Newbury 25 Bargain Hunt

Today, we are at a location which is no stranger to competition.

For over a century,

horses have galloped around the racecourse here, at Newbury.

Battling it out for big money.

'Swagger is absolutely charging at him on the far side.

'Mitchum Swagger, after Time Flies.'

But today, it plays host to a different type of meet.

It is a meeting of mind, money and antiques today.

So place your bets, eh?

Let's see who is going to be first past the post,

and let's go bargain hunting!

Yeah!

This is one of Bargain Hunt's first visits to

Newbury's Antiques & Collectors Fair.

And doesn't it look splendid?!

There may not be any thoroughbreds here today, but we are still

going to crack the whip

and hope that our teams make substantial profits.

What do you think, my old cock?

CROWING Cheeky!

Let's take a sneaky peak as to what is coming up.

The Reds are proving a handful for Natasha.

We'll take it then.

The Blues and their expert clearly have differing tastes.

Oh, Mark, it's a hideous colour.

Don't you like turquoise?

-Not really.

-I love turquoise.

-£50, I have.

-And the auction is full of...

OOHS

..and ahs.

That's good.

But before all that, let's meet the teams.

Gosh, we have got some top teams on the show today.

For the Reds, we've got chums Maddie and Wendy.

Well, they are chums at the moment.

And for the Blues, we have partners Andy and Steve. Hello, everyone.

-ALL:

-Hello!

-Hello, hello, hello.

Now, Maddie, we have had some top-hole actresses

on this programme before,

but never a Bond girl.

Yeah, but I am not top-hole, that's for sure.

Listen, girl, don't be modest about it.

-Well, anyway.

-You spent more time with Roger Moore,

-mainly in the sack...

-Yes.

-..than anybody else, right?

-Days of it.

-Days and days.

Three at least, yes.

Yes. Actually, IN bed with him.

So your Bond movie was what?

-Live And Let Die.

-Was it?

-Yes, it was.

-Tell us about it.

The whole point is that M and Moneypenny come in,

I hop out of bed,

sneak into the wardrobe, they go,

he comes to the wardrobe, and of course,

I've put my dress on by then, and he doesn't like that.

-No, of course.

-So he undoes the dress with his magic watch,

which wasn't actually magic, it was a thread going all the way down.

-Was it?

-Yes. That he was pulling on.

That's the magic of the cinema, isn't it?

-You have to use your imagination.

-Course you do.

It is all about imagination, that is the art.

You know about antiques, you were brung up with them.

Well, my dad, he went and got himself a stall at Bermondsey

and Portobello and started with just little bits of junk

and stuff like that.

He liked bits and pieces of sort of Staffordshire, that kind of thing.

-So I have got a yen for Staffordshire.

-Have you?

-Yep.

-Find the rare figure...

-Yes.

-..and I tell you, you could make a fortune.

-So keep your eye honed.

-I will.

-Perfect.

So, Wendy, tell me, how did you and Maddie meet?

We met on the West End production of Habeas Corpus, Bennett's play.

-Did you?

-Yes.

-And I was under studying Maddie, who was playing Felicity Rumpers.

-Yes.

And we became friends then and we've stayed friends ever since.

-Tell me about when you played Marilyn Monroe.

-Oh, that was lovely.

I was working on a play then - All My Sons by Arthur Miller,

funnily enough - when...

And it was coming to the end of the run

and I got a phone call from Granada asking me

if I was interested in playing Marilyn Monroe in a play called

Whatever Happened To The Heroes.

-Right.

-It is a science-fiction play.

And I auditioned, and I got it.

And I was amazed to be asked to play her, but it was wonderful.

-It seems like a natural to me.

-Thank you.

So, are you going to agree to buy something stellar together

or are you going to fall out?

Maddie is the expert on antiques, not me, but I'll just

look for what I like, things that particularly appeal to me.

-You are on the negotiating end of it.

-Yes.

And Maddie, as we know, is going to go for Staffordshire.

Yeah, well, if I can. Staffordshire or something...something amusing.

-OK, fine.

-A bit different.

-Well, we will look forward to it.

Now, chaps, I should think you are absolutely petrified after that,

-aren't you?

-Yes.

-Andy.

-Yep.

It says here that you recently bought a house

and you are thoroughly enjoying doing it up.

Yeah, we've recently bought

a Homes Under The Hammer kind of house,

1930s style, and we're kind of furnishing it up in a 1930s,

Art Deco kind of style, with a modern twist, really, Tim.

You are the practical type. You are keen on DIY and all that?

We are a dab hand at doing ceilings and walls.

You are lovely and tall, so you're quite close to the ceiling.

Yes, I get the ceilings, actually.

-Do you do the lower walls?

-Yes, I do the skirting, he does the ceiling.

He does the skirting and I do the ceilings.

That is the joy of the partnership, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely.

Now, you are in the social care sector as a job of work.

-But you are actually a history buff.

-I love history, yeah.

That has always been the thing that I am into.

We go around quite a few National Trust houses, don't we?

And visiting lots of different places like that.

-Yeah.

-Getting your eye in for the next style for the next house.

That would be nice.

Now, Steve, you are going to hold the purse strings

-cos you are in the business.

-Yes, yes, yes.

