Episode 27 Money for Nothing

You haven't got anything I can recycle, have you?

-How do you make money for nothing?

-Wow, look at that!

The answer could be hiding in over 20 million tonnes

of household waste thrown out by us every year.

Don't get rid of it too quickly. This stuff looks amazing.

That's why entrepreneur Sarah Moore wants to get her hands on things

before they hit the skip.

I'm a passionate maker, buyer and user of old stuff

and I've turned that passion into a money-making business.

I make new stuff out of old stuff and I sell it for a profit.

And with some of the country's elite designers and makers...

-I don't know what to say.

-Did you drag it here behind the truck?

-..she can transform her finds into desirable...

-It's enormous!

-..valuable...

-Isn't that fantastic?

..and, hopefully, saleable items.

It's just given me goose bumps.

If Sarah is successful, then she can hand the profits back

to the very people who had no idea

there was cash to be made from their trash.

Thank you very much! Marvellous!

Welcome to Walsall Recycling Centre near Birmingham.

When it comes to filling skips, this place is fast and furious.

Sarah's on a mission to turn your trash into hard cash.

It's like the floodgates have opened cos people are pouring in here,

but I just need to find those little bits

that I know are going to float a profit.

But before you zip down to your local tip, be warned -

Sarah has special permission to seek out three items

that she can rejuvenate, repurpose and sell on for a profit.

First to pique Sarah's interest is Jenny.

But has she a car full of possibilities?

-Are you having a clearout?

-Just a little.

-Are you on the move?

-No, we're just having a big sort-out.

-OK.

-All the rubbish.

Looks like you've got some interesting bits and pieces.

We've got some bits and pieces there, yes.

Where's it all come from then? Is it the garage?

-Attic, one bedroom, one junk room and that's it.

-OK.

Do you think there's anything here we might be able to recycle?

I don't know. I don't know what we got - all sorts of bits and pieces.

These are quite cute, aren't they?

-Yeah, they're great.

-A pair of them.

Do you know when they were last used?

-Probably 12, 18 months ago.

-OK.

Cos we stick them on the top of the cupboard

-when we're watching telly in bed.

-Oh, OK.

-It's the easy way to do it.

Have you still got the bits for them?

-I don't know. It's amongst this lot, if we have.

-OK.

Um, they've got a kind of retro appeal, haven't they?

-They have, haven't they?

-I quite like those.

I'm just wondering if there's anything else in here

that might go with them.

-Can I have a quick rummage?

-Don't know - have a rummage.

-Fab.

-Might keep that.

-You carry on. You know what you're after. I don't.

-You never know what you can do with stuff like this.

-No.

-It looks quite interesting.

-You never know.

I think that might be my lot.

If I can make anything out of that, shall I give you a shout?

-You do that.

-Fantastic! Thank you ever so much.

-It's rubbish to me.

And to the rest of us, Jenny, and to the rest of us.

I'm absolutely gobsmacked she wanted it,

but if she can use it, then fine.

I couldn't think what she might do with it, but there you go.

This is certainly a random selection of stuff,

but these TVs are just so cute.

Everybody else has got, like, 52-inch ones

and these ones are about 5 inches.

I think they've got a personality all of their own

and I know somebody who just loves this type of thing.

I must say, it's a relief to hear you say that, Sarah.

Introducing Mark Haig, robo-chap.

Mark uses his years of engineering know-how

to create one-of-a-kind bespoke robots from just about anything.

My dad was a clock repairer

and I would sit in front of a three-bar electric fire,

as a seven-year-old kid, and I'd get some bits of clocks from my dad,

get bits of Meccano and I'd make some kind of mad robot.

And 40 years later, I'm still doing the same stuff.

To make these mechanical marvels come to life,

each one even comes with its own back story.

I can create these fun stories that go with the robots

and the combination of having this interesting story

that goes with it makes for a really unique object.

And if anyone can make something unique with all this, it's Mark.

Righty-ho, that's one off the list and two to go.

And, while some items are well protected...

-Anything in there for me? No?

-DOG BARKS

..others are not protected enough.

SARAH PLAYS THE VIOLIN

I've never played a violin before, can you tell?

Yes, we can tell.

