Episode 1 Del Boys and Dealers

It's a game, isn't it? And the buzz you get.

It's better than sex, I tell you!

All over Britain, a unique breed of entrepreneur is on the make.

It's just become 100 years old, so it has just become an antique.

The flames are beautiful. This will be so easy to sell.

For these real-life Del Boys, everything and anything is for sale.

What do you think of that? You know who it is, don't you?

For fresh stock, they head to a very particular type of auction house...

-Mickey Mouse.

-Three, four, four.

Anybody else want a bag of ear muffs for six quid?

..Sifting through the junk in search of buried treasure.

That's a genuine Rolex watch.

-He's bought a Porsche, hasn't he?

-That's moody, isn't it?

-I can tell by your face.

-Yeah.

But will any of these dealers discover the lot that will

make them millionaires?

-If it was authentic, you know?

-£200,000.

I find a nice something that's worth millions of pounds,

and I can never work again.

Up and down the country, hidden in side roads

and off the beaten track, is a very special type of auction house.

A caribou. This is a very rare animal indeed.

I don't know where you'd buy another. There's none in B&Q.

They specialise in everything from bailiffs'

repossessions to lost luggage.

To those in the know, these are trash and treasure auctions.

Now, this is a nice little box.

You never know what is going to come through the doors.

I've seen so many lovely things come through the door over the years

-but I've also seen an awful lot of bloody awful things!

-Lot 53.

Two bags of various packs of biscuits, Jaffa Cakes,

etc, and a box of Nurofen.

The buyers have got that whole Del Boy dream in mind.

They look at everything and see pound signs.

They're like a Terminator. They have got one sole purpose,

and that is to find that one item that's going to change their life.

Before every auction there's a viewing day,

where eagle-eyed dealers hunt for hidden gems.

What have you found, love?

In South London, Richie and Nikki are masters of the game...

..and Richie thinks he's just spotted a gold brooch.

110%. Look at the colour of that.

I love going down the auctions cos you can have a tickle down there.

It's not only I get enjoyment out of it.

I get a buzz out of it cos when you find something out of, like,

60 quid and you turn it into a grand, or even,

you turn 60 quid into 120 quid, it's a nice feeling. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Yeah, definitely. Look at it.

-That's what I thought.

-Look at it.

-I know.

-I know.

-Richie and Nikki started in the auction game 10 years ago.

-We didn't have much money.

-Yup.

You weren't working, so I said, "Let's do a boot sale!

"We've got loads of stuff. Nan's got loads of boxes that need clearing.

"The house is chocka." So we started going through her boxes.

We were finding little antiques, but from there, we started going,

-"What else can we find?"

-£40. 45.

When the brooch comes under the hammer,

Richie snaps it up for £50, half its actual value.

It's like a drug. Honestly, it is. It's so addictive.

You speak to anybody else that deals with gold, it is

like an addiction cos it's just so... When you've got it, it's so...

Oh, the feeling... It's a nice feeling. Honestly, it is.

It's a nice feeling.

But Richie doesn't hold on to his gold for long.

Just looking for Hatton Garden Metal.

Whenever he's got a big enough stash, he scraps it.

Everything here gets tested, broken up, weighed and cashed.

But wheeling and dealing is far from guaranteed income.

Good month, three grand a month. Bad month, 500 or 300 quid.

-That's a terrible month!

-Yeah.

-That's a suicide month, isn't it? Yeah.

Come on. Eat up that toast. I can't wait to get down to Toys "R" Us.

When the auction game doesn't support the family,

Richie has to fall back on his old trade - spray-painting cars.

I could earn a couple of grand a month going to spray motors

but I'm at work from seven in the morning till six at night

and no time for the kids.

Come home, have a bit of dinner, bath,

bed and up again in the morning, back to work again.

-That's what your life's all about, then, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I can spray cars but I don't enjoy spraying cars. Put it like that.

I enjoy going down the auction.

It's viewing day at Richie and Nikki's local auction.

-Where's the car?

-Down that road. Left. Left, left, left!

Left, left, left!

They're on the lookout for items they can sell for a quick profit.

Don't want my money wrapped up for two months. That's no good, that.

I'd rather put it in an ISA, if I was going to do that.

-Would you ever put money in an ISA?

-Nah. Never.

Well, if World War III happens, right, what's going to happen then?

All the banks, Barclays, ain't going to be open, is it?

They're going to go, "No! We're out of here!"

-"Ain't got no money today, mate!"

-Yeah, and then I've got a pound note.

I can still slip out and try and buy beans off of someone or something.

Got to think logically, haven't you?

Greasby's is one of the oldest auction houses in south London

and today, it's having one of its biggest auctions in years.