I work at a bank, so I'll be looking after the money

and do all the negotiating.

-Will you?

-Yes.

-And what do you do in the bank?

Oh, I supervise the cashiers at the moment.

What is the best part of the job?

It's meeting the people, chatting to people, helping them with things.

Now, what is it going to be like,

you two going off and doing the shopping together?

Are you going to agree on everything?

-Oh, I shouldn't think so.

-No, no, no.

There will be some discord.

-Go with the flow.

-Go with the flow, hopefully spend all your money.

Anyway, talking about money, here comes the £300. £300.

There is your £300. You know the rules. Your experts await.

And off you go!

Very, very, very good luck.

I never thought I'd stand next door to a Bond girl.

The supporting cast today

are experts Natasha Raskin,

who's striking the right chord for the Reds.

And mirror, mirror on the wall,

Mark Stacey is the fairest of them all.

-What I would like to know is what we are looking for here today.

-Wendy.

Well, I love blue-and-white china.

I just think it looks so peaceful and elegant-looking.

-Are you ready for this?

-Yes, we're ready.

-Yes.

What are the plans? Come on, you've got thoughts.

-Well, I think we're going to buy cheap.

-Oh, I don't know...

I love Staffordshire

of all kinds, but not the flat-back Staffordshire. I don't like those.

They are too big and unwieldy.

Small things, I think.

-Don't want anything too big, really, do we?

-Small and profitable?

-Yes.

What I'd like to know is,

with these gorgeous actresses, is there going to be high drama?

-Oh.

-No.

-Yes?

Well, you never know, it depends what we see.

I might see something I love and you don't.

Let's find out. Oh, my goodness, we've already got our lines drawn.

OK, teams, your 60 minutes starts...

..now!

-Time to go...

-ALL:

-Bargain-hunting!

It is the boys versus girls. The Reds versus the Blues.

And they are off to a flying start.

-There is a very quirky mix, isn't there?

-Yes, yes.

Lots of different things.

-Mid-20th century.

-I would've thought, yes.

It has got that kind of appeal, which is loft apartment.

I think, in that condition, it is a not from me.

-But I like the idea.

-Yeah, so do I.

Those are quite fun, aren't they? Those rabbit things.

Oh, Mark, they are a hideous colour.

Don't you like turquoise?

-Not really.

-I love turquoise.

-Oh, yes! Yes, yes, yes!

-Oh, that is very theatre, isn't it?

That is very theatre.

Oh, goody. The Reds have already found some blue-and-white.

Wendy has got this lovely bath-cum-planter in her hands.

-£75.

-75. Now...

-Can I stop holding this, Natasha?

-Yes, you can!

-Put it down.

-Shall I put it down?

-That's absolutely fine.

I think there is probably going to be lots of blue-and-white

-out at this fair.

-Really?

But do you know, in all the times that I've sold blue-and-white

in the auction house -

millions of times - I've never sold one like that.

-It is probably not the most unusual thing.

-No, I like that.

But I have not sold one before, so I'm thinking,

how often do these come up at auction,

these planters-cum-baths, whatever they are?

They have taken the time, which I think is really nice,

to put a pattern not only all the way on the outside

-but all the way on the inside, too.

-Yes.

-So there's a bit of quality there.

-Absolutely.

-So how much are we going to go?

-So, Wendy, can I persuade you?

-Yes, you can. I would like that.

-All right, my love.

Hello. We love blue-and-white between us,

-but this is Wendy's particular love affair.

-Yes.

Why do you rate it so much?

-Because it is an unusual pattern.

-Yes.

It is late-19th-century Victorian. It is a foot bath.

-MADDIE:

-A foot bath?!

A Victorian foot bath.

Oh, what fun.

Would you take 40 for it?

No.

-That is the way we want to do it, direct.

-45?

I will do 50.

-Oh, what a gentleman.

-What do you reckon?

I think at £50, we all get something out of it. Is that right?

-That's fine.

-Shall we go for it, then?

-Yes.

-Who is ready to shake for it? Who is doing the first shake?

-Wendy.

-Me. But don't drop it.

That's great. Thank you so much.

-You're very welcome.

-Right, item one.

-Item one.

-Done.

They said they wanted blue-and-white, and blue-and-white they got.

They are sticking to the script after all.

The gents, on the other hand, don't seem to be in any sort of rush.

-Right, come on.

-Another clock.

-Oh, no, clocks. No!

-OK.

-We need to buy something.

-Yeah, we need to...

-OK.

And this is quite a fun item, actually. This is a pepper pot.

Silver mounted. Nice turned wood.

-How old?

-I don't think it is terribly old, actually, that one.

-Edwardian, I'd have thought.

-Do you think it's as old as that?

-Oh, really?

-Turn-of-the-century.

-Is it?

-I really like that, actually. And it is £22.

-Yes.

These are quite collectible.

If this came in for auction, I would estimate it at 30 to 50,

maybe £40 to £60.

-Wow.

-And I think that may do well. So even at 22, it is reasonable.

If we can just get a little bit off it, it gives us

-a bit more potential profit.

-All right, then, we'll go for that.

-Yeah, yeah. I like that.

-How much could you do it for?

20.

Oooh. 19, so we have a chance of making a little profit?

