Lewes 13 Bargain Hunt

Today, we're in Sussex, pounding the streets of Lewes

and scouring the antiques shops for bargains.

It's going to be spectacular, so let's go bargain hunting, yeah!

Lewes is famous for its Bonfire Night

and firework displays,

so will there be any "Ooohs!" or "Aaahs!"

from our bargain hunters today?

Will sparks fly between the contestants?

Will our experts come up with any bangers?

Stay tuned, to find out.

On today's show, the energetic Reds

drive Catherine to the brink of despair.

SHE SQUEALS WITH EXASPERATION

Catherine, what do you think?

HE LAUGHS

And it just doesn't add up for the Blues.

-29 and 12...

-And 12.

-..is 31.

No, it's not, it's 41.

Do you work out the maths in your pub? I'm coming for a drink.

I tell you what, we're going to win this!

But will the sums come good at auction?

Yes!

So, let's go meet the teams.

On our show today, we've got best buddies, Will and Alastair,

and Alice and Kenny.

-Welcome.

-Hello.

-Good.

Will, how did you two both meet?

We met at school, Tim. We sort of bonded over our love of sports.

We were both in the netball team at school.

Brilliant. You also have another hidden talent.

A few years ago, I entered the Air Guitar Championship,

which is held annually in Brighton, and I actually came third.

-Out of the whole UK?

-Well, of the people who turned up on the night.

How many people were there? More than three?

Probably about 40 or 50 people.

-That's quite something, then, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Are you prepared to give us a demo?

-Would you like to do it with me?

-No, thanks. Let's have some music.

MUSIC: Back In Black by AC/DC

-What do you think, Tim?

-It's a bit repetitive.

-It is, it goes on for about four minutes.

-That's great.

All the same moves? You did cartwheels, all that kind of stuff?

I think the audience, usually they have quite a short attention span,

so you can repeat.

-That was stellar.

-OK, thank you.

-Very good.

-That's very generous.

Not at all, I mean it. Alastair, what do you get up to?

-No air guitaring?

-No, I've never tried it.

I have a real guitar, so I, kind of, play that.

A lot of people say air guitar is harder than playing a real guitar.

So what so you get up to, Alastair?

It says here you are a communications psychology expert.

Yeah, you could call it that.

I work in a business that does communications,

a bit of speech writing, some personal impact coaching.

Are you able to divulge anybody that you write speeches for?

-No, I don't think I can.

-I see.

OK, chaps, what are your tactics today?

We're both trained psychologists at uni,

so we hope to use our psychology.

You might have noticed we're quite symmetrical in our faces,

98% symmetrical, so we hope to use that to our advantage.

Women really like men with symmetrical faces

so 98% is the key figure.

Luckily, we both have that amount of symmetry in our faces.

Well, that's marvellous. I wish you well in your quest today.

-Thank you.

-Excellent. Now, Alice, how did you meet Kenny?

We work across the road from each other.

-I run a shop and Kenny runs a pub.

-Tell us about the shop.

I run a vintage furniture shop and I sell glass and ceramics

and all kinds of things like that.

I've just been shortlisted to best vintage shop in the UK.

Well, that's quite something, isn't it?

It's a very competitive business now.

Define vintage. Vintage is '50s, '30s, '20s, but not antique?

-It's not antique, basically. I go between 1930s and 1970s.

-Good.

Kenny, how long have you been in the pub trade?

I've been over in Brighton for six years now.

I've been working in the pub for six years

and I worked in pubs in Ireland before I came over.

It says here that you see your bar as your stage.

-Are you a bit theatrical?

-A little bit theatrical, yes.

It is my stage, I suppose, yes, when you're behind it.

What sort of things will you be looking out for today?

Because we're in the middle of the country and we're going

to a country auction, I was thinking country fair.

-Hunting, shooting and fishing?

-Equestrian paraphernalia.

Bit of strategy there. You've been thinking this through, haven't you?

I'm very impressed. Anyway, now the money moment. Here's your cash,

£300 apiece. You know the rules. Your experts await and off you go!

Very, very, very good luck.

Crikey Moses.

We have two sparklers guiding not one, but two cracking teams today.

Getting the Reds in a spin,

it's the lovely Catherine "Wheel" Southon.

For the Blues, it's our very own rocket man, Mark Stacey.

-How are you feeling this morning, guys?

-Very good, indeed.

-It's a bit chilly so we'll get inside those antique centres, shall we?

-I can't wait.

Guys, I know I'm going to have serious behavioural issues

with you two before you've even started!

I'm feeling confident. We've got the luck of the Irish with us today.

We do, indeed, yes.

-This is going to be fun!

-Yeah.

-Let's go shopping.

I think Catherine's got her work cut out with our air guitar hero,

but let's see if Mark's team can use their vintage knowledge wisely.

Aww, that's quite nice, actually.

Antique doll's house. 19th century, late 19th century.

225.

I don't know, it seems to be a bit damaged.

A lot of money, isn't it?

We could probably paint it up a bit before the auction.

We don't do any painting up or restoring anything.

We have to buy them as is and then sell it as is.

"Wood Bine Cottage."

I think it's got a nice look about it, very punchy.

-Price, though, isn't it?

-It's too much.

-Something to think about that.

-I think I'd like that at more 150.

-Can we negotiate? Shall we use our boyish charms?

-Use your charm.

I'm sure you have plenty of charm.

Uh-oh! The boys are on a charm offensive.

This could get messy.

The Blues aren't sticking around, either.

-A gentleman has this out in the country, doesn't he?

-He does.

What is that, do you think?

-That's for sitting on, isn't it?

-It's a shooting stick.

You plonk that in the ground, if you're fishing or hunting.

Then, it folds up and you can carry it.

-I don't think it's very old, do you?

-No.

-Looks very '70s, doesn't it?

-Is that leather?

Does it feel like leather? It feels like leather to me.

-Doesn't feel like leather, does it?

-Yeah, how much is it?

It's got a name. It was made in England. The Gamebird.