I can't believe this auction down here.

I could spend hours down here now, looking about. Ah, yeah!

-Oh, they're nice!

-Yeah, aren't they? It's the best auction I've ever seen.

After sifting through hundreds of items,

Nikki spots a vintage silver coffee set hidden away.

It's in really good condition.

18... 1967, Birmingham set, but it's in real silver and from Harrods.

It's a really nice set.

Oh, what about the Harrods tea set?

And there were some other little boxes round that corner, you know,

plugged up. One had all silver in it.

-Just got to watch how much money we spend.

-Yeah.

In the Welsh Valleys, another Del Boy is dreaming of treasure.

I think I could become a millionaire. Anyone can become a millionaire.

It's just sort of having the guts to go out there and, you know,

work at it.

Since he left school, Ieuan's worked at a local

supermarket in his hometown of Pontypridd.

He's 24 years old and lives at home with his parents.

This is my Monday shirt, my Tuesday shirt, my Thursday shirt,

my Friday shirt.

This is my uniform that Mother quite kindly washes

and irons for the small fee

that I pay her weekly.

Any spare cash left over from his earnings funds Iuean's

passion for trading.

Boxes of shoes I've picked up.

Witches' hats. Hen party gear.

Picture of David Beckham cos every person needs

a David Beckham in their bedroom. Silver teapot of some sort.

Some mini fans that I bought in the middle of winter

because they were going pretty cheap, so I'm waiting for a sort of...

Waiting for a heat wave and then I'm going to sort of try

and sell them on then.

But it's stuff that one day, I'll probably sell

and hopefully make a few quid on. I've paid probably 20p for that.

It's probably already worth two or £3 now,

so what's it going to be worth in a couple more years?

Five, six, five. I'm looking for £6.

Even a small town like Pontypridd has its very own auction house...

32. Like to start by six, seven, eight.

-..where everything and anything comes under the hammer.

-Lot 36.

-Two bags of assorted sweets.

-Four Freedom luxury toilet towels.

Lot 258. Quality chocolate bars and Pringles. £6. I've got six.

When you're a kid, used to love treasure hunting.

And now, it's treasure hunting for big people. That's what it is.

That's what the auction is now. It's a treasure hunt.

Old granny might have had a load of stuff knocking about

and her family didn't realise that it's gold or silver.

I might actually bid on this.

Ieuan sees the world differently to anybody else I know,

except for a few people I know that are now multimillionaires.

Certainly, at the age of seven or eight, he was buying

multipacks of things and selling them at three times the price.

He had the biggest sports bag you've ever seen,

-and never played any sports!

-What was in the bag?

-Crisps, Coca-Cola.

I used to think I was being quite clever

because it says "not to be sold separately" on a crisp packet.

So the only way I'd sell them, two for 50p.

People would just buy it all because of Jamie Oliver, they brought in

all this healthy food and it created a black market for these sweets.

A joke goes around that if I had my own business,

I'd probably call it Ieuland. It's a mix of Ieuan and Iceland.

Obviously, I wouldn't be able to call it Ieuland.

Well, I wouldn't be to use those colours.

After two years of small-time trading,

Ieuan's going further afield in search of richer pickings.

Accompanied by Kern, his junior business partner,

he's travelled 25 miles to an auction in Newport.

Just trying to work out people at the moment.

I'm trying and work out maybe what their background is, sort of.

There's one or two people that look like farmers,

so they're going to be going for tools and stuff.

There's other people that are in decent clothes,

so they're probably dealers looking to buy top-end stuff.

No-one knows me here, so no-one knows what I'm going to be buying.

No-one knows what my strategy's going to be,

so sort of just keep myself to myself.

Maybe let them show me their game face.

Ieuan spends an hour going through every box in the room.

I can't find nothing in here.

Nothing that's sort of hidden away that no-one's spotted.

I think they have a really good rummage on everything. So...

Struggling.

Rolex!

Holy shit! Oh, my God!

That's a Rolex watch in here.

They haven't even catalogued it as a Rolex watch.

I can feel my heart beating now cos if no-one else has seen that,

if that's a genuine Rolex watch...

It's got Rolex written on the face of the watch and is, like,

the Rolex markings on the strap and that as well.

So that's what's leading me to think that it's probably legit cos a fake

Rolex is probably just going to have Rolex on the face,

but won't actually have it, you know, hidden away, so to speak.

So I'm hoping that... I don't know. I might have a cheeky bid on it.

With the auction not due to start for an hour,

Ieuan will have to wait and see if anyone else has spotted the watch.

-£21 for 22 carat?

-And you've got something there for 14 carat.