Could Martin and Annette have something more palatable

in their trailer? Something to bag Sarah some cash, perhaps.

I can see clouds of woodworm dust coming out of that.

What are you throwing away?

Er, it's basically wood chippings from an old shed

-that's been stored for probably 30 years.

-OK.

-So...

-Not yours then?

-It's not mine.

-No, we bought the house and now, we're clearing the shed out.

-OK.

There is definitely something active in your shed, isn't there?

There is, yeah. It's good firewood, if anybody wanted it for firewood

but, other than that, for us, it's got no use and, er, it's in the tip.

What about the bags though?

I don't know where he's got those from, to be quite honest.

"Michigan beans" - that doesn't sound like Birmingham, does it?

Well, odd though it might seem,

those dusty old sacks - because they've got

that original writing on them, people love that kind of thing.

-Yeah.

-So, amongst all the stuff that's coming out,

those would be quite interesting to see if I could salvage them

-and make something out of them.

-Yeah, you're more than welcome,

because all I was going to do was put them in the skip anyway.

OK, well, I'm going to fold those up and say thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

-Put those in my little pile of treasures.

Little pile of treasures? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Sarah.

If I can do something with them - I'm not sure what it will be -

can I come and see you at your house and show you what I've done?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-No problem at all.

We're surprised that Sarah wanted the sacks.

I mean, they're interesting enough with the terminology on them

and that, but what she's going to do with them, who knows?

A sack's a sack, isn't it?

You're not wrong there, Martin. A sack is, indeed, a sack.

I keep asking myself, "Why did I save these?"

They are moth-eaten, they are dirty, they are well past their best.

But there is one redeeming feature. It's the typography.

It's American,

this fantastic really strong circle with all the writing on it.

It's all about beans.

There's something about it that is just fantastic.

And, luckily for us,

Sarah knows a guy who would almost certainly agree with her.

If you want a bag, then go and see Neil Wragg.

Neil is a whizz with a sewing machine.

His mission is to rescue tough and rugged materials

otherwise headed for the skip.

Neil turns them into high-end holdalls that will last a lifetime.

These days, there's too much going into landfill.

We've got a finite amount of space where we can bury stuff

so, if I can prevent it from going into landfill

and make something beautiful from it, that's the plan.

Most of the bags I make are from old sofas.

It could be old army tents or scout tents.

If I can get a needle through it, then I can turn it into a bag,

and a bag that looks like it would cost

hundreds or thousands of pounds from the high street.

With all the holes in these bags,

getting a needle through them will not be difficult.

Making them worth something is a different story altogether.

Two items loaded into the Money For Nothing van.

Now it's time for Sarah to search for her own pound-making project.

Maybe. It depends how old it is though. So, 1950s stuff.

Isn't he friendly? Right, buddy, you'd better get in there.

I've got some work to do.

Yes, you do, Sarah, and, hopefully,

it will be Barry's furniture that piques your interest.

-Hiya.

-Hiya.

-They're nice. Are they going that way?

-Well, that's the intention, yes.

-Where have they come from?

We're basically clearing out a relative's house.

-She passed away recently.

-Oh, no, I'm sorry to hear that.

-That's OK.

They are lovely. They don't appeal to you?

-They wouldn't fit into your house?

-We've got too much rubbish as it is.

I really like things like this.

-I think they're far too nice to end up in there.

-It is a shame.

But if it's not your house... Oh, look at that, look.

-So, these, probably bought in the 1950s?

-I would say that, yeah.

These are a cracking pair of chairs. If you didn't mind me taking them,

-rather than ending up in there, I'd be really pleased.

-Please do.

-It seems a such a shame to throw them.

-And what about that?

Did that have those lovely spider plants or something in it?

-Yes, full of spider plants.

-Yes, it's just such a classic look.

As a little group - a pair of retro chairs

and a lovely little plant stand -

they're the kind of thing that people love, this retro look.

-That's right.

-Particularly those sort of 1950 legs.

-Can I take them away?

-Please do.

-Fantastic!

Can I keep in touch as well,

because I'd love to be able to show you

-what happened to them and where they go to?

-Yes.

-Would that be all right?

-That would be fine, yes.

