,

"Look, let's prepare for our departure from the country."

We had so much to bring and we could only bring what we could carry -

clothing, some photographs.

My mother had a lot of china, cutlery and crockery

and so on, very expensive items there.

But in the back of our minds, we were saying,

"Look, does it matter what we carry?"

All we cared for was our lives, really. Because it was so bad.

Now, imagine having to pack all the important and sentimental things

that you have gathered throughout your entire life into one suitcase.

How impossible would that be to choose?

I'd find that extremely difficult.

Not only would you have to put in sentimental things that give

you a sense of connection to your past and your homeland,

but also things for the future to prepare you for this new life

in the UK. A lot of people had preconceived ideas

about what it would be like here.

So, not only would you put something in that is a family heirloom,

but also something practical, to keep you warm

in the freezing cold winters here.

Something like a blanket.

Almost a third of those expelled from Uganda came to Leicester.

And 40 years on, the city has collected together

some of those precious items that they brought with them.

These two gold pendants just there - that horse and that elephant -

and that tiny little carved wooden giraffe belong to Nisha,

who was a young girl, aged just nine,

when her parents were expelled from Uganda.

Nisha is very passionate about her heritage and that inspired

her to set up this expedition here at the museum, which she works at.

-And she is with me right now. Pleased to meet you.

-Hi.

It must have been such an emotional thing to do, put this together.

I think, yes, it was.

And it is quite a big story for Leicester, so it was important to us.

But once I got into it, it became very emotional because,

you know, the story is about yourself.

And how did other people in he community feel?

Were they forthright in coming forth and saying,

"Yes, you can have this?"

I think they were forthright in wanting to talk to us,

and there were very, very excited about it.

But, I think, 40 years on, memories fade.

And somehow, they wanted to glorify what had happened

when they came here, so they wanted just the good memories,

none of the sort of hardships they experienced when they came here.

And how did you go about selecting which items you would use?

Obviously, that was a hard decision by you, not just by the owners.

I think it was difficult to get objects, because what people

brought with them was very, very little.

They weren't sure about giving it to us because...or lending it to us

either, because these are things that were very precious to them.

I can imagine you had to be quite selective.

Can you pick on one or two?

Um, I think the Katanga shirt behind you.

And that brought back a lot of memories about people

wearing them, people going to events with them,

something that was quite meaningful and special to them.

And then, the other thing is this, sort of, Ugandan passport,

because you always link passports and things to identity.

-Yes.

-And this is about you.

And, actually, looking at that, the stir of emotions you felt

and people felt, as well.

-You went through that as a young girl.

-That's right.

At nine. What were your particular memories?

My parents, kind of, disguised it as, "We're going to go to London,

"we're going to go on a holiday."

So, when we got here, I think, initially, the first week,

was fascinating.

You know, just going round London on the tube with my older sister.

We spent a few days in London and then we moved to Leicester,

because we have some family here.

Nisha's world was turned upside down by the expulsion from Uganda.

But for her family, Leicester soon became home

and they thrived and prospered here, just as Jafar did.

The picture which I had of England in my mind,

cos I was still very young,

was that it was a very wealthy country and I expected

gold-plated buildings and, you know, a land of milk and honey.

We all lived in one house, three-bedroom house,

with five brothers, two sisters, mother and father.

My father, he had to bring all the groceries, everything on the bus.

When I used to see him standing at the bus stop,

it used to make me cry because I used to see him

in a chauffeur-driven car back at home.

So we had some very difficult times the beginning.

As we went along, we found jobs and made some money.

Then we had cars and our houses and so on.

But that was a long way away.

Now, who would've thought some 40 years ago, one man's action,

and thus the arrival of the Ugandan Asian community here in Leicester,

would change this city into the vibrant,

multicultural place that it is today -

a city that can rival any other in the UK.

And right now, the excitement for us continues over at the auction house.

Let's remind ourselves of the items that are going under the hammer.

The autographs have a lovely local connection,

so I have no doubt someone's going to snap them up.

Such a nostalgic thing,

the magic lantern is the entertainment of a bygone era.

But will anyone want it today?

And smoking is out of favour,

but who could resist this charming cigarette case?

Will Sylvia's zeppelin pencil box soar,

or will it leave the bidders deflated?

So, what's going to be top of the bill and what's going to flop

as we put these items under the hammer?

Today's auction comes from Gildings,

based in the historic market town of Market Harborough.

The town dates back to the 12th century

and has a long history with trade.

Hopefully, we can continue that success with auctioneer

Mark Gilding.