-Eh...

-Oh!

He's getting ahead there, isn't he?

-Don't... What do you do for a living?

-Bank.

-Yeah, quite.

-THEY LAUGH

-That sums it up, doesn't it? I think we can do 18, can't we?

-Yes, we can.

-Are you happy with 18?

-17?

Go on, go on.

-I started something now, haven't I?

-You want us to win, don't you?

We'll stick at 18, I think.

17.50. Go on.

50s? Come on.

-I think, to be honest with you, £18 is a very good price for that.

-OK.

I think you should shake the gentleman's hand

and say, "Yes, please."

OK, we'll shake on 18.

Thank you very much.

-Well, that just might add a bit of flavour to our profits.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-I like it.

-It is cheap enough.

-Flavour to profits. FLAVOUR.

-Oh, flavour.

-Flavour?

We got it, Mark. Very good.

Now, they say actresses can be flighty,

so how are our team Red performing?

Right, Maddie is off on...

Maddie has gone for a recce.

Ah-ha! Some Staffordshire.

Team members?

-We're being summoned.

-Stop chatting.

We are just having a chat, and you're working!

Stop chatting because I've found some lovely little Staffordshires.

-Staffordshire, Wendy, Staffordshire.

-Lovely.

-They're sweet.

-Aren't they?

-What's the best thing about them?

-Surely the fact they're a pair.

-One is a girl and one is a boy.

-One is a lad.

-I like his sporran and his kilt.

-Yes.

That is right up my street.

The thing is, we need to think about, will they make any money?

-At 120, no.

-I'm a little bit scared that an auction estimate on those

-is going to be around £50 to £80.

-I agree with you.

Shall we think about it and move on?

-All right.

-Or do you really want to go for it?

-OK. No, I don't have to.

You don't have to? Good spot, cos you were after that.

I do adore them, but we might come back.

Right. Shall we move on?

-Yes.

-OK, thank you. After you, ladies.

-Yes, ma'am.

Sorry, Maddie, James Bond himself couldn't get that

Staffordshire for a bargain.

-It's your thing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-You really like globes.

-I like globes.

It's very of its period. I mean, have you noticed, it's not English?

-No, that's French, isn't it?

-French!

-Amerique.

-So, is there a big market for this sort of thing?

-There is.

I mean, there is a strong market for vintage globes, actually.

I mean, this one is quite nice

cos you've got that almost Art Deco base.

-Yeah, I like the Art Deco base.

-It is probably 1950s.

-Yeah.

You know, you'd put sort of £40 to £60 on it, I suppose.

-So we need to get it under that.

-You'd need to get it down a bit.

What would you say was your best price, then?

-I would do £40 on that one.

-45...

I'll do 40, yes.

Any negotiation on that?

I think 40 is a pretty good price, actually.

38, maybe? We've got to try and make a profit.

-So do I.

-I know, I know.

I brought it all the way from France, it was raining,

four miles to my van...

I think there's a sob story coming on.

Exactly. I've got nine children to feed.

THEY LAUGH

£38 would be absolutely fine.

-38?

-Yeah.

-Shall we go for that, Mark?

-Your choice.

-Yeah.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Good luck with it.

Well done, Blues.

Two pieces bought in the first 20 minutes with the banker

driving a hard bargain.

-It's going a lot better than I thought it would.

-Yeah...

-I think we've still got time, haven't we?

-Yeah.

We've got enough time to find something else.

Yeah, something we really like, I think.

So you don't really like the globe and the pepper mill, huh?

Oh, look, the Reds are over the place again.

-Where is Maddie? Where has Maddie got to?

-Over there.

Maddie! There's something over here that is quite cool.

-What are my team-mates doing?

-And look at these excellent seats.

-Oh, goodness me.

-Oh, yes!

-Are they not just absolutely gorgeous?

Oh, wow.

Because they are likely from the theatre or an early cinema or

-something like that.

-Are we allowed to sit on them to try them?

-By all means, yes.

-Have a wee seat.

-They're fantastic.

They are fantastic, aren't they?

Are they stable? Yes. And they're still adjustable.

-Are they theatre or cinema?

-I think they're...

What do you reckon? Probably cinema.

-I would say cinema.

-Yeah, cinema.

-1940s, probably.

But they are fab, aren't they? Do you want to have a wee sit?

And then they came from a cinema with a sloping floor,

-so we've just put them on wood.

-To balance them up.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-How does that feel?

-They're lovely, aren't they?

-They are pretty cool.

Comfortable! You could sort of...

Are we going to buy some cinema seats, then?

They're the best seats in the house.

What kind of price have you got on them?

Well, we have been asking 250 for the pair.

-I don't know if we're going to make that back at auction.

-Right.

It is a case of taking a massive risk.

But this lady is lovely and she'll let us have them for loads less.

I mean, what would you be willing to pay for them?

-That is the question I would ask.

-Would you take 150 on them?

Yes, I would do it.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

MUSIC: James Bond Theme A hug from a Bond girl...

Well, I never did!

And what an appropriate purchase for our lovely loveys.

-That's really nice.

-Yes, it is a sort of silver-plate.

I just like the organic feel about it.

Well, it has got all the right sort of influences of the Art Nouveau.