-We're game birds, aren't we?

-Absolutely, game birds!

It's priced up at 27 quid.

-Not too bad. What do you think of that?

-Pretty pricey, isn't it?

We'll need to get that down a bit.

Do you want to go and ask them what the best price is?

-Are you into that?

-I like it.

-I've got the gift of the gab here.

Off you go. I think our job's going to be easy here, don't you?

Is he quite a good negotiator, do you think?

I don't know. I've never really seen him in action, to be honest.

As long as he doesn't agree to buy it without consulting with us first.

Exactly, otherwise he's going to get his wrists slapped.

-£20, he can do it for £20.

-How much?

-£20.

-That's after shaking the man's hand.

-You haven't shaken yet.

Oh, yes, he has.

-I did, I shook the hand on it.

-You've bought it?

-I bought it.

-Ken! That's your purchase.

-That's fine, I'll stick by that one.

You'll stick by that one, OK.

You're going to have to be silent for the next 53 minutes.

-I might need a sit-down now!

-It could come in handy.

-Are you going to be like this all day?

-I promise I won't.

-That's my buying done now, I think.

-He's not allowed.

-OK, that's one down.

-Right.

-Come on, madam.

You've got a lot of work to do.

Blimey! Kenny was in there like a shot.

Can't rest on your laurels, Blues. Still two items to find.

Right, then, Reds, let's see this charm offensive.

Hello. How are you?

-We saw in the back there you've got a very nice doll's house.

-Yes.

We were wondering whether we might be able

-to knock a bit of money off the price.

-Knock a bit off?

How much is it? It's 225, I think.

We'd really be looking at 140, which I know is a huge whack off.

190.

-That's the lowest you'll go, no further?

-I think 180.

-If we could go for 180, we'd be happy.

-Why not? 180, then, yeah?

How about one, just one more?

How about putting one on? How about 181?

-How about that?

-OK, you can have it for £179.50.

-Excellent.

-Beautiful.

Yes. Thanks very much, that's fantastic.

Hmm, was that charm or just barefaced cheek?

This is quite fun, guys. You pull those out and then...

These are nice, aren't they?

Look at the lovely drawers in there and the little pull-out runner,

to keep your little pens and things in.

It's completely different to what we've bought

and it's a very usable piece

for someone who's collecting small furniture.

-250 is on it. Shall we have a think about it?

-Yeah.

-Good.

Nice writing cabinet but at that price, I'd move on.

Oh, dear! It's getting a bit out of control with the Reds.

-What do you think?

-Can I be brutally honest? It is horrible.

I'll pop it back up here. What do you think?

What!

This is antiques and collectibles!

There's a duck on the tile, what do you think?

If you want a duck on a tile...

-It's, kind of, nautically themed.

-Nautical!

-If you were sailing on a small lake where there were ducks.

-Oh, God!

Don't worry, Catherine. Only 20 minutes of shopping left.

Oh, no. Those boys can't be serious. What is Catherine going to say?

Catherine, what do you think?

-Oh, no!

-We found another doll's house.

Why do we want another doll's house? We've got one.

What's going to happen is, there's going to be a collector

who wants to buy a doll's house and they'll get into a bidding war

over the first doll's house and, then, oh, lot number 145 comes up

and it's another doll's house and they think, "I'll buy that one."

-How much can you get off that?

-We haven't tried yet.

We haven't tried yet, but we'll give it a go.

-We've got some stuff up our sleeves.

-Have you?

-Quite literally.

OK, go for it.

Poor Catherine.

These chaps are giving you the run-around, aren't they, love?

Now, let's see if the Blues can bring

some calm and sensibility to the occasion.

Gosh, what on Earth is that?

Kodak and something... Eastwood. Don't you collect cameras?

I collect Polaroids. That's a bit early.

-What is that?

-I don't know.

-It's a Kodak something. Is it with the case?

-It is indeed, cine camera.

Oh, it's a cine camera, is it?

-They're really popular, actually.

-Are they?

-Super 8 cameras.

-That is the case for it.

-There we are.

-Oh, wow.

-I think it's really wacky, actually.

-Probably '60s, isn't it?

-It's '60s, you think?

-Is it working, though?

-We presume so.

-We always presume so.

I think it's more of an industr... More of a decorative feature.

You know what the retro market is like.

-It does fall into, I think, the collector's market.

-Yeah.

The trade on it would be 50, but as it's yourself, we can do it for 45.

I like it.

-I do.

-What are we going to do? Shall we risk it?

-Shall we?

-Risk it for a biscuit, why not?

-Shall we risk it for a biscuit?

-It's a bargain.

-44.

-44, done.

-Shall we do it?

-44. Perfect.

-Wonderful.

You get us all now.

A calm, considered second purchase by the Blues. Well done.

Now, what are those Reds up to?

Hello.

We were wondering about buying this doll's house. What's the best price?

-What have I got on it?

-It says 68.

68. 52?

Earlier on, we got Tim to sign this photo.

He told us that, if you put these online, or even here,

they'll be worth £8-10 each.

-We've got two of them.

-They're very crumpled.

Well, no, but he said even with crumples.

£8-10 each? Come on, chaps. Those pics are priceless, surely.

Could we knock a bit off if we give you the signed photo of Tim?

Of course. Could you go to 50?

-48 for two.

-No, 50.

-49, meet in the middle.

-49.

-49, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

-Thanks very much and there's your photo of Tim.

-Thanks very much.

-We said two, didn't we? Thanks very much.

-Good luck.

Tim will be unhappy he's valued at £1.50 each.

It's fine, don't worry about that. It's a bargain.

Yes, I am very unhappy, boys. Only £1.50.

I've got to be worth more than that.

Anyway, chin up and moving swiftly on.

-We're doing really well with Mark, aren't we?

-Absolutely.

-I think he's taken a particular shine to me.

-Has he really?

-I don't know about that.

-The first two purchases, I'm delighted with.

Kenny's really happy about his shooting stick and the camera,

I think, is great, so I think we're cooking on gas, as they say.