It's curtains up as he takes the rostrum.

The commission here at Gildings is...

It does vary from sale room to sale room, but it is how auction houses

make their money, so expect to pay it wherever you go.

Going under the hammer right now, we've got an album

of autographs of artists that have played at the De Montfort Hall.

That is where we did our gig.

That is where we found all the items here today.

-I've got no idea what this is going to make.

-No.

-It is a bit of fun.

-We've got a bit...

What have we got, £40 to £50? Somewhere around there.

-£30 reserve, so...

-Yes.

-OK.

-It should sell, shouldn't it?

-Yes.

-They are just interesting names.

-I hope so.

-Yeah.

There is a good variety of people in there.

-And that was what it was all about, great variety.

-That's it, yes.

Well, fingers crossed anyway.

It's going under the hammer right now, so let's see if it flies away.

And on to lots number 387 -

the autograph album, 1950s,

starting at £22.

25. 28. 30.

-Good.

-30 on bid, at 32.

35. 38.

40. 42.

45.

45 on the right-hand side, at 45...

-Hammer has gone down. That was short and sweet.

-Aw, all those memories!

But they will come flooding back though, right here.

Oh, yes! Yes, it's nice.

-Oh, thank you for bringing them in.

-You're more than welcome.

And I'm sure members of the audience watching this at home would

enjoy listening to Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele

and many of the other great names that were in that album.

Pam, fingers crossed.

This is it. It's your lot going under the hammer.

We're just about to sell some early TV.

Everybody in the family gathered around

and watched a magic lantern show, with all the glass slides.

Fantastic things, though.

I mean, there are some slides I've seen of a man snoring like that,

and you slide the slide through, and this mouse drops in his mouth,

and as he is snoring, he eats it.

Love it to bits. Absolutely love it to bits.

We've had some good surprises in the past with things like this.

Fingers crossed we get the top end and a bit more.

Let's do it, this is it. Good luck.

Lantern, a magic lantern, with slides and the original box.

Bidding here opens with me on 234 for £38.

£38 I bid now, 38.

40. 42.

42 on bid now. 42.

At £42. Five do I see?

At £42, bid.

42, then, and away at £42...

-Did he sell? No, he didn't, he passed on that.

-Oh, you're joking!

Thank goodness we protected that with a reserve.

-Yeah.

-Nobody here today wanted such entertainment.

-They don't know how to use them, do they?

-No. No.

-Look, there is another day, another sale room.

-Yeah.

-OK?

-But we tried our best.

-Yes, you did, yeah.

-That's auctions for you.

Well, I've just been joined by Sylvia and Claire, our expert.

-This is for the granddaughter?

-Yes, that's it.

-So she's going off to study at college?

-Yes.

-An equine course?

Yes, that's it.

-Does she have horses herself?

-She has got one, yes.

I blame the parents.

-That's an expensive hobby, that one.

-It is.

We need top end of the estimate. Let's put it to the test.

What is it worth? We are going to find out.

Here's a papier-mache pen box with a printed design of an airship.

There we go, showing with Gary.

Interesting little box, this one.

A lot of interest on the book here.

So, starting with me at £40.

-£40, I'm bid.

-We are in, Sylvia, we are in.

-£40 bid. To 45.

At £45?

At 45. Now, £50, I'm bid. 50 on my book.

Five, I will take.

50 bid, then. The bid is with me still and selling at £50.

-It's gone, £50.

-Lovely.

-Can I honestly say?

Congratulations, anyway.

And thank you for bringing that in. But it just sparked a little memory.

One of the main reasons why I got into the antiques trade

was my uncle was an antique dealer. He had a shop and, in his shop,

he had a grand piano.

But underneath the piano,

he had one of the wheels from one of the zeppelin airships.

And it was like a ship's wheel, it was massive thing.

And I, accidentally, when I was a little young kiddie

of about six or seven, walked over and I trod on it, and he said,

"Don't touch that, that's from one of the zeppelins that flew over."

He gave me this big lecture and,

"Oh, that is a bit of history there."

And, you know, in a way, he inspired me to get into this business,

and it was all because the zeppelin and standing on that ship's wheel.

-So, there you go.

-Yeah, lovely.

I've just been joined by Jill and our expert, Catherine.

We're putting under the hammer a silver-enamelled cigarette case.

Now, we are putting £40 to £60 on this, and I totally agree

with that valuation, because we have seen them before on this show.

And what is this all about? Southside Rebellion.

-That's what my local...

-Do you play in a band?

-No, friends of ours.