Nah, nothing that I'm going to buy.

Richie and Nikki are also getting ready for their auction.

-That coffee pot set.

-Oh, yeah. That Harrods one?

-Yeah.

If we can get it for a reasonable price, we know where we can take it.

I reckon it's going to go for 600 quid, and that's cheap.

If I had that sort of money wrapped round me right now,

I would buy that cos that's worth £12-1,800.

I've seen standard boggo ones sell for 12s.

Someone's going to have a touch this week down there.

-They're going to have a touch.

-They're going to find that one toy.

-Someone's going to have a touch.

-Yeah.

-Is it going to be you?

I hope so!

-Not that I can see, no.

-What about them Levi coats? Are they real?

-No.

With money tight, Richie

and Nikki arrive to a room packed with rival bidders.

85. 90. 95. 100.

-Worse still, one of the biggest dealers around is in the house.

-70.

75. 180. 185. 190.

-Jamie rarely loses a lot he has his eye on.

-230.

240.

91 is a silver tea and coffee pot with milk jug

and sugar bowl in the original Harrods box in very good condition.

So there you have it.

Silver tea and coffee set.

100, I'm bid. And five. 110. 115. 120. 125. 130.

135. 140. 145. 150. 155. 160. 165.

170. 175. 180. 185. 190. 195. 200.

210. 220. 230. 240. 250. 260. 270. 280. 290. 300.

350. 360. At the back at 400.

That's cheap, J. That was cheap.

After losing out on the silver set, Richie

and Nikki head to the local caff to work out their next move.

I can't believe he's won that for 400 quid.

-He's had a result, hasn't he?

-I don't know.

-Got the hump now, I have.

I've got the needle. I've got the right zig! I don't know why.

It's just gone, bosh! It upsets me when I haven't got money.

You know what I'm like round a bit of pound note. I get upset.

-I'm passionate about money, aren't I?

-We can't give up.

Lot 367. There's a carton with a quantity of mixed books.

The couple are back to try their luck on one last lot.

356 is a carton with 19 old posters, prints and drawings,

framed and unframed.

£10. 10 here. 12.

-Once again, Jamie is in the race.

-£20. 22. 24. 26. 28.

30, I have. £30. 32. 32.

No?

I got my pictures. I paid about £32, I think. Just outbidded Jamie.

-Did you?

-He stopped at 30, so I went another one. I got it!

After commission, the prints cost Richie and Nikki £36.

In Newport, the time's come for Ieuan to bid on the watch,

-which is being auctioned alongside another timepiece.

-Lot number 373.

There's two watches. Two there. Four there. Five there.

Any advance on five? Eight. Any advance on eight? 10. Just in time.

Left back inside.

There at 10. 12. 14. Is there a 14? 16. 18. There at 18.

Anyone for 18? 20. 22.

After an early flurry of interest, most of the other bidders drop out.

22. £22.

Lot number 374 is a jewellery box.

With commission, Ieuan's paid £25 for two watches.

Thank you very much. A Rolex watch! I own a Rolex watch!

What do you think, Ieuan?

Um... Gut instinct...

I think it's real.

Someone told me before about the minute hand, it doesn't tick.

It gently rolls. And if you watch it, it's gently rolling.

It's not tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick!

So I think it's real.

What was that, Kern?

What's the time? I don't know. Let me just look on my new Rolex!

Not ALL traders are on the hunt for bling.

In Essex, Sharon and Al operate on the lower end of the trash

-and treasure spectrum.

-No. Lie it down flat. That's it.

-They pile it high and sell it cheap.

-Do it nicely!

Sharon used to work in a chemist

and Al had a job in a car factory in Dagenham.

They both gave up work two years ago to become full-time dealers.

They cost me... 19p each.

They can go for £1. That gives us 81p profit.

-Is that a good margin, Sharon?

-The percentage would be 500%.

The margins may be high

but so are the mountains of stock building up in the house.

It's getting quite full in here, Al.

Just a little bit, yeah. Just a little bit full, isn't it?

But long as we can get... We've got a gangway, we're all right.

Sharon is convinced all their merchandise will

sell in the end, even if it needs a little customising.

Oh, his little bobble. His little Santa hat ready!

If you can't sell something one way, if you've got some imagination,

turn it into something you think you can sell.

Using records she bought at auction,

Sharon's now experimenting with a new design idea.

I tell you what.

It's amazing how he can cook a record

but he can't cook a pizza without burning it!

-Look at that!

-See, it's a winner!

-Look at that!

While it's hot, if you press it into the grooves, you get your shape.

I'm quite pleased with that. It's right in the middle as well.

Everything Sharon and Al make either goes to a car-boot sale or

back into auction.