-Fantastic!

Well done, Sarah - two chairs and a plant stand. Good luck with that.

What are Barry's thoughts?

I suspect that Sarah will probably renovate them now,

cos they're worth a little bit of attention, especially the planter.

That's quite a classic little item, that is,

and the chairs are very nice as well.

Have you noticed these chairs are Ercol?

These are British-made, stylish, collectible.

There are heaps of people out there who absolutely love this furniture

and, grouped together with this '50s plant stand, they look fantastic.

There you have it. Three items found.

Mark will get switched on with Jenny's mini TVs and bits.

Neil will grapple with Martin's printed sacks.

And Sarah will tackle Barry's chairs and plant stand.

They might have wanted to bin it, but I want to bling it.

Now's the time to turn those diamonds in the rough

into money-making gems.

Manchester, hailed for its industrial past.

It is now becoming a thriving hub

for furniture designers and digital artists,

as well as many others from the creative industries.

One such gentleman is Mark,

who's waiting patiently for Sarah's challenge.

I'm looking forward to Sarah coming down to my studio.

Hopefully, it's something metallic that I can work with,

but I'm prepared to work with whatever she gives me.

Glad to hear you say that, Mark.

Well, I've picked up some random stuff at the recycling centre

in the past, but this lot has to take the biscuit.

I've brought it to Mark and I'm hoping he's going to recycle this

into a robot with attitude.

-Mark?

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Hello, Sarah, how are you?

-I'm really well.

-How you doing?

-I'm very well, thank you.

-What have you brought me this time?

-I saw these and, obviously,

-I immediately thought of you.

-Hmm, that's nice.

-It is nice, isn't it?

-I like that. That's like a laser gun.

-It is.

Actually, it was these little bad boys that made me think...

I just thought they look like little space men, like helmets.

-Definitely.

-So, I thought if anybody can do anything with them,

it's going to be you. What do you reckon?

Yeah, I reckon I can build with those. I'm looking on the back.

-It's got a video input on the back.

-Right, that's a good thing then?

It's a good thing. Um...

-That one hasn't.

-OK.

-So, I don't know what I'd do with that one.

I could make something with it, but this is my preference.

OK, well, let's pop that one down there.

When I saw them, I thought they had a bit of attitude.

I was thinking maybe some punk styling or something like that.

But I bought you these other bits in case they're useful.

Put them in the bin, add them to the stash, if not,

but there's definitely something about these little bits...

-They looked quite cool in the...

-Like that?

-Yeah.

-I think something like that might work.

-OK, I like that.

But it's totally up to you because I know you are the robot master.

Robot master he may be, Sarah,

but what happens when the robots take over

and Mark becomes their slave?

Right, no more coffee for me today.

Any little surprises or shall I wait till I come back?

I think you should wait.

I think there's something else I might be able to do with it

to make it a bit more interesting, but leave it with me.

Hit me with a ballpark budget then.

What kind of price are we looking at

to make that an all-singing, all-dancing new robot?

-Well, he's going to end up being sort of that kind of size.

-OK.

-So, he's going to be quite a big fellow. About 150 quid?

-OK.

Something like that. 160 quid?

Yeah, I'd say that budget's absolutely fine. I love the '80s,

so as much '80s singing and dancing, and that would be fantastic.

-OK.

-Thank you so much.

-No problem.

-Bye-bye.

-OK, bye now.

Well, Mark's channelling the 1980s.

I've always loved a bit of Dire Straits,

maybe a bit of Money For Nothing.

I can see that robot is going to be right on track.

It's going to be an interesting one. It's working with plastic,

which isn't the perfect thing that I like to work with,

but I've got some nice ideas for it in my head

so, fingers crossed, it should go well.

I have complete faith in you, sir.

Mark has a budget of £150

to create an '80s-themed robot from this tray of bits and bobs.

Am I excited about this one? AS ROBOT: Affirmative!

Marlow, Buckinghamshire - a town with a rich history,

going back 1,000 years.

Around 30 miles west of central London,

its ideal location on the River Thames makes it home

to one of Britain's premier rowing clubs, producing Olympic oarsmen,

like Sir Steve Redgrave.