-You're supporting them.

-Yes.

That's what they're called? Good luck to them.

-A Leicester-based band?

-Yes.

-Covers or original material?

It's all covers of old punk songs.

-And for one night only we feel about 18 again.

-OK, right.

Well, let's move along, get back to the antiques

and put your cigarette case under the hammer.

The silver-enamelled cigarette case, Birmingham, 1935.

And lots of interest on my book here.

I'm going to open the bidding at £40.

42. 45. 48. 50. Five. 60.

Five. 70. Five. 80. Five.

90. Five. 100. 110. 120.

-130.

-How much?

140 with me. At 140. A big shake of the head.

You are all out in the room, then. Last chance at £140.

-There you go, £140.

-That's quite a lot!

That will cover the bar bill. I've already spent it.

Hey, that's punk rock for you.

It just goes to show, if two people want something badly enough,

the unexpected can happen.

Things can fly at auction.

Well, there you are, one or two happy owners there.

That concludes our first visit to the sale room.

Don't go away, we are coming back here later on in the programme.

We have wonderful turnouts in our valuation days,

but we do need publicity, that's what gets people through the door.

One of the biggest draws is a plug from local radio.

Everyone listens to it.

And without BBC Radio Leicester, things wouldn't be the same.

And so before the valuation day, I went to find out more.

And the story starts back in 1967.

The head of BBC Radio back then was a chap called Frank Gillard.

He had a grand master plan to satisfy the public needs -

local radio.

We are quite certain that local life

is something very important.

Most people are just as interested in what goes on in their own

communities as they are in national or even international affairs.

His dream was to deliver modern journalism

centred around the interests of the local communities.

It was simple, it was brilliant. There was just one problem.

With an estimated yearly running cost of £50,000 each,

where would the money come from?

The BBC was in no position to fund this venture with the licence fee,

so money had to be sought further afield.

And eight local authorities from Sheffield to Merseyside came

up trumps. They offered to fund this experimental radio

in their areas for a trial period of two years.

So, the race was on - which would be the first station to

get on air and set the benchmark for others?

BBC Radio Leicester hit the airwaves on 8th November, 1967,

making a bit of history there -

Britain's first mainland, local radio station.

And what a day! We've had the Postmaster General

to open the station, the Lord Mayor of Leicester had a say

and we've got more visitors in the studio this afternoon.

During the next 50-odd minutes or so,

we will be hearing from some of our opening-day personalities.

Ken Warburton was a programme assistant at BBC Radio Leicester,

and was there as it made its first broadcasts.

It was an exciting day.

It was the combination of a lot of preparation,

-quite a lot of hard work...

-Yeah.

..from months before. And finally, we were there.

Britain's first experimental local radio station, Radio Leicester,

went on the air about a quarter of an hour ago.

I had a double learning curve - I had to learn not only all

the techniques of radio but just basically talking on the wireless.

-Sure, but it is also the technical skills.

-We did it all, yes.

There were no producers, there were no technicians, you drove a desk,

you opened up controls, you set up the microphones, you did everything.

But you'd also have individual commitments,

and I had to produce a countryside programme, a programme for the blind,

for the visually impaired, and also a gardening programme.

-So it was a complete mixed bag for everybody.

-Yeah.

My budget for the gardening programme was, I think, £3.10.

And that was considered quite good, actually.

You've got to be creative with a budget like that.

To be honest, a lot of people came in and did stuff

-because they were local and had a commitment to the area.

-Yes.

And just as well they did,

because there's no way we could have afforded to have paid contributors.

Well, I'll flash right around my next request, which is

from Julie Howard of 18 Foss Road, North Leicester.

She says, "Dear Mr Warburton,"

very formal, "My parents celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary,

"will you please play The Seekers singing Island Of Dreams for them?"

Well, all our congratulations from here at Radio Leicester,

and here are The Seekers with Island Of Dreams.

With the best will in the world, it would have been

a very small audience.

It could be a little more professional, I think, you know,

we get the odd, you know, faux pas on the radio,

you know, going through.

I don't think it's very good, all that good. Not as good as Radio 1.

Nothing wrong with it as far as I'm concerned. I just don't want it.

The initial response to the local radio stations

was a little bit mixed.

BBC London seemed a little cynical about the project.

And at the same time,

commercial radio stations were really taking off.

And the staff in all the regional outlets feared

that the government may lose interest in the whole scheme.

The pressure was on. This was a race against time.

Local radio only had two years to prove itself

and a huge amount was riding on this.