But it is whether it is going to make any money, Mark.

It isn't marked, which is always a shame.

-It'd be quite nice to have a mark on it.

-Oh, right.

If we really want it, we can speak to the dealer and see

whether we can negotiate a price.

-Yeah, I am happy with that.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah. Thanks, Mark.

Yeah, that is brilliant.

Always good to have one in the bank because time is a-ticking.

-Well, yes, I'm...

-She is off again! Maddie!

-Off she goes again.

-Honestly.

-Oh, she has probably spotted something we could do with.

Is the crab the wildest thing you've ever seen?

Yes, it is very wild. Whether I like it or not, I don't know.

-He is actually rather smashing.

-He is quite smashing.

-I quite like him.

-On a wall... On a white wall...

-Look at that.

-He's wonderful.

-A pantomime clock. It's a pantomime clock.

It is a sort of tinny metal. And then look at this.

Do you think is a sort of down at the end of the pier kind of prop?

It is a sort of like a prop from a sort of

-pantomime or something like Peter Pan or...

-Yeah.

-Something to do with the sea and pirates.

-You may be right.

I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't like it in my home.

I was about to say, would you let

this to adorn your living room?

No. I think it is quirky enough

that it might actually sell.

-Well, I think we need to inquire as to its price.

-Where is the person?

Side shuffle back to us.

-Sideways going?

-Yes!

She is mad as a brush.

MUSIC: Live And Let Die You are all mad, Reds.

And we love it.

Now, how are the cool Blues getting on?

-The hour just isn't enough to take it all in, is it?

-No.

-Yeah, I know.

Mark, there was one thing.

I saw a mirror over on that stall we passed just a minute ago.

-OK, do you want show me?

-Can we go and have a look at that?

-Yes.

I see, going back to the first stall, eh? Clever.

-The first thing you can tell, it's not English.

-No, looks French to me.

I think it is French, you are absolutely right.

And this is very much sort of that Empire style,

-or even Egyptian-esque style.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-I think this is somewhere at the beginning of the 20th century.

I mean, it feels like silver to me.

I mean, this is the sort of thing you'd find on a lady's dressing...

And it is still usable, isn't it?

-It is still usable. You like it.

-I do.

-I like it.

-And I like it.

-How much is it?

-£78.

-£78.

Well, that is not a bad start, is it?

-Is there any wriggle room in that?

-A little. A little.

See where... Where can you start off with?

Well, shall we start off

with a really ridiculous offer? £60.

-So not that ridiculous.

-No!

It is reasonable, but I need a little bit more than that.

-You're going to come up a bit more.

-How about 65?

-I think that is quite reasonable.

-At 65, yes?

-I think it is a deal.

-Are you happy with that, Mark?

-I am very happy with that.

That is a reasonable price to pay.

-Brilliant. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

I am so happy with that.

-And we have got three things!

-And we're finished.

-Yes!

Excellent work, team -

all finished with ten minutes to spare.

-Who is putting the kettle on?

-Oh, he can.

-No, not me.

THEY LAUGH

Milk, no sugar for me, please.

Meanwhile, the Reds are about to find out the cost of the tin crab.

How much is this?

-£85.

-£85?!

-'No!'

-No, no.

-Yes, it's made by Mexican artisan families.

-Yeah...

And they're all made out of old oil drums, any metal they can get.

I don't think we can afford this.

Do it for 70, sir.

-75?

-80 is best.

80 is the best.

Do we do it for 80, Natasha?

-Um, uh...

-You are the oracle.

I...I...

We are running out of time, but I am worried at 80.

-I am worried at 80.

-Yes.

-Are you?

-Not 75 even?

-'No, sorry.'

Well, I think we have to say no then, don't we?

'Do we have to say no?'

It is up to you, but I'm worried. Personally, I am worried at 80.

-What does that leave you?

-It leaves me 20 quid.

And I've made money on less, so don't worry about that.

We'll take it then.

We'll take it then. Because I think it is worth the gamble.

I hope we make a fortune out of it.

We are going to lose brilliantly, but it will have been a lot of fun.

I think we can all just burst into Que Sera.

I think that would be a nice thing to do right now.

Time is up!

Ladies, we have snapped up three pretty wild items.

And I have been thrilled

-to spend the last hour with you.

-Oh, thank you.

-I think we need to wish ourselves a little bit of luck at auction.

-Yes.

So let's go and have a sit down and just sort of think about

-what we've done.

-And have a drink.

-Yeah. Yes, please, let's go.

Thank you.

Let's check out what the Red team bought, eh?

The girls went wild for the blue-and-white foot bath.

They were crazy about the cinema chairs, and spent £150 on them.

And guess what?

They were bonkers about the tin crab

and shelled out - ha - £80 for it.

Those girls sure know how to spend money!

I say, I say, I say!

How lovely.

-Have you had a lovely time?

-Absolutely fantastic.

-It was good, was it?

-Really enjoyed it. Yes, it was.

Yeah. Did the time whiz by?

-Awfully quick.

-Awfully quick. And which is your favourite piece, Mads?

-The Mexican crab.

-Good.

It sounds like some sort of dance, doesn't it, really? Or worse.

It's make or break, I think, with the crab, but I do love it.