But are Sarah's printed sacks going to seem

like an Olympian task for Neil?

Always looking forward to new challenges.

Wouldn't be here if it wasn't fun

doing something that was out of your comfort zone.

So, slightly nervous to see what bizarre thing she's going to bring.

Here I am in super-smart quintessentially English Marlow

with an absolute load of old rubbish.

I know Neil's got a sense of humour.

I just hope he finds something to laugh about with this lot.

-Hiya.

-Hi, Sarah, how are you?

-I'm really well, how are you?

-Excellent.

-I'm very nervous.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-Why?

I don't know what you've got in your hands.

-I'm hiding it, it's that bad.

-Oh, no!

So, what are you hiding behind your back, Sarah?

-What do we have?

-Hi...

-Hi, well, they're sacks. We've got sacks.

They've got a lovely print on them and they are covered in...

-I haven't touched them at all. They are tip-fresh.

-Yeah.

And they are covered in cobwebs.

But they have got beautiful print on them.

Where do we think they've come from?

These have been used as wood store for 30 years.

And before that, they came from Michigan.

Yeah, they are virtually unusable.

-There's probably enough here to make...

-Oh, no, look at that.

-Do you like it?

-Yeah.

We've got "Michigan Casserole and Michigan Navy Beans".

-They look great. It's an ordinary sack otherwise, isn't it?

-Yeah.

It's a very standard sack, but with the logos, they're lovely.

I must say Neil's enthusiasm for the old sacks

is putting my mind at ease

and getting me excited about what he'll do with them.

You could just keep things really low cost on this.

Keep it simple and just make them into simple shopping bags,

adding a lining to it, leather strap, you know.

It doesn't add any extra time to do this,

but you've got something that...

There's not going to be any more of these on the planet.

That sounds great. There's three there

that look like they might work. That one is shoddy.

-Yeah, maybe not.

-And that one - maybe some of it.

-That one's fine.

So, if we're looking at potentially four bags here,

what kind of money do you want me to leave you with as a whole

for transforming that into four, or whichever way you want to price it?

Well, if I'm going to make something very simple,

-a simple shopping bag, you're looking at a tenner each.

-Perfect.

I tell you what, I'll give you 50 quid

-and see what you can do with the offcuts.

-OK.

-You'll think of something.

-Yes, OK. Thank you.

A sack's a sack and they're standard sacks,

but the fact that she's found something that is utterly unique

is very exciting, because the logo's really cool.

So, it is something that not many people are going to own.

Four people, possibly, on the planet.

There are not many people as enthusiastic

and creative as Neil Wragg.

He seems like he's going to take up the challenge with relish

and I cannot wait to see what he does with those old sacks.

But with a budget of just £50,

will they be strong enough to deliver the goods?

In beautiful Sussex, Sarah is about to begin her own challenge

and she's happy to be working on a furniture favourite.

Always lovely when Ercol shows up at the recycling centre.

It's a sweet pair of chairs here,

and this plant stand is oozing 1960s.

But I want to make these really sing.

I thought loads of colour on them

and, perhaps, turning this plant stand

into something slightly more useful, as well as being beautiful.

First things - they need a really good cleanup.

Ercol dates back to the 1920s,

and it was established in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

The company's ability to perfect steam-bending their woods

took them into mass production.

Their furniture became a hit in post-war Britain.

You can't beat a lovely bit of British-made Ercol.

Fantastic legs, beech frame on the seat and really stylish,

so, if I can paint them and get rid of this tired old

orange-looking varnish, I think they'll look really smart.

I'll be the judge of that, Sarah.

Scrubbing done, time for some painting.

I've got some lovely colours here and I think I'm just going to paint

each individual element a different colour and see how it turns out.

My plan is to paint it, rub it down a bit so it smoothes it

and makes it look really soft, and then lacquer the whole lot,

so it's got a sort of semi-gloss to it.

I like that bit best.

To get the best result when painting Ercol,

treat it very gently for around 30 days after completion.

This is because paint doesn't reach its hardest point till then.

I love colours together.

I love pinks, I love greens. I love them to be bright and fresh.

I like natural, beautiful, mossy colours.

But, most of all,

I love stuff that makes you really happy when you look at it.