I think he's very happy with your purchase, yes.

He didn't get any input with yours, did he? He wasn't allowed.

You just trotted off down to the guy, shook his hand.

That's what I am, I'm always very forward like that!

The competition's on between Catherine and I.

I know she's got a good eye on her,

but we've bought some pretty eclectic stuff there,

so if the public are on our side, she hasn't got a chance.

-We'll be projecting the profits.

-Fighting talk, Mark. Game on.

There's only minutes left, and Catherine has lost the chaps.

-Boys! Team!

-That's a worry.

-Where are you?

-It's sturdy, it's good.

-How's the chair?

-It's not bad. It's quite tight.

Do you know what, I really haven't got the energy any more.

What do you think?

We found this chair. What do you think?

It's Deco, isn't it? It's a bit like the cloud furniture. £95!

I only wanted to spend about £30. OK, what's the other option?

The other thing is over here. In fact, there's two more.

We found this. It's very rusty.

Definitely not. No, I don't think so.

I think if it's a really nice carved wooden one

but there's a bit of a health and safety issue going on.

The only other thing we thought, just because we're in such a rush,

is this. I don't know what you think of this.

-No.

-Simply for the price.

-It's in terrible condition.

-We don't have the time, Catherine.

Take the chair or take this. I'd rather take the chair.

-Because it doesn't have arms, is that a problem?

-Take the chair.

-We have one minute.

-Oh, my goodness!

-Let's go.

Catherine's at breaking point.

The Blues are cutting it fine too. The clock is ticking.

I'm going to give you that quickly, all right?

I'm going to give you that quickly.

-Then we'll put them straight back in as well. How much?

-230.

-230!

-Lovely enamel dial there.

-The case is silver as well.

The case is silver.

I love the dial and it's a nice retailer's,

Butcher & Webb, Nottingham. How much is on that?

-It's 370.

-That's way out.

-How much have we spent?

-60.

-64.

-64.

-61.

-No, 64.

-64.

Do you work out the maths in your pub?

I'm coming for a drink.

-You get it for half price.

-I'm going to get a round.

I think we like this, don't we?

-You can use it as an easel, you can stand it up like that.

-I like that.

I like it too.

-230... 200, I guess, is the best.

-200.

That's 264 then we've spent.

I mean, it's a bit of a risky one but it is quality.

-You ain't got a lot of time, guys, here.

-Let's just do it.

200, do it.

-Yeah?

-Time is out on us really, isn't it?

Just time. Time to go. Time for me to leave.

-Time's up!

-Ah, I get it now.

-Oh, yes, finally!

-Oh, my God!

-The penny's dropped.

-Oh, Kenny.

Time's up for you too.

One more purchase to go, and Catherine is looking worried.

-Hi!

-We're in a real rush, we've only got one minute left.

-One minute.

We've found this and this and we've only got £65 left.

-What can you do for us?

-I'd have to phone her.

I can't let you buy that. It's just a shop's dummy.

I don't want to buy it. I'm only thinking because of the price.

It's horrible. It's a sort of £10... Please don't buy that.

It must be the 98% symmetry that Will likes.

-It does look a little bit like you.

-I am very good-looking, Catherine.

-He's chiselled.

-Hi.

-Thank you so much.

Hello, hi. I'm very sorry to talk to you.

We really, really like your Art-Deco chair.

It's beautiful but we literally do not have a penny over, I think, £70.

What can you do on this shop dummy thing?

55. Can you come down a bit more on that one? All right, OK.

-Thank you, bye.

-55. That's not bad, is it?

-That will leave you with £15.50.

-I wouldn't pay over...

I wouldn't buy it, full stop, but I wouldn't pay over £5.

You said he looks like me and now you're saying he's horrible.

-No, no, no, I just...

-OK, let's go.

Will we all shake hands or go for a high-five?

-Yeah!

-Catherine.

-I don't think I can bear to do it.

-We did well.

We've got literally five seconds left.

SHE SQUEALS

-Shall we have a hug, Catherine?

-A group hug.

-We've done it.

We've got the goods. Yay!

The Reds look happy. Can't say the same for poor Catherine.

Now, then, with their shopping hour over,

it's time to find out whether the auction can string

some profits together for today's teams.

We're off to Wisborough Green in West Sussex

and to the Bellmans saleroom.

But first, let's remind ourselves what the Red team bought.

Their crafty use of T-shirts got the Wood Bine doll's house

down to £179.50.

Another disrespectful gag with my signed photos

got the Tri-Ang doll's house down to £49.

They christened the torso Sebastian, which cost them £55.

What are they on?

Will, Alastair, what have you done to your faces, chaps?

This is testosterone.

We hit puberty, I think, and this happened.

Between the shopping and the auction, you hit puberty?

To be honest with you, we saw your moustache and we thought

we've got to get in on the action

and go for the more rock-star kind of look.

What do you eat to grow your hair with such rapidity?

400mg of testosterone a day.

-If I gave that a yank...

-Please don't.

That's great fun, isn't it? You spent nearly everything.

You gave Catherine £16.50.

Did she blow the lot? And to help her out,

because there are two of them, I'm going to whip that off.

I have bought you these rather special

19th-century green ribbed apothecary bottles.

-What did they hold?

-It would have been medicine.

That's the clue there of what was contained inside.

-They're nicely ribbed, lovely enamel signs.

-I like them.

I can't believe you're not very impressed with these. £16.50!

-£16.50 for the two.

-For the two.

-Amazing.

-Let me tell you, that is a bargain.

-I think you're probably right.

Thank you so much, Catherine.

Let's hope the facial hair will help with their decision later on.

Let's remind ourselves what the Blue team bought with their £300.

Kenny went solo

and did a quick deal on the shooting stick for £20.

The team regrouped and went for the Kodak projector.

And finally, they went big on a large silver pocket watch.

Now, Alice, Kenny, you spent £264, which was a magnificent effort.

-Yeah.

-£36 went across to Mark Stacey.