-Was the crab your favourite too, Wendy?

-Not really.

-My favourite thing was the blue-and-white foot bath.

-Good.

And is that going to bring the biggest profit, do you think?

-I think it's got a good chance, yes.

-Yes, you do?

-I think.

-In total, how much did you spend?

-280.

-280.

Please, may I have 20?

Lovely. Jolly good.

-Don't spend it all at once.

-No, no, it's not for me.

-It is for her indoors.

-Thank you.

Who is going to go out now and go forth and multiply.

Aren't you, Natasha.

Yeah, well, as you can tell, Tim, the last hour has been...

-Quite tiring.

-..quite wild.

So I'm going to amble around and find something,

like these ladies, that is fun and games.

Which is absolute marvellous, Natasha, thank you very much.

But right now, why don't we check out what the Blue team bought, eh?

The charming pepper grinder cost the Blues just £18.

The world is their oyster with the 1960s French globe.

And here's looking at you, team. The silver mirror, bought for £65.

-So, how was that for you?

-I really enjoyed it.

Time goes really quickly.

-It does.

-Oh, yeah.

-When you are enjoying yourself.

-Oh, yes, spending other people's money.

-Fiddling about.

-No better guide than Mark Stacey.

-No.

-No.

-Uh, well...

-How much did you spend?

-Steve.

-121.

-Did you? 121.

So, please, may have 179?

-I have got it somewhere safe.

-OK. What is your favourite piece?

Oh, I like my globe.

-You like your globe. Do you agree with that?

-No, not really.

I like my mirror. I thought that was a good quality piece.

-Do you ever agree with Steve?

-No, not really.

THEY LAUGH That is your favourite.

Is it going to bring the biggest profit?

-No, I don't think so.

-What is going to?

-The pepper grinder.

-I agree.

-It was found by our expert.

Well, he is pretty hot stuff himself.

He doesn't need peppered up. There you go.

What are you going to spend all that cash on, Mark Stacey?

Well, we've got...

We've taken a trip around the world with the globe. I think I'm going

-to look East.

-Are you?

-BOTH:

-Aaah!

-There is a bit of a hint.

-Yeah.

You've got a little bit of time because we are about to head off

to Winchester Cathedral.

What a marvel this 11th-century building is.

It has the longest nave of any medieval cathedral in Europe

and is full of antiquities that reveal our rich, fascinating history.

Behind me is the West Window,

a simply vast expanse of stained glass.

And when this was originally completed in 1375

by Thomas of Oxford, it told the story of the life of Christ.

And it is interesting, isn't it?

If you consider that at that time the population was largely

illiterate and stained glass, pictorially, enabled the story

to be understood by practically everyone.

But today, that window tells a slightly different story.

For 250 years,

the window stood proudly at the entrance of the cathedral.

But come the English Civil War in 1642,

when Cromwell's forces tried to overthrow King Charles,

the magnificent stained glass came under attack.

To help uncover the West Window's past

is local historian Dr Louise Hill Curth,

who is an expert in the Civil War period.

So how does this window differ from the original?

This window is made up of many,

many thousands of pieces of tiny broken medieval glass.

The original window was destroyed sometime in the 1640s

when the Parliamentarians came in and pillaged the cathedral.

Why was Winchester targeted by the Parliamentarians?

Winchester was a Royalist stronghold.

We have a castle, we have the cathedral.

And the Winchesterians were very, very strong supporters

of King Charles.

When they came into Winchester and attacked,

they destroyed buildings all along the way to the cathedral.

And when they got to the cathedral, the stories go, that they

destroyed or stole everything they possibly could,

and this included destroying the stained glass windows.

Cromwell's forces were determined to use violence to obliterate

certain symbols in Britain's churches.

But here they failed.

Instead, the smashed glass was kept safe. And when peace was restored,

so was the West Window, in a new and different way.

When we look at the window,

you must remember that it is many, many thousands of pieces

of medieval glass that were broken and then replaced or renovated.

Now, there is a figure which is...

It looks like one person,

but it is actually made up of bits of original

figures of different people which now looks like one completed figure.

So, what is it that is important about this window?

I think, actually, we need to ask

what is so important about the survival of the window

and the cathedral.

This cathedral dates back to the 11th century.

It is a major part of our heritage.

And today, we can see it in its magnificence

and beauty despite centuries of war.

It is a thrilling experience to be able to wander

in one of our historic cathedrals.

So much history safely gathered under a single roof.

And the West Window, of course, is a reminder to us that

when something is broken, it is not necessarily lost.

The big question today for our teams over at the auction is,

are they going to find themselves in lots of little pieces or

simply have a smashing time? HE CHUCKLES

Half an hour up the road

are Special Auction Services, in Greenham,

where our bargain hunters are putting their purchases to the test.

Thomas Plant is wielding the gavel.

And I caught up with him about our items.

-Thomas, it is grand be here.

-It is a pleasure to have you.

What we have got here is an amazing selection of stuff.

First up is this blue-and-white foot bath.

-For washing one's feet after a long day.

-Exactly.

-It is not very old.

-No.

-It was probably made...

-Last year?

Late 20th century. It could be last year.

It is directly a copy of a Mason's Ironstone one

in a transfer blue-and-white.