Yeah, like a very colourful picture of me, for example. I get it.

You can update Ercol with colour and it looks really good.

It's not everybody's cup of tea, cos some people like it really pure,

just as it came off the factory line.

But, for me, if it sells it and it makes it look lovely,

then I'm happy to paint it.

I've got a bit of experimenting to do,

but I think this will probably work.

What do you reckon? A bit of that next?

Probably best I leave the colour choices to you, Sarah.

It's as good as any.

Sarah has spent £10 so far on materials

and, hopefully, this colourful approach is the bright idea

that will help us turn a profit.

While Sarah cracks on, it's time to head to Manchester,

where Mark has begun the process which will, hopefully, introduce

a new character to the world.

So, I normally work by putting my parts down on the table,

seeing how it looks as a sort of two-dimensional sculpture.

1980s kind of feel of a body.

Some arms. Something like that, just to get a feel.

And some legs, something like that.

But, to be honest with you, as I'm looking at it,

I'm not really feeling it as a sculpture.

It doesn't really appeal to me. So, I'm going to go against Sarah,

which I might get into trouble for, and I'm going to change the design.

I've got to do what I feel, so that's what I'm going to do.

Mark, we trust you. Go for it.

Even though the TV is '80s plastic,

Mark believes that a steampunk theme is the way forward.

Steampunk is a term that originated from science fiction novels.

It takes its inspiration from the Industrial Revolution,

Victorian Britain and the American Wild West.

I've got various wooden boxes around and things.

Somewhere around here, I've got...

..something that is... the right size.

It's already got that kind of steampunk feel to it,

with the dark wood, but actually, I'm going to dress it as well,

so there'll be dials on there and knobs

and sort of steampunk dressings on there.

At the moment, I'm just getting it to scale.

Which is where the fun part of the process really kicks in.

I'm just going to go to my leg collection.

A leg collection - every robot maker's dream.

I'm feeling that a lot more. It's looking a lot nicer.

As a scale, I'm quite happy with that.

Once Mark is happy with the scale,

it's a case of layering on parts

from his treasure trove of bits and pieces

to help give the robot character.

I'm going to put the legs on.

That entails drilling through the tin on here.

I'm ambidextrous, which always comes in useful

-when you're building robots.

-Very handy.

HE GRUNTS WITH EFFORT

Looks like we've got ourselves half a robot,

so I'm going to have a look in my arm collection

and see if I can find something else.

Arm collection - also very handy.

Maybe they have a kind of steampunk feel to them.

And just temporarily, I'm going to put the head on the robot,

just to see where we're up to as a sculpture.

Yeah, it needs a neck, but it's getting there.

It's looking something like what I was expecting it to look like.

I like this steampunk look. Might even give it a try myself.

Over in Marlow, Buckinghamshire,

Neil Wragg is about to begin the task of producing bags for life

from old sacks that had no future at all.

It's a lovely looking logo, although they are obviously old,

which adds to their charm.

So, I'm going to have to do something to maybe reinforce,

to avoid these holes, the fraying bits, and make a bag

that is going to stand the test of time, as well as look nice.

Good plan, Neil. Let's do this.

We're going to use these old curtains

to line the inside of the bag.

Neil has decided to use curtains as the lining material,

as it is soft but strong fabric that will not tear,

and has the Brucey bonus of feeling nice to the touch. Excellent!

Relatively simple, just sewing the two right sides together,

and then I'll turn them inside out

and that way, we've got no raw edges, it's nice and neat.

A very simple bag that will look quite different

to any other bag for life you get.

Right, I think this is ready for another iron.

Well, the combination of the old grotty sacks and the pretty curtains

is going to look pretty good, I think.

I'm going to have to take your word for that, Neil.

Right, we've got the sack, we've got the lining now.

We're going to stitch it inside out to make the bag

and then just attach some handles.

Neil is wonderfully reassuring,

but will these frayed old bags play their part

in becoming easy on the eye

and strong enough to make Sarah a profit?

In Sussex, Sarah is hard at work,

putting the finishing touches to the chairs and the plant stand.

I've got some really fine copper sheet here

and I want put some little caps on the end of the front two legs,

just to make them look really beautiful.