Station manager Owen Bentley knows all too well the challenges

faced by the eight experimental stations in the early days.

When we started,

we were probably not the most wanted child within the BBC.

Um, obviously Frank Gillard, who was the founder of local radio,

had a vision of it, but there was a lot of opposition.

People were trying to do us down, calling us Toytown Radio

and so on because we were all learning on the job.

We had a basic vision of local radio,

and the vision was, you know,

essentially that the BBC would supply the skeleton

and the community would provide all the flesh and the programming

on it and so on.

In the evening, we had a host of programmes,

little 15-minute programmes,

which have been made by members of the community.

These were people that we trained who came in

and did their own thing, a programme on steam, for example,

here at Leicester, which ran for years and years with volunteers.

A youth programme. Music programmes and so on.

And maybe a local DJ coming in.

So you might run a schedule up to about nine o'clock,

but huge gaps in the day where we took Radio 2.

The hard work, creativity and dedication of the radio crew and the

local community began to pay off and the station's popularity increased.

There was every chance that we wouldn't get a big enough audience

to make an impact. Luckily, we did.

And I suppose by the end of the two years,

we felt it was going to be secure.

If you say that in the whole range

of newspaper journalism there is

room for the local newspaper, and there certainly is,

I read mine every week from cover to cover,

you must also admit that there is a place in the whole

span of broadcasting for the local radio station.

I think it's very good because it gives you information on what's

happening and where you can go to be entertained.

And it gives you the local news.

I really enjoy listening to it. I listen to it, really, every morning.

So, two years on, the experiment was finally deemed a success and the

government gave the BBC the go-ahead for a further 20 radio stations.

This time, funded with the licence fee.

BBC Radio Leicester. It is 10:10, then, Friday morning.

Jim Davis with you through until midday today.

46 years on, the radio station is a true success story.

It now has 15 presenters.

It broadcasts 52 different shows, covering various topics each week,

which delights around 175,000 listeners.

It's absolutely brilliant.

So thank you very much, BBC Radio Leicester,

"Flog It!" would not be the same without you.

Right, it is time for me to plug the show. Here goes.

And look, it works!

Back at our valuation day, the crowds are still streaming in.

And Claire is about to go rock and roll on us.

Hi, Mary.

It is great of you to come along to the De Montfort Hall,

which is where we are.

And of course, it is where this gentleman played, didn't he,

back in the '60s.

The great, the legend that is Jimi Hendrix.

And he was a supporting act, would you believe,

for Engelbert Humperdinck, which shows how early it was in them days.

-Yeah.

-But the potential was there and we loved his music.

And we have got a few of his in our collection.

-Oh, right. I think it was his second studio album.

-Yes.

-It was cut in '67.

-Yes.

-The same year as he was here?

-Yes.

-So it all ties in very nicely.

-Yes, it does.

-Did you see him play live?

-No.

-Unfortunately, the tickets were all sold out very quickly.

-Yeah.

And so I've never been able to see him live, which is a disappointment.

Yeah, it must've been amazing.

So, you were having a good time in the '60s, were you?

Well, I had met Ray, we had no responsibilities.

Oh, those were the days, weren't they?

We had a lovely flat,

-but the children had not come along yet.

-Yeah.

And music was very much a part of our lives.

-So buying LPs was where our money went.

-Yeah.

But as well as the music, of course, when you had vinyl records,

it was the artwork on the covers that also attracted you.

That's where a lot of people collect, it's for the artwork.

Through the '60s and '70s, you have these iconic LPs.

They don't know what they're about these days,

do they, downloading off the internet.

-You miss this, don't you?

-You've got no feel.

-No.

-You've got no looking through the catalogue...

-No.

..picking out the actual artwork.

But the good news is there are a lot of people that are very

-interested in collecting, but it does get very specialised.

-Yes.

And they are very fussy, so condition is everything.

-Obviously, you played this LP.

-Yes, we have.

So it has a bit of wear on it. So that does count against it a bit.

But the most important thing with this particular LP is that

-you have the insert song sheet.

-Yes, we do.

-That makes a lot of difference to its value.

-Oh, right, yeah.

You've also taken the decision to sell.

You just culling your collection a bit, are you, at the moment?

Well, we've still got our vinyl collection.

We've got our tape collection. We've got our CD collection.

-And you haven't got room at the end of the day.

-Yeah.

So we thought we'd test the water.

-Well, we need to talk values. My feeling is 50 to 80.

-Yeah.

-Does that sound about right?

-Yes.

Maybe just put the reserve just under the 50, say sort of 45?