Did you blow the lot, Mark?

Well, Tim, this is what I blew it on.

It's a little gilt-metal mounted box set with, I think, jade,

and I think it's rather charming with all the decoration.

-Do you think it's English?

-No, I think it's probably Eastern.

Chinese, maybe.

-With the stepped corners and the decoration on it.

-Very nice indeed.

-Do you want to hold it?

-Kenny's taken a shine to it already.

I think it'll appeal to the market and I only paid -

are you ready for this?

-Steady.

-£20.

-OK.

-I would love it to make over 100.

-So would we.

Well, who knows whether it'll reach 100.

We'll find out very soon, though,

as the auctioneer, Jonathan Pratt, is ready to sell.

Now, lads, your first item is Wood Bine Cottage.

It's detached, it's freehold and here it comes.

Considerable interest in this lot. I'll start at 170. With me at £170.

Looking for 180 now. 180, 190, 200, 220.

We didn't pay too much!

-300. Commission bid at 300.

-That's nothing for a cottage!

Commission bid against you at 300. £300 then, against you all at £300.

Yes, that's so good, £300.

That is £120.50. Now, here comes the Tri-Ang.

Start me at £20 for the Tri-Ang doll's house.

Thank you, front row at 20. Let's go up now, surely worth 25.

Go on, Jonathan.

-Maiden bid of £20.

-Go on!

-At £20.

-Uh-oh. £20.

-What did we pay for that?

That's -29. Here comes Sebastian.

What a fine specimen he is.

To save time, let's start at £5 for this.

£5 is bid, thank you, at £5.

At £5, looking for 10 now. 5, 10, 15?

Shakes her head at 15. 10 it is.

At £10, at the very back, any more at £10?

-That's outrageous.

-All the good work we did.

-He didn't drum up any interest.

-So, £46.50.

That's what you've got in the way of profit.

What are you going to do about these bottles?

Are you going to risk £16.50?

Are you going to trust Catherine here?

You don't have to do it! Just make your choice.

You're going to do it quickly? Going with it, yes.

You are going with it. Wow!

We're going with the bonus buy. Here they come and good luck!

I have bids to start me at £35.

-Yay!

-£35 straight up.

£40 against you on the book.

£45, internet. Commission bids have gone. 45 on the internet.

Fair warning, selling to the internet at £45.

£45. That's £28.50, plus £28.50.

That means you have a grand total of £75.

-I think we need a shake all round on this.

-Yeah.

Seriously, chaps, congratulations and well done.

Isn't that extraordinary?

-Do you know how the Reds got on?

-No.

-Do you know how the Reds got on, convincingly?

-Convincingly.

-Genuinely?

-Genuinely.

-You don't want to know. OK, fine.

First up then is the shooting stick and here she comes.

I can start at £10. £10 is bid, I'll take 15 though.

We need a bit more, don't we?

On the book at 10. It's £10 then, on the book at £10. Fair warning.

This is just so sad. Sorry about that start. -£10.

A Kodascope projector by the Eastman Kodak company.

Start me at £20.

£20 for this? Surely worth £20. £10 then.

£10 at the every back, at £10, thank you.

Looking for 15 now. I'll sell it for 10.

Oh, no. £10 is -34.

Lot 79 is the large silver-plated pocket-watch.

£20 is bid with me, at £20. 25 internet, 30 internet, 35 internet.

Do I see 40 in the room? 40 internet. 45 internet.

They're fighting each other for this. 50 internet. 55 internet.

-Anyone else want to join in?

-Be brave.

65 on the internet. £70, internet. 75, they keep going.

Thank goodness for the internet.

£80 internet bid, at £80. 85 internet. £90 on the internet.

£90 it is. All done on the net?

-154. -154, I'm afraid.

-Are you going to go with the metal box?

-Yes.

Let's cross our legs and hope for the best. Here it comes.

Start me at £20 for this. Surely 20. 20 is bid, looking for 5 now.

25 waving. 30, 35, 40.

45, 50. 55. 55, the lady's bid.

Now 60 on the net if you want to join in. 65 waving at me still.

70 on the net. 75 waving.

80 on the net. 85 waving.

Internet bidder's persistent. £100 on the net.

£100, stopping now at £100. Do I see 110 anywhere?

Internet bid then, selling £100.

Well done, Mark Stacey. That's the way to do it.

Buy it for 20, sell it for 100. That's a very nice £80 profit.

-You are -£74.

-I reckon we'll still beat those Reds.

-You are -£74.

The big thing now is don't say a word to the Reds

and all will be revealed in a moment.

Oh, dear. Things didn't go too well for the Blues.

It was the Reds on the other side of the scale, with a profit of £75,

who have today's winning score.

Coming up, will our next two teams be as many miles apart? We'll see.

Meanwhile, we're heading off to Polesden Lacey.

Now, if Hello magazine had been around in Edwardian times,

there's one house that would have featured often - this one!

Polesden Lacey, near Dorking in Surrey,

was the weekend party pad

of wealthy society hostess Mrs Margaret Greville.

In her luxurious home,

she entertained royalty, the rich and famous from all over the world.

Mrs Greville inherited a fortune from her father

and had no difficulty whatsoever in spending vast amounts of money

on paintings, furniture, silver and ceramics

which she loved showing off at lavish dinner parties.

Is this the dining room?

This dining room was designed to be efficient

because that jib door connects directly with the kitchen,

so that all the food would arrive piping hot.

And what would you like to arrive in your dining room hottest of all?

Well, a nice drop of soup, of course.

And what more appropriate vessel to deliver the soup in

than a goose soup tureen?

Isn't he magnificent?

Chinese export, dating from the 1780s,

but incredibly amusing.

What I like about him is the way that you've got

those webbed feet modelled - look.

See the way this little knobbly bit,

which is like the Muscovy duck head,

but moulded on the top of this goose, is portrayed.

Lovely foliage, swoopy sort of tail,

and rather influenced by Robert Adam and his designs.