Lot number 203 today is Sharon's Salvador Dali-inspired record bowls.

I think the person who did this is really, really clever.

Tenner on the first lot. £10. Tenner on that.

-A £10 bid gets the ball rolling.

-10 I've got. 12, I'm looking for. At 12.

-14. 16.

-A burst of interest pushes the price up.

-At £18.

And selling for the first time.

They sell for £18 - a £15 profit.

That's good. I know what I'll be doing at the weekend!

The records will go on to have a new life adorning

the tables of a Turkish cafe.

I love it! It was a very interesting, unusual design.

I love it!

With their profits, Sharon and Al decide to immediately

reinvest in the biggest single lot they've ever bought.

-It won't go in, Al.

-I'll get it in. Don't worry. I will get it in.

One way or another! Is that the lot?

-Al, you just ain't packed it properly!

-No, of course I haven't.

The highlight of the auction was my snowballs. Well, I say snowballs.

They look more like pebbles to me.

There was 231, I believe, for £14.16, all told,

which works out to be 7p a packet.

I will make something like on the estimations of £350 profit.

But actually, at the time, when we was looking at them in the auction...

-I said they're rubbish.

-You said, "What do you want that shit for?"

eBay, here I come! Oh, how do you spell polystyrene?

Right. There we are. Looks just like a frosted snowball/pebble.

Lovely! I've got faith... I've got faith in you, babies!

You're going to make Sharon rich!

After two years of trading,

Sharon and Al have amassed a profit of £3,000.

-Now Al wants to gamble the lot.

-Tell me about the Porsche.

Yeah, the Porsche!

Porsche. Worth having a little dabble on, at the right price.

Porsches sell. We know Porsches sell.

-Who do you know's bought a Porsche?

-You know they sell!

-No! Come on.

-Who do you know's bought a Porsche?

-I don't know personally but they sell because I watch them.

-I don't know anybody who's bought a Porsche recently.

-You wouldn't know anyone like that, would you?

-Why wouldn't I know anyone like that?

-But it's worth taking a gamble.

-You haven't even seen the bleeding thing!

-No, but that's what I said.

-We go down and look at it first.

-It's hardly a pot of gold, is it?

It's a pot of bleeding rust!

It's definitely the same one, isn't it?

Men's two tone 18 carat Rolex Oyster with the same serial number.

And they've got that listed at £2,160.

So wouldn't be a bad little profit margin!

If this does turn out to be genuine, yeah.

I'm going to, you know, sort of think to myself, well, you know what?

I'm going to obviously spot a bit of quality

when I need to spot a bit of quality.

My eye is somehow tuned into, you know...

Out of a room of 250 people, for some reason,

I was the only one that had the guts and the confidence to go for it.

If this Rolex turns out to be real and it sells for £2,000,

you know, that could be the start of a business.

I might fly, I might sink.

All these entrepreneurs, Richard Branson,

obviously Malcolm Walker, the founder of Iceland, they took a punt,

they took a chance and it worked for them.

In London, Richie has also just taken a punt.

He's been offered the lease on the paint-spraying garage where

he sometimes works.

It's an opportunity he can't turn down.

This is my future, isn't it, here?

This will be something for the kids and my missus and that.

In the long run, it will give me a few holidays and that a year,

so this is quite important, but I still love

going down the auctions cos you can have a tickle down there.

In partnership with mate Dave,

the garage has become an around-the-clock enterprise.

This is the office up here, which needs a bit of transforming.

We need to repair a few bits cos the previous owner

-left it as a bit in a shit hole, didn't he, Dave?

-Yeah.

And there's our little pit down there

that we pull out and make when we sleep here the night.

Why do have to stay here in the evening?

Well, some nights, we're really busy.

It's just easier to just kip the night.

There's a shower and a toilet in there.

Need to fix the hole in the wall.

Someone smashed a hole in the wall.

Tell me about what you're going to call this garage.

I've already tried Autocare,

but the name's already taken for a limited company. So I've typed in...

On the internet, there's a website to go on,

and I typed in Autocare & Sons.

So that's what it's going to be named - Autocare & Sons

for my boys as well cos one day, hopefully, they'll take it over.

-Ooh!

-On his way home,

Richie picks up the box of pictures won at auction for £36.

That is the one you just took out.

-You're not telling me, right...

-Yeah.

-..that the bird has drawn this with pencil?

-Of course she has.

Of course she's done it in pencil. You don't believe it, do you?

-You don't believe they're originals?

-She has, though, look.

-Yeah.

-It's just come off his head, innit?

-That's the original to this.

I think this head's charcoal, innit? That's charcoal on his head.