-We don't mind 20.

-20? Oh, that's even better.

You are an auctioneer's dream, you really are.

That's lovely. Well, thanks so much for bringing it along today.

-It's lovely that it ties in as well with this wonderful building.

-Yes.

-And this amazing artist.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you, Mary.

Margaret, we're a rather long way from Tunbridge Wells,

but you have brought in some delightful pieces of Tunbridge Ware.

Tell me a little bit about them. Where did you get them from?

Well, my father had them, and he lived in Hertfordshire.

-A bit closer.

-It's a bit closer, yeah. But he liked wood.

He liked to collect wooden things.

-He had various ornaments and he had made some carvings.

-Oh, right.

So he had quite a few pieces?

Yeah, a few pieces he had made himself as well.

They were made, once upon a time, probably in the late 19th century,

as almost like tourist ware,

-so pieces that people would have taken away from the area.

-Yeah.

They are really nicely made.

And we'll go into them and have a look at them in a bit more detail.

First of all, with this piece.

This looks to me like a trinket box made predominantly...

The wood is walnut. And then on the top,

we have all these little mosaics made up of single pieces

of different coloured words, so boxwood and other types of wood.

And then moving on to this item,

this is like a miniature chest of drawers.

And you've got these different drawers there.

And you've also got the mosaic Tunbridge Ware on the drawers.

Do you like them?

I like them cos I admire the work that went into them, yes.

But not something that you would have in your home?

Not something I feel I want to keep.

This to me is one of the most interesting pieces.

I think this was probably once upon a time a snuff box,

late 19th century. But a nice little domestic sort of scene on the top.

And then you have got the Tunbridge Ware

around the outside.

And I think those three pieces together are quite delightful.

-Have you any idea of how much they're worth together?

-No.

So, if I were to say to you £150 to £250 for the three,

-how does that sound?

-Quite reasonable, yes.

-Yes?

-Would you be happy to sell at that?

-Yes.

So, what would you do with the money if they do make top end?

I'd like to go on a trip to Cappadocia, in Turkey.

-To where?

-Cappadocia.

It is famous for the rock formations,

and people live inside the rock, in rock houses.

-Wow.

-So even further away from Tunbridge Wells.

-It is, yeah.

Whilst I was plugging the show on BBC Radio Leicester,

I spoke to were very nice lady called Jane.

Good morning, Jane.

-Hi, good morning.

-What was your question for him about the show?

I found a chair that is canvas-based.

The original canvas, nice soft seat, fancy, decorative. But...

And it has been in my wardrobe for about 25, 30 years.

And I was wondering if it was worth anything.

We need to see it, so any chance of bringing it in tomorrow?

-Jane took me up on my offer, and she is right here. Hello.

-Hello.

-Great to talk to you again.

-Great to talk to you again.

-Now, this is the chair.

-This is my chair, yeah.

-Was it part of a set?

I have no idea. All I know is that it was one of my grandparent's chairs.

And we were debating if it was before the war or after the war.

To me, this looks late Edwardian, sort of 1930s.

And it would have been part of a set of six or eight.

-It has not got a drop-in cushion seat.

-It's a spring.

It has got a sprung seat,

which is typical sort of war years, transition period,

with these little Hepplewhite legs.

It has got a lot of little things going for it,

but unfortunately, it's seen better days, hasn't it?

It has had a lot of love, I bet.

All three of us were fighting over it, cos we have metal furniture.

And every time we got up in the morning, me and my brother or sister,

whoever's up first, got to sit on it for the breakfast

before we went to school. And then we'd fight for it again,

when we got back to sit on it at tea time or dinner time.

Sadly, looking at the condition of this, I think it is

worth around about £15 to £20.

Yeah, well, I thought £10.

It is worth £10 to me any day of the week.

-But you can't just sell it for £10 or chuck it away.

-No.

It's a chair at the end of the day.

Cover that with something a bit brighter, put it in the bedroom

and chuck your clothes on it.

Jane, thank you so much for turning up.

-You're welcome.

-And thank you for talking to me on the phone as well.

Sometimes the sentimental value

of an item outweighs its monetary worth.

Hang on to it and enjoy it, I say.

And now it is over to Claire for a real treat.

-Hello, Susan.

-Hi.

-It is a pleasure to meet you.

Thanks for coming along today with some glorious things here.

-They were all left to my mother. They were her grandmother's.

-Right.

They're all about 100 years old.

So, yeah, they've been in the family for a while.

-Yeah, so passed down.

-Yeah.

-And did she wear them?