But of course, this is a well-organised house,

a house that has a sense of drama in its dining room

so, at the other end of the dining table, we find another goose tureen.

How sweet is that!

Back to Lewes, to see whether our next two teams can make

a tidy profit at auction by picking three objects in an hour.

Let's go and meet the teams.

So today we've got a family show.

We have Rob and Becca for the Reds,

and we've got Mel and Al for the Blues.

-Hi, everybody.

-ALL: Hello.

-Happy? Good!

Now, Robert, tell us what you do.

I seem to have accidentally retired.

I used to be a teacher and then I decided to leave.

I took on a short-term project and when that finished, they said,

"By the way, you're redundant,"

-and that seemed to trigger my pension.

-Early retirement, then.

-I'm not ready for the Labrador and the slippers.

-And the pipe.

-I'm looking for the right rainbow to follow now.

-Fancy TV presenting?

-Know anything about antiques?

-A little, but a little knowledge is

-a dangerous thing.

-You're a teacher, you should know!

Now you do know about antiques because you collect a bit.

-What do you like?

-We've a little Moorcroft

-which I know you love. Not.

-Oh, not?

You haven't got the inheritance booked?

-I said, "Don't give it to me!"

-"Sell it, Dad! Get the money!"

-And also we have a little bit of Tunbridge ware.

-And it is beautiful.

-Lovely.

-Do you like this Tunbridge ware, too?

-I like that. It's nice.

-More than the Moorcroft?

-Much more.

So, Becs, what do you do, darling?

I am currently an advisor for a private health care company.

-It's my first ever proper job.

-What have you done up to now?

I've been a dancer all of my life, which has been amazing. Really fun.

And where did you dance?

I did a lot of cruise ships, worked in casinos abroad, Disneyland.

And my little claim to fame is

-I was the first ever girl to be a sky runner for Disney.

-What's that?

-It is the stilts that you can jump and run on.

-Oh, yes.

They were in the parade, but the costume was 13kgs.

When I got there, they said girls can't do it, it's too difficult.

-I saw that as a challenge!

-Quite.

I did the fitness test, the training and was the first girl to do it.

-Were you?

-More do it now.

-So what's your tactics going to be today?

-I think we're going to spend.

Yes! Spend a lot, take some risks.

-Are you?

-Only here once.

-Splash the cash.

-I like the sound of this.

-So are you quaking in your boots, Blues?

-No, not at all.

-No?

-We're confident.

Mel, it says here you're hellish sporty. Is that right?

I like to think I am.

Tell us about your sports.

I play squash and I also teach trampolining and gymnastics

-for pre-school children.

-Right. Do they ever bounce out?

I've had one bounce off!

-Fortunately, I have good catching skills as well!

-Quite.

What do you know about antiques?

I don't know a huge amount although I was brought up around antiques.

My grandmother used to own an antique shop in Surrey.

Did you go and help?

I have such lovely memories of when I was little, popping in.

-Have a cup of tea.

-And dress the window.

-Oh, really?

She used to pay me in knickerbocker glories.

-Right.

-"Do this and you can have one." Lovely memories there.

Do you think you picked up much knowledge?

Can you tell your Staffordshire from Berlin porcelain?

-Absolutely not.

-Oh, that's handy(!)

-It was all knickerbocker glories for you!

-All the way!

Never mind the soft paste and the hard paste.

-OK, Alex.

-Hello.

-You're incredibly sporting.

-I take it from my mum.

-I play rugby quite often.

-You don't!

-I do, yes.

-What position?

-I play 8 or 7, so right in

the action at the back of the scrum.

-Does it get really rough? I bet...

-It does, yes.

A few handbags get thrown. Lots of injuries I've had, but...

it's so much fun, I don't really mind.

Do you think your extreme level of fitness is going to help

against the opposition?

-The odd backflip down the road. You never know.

-Is Lewes ready?!

-Now £300 apiece.

-Thank you.

-You know the rules. Your experts await.

And off you go! And very, very, very good luck. What delightful teams.

The town is their oyster. Go and explore the shops, teams.

And what exactly are they looking for?

This is the start of our journey. Have we got a plan of action?

Spend lots of money!

-What are you looking for?

-Mum likes something a bit weird.

Weird? Tasteful, not weird.

-Well, I like tasteful and weird.

-Yes!

-£300 and some lovely shops? What can go wrong?

-What CAN go wrong?

-Are we going to win?

-Yes!

-Absolutely!

-That's it! Come on!

Let's go bargain hunting!

-I like that for a start.

-£325.

-We'll have two of them.

-We'll have it for 20.

-Shall we go in?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-The clock is now ticking.

-Is it?

-I'm excited!

-Thank you.

OK...

-Where do you start?

-Good question, Roberto.

It can be so daunting, surrounded by all this stuff.

-They opened the cabinet for us, Catherine.

-A little pin tray?

-Yeah.

I think it has a stamp inside.

The Keswick stamp. Keswick School of Art. And they're asking 55.

-It's very simple.

-It's sort of Arts and Crafts.

-It is.

And it is a simple design, but that's its sort of charm.

We might be able to get it for 40 or something.

How much do you think it would make at auction?

I don't think it would make a huge amount more than that.

-Steve, what's your best price on that?

-45, really.

-Couldn't do 40?

-I'll ask him, but I think he'll say no.

-OK.

-There is another piece.

-Oh, there's another piece.

-Same school.

That one's probably got more use, hasn't it? That one's got 75.

Shall I ask the best price so at least we know? That's 40, 45.

OK, I'll put this one back.

Catherine can't move fast enough for Becs.

She's already weighing up the other options.

I've just had a word about this.

-They will do 50 on this.

-That's not bad.

I actually think that might be worth a go at 50.

Of the two, that probably is the better bet.

That's not a bad price, is it?

-Shall we get that as our first buy?

-Let's do it.

-Shall we?

-Yeah!

-Yay!

-And it's BD!

They all say BD.

BD or not BD?

That was the question and they've answered it with their first buy.

Come on, Blues. Keep up. What's BD?