Any enhancement in the beauty department is always welcome.

When Sarah found this trio,

they each possessed a one-way ticket to Dumpsville.

But not any more!

The two chairs are now colour-tastic,

with variations of blue leading the way.

Copper sheets round off the spectacle,

as well as linking it with the contrasting copper spray

covering the plant stand.

Good job, Sarah.

I reckon these blues are working really well together.

I'm a big blue fan and I think getting rid

of those softer, babyish colours has really sharpened these up.

Now we've got a plant stand and a pair of chairs.

I think they can either be sold all together

or, perhaps, just the pair of chairs separately.

But time now to get these out there, see who wants them.

Sarah first caught sight of this lot

as Barry was about to consign them for eternity to the skip.

I really like things like this and I think they're far too nice

-to end up in there.

-It is a shame, yes.

A shame indeed.

Until of course, our Sarah saw their potential

and, with a colourful flick of the wrist, it didn't take long for Sarah

to tempt some buyers from her varied client base.

The two chairs sold to The Packhouse,

a vintage and antiques store in Surrey.

And the plant stand was bought by River from Sixth Link,

a vintage and retro retailer in Shropshire.

I think I've got a client in mind for this one.

A friend who I used to go to school with, she's just opened up

a florist in Ireland and I think this piece is going straight to her.

Now Sarah is on route to Barry's to hand over some cash.

-Hiya, Barry.

-Hello, how are you doing?

-I'm really well.

-Lovely to see you again.

-Nice to meet you again.

-And you.

Now, you were being a really helpful relative when I last saw you.

-That's right, yes.

-Did you wonder what might happen

when I took away your old Ercol chairs and your plant stand?

I'm still actually wondering what's going to happen to them.

Well, I thought they were lovely.

They were really stylish and were something I worked on.

I've got some pictures here to show you what I've done with them.

-Are you ready for this?

-Yes.

-Your chairs and your plant stand now look like that.

-Oh, wow!

Wow, that's really, er...stunning!

Basically, I've given them a fresh, new look,

some copper tips to their legs,

and I've planted up the plant stand so it looks decorative.

-What do you think to that?

-Brilliant.

That's actually more than I anticipated.

-I have managed to sell them and I've got here £115 for you.

-Wow.

Oh, thank you very much. That's actually... I'm stunned. Thank you.

What might you do with £115 that you weren't expecting?

We've got a holiday coming up, so it will probably go towards that.

That's fantastic. I loved working on your chairs.

I hope you have a great time on holiday. Really good to catch up.

-Thank you very much.

-My pleasure. Bye-bye.

-Thank you. Bye.

Sarah spent £10 working her magic on the chairs and plant stand.

They were all sold for £125,

with the £115 profit going towards a holiday for Barry.

In Manchester, Mark is giving his robot

a once-over before Sarah arrives.

Although it's not exactly what we discussed,

I hope she still likes it. It's quite a beast

but he's quite handsome, so, yeah, I hope she likes it.

I'm back in Manchester to find what kind of magic

Mark has been able to work on my skip bits.

I'm hoping to meet a lovely new robot.

When Sarah picked up this little basket of rubbish,

she hoped that Mark could turn it into something unique.

And Mark certainly has delivered.

Feet made from lampshades,

arms made from cooking utensils from the 1940s,

rubber from a car suspension -

all put together with imagination and skill,

resulting not just in a robot, but in a personality.

I wonder what the little guy's called.

Hi, Mark. Oh, wow!

-How are you?

-I'm fine, thank you. This is Smurf Tickler.

Smurf Tickler, my friends,

is a robot who tickles little blue Smurfs, and I kind of like him.

I love Smurf Tickler. He's amazing. Look at that!

-Originally, I built him with...on this wooden box.

-Right.

But it was too thin.

The head's quite wide, so depth-wise, it didn't work.

So, I found this baking tray and it was exactly the right size.

I love the way you combine things, so it looks completely appropriate.

They feel like they're all of an era.

There's something really cool about him. Was he tricky?

He was tricky to build, yeah.

He may have been tricky to build,

but that hasn't stopped Mark from including a little surprise.

-There's a media player inside there, so he does something.