My mother didn't but her mother did.

I think it is either something you do or you don't, isn't it?

You don't go out to the supermarket shopping

-in something like that, do you?

-No, no, no.

And so you have decided now is the time to...?

-Yeah, my mum is not very well. She has got MS.

-Oh, yeah.

We've hit quite sort of hard times at the moment,

so I think it would help her

get about and better life, really, so...

We've four quite different items here, really, in styles and periods.

So if we start off here with this lovely green stone

and pearl... The green stone, I'm fairly sure, is a peridot.

It was very, very popular with the Victorians and the Edwardians.

I'm sure they believed it had all sorts of properties,

but it is a wonderful colour, isn't it?

And it's a really, really clear stone. And combined with the gold...

Now, I couldn't see a hallmark on the gold.

I would've thought it would've been 14 carat, but possibly nine.

But it is definitely gold.

And you've still got this sort of Art Nouveau

influence of the lovely organic mounts to the pendant there.

And of course, pearls were used a lot.

This lovely sort of, you know, natural look to it.

And then as you move down, you've got the big cluster ring there.

Cluster rings are not quite so popular these days,

especially if they look like flower heads.

It was a big fashion of the 1980s. But you get away with that

because it's actually quite a big stone in the middle there.

And then this lovely emerald set within diamonds.

Now, the great thing about emeralds is,

you will rarely ever find one without basically muck in it.

As a stone, it has all sorts of like bits of carbon

and fractures in it. It is quite a delicate stone.

-And that is a lovely colour, isn't it?

-Mm.

Nice, and it's a good size stone as well.

And then you come along to this lovely, delicate little pendant.

And there is sort of a little flower head design with the diamonds.

And again, a very delicate item that would look just charming.

We will value them individually.

-OK.

-Because they should be sold individually.

They don't hang together as a group,

they will appeal to different buyers.

So, I think, starting off with the peridot necklace.

I hadn't pointed out, it has got little matching earrings.

So I think probably we are going to be

-looking at about sort of £400 to £600 on that one.

-Wow, yeah.

And then moving on to the diamond cluster. I think...

My feeling is on that one, probably about 800 to 1,200,

something like that.

OK? And then coming to the emerald and diamonds.

Again, it is a nice ring, it is a good colour.

Not quite such a big weight of stones in there,

so possibly going to be round about the sort of £400 to £600 mark.

Yep? And then finally, we come to the pretty little pendant,

-which I think is going to be nearer to sort of 200 to 250.

-Wow.

So, with all those prices,

what I'd suggest doing is using the lowest estimate as the reserve.

-Sound good to you?

-Yeah, brilliant.

-Excellent.

And then it will actually end up to quite a reasonable sum of money.

-Yeah.

-It will make a lot of difference to your mum.

-It will.

Bev, good to meet you.

Nice little cardboard box you've brought here.

-Shall we have a look inside?

-Yep.

Dougal! Little Dougal from The Magic Roundabout.

Although I remember him being more...

-sort of a yellowy colour...

-That's right.

-..rather than sort of white.

So, where did you get him from?

My mum bought it from a white elephant sale.

What had drawn her to it was the fact it was French.

-It was written in French.

-Right.

Because the lid of the box is all in French.

I mean, it's a little bit worn.

And here, it just does say the equivalent of The Magic Roundabout.

And you have got the pictures there of the roundabout.

And on the top, the name Pollux, which I think is Dougal.

I think that actually was Dougal, which is lovely.

But generally speaking, he's not in bad condition.

I mean, the thing is, with this,

because it has been in its original box, this rubber

is all in lovely condition, cos it does, sort of, tend to...

Break up a little bit and it does tend to tear.

Now, it was actually produced...

The Magic Roundabout was produced in England

and in France in the '60s, so, sort of, mid-'60s, 1965,

but the fact that it is from France, it just makes it, to me,

-it makes it a bit more interesting.

-Yeah.

And the fact that it is white, as well...

What are your thoughts on it being white?

Um, I did my own research and, apparently,

it started in France, The Magic Roundabout,

-and Dougal was white.

-Right, OK.

So, he could be an early Dougal.

-It could be.

-You don't have a soft spot for old Dougal?

No, because I think

someone who collects Magic Roundabout toys,

it would be nice for them to have something a bit different.

Where does he live at home?

-In the loft. With the spiders.

-No. It is time to move you on, Dougal.

It is time to move you on to happier places.

I'm not going to give you a big estimate on this, I'm afraid,

Beverly. Um...

-It's only going to be about £40 to £60.