I think we'll go down here to Cliff Antiques.

-That's a good idea, yes.

-We walked past that one.

-Yes.

-Shall we have a little look in the window?

-Oh, look!

Now this reminds me of the time I had to clean my grandmother's

-brass. She used to pay me a pittance.

-Nana still does pay me!

-But I like this.

-Well, it's a club fender.

I like these sort of things, but it is quite a lot.

-Shall we go in?

-Yeah.

-We'll come back.

-Absolutely.

Oh, gosh.

Mark, what's this over here? I like that.

-What's that?

-The brass.

-It's an inkwell, yes. Quite decorative,

but it's 28 quid, which is not bad

if you're buying it for yourself, but it won't make a lot at auction.

That shoe horn is quite fun in the form of a woman's leg.

With the garter as well and a little flapper dress. Nice feel to it.

-What I like is the brass is a nice colour.

-Yeah.

So it's obviously got a bit of age to it. It's been used.

-It's got that patina on it.

-I like that. It's quite chic.

It's priced at £14 only. It's almost

a shame to try to get some off, but we reckon we could.

-Shall I ask?

-Go for it.

-Shall I?

-Go on.

-What can we have this for?

-The best is ten.

-That's fantastic.

For £10, I'd expect a pair!

Top brass!

Mel and Alex have got a leg up on their first buy.

But they're not the only ones to like a bit of leg.

'I've been scouring the shops, too,

and found something that might shoehorn a profit at auction.'

-Hello!

-Hello!

What do you think? You take that. Don't you think they're just fab?

-Wonderful, Tim!

-What are they?!

They're made of slithers of sycamore. That's this ripple.

What are they used for?

Sort of stretching wet stockings after you've washed them.

-Or displaying them in a shop.

-Yeah.

And the dealer who sold these to me buys a lot in France and she bought

420 pairs of these things when a warehouse shut down.

She took them to Ardingly Fair and she sold 410 pairs

to one man who bought the whole lot for £7.50 each.

-No way!

-How about that?

-So he's definitely a leg man!

While the Blues shake a leg,

the Reds are trying to keep ahead with this unusual find.

Isn't that nice? It's a little pen tray, the hare and the tortoise.

-They're sweet, aren't they?

-Guess what's on that. £110.

-It's ridiculous, isn't it?

-It's nice, but not that nice!

-If we can squeeze it down to 70...

-At 70, yeah.

If we can do it for 70.

-And then focus on one last item.

-Yeah?

-That sounds like a plan.

Let's go. Steve, we do really like your little pen tray.

-Yes.

-In fact, we like it quite a lot.

-We do, we do.

Is there any chance that you can just push it down to 70?

If I put it to her at 70, she may do.

-Yeah, OK.

-Does 70 quid buy this pen tray?

-OK, lovey. All right, cheers.

-So what's she saying?

-Yeah, 70 quid.

-Well done!

-Well done, Steve. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Well, the Reds are haring along, but the Blues are going so slowly

they've gone backwards - back to the club fender they fancied earlier.

-Do you want to have another look?

-I'd like to.

Let's go and have another look.

It falls into what I would class

as a sort of typical country house interior.

-That's exactly it.

-A big fireplace,

that sitting there, toasting your crumpets, having a glass of wine.

-Friends round at Christmas-time having a mince pie.

-Sounds lovely.

-And some restaurants and some clubs like this sort of thing now.

-Yeah.

I think at this price it's obviously not Victorian.

If it was Victorian or earlier,

we'd be looking at £500 or £600.

-So definitely not that.

-Do you want to take a gamble?

-I think we need to on something.

-We keep coming back to this.

-In your mind.

-In my mind.

-What about you, love?

-I like it.

-It's a bit different.

-That's amazing.

-We actually agree for once.

Do you want to go and have a word with the dealer? See his best price.

-Off you go, then.

-You're going to let me loose in here?

You two go and work your magic.

Use your feminine wiles.

'They're a lovely pair, aren't they?

'I'm getting on very nicely. They're charming.'

They're so excited about the whole thing, they're a bit scattered.

They're not quite sure whether they want to commit...

I'm glad they like the fender.

A bit chancy, but if they like it and I like it,

hopefully some other people out there will like it.

They'd better get a move on, though.

The Reds are hot on their tail with only one item left to go.

-Let's do it!

-Forward march!

-Thank you!

-Thank you very much!

Oh!

Oh, hello!

Tell them!

-You can't come in!

-Come on, teams. There will be no fisticuffs here.

-We've bought everything.

-Yeah. And all for £10.

Ours were so easy.

I'd be afraid if I were you guys. We've got a secret weapon.

Oh, fighting talk!

Fighting talk.

Don't let them come in here.

Don't let them out of your sight!

Calm down! There's enough to go round.

I hope the Blues put a hold on that fender, just in case.

-How did you get on?

-Ohh!

-Don't be cross.

-What's happened?

-We got caught up in the negotiating.

-And?

-And we kind of bought it.

-The fender?

-Yes.

-How much would you be happy with?

-130?

-That's OK.

-We did 135.

Well done.

Ten minutes, teams, and one item each left to buy.

Time to get focused.

From the look of the Reds, you'd think they were waiting for a sign.

You were looking at that. What are your thoughts?

It's a thing you get drawn to.

These things were made at a time

when real care and pride was put into it,

not like plastic things now.

If you look at the letters, I just think they're beautiful.

-Yeah.

-But it says Holmes on it,

so we've got to hope for a couple of people with the name Holmes.

I like it. I don't know where someone would put it.

A lot of people would say it's nice, but they wouldn't buy it.

But if you got Sherlock Holmes, a couple of people mad on him

who might go for something...

-It's a risk.

-A huge risk. But it's... I don't know.

-Can we have a little word with you, sir?

-Holmes, dispensing chemist.

-It's actually come from a chemist?

-Yeah, Holmes, dispensing chemist,

-which was a very old Brighton shop.

-Right.