Don't rub it off.

'The box contains 19 pictures including five pencil drawings

'and a collection of 1920s illustrated book covers.'

What do you think, Richard?

I think they're crap, James, to be honest with you.

I don't believe in nothing until I sell it

and get a handful of money in my hand.

Then I go, "Bloody hell, weren't they good, them pictures?!

"Shall we see if we can get some more?"

That's when I'll believe it.

To find out more about the illustrations,

Richie and Nikki turn to the internet.

Before long they find a similar print on the website

of an upmarket London gallery.

How much is that worth? Is that a grand plus?

-Fuck off!

-1,800 quid! Fuck!

'Signed and inscribed with a title watercolour...'

Right, we'll have the day off work. Where's this gallery?

We'll slip on down there, eh?

In Essex, Sharon's at a car auction to view a Porsche

that Al's interested in.

Oh, God, it's found it.

Here it is.

How big a dent in your finances would this be?

All what we've made.

All that that's gone in my little pot from boat sales. Every damn penny.

It's really clean, isn't it?

Ah, split in the roof.

-That's all stitched in so it's got to be a new roof, innit?

-Yeah.

That's a shame, innit?

Other than that it's really clean.

There's not a ripple on it.

I've got to be honest, this one's quite nice,

but don't let him know I said it.

It's better condition than what I thought.

It's a shame about the rip in the back but...

..ah, maybe I could call in a couple of favours.

I might know someone who might know someone with a roof.

What do you think you might bid up to?

Today, what? 2,500. Tops.

He reckons he's going to get it for two five?

ENGINE REVS

Yeah, that's all right.

-That sounds nice, don't it? Seems all right.

-There's no fumes.

-He won't get it.

-You never know.

You never know.

-AUCTIONEER:

-Next one, number 6201.

The Boxter.

You want it, you bid.

-How much?

-Three.

The Porsche comes under the hammer.

Starting at 25.

2,600.

At 26.

Three two, tops.

26, 27, 28, 29.

2,900.

£3,000.

£3,100.

At 31.

31 across the way.

32, 32, 32.

33.

3,300.

33, 33, 34.

3,400.

35, 35.

We have a bid at 35.

50? 350?

3,550.

3,550 twice.

3,550, sold.

What happened there?

Just bought a fucking Porsche, ain't he?

3-5-5-0.

3,550.

Sharon and Al go to pay for the car.

It's a provisional bid at the moment because you didn't meet the reserve.

-Sorry?

-It's a provisional bid at the moment.

-You didn't meet the reserve.

-Oh, didn't make the reserve?

-No.

There was a reserve on it and it hasn't reached the reserve

so he might not have bought it.

Got to go to the office now

and they've got to phone up see if they accept.

He's keeping his fingers crossed they'll say yes

and I've got everything crossed hoping they'll say no.

Anticipation now. We're safe, eh?

-You bid 3,550.

-Yeah.

He would like 3,800.

-No, it's too much.

-No.

-That was our limit.

-That's it.

-That was our limit, yeah.

-We went to our limit, didn't we?

-We went over the limit.

It's there and it's gone, innit?

It's there and gone.

In Wales, Ieaun has an appointment to get his watch valued.

But not before his dad passes judgment.

If it's real, then this is 18 carat gold all the way through here.

The Rolex crown is there. It's also there where it should be.

It's on the wristband.

But things like the fact that the wristband both sides

of the bit that's hidden are both...

They're not engraved.

They're actually stamped right through with the Rolex name.

If it is a copy, it's a really good one.

I'm not quite convinced that that second hand is sweeping,

which is supposed to be the original test.

I still think there's a little teeny jerk there.

-Right, I'll see you later, Dad.

-See you later.

-Give me a ring, mate. Good luck with it.

-Cheers, Dad.

I didn't really sleep very well last night.

I was, er, still pacing around at half past one this morning.

I was on YouTube watching loads of films on how to spot fakes.

I'm 99.9% sure now it's real.

Well, whatever happens, I've got a Rolex, whether it be fake or real.

HE GROANS

Right, it looks very nice.

It was just catalogued as two watches,

so anyone walking past wouldn't have...even looked.

Right, well, these watches look lovely on the outside

and are very difficult sometimes to verify whether they're genuine

or a copy, so what we need to do is have a look inside.

CLOCKS TICK

Right.

-Did you pay a lot for it, Ieaun?

-No.

It works out £12.65.

Well, that's not far off the price it's worth, unfortunately.

It's not a genuine Rolex.

-Bummer.

-It's a Chinese copy, but not all lost.

-Right.

-It's still a usable watch.

-Oh.

-Not the crock of gold you were looking for.