-That's fine, yeah.

-With a £30 reserve, is that all right?

-That that's absolutely fine.

Do we know what your mum paid for it?

-I doubt...

-Probably only a few pounds.

-I imagine it was pence.

-Thanks, Bev, for coming along.

-That's OK. Thank you.

-And I'll see you at the auction. Thank you.

-Thanks.

What a brilliant day we've had here at De Montfort Hall,

our magnificent host location.

Everybody has thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

We found some real gems, but sadly it's time to say goodbye,

as we have unfinished business in the auction room.

We're going over to Gildings for the last time

and here's what's coming with us.

Bev's French Dougal might not be the right colour,

but Catherine's hoping this makes him rare,

and thus a must-have for collectors.

The Jimi Hendrix album - will it raise the roof in the saleroom?

Margaret's Tunbridge Ware,

which I hope will be traded in for a trip to the rock houses in Turkey.

And the stunning collection of jewellery

which has a staggering total estimate.

Let's put our experts' valuations under the spotlight as we return

to Gilding's Auctions.

And first up...

Yes, The Magic Roundabout. Beverly, you have put a smile on everybody's

-face at the valuation day.

-Yes.

-You did.

With your white Dougal.

I didn't think Dougal was white, though.

-No, we thought he was yellow.

-I thought he was yellow.

-This one is white.

-Golden colour.

-This one is special.

-Well, I like his little face.

-He's nice.

He has got character, hasn't he?

Grew up watching that, Magic Roundabout. It was great fun.

Right, we're going to see what he is worth. And here we go.

Good luck, Beverly.

So what do we say for this, then? Well, you tell me.

I'm going to start at £5 and you tell me what you want to pay.

At £5. I'm bid only at five. Eight. Ten.

12. 15. 18. 20. 22.

£22, I'm bid now. 22. At 22. 25 do I see?

Watching all carefully, make no mistake. 22.

-And away, then, at 22.

-We're not selling, are we?

-They were mean.

We were barking up the wrong tree.

We didn't get that reserve.

Never mind.

Such a shame, but sometimes you can only find out how desirable

something is by putting it under the hammer.

Next up, it is the Hendrix LP.

Right now we are getting in the groove!

So to speak. We are selling some Hendrix.

Wonderful album going under the hammer right now, belongs to Mary.

I am pleased you brought this on,

-cos I know you are Hendrix fan, aren't you?

-Very much so.

-I've got quite a collection.

-Oh, it's going back quite a bit.

-It is all a Purple Haze...

-It is.

-Did you like that line? All Along The Watchtower.

-That's right.

Do you know, I love Hendrix. Cos...

I grew up listening to Hendrix cos I loved his drummer, Mitch Mitchell.

I used to copy all the licks and play along.

I used to like how he played the guitar

cos it was so different, wasn't it?

-And the hair.

-Set fire to it.

-Yeah.

A legend, the man was a legend!

-Yeah.

-Right, well, good luck, Claire.

I don't see many rock fans here.

You never know. You never know.

You shouldn't generalise these things, you don't

know what is out there on the internet, do you?

No, not really. I think this will sell.

I think this will sell over the phone or online.

I don't think it'll go in the room, that's for sure.

No, I'm with you there, I think. It is quite a specialised item.

Jimi Hendrix Experience.

-We need £50.

-That would be nice.

£5 on bid, then.

£5 on bid only.

At £5, at £5, a bid of £5 only...

Up to £8, £10, £12.

£12 on bid. 15. 18.

At 18, bid of 18.

20. 22 online. 22. 25.

28. 30.

Five we bid now. At 35. 38.

38. 40.

42.

45.

-It's getting there.

-48, 50.

Yes!

55. 60. 65.

70.

All online bids. At 75.

80.

-Have you got many more?

-200.

-Oh!

-95.

100. I knew we'd get there.

110.

-Over 100.

-120.

-120.

120...130.

140.

Blimey!

150 now online. At 150.

-160.

-Oh!

-Wow, £160!

-160, bid, then.

You're all definitely out in the room, then.

We're online bidding, then.

At £160...

-Bang! Hammer's gone down, £160.

-Wow.

-Brilliant!

-Well done!

-Gosh!

-That was good.

-How fabulous is that?

Fabulous, yeah.

I'm ever so pleased. I'm excited for you!

That's fantastic. Have you got more at home?

-Hopefully, you're going to start selling those off.

-Well, yes,

now we've actually been to an auction.

-You've tested the market, yeah.

-It worked well, didn't it?