We love the way it's been weathered,

but we're not totally in love with this £95 price tag.

-The...

-Did you see that look?

-The trade on it would be 85,

but it's only just come in.

We'd do it for 75 for you.

How about 70? Because it's our last buy of the day.

-Oh...

-75 would be it. The trade on it is 85, so we'd do it for 75.

We've got to find someone with the name Holmes, though.

-We've only got five minutes.

-Five minutes?

-If you can do it for 70...

-I was going to say...

-..we'll shake now.

These two lovely ladies, if they were to look at you all doe-eyed,

could it get that last £5?

Could you do 72 for us?

-Oh, go on, go on.

-Well done!

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-That's very kind of you.

OK, let's go and celebrate with a coffee.

Very good work getting him down on the price, Reds,

but it's a mystery to me

why you think that a Holmes sign would be a good bet.

Unless you're called Holmes.

With only four minutes left,

the Blues still need to solve their final problem.

I like that little champagne bottle at the back.

-The wood one?

-It looks like wood, but is it wood?

-Shall we have a look?

-Yes.

-Can we look in the cabinet?

-Oh, thank you.

-What's that? What is it?

-I don't know.

-Shall we open it up?

-Let's.

-Ah, look at this.

-What is that?

-It's a pipe, isn't it? I think.

-Yes!

-So that goes in here.

-I love that!

-That is pretty cool, isn't it?

-I like that a lot.

-What I quite like about it is that it's also

-a champagne bottle.

-Absolutely.

-We wanted quirky.

-You don't get much quirkier than that.

-Absolutely.

-The big question...

-Is the price quirky? What would you want to pay?

Oh, God. I wouldn't like to put a price on something like that. 40?

- I wouldn't go that high. - It is Victorian.

Yeah, it's got a bit of age to it. So you said 40?

-I'd go 30.

-Would you?

-That's what I'd want to pay.

You'd want to pay 30 and you said 40.

Shall we look at the price? I have no idea.

OK, go on. Put us out of our misery.

-45.

-45.

So you're in the sort of ballpark.

Are our profits going to go up in smoke with it?

LAUGHTER

-I think that is lovely.

-If you ask Michelle nicely, she might tell you

what the very, very best price is.

I think 35, in between what you were both thinking.

-Oh, I say!

-That sounds a nice price.

That's not a bad price. That's the middle of what you said.

-I do like it.

-You can't see what it is straight away.

-You have to look into it.

-It's a bit like a Russian doll.

-Exactly.

-I really like that, so, 35?

-Great.

-Let's shake on it.

-That's lovely.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

-I'm excited about that.

That's our third item, isn't it?

-That's fantastic.

-Bring on the Bargain Hunt!

-Oh, yes.

-Whoo!

That's it. Time's up. Shopping's over.

With that all done it's now time to go back to Wisborough Green

in West Sussex, to the Bellmans saleroom

but first, let's remind ourselves what the Red team bought.

The Reds, Bob and Becs, were drawn quickly to this copper taper stick.

£50 paid.

They kept in front of the race with this tortoise and hare pen tray.

But could it be a non-starter at £70?

And finally, the mystery of the name drew them closer to this sign.

Let's hope it's a sign for a profit at auction. £72 paid.

-Now, Bob and Becs, this is exciting, isn't it?

-Yes.

She had £108 of your cash, your leftover lolly.

Has she spent it all? Catherine?

Now, we have a pair of meat skewers.

They're silver-plated. One for you and one for you.

-Wow!

-That one is a pheasant. That one, a partridge maybe?

But they are beautifully detailed.

I think you would have whammed it once upon a time in your meat.

I just thought they were really beautiful and they cost me £20.

-That's a bargain.

-You've done well.

-Thank you.

-Anyone would think you were an expert(!)

That's fantastic.

The big question is, what do you think they're going to make?

-I think we might make about £20 profit.

-Double your money.

But don't hold me to that!

Double their money, eh?

Well, we'll see if she's right to be optimistic in a minute.

Now, then, the Blues - what did they buy?

Mel and Alex got footloose with this brass shoehorn. Only £10 paid.

They may have got a bit too cosy though

when they bought this club fender, spending a whopping £135.

And finally, the novelty champagne bottle

that converts into a pipe at a very bubbly £35.

I like that a lot.

Three really good items.

-Mel, Alex, how are you?

-Very well.

-Very good.

-Excited, I expect, about Mark's bonus buy.

-Can't wait to see it.

What has he got underneath that rag?

-The way he's holding it...

-The way he's holding it is dead dodgy!

You gave Mark £120 and I'm going to take this off, Mark,

just to help you and reveal all.

-Oh!

-Let me give you this. I think these are rather charming.

Obviously, they're bowls.

They're presentation ones.

They're not marked, but I think they're silver.

They were from a championship or something like that.

They're very decorative objects. You could have them on a coffee table.

You could even mount them

and have them as a pair of book ends if you wanted.

You could just play with them.

You could, but I think they're rather nice.

-I really like these.

-I would have them in the house.

Of course, you'd have anything in the house.

-That's sharp!

-I think they're tasteful.

How much did you pay for them?

I got them for £90 for the pair.

-OK.

-How much money do you reckon they'll make?

I would like to see them making £120, £140,

but whether they'll do that...

I wonder whether the audience at Bellmans will be bowled over

with Mark's bonus buy. We'll see now as we go off to the saleroom

and see Jonathan Pratt, the auctioneer, in action.

45. 50.

On the net at £55. Do I see 60?

Is there anything, Roberto, that you wish you hadn't bought?

-Oh, um...

-Or are you confident with everything?

-Well, you know when they give out the Oscars?

-Oh, yeah.

I've not been there myself!

-And you get the close-up of the guy who doesn't win.

-Yes.

-I've been practising that look.

-Have you? Give us the...

-Is that the one?

-That's the one.

-Which is resigned, but honourable, right?

-Yes.

-Still with your pride.

-I'm trying to be dignified.

-It's going to be good.

-Rebecca is very confident.

-Yeah, positivity.