-No, no.

Absolutely gutted.

I honestly thought, you know what, I found something genuine, but...no.

For Ieuan, the dream of his own business is temporarily on hold.

It's back to the day job.

You know, you win some, you lose some,

but one day I will find that hidden treasure.

You know, if I don't stay positive,

then what's the point in dwelling on it, you know?

People have bad news all the time, you know.

I've had a bit of bad news but it's not the end of the world.

# Come with me

# You will see

# It's a world of pure imagination. #

BELL RINGS OUT

SHOUTS: Old iron!

The old way to earn a living.

Brian comes from a long line of rag and bone men.

After 50 years in the business, he's got it down to a fine art,

scouring the Essex suburbs for junk nobody else wants.

-It's all right to take the...

-Yeah, course it is.

We've been recycling since 1911.

Everyone thinks it's a new thing, don't they?

We've been doing it for years.

Brian's not just eco-friendly,

he's an expert at turning old metal into hard currency.

On the back of the wagon now, over £100. Approximately £100.

When he's picked the neighbourhood clean,

Brian heads off to his local scrap yard.

Unlike most people, he doesn't just sell his scrap.

He also comes here to buy.

You look at that heap and think that's a load of old rubbish.

I look at that heap and say that is a gold mine.

That is a gold mine.

That is a frame for a bike carrier.

Two wheels go in here

and then they put a bolt on the front and it goes behind a bike.

I'm going to put that to one side.

I want that

cos I've got a pair of wheels that go in that, see?

This was an old Post Office bike.

Very rare at the moment

and there's a lot of collectors of bikes about.

These bikes are worth a lot of money done up.

They could make £100 for the three.

A lot of people would look at these bikes and say

they're a load of scrap.

Yeah, there is.

It's them few people look at it and say they're pound notes.

'Brian's latest find is a Victorian log-burner.'

That's all complete. That's a log grate.

Once I get hold of that,

all I'll do is clean it up with a wire brush, put it in an auction.

That's going to make £150-£200.

How much have you had to pay for it?

I give £50 for it.

A fortnight later,

the wood burner goes into a specialist salvage auction.

-AUCTIONEER:

-50 bid, 60 bid, 70 bid, 80 bid, 90.

95 for the log burner.

£100, sir.

Bid £100. Bid £100. And five?

Sold then at 100.

Down there, £100 cash. 100.

40 quid, cheers, ta.

It's a game, innit?

And the buzz you get, it's better than sex, I tell you.

It's better than sex.

Especially as you're getting older!

Brian doesn't only look to the scrap yard for new stock.

From time to time, he also does house clearances.

After winning a new contract, he's on his way to collect some furniture

including one piece he's particularly interested in.

This is very exciting.

It's a corner cabinet and the inlay on it is, oh, to die for.

Could be two or three thousand.

Could be in the tens of thousands if it's right.

For £2,500, Brian's bought most of the furniture in the house.

-Are you taking that as well?

-That one there. That, that, that.

-The dresser.

-You managed to get the dresser off.

-Yeah.

-All these bits and pieces.

-That's got to be unscrewed.

Yeah, that one's got to be unscrewed.

Well done.

The item he's most interested in is the three-cornered cabinet,

which he thinks might date back to the 17th century.

Right, that goes up.

The inlay is absolutely gorgeous. See the inlay around that door?

It's got the right hinges. H-hinges.

It's obvious, innit, look. H.

They call them H-hinges.

Look at the patina on it. You just can't buy that.

You can not produce that patina.

That's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years of use.

You have to go diagonally.

-Everyone all right?

-Yeah.

Does some of your furniture have sentimental value?

Yes, it all does, yes.

Been in the family for quite a few...generations.

Very sad, yes.

We only look after it for somebody else.

That's all we do, cos you can't take it with you.

Yeah, someone else is going to get fun out of it.

The only people that ever took anything with them

were the Egyptians, weren't they, you know?

Brian's spotted another item that could be a money-spinner.

Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous that is.

It's a three-planked refectory table.

Look, one, two, three.

And the patina on it. Look at the patina.

Look, there's no corners, no sharp corners.

Think of all the people who've touched that over 200 or 300 years.

How old do you think it is?

1650 to 1750, something like that.

Within 100 years, that century, yeah.

-Does that make it valuable?

-Well, yes, yeah.

I don't like saying too much in front of him.

You don't educate people, do you?

£1,200 to £1,500.

Brian's plan is to put all the furniture

into an upmarket international auction.

Little gold mine, innit?

You know, I spent a lot of money.

I'm hoping to make a lot of money.

If the wind's in your direction, and luck's on your side,

it could make £8,000, £9,000, £10,000.