-OK.

-He talks.

-Does he?

-Yes. If I press "Play".

-OK.

-ROBOT:

-Hello, what's your name?

-My name's Sarah. Hi.

-That's a nice name. Mine's Smurf Tickler.

-Where do you come from?

-Just near Chichester.

-What do you like about where you come from?

-The green fields, mainly.

-That's wonderful.

-That is just so funny.

What a lovely idea to add that element to it.

Will the person who buys it be able

to programme their own stuff onto it? Is that possible?

-There's a media player inside there and it's driven by a USB stick.

-OK.

So, you can put anything on that USB stick

and it will show it on there

and it will play the audio out the speaker as well.

I have to hand it to Mark.

Not only has he delivered a unique robot

but, by adding the opportunity for an owner to project photos,

videos and messages on his little face,

he has made it contemporary and, in turn,

much more attractive to potential buyers.

-That's wonderful.

-AS ROBOT: I completely agree. It is wonderful.

He looks fantastic and to have all that functionality is amazing.

I left 150 quid, I think we chatted about. How's that worked out?

Yeah, I'm happy with that.

Thank you so much for taking on the small screen

because what you've created is truly one-off.

AS ROBOT: I'm with you, Sarah. Wonderfully original.

IN USUAL VOICE: All right, I'll stop now.

Well, Mark has done a fantastic job. I love Smurf Tickler.

I wonder who's going to buy him.

At Walsall Recycling Centre, the little tray of TVs and junk

belonged to Jenny, who found Sarah's approach quite unexpected.

I'm absolutely gobsmacked she wanted it

but, if she can use it, then fine.

I couldn't think what she might do with it, but there you go.

Neither could I, Jenny.

But then Mark added his imagination and this fabulous bot was born.

Sarah made the robot available online

and it wasn't long before it was bought by a private collector.

They grow up so fast.

And now it's left to Sarah to visit Jenny in Burntwood, Staffordshire,

to let her know what happened to her little tray of TVs and junk.

-Hello.

-Hello, there. Nice to see you again.

-You all right?

-I'm very well, how are you?

-Not so bad, thanks.

-Chilly.

-Just a little.

-Did you wonder what I might do with your old TVs?

-Well, yeah.

I thought, "What on earth is she going to do with those?"

I took it to a guy in Manchester and I've got some pictures

-to show you what he did.

-What's he done with them?

-I hope you've got a sense of humour.

-Oh, yeah!

OK, your TV now looks like this.

-JENNY LAUGHS

-I love it!

-Oh, yeah!

-Do you recognise it?

-Yeah, I love it.

So, your TV has been completely remade into a talking robot.

What do you think to that?

I think when the grandchildren see that,

they're going to laugh their heads off.

Well, I took some pictures of him and shared him over social media

-to see if anybody else fancied the look of him.

-Wonderful.

-And he's made you a little bit of profit.

-Oh, wonderful!

-He has turned the old TV into a £50 profit.

-Oh, thank you very much!

That is welcome. Well, what am I going to do with that, I wonder?

Yeah, go on then, tell me. What might you do with 50 quid?

Well, I've got to take it to my brother

and see what he wants to do with it, cos the telly was his.

Oh, well, I hope he finds a good use for it.

-It was a funny project to work on.

-I bet it was! I bet it was!

Mark charged £150 to build the robot.

Sarah sold him for £200,

with the £50 profit going to Jenny.

In Marlow, Neil has finished transforming the old sacks.

I'm looking forward to Sarah's arrival.

I think I've done what she's after. I think she's going to be pleased.

I think, from turning something that was quite grotty

into something that is far more high-street.

I always get so excited when I come to see Neil

because he is a brilliant bag maker

and I'm hoping those sad sacks that I left are now full of beans.

Sarah was asking a lot of Neil when she dropped off these old sacks.

I have to admit, this is impressive.

Neil has taken these old factory sacks - frayed, full of holes,

ready to be dumped - and transformed them,

not only into bags, but bags for life.

Curtains give it a soft yet durable lining,

pieces of sofa leather add more strength to the handles,

and a layer of protective glaze adds more strength and shine,

which brings it all together. Very impressive indeed.