-My kind of girl.

-No defeatism?

-No.

First up then is the little piece of copper,

the very pretty Keswick School chamber candlestick.

Start me at £30 for this? £30 for the Keswick School taper stick?

It's surely worth £30.

-It is, it is.

-Any interest at £30?

-It's gone quiet.

-Come on!

-£20 then...? Is bid.

At 20 now. Let's go 25. £20 to my left.

-I'll sell it for 20.

-I can't believe this.

-25 on the internet.

-£30 in the front row.

-Come on, internet.

-Come on.

-No further interest. At £30...

-Minus 20. Bad luck, team.

Lot 1740, an unusual, patinated spelter tray,

depicting the tortoise and the hare. I've got £40 straight in with me.

At £40. Looking for 5 now.

45. And 50. With me at £50. No further bidding at £50?

All out? £50, commission bid, I shall sell at 50...

-£50. Oh, bad luck, team.

-I'm practising my look.

-So close!

-A slate house name sign...

-Come on, Mr Holmes!

-Start me at £20 for this?

-£20?!

No? £20? It's surely worth 20.

-£10 then?

-Oh, we're bombing!

-I have a horrible feeling about this.

-£10 at the back of the room?

That's it. At £10, I'll sell.

Oh, no, that is £102 down.

Someone's got some good bargains,

so we've helped someone out in the world.

-That is a lovely, lovely attitude to take.

-Nice girl.

With that attitude in mind, are you going to help somebody else out

-with the skewers?

-Absolutely.

-We're going to go with the bonus buy.

-Spread the good karma.

-Here they come.

-Start me at £20 for these?

Get the ball rolling at £20...? £20.

On the left, thank you, at 20 now. At £20. Any more?

-GAVEL BANGS

-£20. This is not your day.

I got a bid on the hammer there.

-£22.

-Oh!

-He's opened the bidding. He's reopened the bidding.

Do you want to go to 25, sir? He does go to £25.

-He's gone to £25.

-I'm not going to wait so long this time. At £25...

-GAVEL BANGS

-Right, £25.

-Well done.

-There we go. That's all right. That's plus £5.

We're not going to sniff at that.

You are only minus £97.

-It's so nice to be in two figures.

-It is, actually.

-Excellent.

So, Mel, Alex, do you know how the Reds got on?

-No idea.

-You don't want to know.

-I'd like to know.

-No, you can't.

We don't tell you because it might affect whether you go with

-the bonus buy or not.

-Of course.

Here comes the shoehorn.

And I have £8, £10, £12, £15 bid.

-You're in profit. Look at that.

-I'll take 20 now.

£15. Do I see 20?

-Come on, a bit more.

-Any further interest at 15? I'll sell it then.

All done, maiden bid of £15...

That is so cool. Plus £5.

Who says that sex doesn't sell?

Now, the club fender. There it goes.

I've got interest at 80, 90, 110.

I can go straight in at £120. With me at 120.

Looking for 130. We're selling the club fender. It's £120.

-Do I see 130?

-Oh, come on!

-It's no money.

120. 130. At the back, 140.

-Yes!

-Against you at 140. All done at £140? Fair warning.

-It's your last chance at £140.

-Come on!

-Oh, Lord, you've done it! £140 is plus £5.

-Only just!

-Will you make a profit of £5 on the next item?

-Come on!

Start me at £15. Straight in at £15 again.

£15. I'll take 18 if it helps.

Any interest at 18? Commission bid at £15 then.

-Fair warning, I'll sell... 18 waving.

-Yes!

-18 in the centre.

-Keep waving!

-Come on!

-At £18. Looking for 20 now.

-Oh, come on!

-Go on!

At £18 in the room. At £18, I'm selling. All done?

Oh, God! You had £10. You're now minus 7 miserable pounds.

How can that be? It's not right, is it?

-I'm a bit gutted.

-It's not fair.

-I don't blame you.

-It's only a small loss.

-Never mind.

What are you going to do about the old bowls?

-What was it, £90 you paid for it?

-Hmm.

-That's quite a lot.

-I'm not sure now.

-Mark won't mind. It's not a personal thing.

-Make your mind up.

-I want to say no.

-I want to say yes.

-It's always tough, this.

-Let's do it. I'm going to go for it. Oh, no!

-I think we shouldn't.

-Quickly.

-It could be a winning score, minus 7.

-No.

You're not going to go with it? Are you sure?

-I thought you were going with it.

-No.

-We're not going with it.

-No.

-All right, fine.

-Here it comes.

-A pair of Scottish lignum vitae presentation bowls

by RG Lawrie's. I have commission bids

to start me straight in at £80.

With me at £80. I'll take 5 though.

With me at 80. Do I see 5 on the net? It's against you all at £80.

Looking for 5 now. 85. 90.

£90. No more at £90?

Are you sure? Selling at £90...

-I don't believe it.

-Yes!

It wiped its face. £90.

Phew! How close was that?

Wow! Anyway, there we are, girls.

-I can breathe now.

-You made the right decision.

-Mark, you found a fantastic buy.

-Thank you. Well done, girls.

100. 110? 110. 120? All done at 120...?

It is no secret or shouldn't be between you

that, sadly, both teams today

are not going home with money in their pocket.

There has been a tad of loss-making about,

or should I say, a tidal wave

of loss-making on one team and not much of a loss on the other.

And the team with the tidal wave of losses are the Reds.

-Oh, no!

-Oh, yes.

-Oh, yes!

-Minus £97.

-We won!

-Anyway, there we go, minus 97. I mean, what can I say?

It just was not flowing for you today.

But the winners today who have managed to win

by only losing £7 are Mel and Alex.

I can't believe that. I'm so excited!

You had two profits lined up, right?

If only that treen champagne bottle hadn't let you down,

you girls would be going home

with a small amount of cash and I'm sorry you're not.

-It's been great fun.

-It's been lovely.

Anyway, we've liked it so much,

-you should join us soon for some more bargain hunting, yes?

-Yes!