-It is decorative.

-Exactly. But brand-new, effectively,

What is it worth?

-£20 to £30.

-OK.

-That is being generous.

-Yes.

I'm afraid to say that £50 was paid. We'll see what happens.

Now, we have got the cinema chairs. They're fun, aren't they?

I love the cinema chairs.

-If you were a cinema buff...

-Exactly.

..and you didn't have a home cinema, you'd still like them.

You could put them in a corner of a room where you can show your movies.

And get a tub of popcorn

and a couple of cans of something fizzy, right?

Snuggle down in those chairs.

And I tell you, you would be back in the ODEON in 1935.

-Right. How much?

-80 to 100.

-OK, 150 paid.

Well, you know, it is the opportunity.

-It should make money.

-And then lastly, we've got this old crab.

-The crab.

-It could be 1980s. It could be even later.

-It is just made out of some old scrap metal, isn't it?

-It is.

It is handmade. It is not beautifully done.

It has been done with a bit of oxyacetylene on here.

You can see the way they've done it.

It's a horrible thing. How much is it worth?

-£20 to £30.

-OK, £20 to £30.

-80 paid.

-Right, OK.

-OK?

-They have taken some serious chances here.

-They have.

And I have a horrible feeling it is going to go most horribly

wrong for them and they are going to need their bonus buy.

So we need now, Tom,

to shuffle off, without you,

secretly,

to check out the bonus buy.

Don't we?

Look, you spent £280. I am so proud of you girls!

You only gave £20 to Natasha Raskin

to go and find your bonus buy. What did you find, Nattie?

Poor little sweetie.

-I didn't have a lot of money, did I?

-No. Sorry about that.

So I kept it cheap but cheerful. I thought, fun and games.

-I think if you remember, I said, "Fun and games."

-You did.

And I thought, talking of games,

I don't know if you ladies play bridge at all.

No. Too stupid.

-THEY LAUGH

-Not the game, me.

Not true, not true. But it is very popular.

-Parlour games have become so popular.

-Hugely.

And this is a wee trump marker. So you have little slabs here

that show you the different suits of the cards. Do you play bridge, Tim?

-You nominate the suits or something like that.

-You do, you do.

I think in the contemporary game, this is done with a wee box.

-Is that silver?

-It's not. It is silver-plated.

It looks like ivory, but it is ivorine.

And it is just a sweet wee thing.

-It is kind of falling to bits, but I loved it.

-How old is it?

How old is it? I wouldn't think it was terribly old, sort of 1950s,

'60s, something like that.

-But I only paid four pounds for it.

-Really?

-Mm.

Four pounds. So it is really nothing.

But we did take quite a few risks, ladies,

-so I thought, "Let's bring the risk level down a little bit."

-Yes.

-That's interesting(!)

-OK, well, you like that, don't you?

-I love it.

You don't pick now, Wendy,

you pick after the sale of your first three items.

Right now, for the audience at home,

let's find out whether the auctioneer thinks that Natasha is onto a winner.

-So, there you go, Tom.

-Yeah. I love bridge things.

And this is very respectable,

electroplated bridge marker with IVORINE markers, slightly faded.

-Which is another word for plastic, really, isn't it?

-Yeah.

It is a fancy word for plastic.

But it is at the bottom

of the pecking order of bridge trump markers.

Poor Natasha only had £20,

and she went out and she spent a modest amount.

What is your estimate on that?

I think we put ten to £15 on it.

Well, the girl only spent four pounds.

-She spent the right amount, didn't she?

-Perfect.

Which is a perfect bonus buy

if you've only got that modest amount to buy.

Exciting, though. Whatever is going to happen, Tom?

-Absolutely.

-It is a weird group.

Not quite as weird but getting on that way

for Mark Stacey and Andy and Steve

is the pepper mill. Now, that is a classic of its type.

-It has got a retailer's name to it - Park, Green and Co.

-Lovely.

And they are well known for making pepper mills. I like this very much.

-Good. And it is silver, right? Solid silver?

-Silver banding.

-1960s silver.

What is it worth?

-I put £20 to £30 on it.

-Fair enough. Mark found it. He paid £18.

He paid the right price. And that is cheap, really, as a retail price.

-Now, the globe. I mean, do you like that one?

-I do like this one.

-It is a French one.

-Yeah. Well, we can't hold that against it.

No, we can't hold that against it.

-Does it date from the 1950s, that thing?

-1960s.

-Right.

What do you think it is worth? Is it worth £100?

-But because of the base...

-Yes.

It has been squashed here, which is a real shame.

-£20 to £30.

-Really?

-Mm.

£38 paid.

I don't see a problem. It might make more.

-Do you know, I've got a funny feeling about it.

-Good.

Now, moving on, we have got the little hand mirror.

Is it made of a precious metal?

I think it probably is going to be a silver.

It has got that sort of Renaissance-y look to the wings.

-And the grotesque, yeah.

-That is a quality thing.

-And it is a lovely size.

-Exactly. What is it worth?

-£40 to £60.

-OK, £65 he paid.

-Well, he's got to get the upper end.

It might get the upper end. But it is just a hand mirror.

And if you see the better hand mirrors,

-the larger sized ones, they do make £50 to £80.