-Hiya.

-Hi, Sarah, come on in.

-Thanks. How you doing?

-I'm very well.

-So, how...?

-Here we go.

-No!

-You've got four old bean sacks.

And they're still old bean sacks.

-They are old bean sacks but they're beautiful!

-Good.

I thought they'd be scrappy, I have to say, after what I left you.

I so nearly passed these by, so...

-They are lovely, aren't they?

-They're still bean sacks.

They've still got holes, they're still a bit fraying,

but they've now got a lining from an old curtain,

they've got leather handles, they've got brass fittings.

-I think they look quite nice now.

-You are amazing!

I'm with you, Sarah. Great job, Neil.

And they scream "reused", don't they?

So, I think you should be really proud of yourself. They're lovely.

It does show what you can reuse.

You said it, Neil.

Not only that, he managed to stick to the £50 budget.

It was straightforward.

Sewing-wise, it was just a couple of lines of sewing here and there

-and you've got four shopping bags.

-I think they're brilliant!

Love the colour choices. I think you've done really well there.

-For a 40-year-old tech, not bad.

-Brilliant! Thanks.

-I shall take those away.

-Go shopping.

-Absolutely love shopping.

-Go and get your turnips.

Look what he's done!

He's literally snatched style from the jaws of a skip. What great work!

I think that went rather well.

From a bunch of old bean sacks that stayed looking, essentially,

like a bunch of old bean sacks, she seemed very pleased.

As Punch, like the rest of us.

The old sacks belonged to Martin and Annette,

who weren't quite sure what to make of Sarah's approach.

We're surprised that Sarah wanted the sacks.

I mean, they're interesting enough with the terminology on them

and that, but what she's going to do with them, who knows?

What she did was bring them along to Neil,

who got out his trusty sewing machine and, voila, job done.

The bags were snapped up by Nick

from online retailer Smithers of Stamford.

According to Neil, these are bags for life,

and I don't think we're going to have any problem shifting these.

I think ladies are going to love them.

And now it's left to Sarah to hand over the profit.

-Hi, there.

-Hello.

-Hi, Annette, how are you doing?

-I'm great, thank you.

I was hoping to catch up with you and Martin,

but Martin's away at the moment, isn't he?

He's away at sea, off Aberdeen.

What did you think when some strange woman came up and said,

"I want to take away those woodworm-filled dirty sacks?"

Well, I thought you were absolutely crazy.

I've got some pictures to show you here. Do they look familiar there?

-Oh, they do, yes.

-So, I think, in the end,

-we managed to salvage four of the ones that were full of wood.

-Yeah.

And here are your sacks now.

Oh, wow!

-They are remodelled as shopping bags.

-Ah, that's a very good idea!

So, that's what he did with them. What do you reckon to that?

I think that's fantastic.

We had no idea what on earth he would do with them,

but that looks... At least that was something

that was going straight in the tip and is now useful.

It is really useful and I'm surprised to say, actually,

I got some money to hand over to you as well.

I'm surprised as well, I'm very surprised!

-Look what I've got for you. I have got...

-Wow!

-I've got £70 here for you for your old bags.

-Oh, that's fabulous!

-That's brilliant. Thank you very much.

-What might you do with £70?

Well, I'll put it towards...

I'm going to have my kitchen refurbished,

-so it will go towards that.

-Fantastic.

Well, who'd have thought it? It was really good to catch up.

I hope Martin approves of what we did with them.

-I'm sure he will, I'm sure he will.

-Brilliant. Lovely to see you again.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you so much, bye-bye.

-OK, bye.

I absolutely love that, because that was a genuine surprise for Annette.

She had no idea that those old sacks were actually moneybags.

Neil charged £50 for the makeover.

The bags were bought for £120,

leaving a handsome £70 profit

to go towards Martin and Annette's new kitchen.

Sarah salvaged three items that were destined for the dump.

Mark worked wonders making our robot.

Neil bagged our respect with the printed sacks.

And Sarah splashed colour on the chairs and the plant stand.

Sometimes, it's a challenge trying to make money for nothing

out of random tip items, but Mark and Neil did a fantastic job.

They had an eclectic collection to start with

and they really nailed it.