Richie and Nikki have had the £36 box of prints

valued by an auctioneer who specialises in 20th century art.

They valued this one at £300 to £500

and this one at £200 to £400.

-He said don't even dismiss that there. That's worth money.

-Yeah.

He said it's a print but don't dismiss it.

That's worth about £40, £50.

We was like, "Wow!" So everything in this box is worth...

It's virtually worth something, each piece.

-Even them.

-They're a tenner apiece.

He went, "They're not originals but they're old."

They're not like, new, they're old.

-They're old prints.

-Advertisements.

-They're worth money.

-Yeah, I reckon there's a few grand here at least.

-Few grand, yeah.

-Really?

-Yeah, easy.

-Definitely.

-He was, like, "Put 'em in."

-"Bring 'em back.

"Make sure you bring 'em back because we definitely will sell them two."

-That's what he said. They'll definitely sell.

-Yeah.

The maddest thing about it is I would have never ever ever ever have

bought that. Never bought this.

Never have bought the box.

-Not in a million years. I'd have looked at it and gone...

-Whatever.

.."Shit, that is" and carried on walking around the auction.

I look at them now and think, yeah, they are pukka, ain't they?

It's just cos you know they're worth money.

Well, I'd love three to four.

Three to four is definitely what I would like to get on it.

-Means you've got more money for the garage.

-Mmm.

While Al's dream of becoming a Porsche dealer has come to nothing,

Sharon's pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap philosophy

is also now in trouble.

A month after buying 231 packets of polystyrene snowballs,

she still has 229 to sell.

And is trying everything to get rid of them.

You're just going to love these.

-Good seller, these. Will be a good seller.

-Right.

Snowballs. Artificial snowballs.

On eBay, there's a bloke on there and he's selling them,

four of these for £3.82,

PLUS £3 postage.

For you, one packet £1.50. You'll be able to knock 'em out £2.99.

Er, yeah, we don't sell them.

You're not doing Christmas decorations, no?

With Sharon's project snowball stalled,

Al has once again been looking for second hand cars.

You've redeemed yourself, petal, you've redeemed yourself.

What have you found?

1984 Ford Granada Mark II.

2.8 V6 manual hearse.

And, actually, I tell you what, it looks in really quite good condition.

It looks nice, doesn't it?

He's had a lot of work done on it

and he said he has the receipts as well, so it's not a rubbish thing.

This will be so easy to sell, that's the thing, innit?

It will be so easy to sell because it's unusual

and people just love unusual things.

Sharon and Al win the auction

and take possession of their new car for £1,000.

The Grim Reaper is yonder!

We're a bit old to be driving a car like this really.

But, quite frankly, we'll use it for our funerals anyway,

if we've still got it.

Agreed, it could upset a few people.

They might think, "Oh, how disgusting and, eurgh,

"fancy driving a car that a body's been in."

I shouldn't think a body's been in it.

I don't know. I don't really care.

They're not in here now, so why worry?!

CAR RATTLES

Bloody rattling.

Back home, the hearse begins to look like

it wasn't such a bargain after all.

It's a dog.

Yep, definite dog.

That's its nickname, "Dog".

Yeah, that's what we call it. We call it Dog.

That's the car's name, Dog.

That's what we call it, Dog.

I mean, look at it.

I've literally had to glue some of the paintwork down on it

to stop it coming off any more.

The flames are beautiful.

Whoever the artist was who did the flames, right,

they can customise, there's no two words about it.

It's just a shame about the rest of it, really.

The floor was all wet.

I've got paper on it at the moment cos it's soaking the water up.

So what we'll do is we'll work on the interior,

get that up to reasonable standard.

When we can, tidy up the paintwork.

That's when we're going to make the money.

You've got to either have a private person buy it

because they really, really like it,

you're going to have Goths buy it,

because they're going to get married and want a different car,

and the other, my last resort, would be

get on to Elstree, see if they're doing a film

that they then need some tricked-up hearse to be blown up.

At an up-market auction room in Colchester, Brian's also intent

on turning a big outlay into an even bigger profit.

He's delivering the furniture he bought for £2,500

at a house clearance.

-It's a nice piece, isn't it?

-Oh, it's lovely, isn't it?

-Nice piece, nice patina.

-Oh, yes.

But not every piece is living up to expectations.

When I first saw this,

I thought, "What a lovely thing",

-then I noticed the glass has been changed.

-It is, yeah.

It started off as a hanging cupboard with a panel door.

Somebody's changed it to the glazed door and put a base on it.

I don't think it'll bring a lot, because it's got a replacement door.

-It's probably £40-£50.

-As it is, cos it's been ruined.