-Yeah.

I mean, they have taken some chances, these Blues.

There was a pile of leftover lolly.

Let us find out what Mark Stacey spent the leftover lolly on.

-Well, excitement or not?

-Yes, yes. Looking forward to this.

-What, the leftover lolly?

-Yes.

-Well, you only spent the 121.

You gave Mark Stacey £179. Mark, what did you spend it on?

-I spent it on this.

-Oh!

-Oooh!

-Which I think is absolutely wonderful.

It is... White metal, we'd call it, but actually it's silver.

-Indian.

-Right, OK.

It is not marked, of course, but the detailing is quite good.

And I would have said it is sort of late 19th century, 1900 or so.

-Wow, quite old then.

-During the Raj period.

-Want to have a look?

-Yeah.

And these things now, I think, are becoming a lot more collectible.

What do you think, Stevie Wonder?

I like it. But the important question is, how much did you spend?

-Well, I paid a very modest £60 for that.

-Not bad.

-Which I think is quite reasonable.

-Yeah.

So, how much do you think it is going to make, Mark?

Well, I'd like to see it making about 100 or so.

-£80 to £100.

-Wow.

-I think that is perfectly reasonable,

particularly with the internet these days.

Got all the information you need,

-Stevie Wonder?

-Um... I think so.

-You are anxious about it, Andy, are you?

-Oh, no, not at all.

-Not at all.

THEY LAUGH

Well, that's great. OK, everybody is happy.

Right now, for the audience at home, let's find out whether our auctioneer

is equally happy.

Right. Silver?

This is a piece of Indian silver,

possibly from the Lucknow region in India. It is a good canister.

-I like it.

-You could use it for tea.

If you wanted to keep your Indian tea

in an Indian silver tea canister, nothing more perfect.

It is sort of air-tight, too, which is lovely, keep it nice and fresh.

-My estimate was £50 to £70.

-Was it?

Well, that is brilliant, spot on, cos Mark paid 60.

And he paid that retail.

If you can get 50 to 70 at the auction, that would be brilliant.

-Well, it deserves to.

-It does, doesn't it?

-It does, 100%.

Very good, Tom. Well, we are looking forward to your action in a minute.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Time for Thomas to take to the rostrum. Stand by.

45 online I have.

85. It's online at 85.

Online at £85...

-Maddie, how are you feeling?

-Excited.

-Are you?

-Excited. The knees are going.

-My knees tend to lock.

-Are they?

-Yes.

-Is that the same with you, Wendy?

-Yes, absolutely.

Really, really looking forward to this.

And first up is your blue-and-white foot bath.

Stand by for a bloodbath, here it comes.

Lot number 110.

A late-20th-century

blue-and-white foot bath here.

Ten pounds.

Ten pounds to start us. Ten. 12.

15. 18. 20. Two.

Five. Eight.

30. Five.

35 I have. And 40 it is.

He is a conductor, isn't he?

'40 it is. At £40 it is.'

One more?

45 online I have.

How brilliant is that?

45. 50 it is. At £50.

You are on £50.

Room bidder has it at 50. Once.

-Oh, so close!

-Wiped its face.

-But that is so much better than they thought.

-Brilliant.

Than I thought!

-What do I know?

-Lot 111, a pair of Art Deco cinema chairs.

Start me here at £60. 60 I have.

-Oh, straight in.

-'60 in front.'

Any advance at 60?

A gentleman's bid in front at £60.

'Maiden bid. Five.'

70. 70 we have here.

70, it's against the internet.

'At £70.'

Room bidder has it at 70. Once, 70.

-'Twice. 75. 80.'

-Oh!

80 I've got. 80 it is once.

80, twice. All done then at 80...

-Uh-oh.

-Oh!

£80 is -70. That is not so hot.

That's unusual.

I am very surprised.

-In fact, I am cut up about it.

-So am I.

Now, let's go with the crab.

Ten pound note for the crab.

And a ten pound note I have. At ten pounds it is.

Any advance at ten? 12.

-Uh-oh.

-'15.'

-Stop it.

18. 20. Two.

22 it is.

At £22 for the crab. At 22.

-'And five online.'

-Oh! Wendy...

'Go on, sir, it is against you online.

'You could take it home today.'

28 I have. At 28 it is there.

At £30.

-I want 100.

-'30. You're not going to stop at 30.'

30 once.

30 twice. All done then.

WOMEN GROAN £30 is minus £50.

Equals £120.

So what are we going to do about this bonus buy?

-Going to go with the four-pound bonus buy?

-I love it.

-I love you.

-What we got to lose?

-I think we should go for it.

-Are you happy, Wendy?

-Yes.

-We are both happy.

-Maddie, you're happy?

-Definitely.

-We are going with the bonus buy.

Here it comes.

Lot 116, a plated trump marker.

Um... For bridge or whist.

Start me here at five pounds.

At five for the bridge marker.

Five pounds online.

TIM LAUGHS

Five pounds, an online bidder has it.

Is there eight anywhere else?

Five pounds it is here. Once.

Five pounds, twice. All done then.

Well done. Natasha, you made a pound.

-Oh, well.

-Listen. Listen.

You are now -119.

-Sounds good.

-This is appalling.