-I think that's a fabulous start.

-That went great.

Well, there is a cracking atmosphere here in the sale room.

Everybody's enjoying themselves. We're getting good results.

But sadly, Margaret, our next owner, cannot be with us.

But we do have her item -

those wonderful items of Tunbridge Ware,

valued by our beautiful Catherine here.

And I'll tell you what, this was made as tourist ware, wasn't it?

So everybody went to Royal Tunbridge Wells to take the water back then.

-Absolutely.

-And came home with something.

The question is, is it worth more here then down in Tunbridge Wells?

I think we might be all right.

I was slightly worried that I might have put too much on it,

but there's a lot of people here today. What do you think?

-And there is a lot of work in those micro mosaics.

-I know.

It's beautifully done.

Lovely little pieces of Victorian Tunbridge Ware.

Bidding opens here with me at £50.

60. 70. 80. 90.

-100. 110.

-Oh, we've sold.

-Yes.

-140. 150.

-It's doing really well.

-Good, good.

-180.

-Oh, brilliant!

£180 on bid now, at 180.

190 online. 200. 210.

220. 220 in the room now, at 220.

240 online.

250 online, new bidding.

250... We're on 260 online.

Oh, I'm pleased. She will be pleased.

She can go on holiday now.

At 260, you're all out in the room?

We're online bidding, then, and selling at £260.

-And the hammer has gone down!

-Yes!

-That is a great result, well done.

-Excellent, she'll be pleased.

Top end of the estimate and I know she'll be very pleased.

And hopefully, you're watching this and having a smile.

And finally, it is time to sell that gorgeous jewellery.

Fingers crossed we'll raise a good sum to help out Susan's mummy.

-There is a lot of it, isn't there?

-I know.

-Stashes of it.

Thank you so much for turning up at the valuation day

-because you really did bring some treasure in, didn't you?

-Yeah.

We are looking right now at that emerald and diamond ring,

which is a little sparkler.

Did you not want to hang onto this?

I'm a gardener. No, not good for me.

Hey, gardeners have green fingers, that's got a green rock on it.

-It's a whopper.

-It's nice. It's a nice colour, isn't it?

-Would you wear this?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, you could. It matches the eyes.

Absolutely, yeah.

Green, yeah. But no, it's a lovely thing. It is a good emerald.

-I think it is.

-It's a good size as well.

-I think we should find out what the bidders think, don't you?

-OK.

Yeah, here we go. This is it.

The Art-Deco-style, white metal, diamond cluster and emerald

dress ring. Bids here start with me

at 500. And 50.

600.

And 50.

-Good.

-700.

I have to say 20.

750.

-800.

-£800!

Say in tens, I don't mind.

810, thank you very much. At 820.

Selling to the room at £820...

Crack! Wait for that sound. And it has gone down. £820.

-We're happy, aren't we?

-Yeah.

Yellow metal, peridot,

half pearl faced necklet with matching screw rings.

The bidding opens here at 300. 320.

340. 360.

-380. 400. 420.

-Done it.

460. 480. 500.

-£500 on bid in the room.

-Yes.

-At 500.

550, new bidding online.

-Good.

-Fair warning, then, and selling them at £550...

So far, so good. And here's the third.

-Good luck with this one, both of you.

-Thank you.

Lovely 18-carat white gold and platinum, nine-stone diamond ring.

500, 550, 600.

-Come on.

-And 50, 700.

-Yes.

-And 50.

-800, new bidder.

-We've done it.

-We are there.

-850.

900. 950, fresh bidder again.

975 I'll take.

Well, that's finished them off. Then at 975, in the room

and selling at £975...

£975!

-Fabulous, though.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

Good, good.

491.

Lovely quality Edwardian, diamond-set pendant, this one.

200. 300. 400.

420. 430.

440.

Thank you very much, new bidding. At 440 online. 450.

460. 470.

480 online.

490 in the room, thank you, at 490.

500.

-That's fabulous.

-Oh, God.

£500, I'll take 20 if you want to bid.

Last look around the room, then.

We are online at £500.

Well, the hammer has gone down at £500,

and I think that's a cracking result. £2,845.

-Wow. Yeah, that's amazing.

-£2,845, wow!

-That is a big wow, isn't it?

-That is a big wow.

Thank you so much for coming along. Look after your mum as well.

I hope you've enjoyed today's show.

I told you there'd be surprises, and we certainly delivered.

Thank you, Claire. If you've got anything like that,

bring it into one of our valuation days.

But right now, from Market Harborough,

it is goodbye from all of us.