And if things go really, really, really, really badly

for the Blues, that might be a winning score.

-How excited are you?

-Very excited.

-On a scale of one to ten?

-Eight.

-Eight?

-Going towards nine.

-That's more than seven.

-Yes.

THEY LAUGH

-Andy, how are you?

-Yeah, I'm OK, actually.

-Are you?

Yeah. I am interested, really.

You wait such a long time for it to come up,

and we are, on the edge of the auction, and it is very exciting.

-Isn't it?

-Oh, yes. Yes.

-Good.

Well, we wish you well, cos you've been great contestants.

Anyway, your first item is the pepper mill. And here it comes.

Lot number 128, a modern, silver-banded,

mahogany pepper mill. Start the bidding with me here

at £15.

15. 15 we have.

At 15. It is an online bid.

At 15. At 18.

At 18, room bidder has it.

£18 now. Any advance at 18? Selling then.

-No!

-'Are we all done at 18?'

Once, twice...

-I can't...

-Oh!

-Oh, no! 18. Wiped its face.

-I expected a profit.

I thought the same, Mark.

Here comes the globe.

By Girard, Barrere, Thomas.

On an aluminium step base. The lovely globe.

I have got bids immediately here with me at £20.

20 is my bid. 22. 25 now.

28 now. And 30. 35. And 40.

-THEY GASP

-'45 now.'

All online at £45.

All online at 45. It is where we are, at 45.

Any advance in the room?

-Yeah.

-'Online bidder. 45 once.'

-Oh.

45 twice. All done.

£45. Well done. That is plus seven pounds.

That's handy.

It's folding money.

The straight-grained back with bevelled glass

and circular mirror with French strike marks to it.

Start the bidding with me here at £30.

Somebody start me here at £30.

'Lovely little travel mirror.'

No!

£30. At 30.

£30. Any advance? Surely, it's silver with this lot.

£30.

-Exactly.

-'I don't believe it.'

-Unbelievable.

-'Unbelievable.'

20 then. Try me at £20.

-THEY GASP

-'20 I've got.

-'Gentleman's bid at 20.'

-20?!

Go on, one more. You started it.

25 I have. 28 now.

28. 28 it is.

At 28. Is there 30 anywhere else? At 28 we have.

Gentleman's bid at £28.

-£28?!

-'I was sure this would go for more.'

At 28. There is nothing online.

Once. Twice at £28.

All done.

-I can't bear it.

-Oh, no!

£28 is a disaster.

That is two off 30.

That is minus 37.

Which means, overall, you are minus £30. I can't bear it.

-No!

-No!

Now, what about the Indian canister?

-Tea canister.

-We're going for it.

We are in minus territory, so I reckon we should maybe go for it.

You've got everything to go for, haven't you? OK, fine.

We are going with the bonus buy. How exciting. And here we go.

Lot number 134, an Indian white metal canister,

cylindrical shape.

And I can start the bidding with me at £40.

'40. Five. 50. Five I have.'

55 it is. 55, room bidder has it. At 55.

-Come on!

-'Any advance at 55?'

55. My book bids out at 55.

-Come on.

-'All done then? At 55 once.'

-Oh, no!

-'Twice.'

I can't bear it. One more!

55. ALL GROAN

-Oh, lads, minus five pounds.

-I'm so sorry.

-That's all right, Mark.

-It is so close.

-So close.

-Not a sheet of Bronco in it.

-No, not at all.

-Very good.

Anyway, that is overall minus £35.

-THEY GROAN

-It could be a winning score.

It could be a winning score.

You have watched this programme before, Steven.

-I have.

-You know all the jargon.

And the next line is, "Don't say a word to the Reds," Right?

No, not a problem.

Well, well, well. Looking at this lot, you could say it

is a bit of a disaster, couldn't you? THEY LAUGH

Neither team are going home with profits.

-CONTESTANTS:

-Oh, no!

But there are great similarities between our teams in that both

achieved a wiped face, which is

as close as you can get to getting a profit on objects.

Both teams only made one profit

on all the items that they sold, each.

Which overall, didn't help them to any great total.

So there you have it. The runners-up today by fair old chalk are the Reds.

Yes!

-We had a feeling.

-BLUES CHEER

Minus £119 is a fair old wodge, isn't it?

-Amazing!

-Yes, as you say.

Only mitigated by your only profit on Natasha's lovely bonus buy,

which was four pounds invested,

managed to secure a profit of a pound.

-Did you have a good time, Wendy?

-Fantastic time. And £119 is nothing.

It's nothing, not even a nano nothing. Maddie, good for you?

-I've had a wonderful time.

-We're privileged.

Wonderful time, thank you.

We are privileged to have had you on our programme, both of you.

-Sorry for that, Natasha.

-And thank you for coming to play.

But the victors today win by only losing £35.

THEY CHEER

Which is quite extraordinary, isn't it, really?

You did get seven pounds profit on the divine globe.

But apart from that, let's do not talk about the score.

THEY LAUGH

But did you have a good time, you chaps?

-Brilliant. Yeah, fantastic.

-Lovely time.

It is a pity, with all these things, that they end.

But anyway, you have been a treat, you chaps.

-Join us soon for some more Bargain Hunting, yes? ALL:

-Yes!