-Yep.

I had high hopes of the cabinet.

-INTERVIEWER:

-You had hopes of thousands today.

-Oh, yeah.

If it had been William and Mary and it was original, all perfect,

it would have been.

It would have been.

It would have been.

As long as I make a profit, I ain't worried.

What does the wheeler dealer hope for?

The wheeler dealer is hoping to double his money, plus.

-Yeah?

-And what's the plus in this case?

The plus could be treble. You don't know. You don't know until the day.

And you've got the right buyers in that room or on that phone.

It's auction day and there are over 800 phone and online bidders

from around the world competing with buyers in the room.

-AUCTIONEER:

-40 for you, madam.

42, new bidder.

44, 46, 48.

With 13 pieces of furniture for sale,

Brian's brought his wife Sheila along to see how they fare.

Lot 1240,

the George III oak dresser.

The first of Brian's lots is a 200-year-old Welsh dresser.

Here we go.

3? 3 is bid. £300, now.

320. 320, 340,

360, 380...

The dresser's attracting a lot of interest.

600.

£600 in the room.

All done now at £600.

That was handy.

If it was a good day and we'd had two or three people,

it might have made 1,000, but I'm pleased with 600.

Next up is an 18th-century chest.

At £200, straight in at £200.

210 anywhere else?

At £200 now. At 210, anywhere?

At £200, gentleman seated. 210 anywhere else?

But this time, there's little interest in the room.

At £200 now. 210 anywhere?

Done, selling then at £200.

HAMMER FALLS Disappointed with that.

Things go from bad to worse.

An antique writing table doesn't find a buyer.

I was...

well, shocked, really, it didn't sell.

Very nice piece, very pretty piece, and it didn't sell.

And nor does the cabinet.

It was only a £40 reserve, £40-£60,

and it didn't make the £40.

Brian is in danger of barely breaking even,

but one big piece is left to sell -

the 16th-century refectory table.

There it is.

Now, I'm very pleased with that.

Very pleased with that, because you don't find them like this,

untouched - ain't been interfered with.

I've had them and you find they've got great, big nails

where they've nailed them to the top and nails in the joints.

Well, this ain't been touched. It's as it is.

Lot 1298 now, the 18th-century oak refectory dining table.

Straight in at 480.

On the internet at 500.

520, 540, 560,

580.

At 620 on the internet, 640...

International bidders are pushing the price up.

-Told you.

-At 780.

800. At £800 now, with me as a commission bid on book.

All done, selling at £800.

Made nice money, that did, nice money.

It may not be the big payday Brian was after,

but in total, he's made an estimated £1,000 profit.

I think we all earned a few quid.

That's what it's all about.

I made money.

Made money.

How can you not be happy when you make money?

I'll be wheeling and dealing in my coffin.

When I get to them gates, I'm going to have a deal with him.

I'll probably buy the gates off him.

And sell them to the bloke behind me.

All right, mate, yeah, that Fiesta outside, that little, silver Fiesta?

It needs a back bumper.

For Richie, profits aren't coming so easy.

All right, mate? See you in a bit.

Instead of making money, his garage is costing him.

This is pressure.

Every morning I open them doors, if I have my staff in as well,

I've got to find £1,500 a week to pay staff and rent.

And that's not me, I'm not getting nothing.

Last week, I think I took home 200 quid

to pay some bills and I'm used to taking £500 a week home.

With the specialist art auction still weeks away,

Richie and Nikki have arranged to meet a contact

to discuss a quick sale of their prints.

It's a buyer who likes to stay well below the radar.

-These are the pictures.

-They're the ones.

Got four pencil ones, haven't we? Four of them.

Although the pictures are potentially worth £4,000,

the cash buyer only offers 1,200.

A few days later, the couple decide to accept.

I've sold the pictures, they've actually gone now,

so...

How much did you get for them?

Got 1,200 quid for them.

I asked 15 but I ended up getting bartered down to 12.

I could do with the dough, to be honest with you,

to pay my rent on my garage.

Yeah, that's...

What... Are you pleased about that?

Yeah, I'm pleased. I would have preferred the 1,500, but 1,200...

For £36, I really am happy.

I'm quite happy about that.

If I put them in the auction, maybe they won't even sell in the auction

and I've got to wait a month for my cheque if they do sell,

so that's a long old time to wait, innit? I can cop 1,200 quid now,

so I copped the 1,200 now.

-I'm a lucky little git, really, aren't I?

-Yeah.

I am a lucky little shit sometimes,

cos I'm a trier. I try hard, I work hard as well, mate,

so one day, I hope I have a right touch.

Have a right little tickle.

I've had a few little tickles, like that little tickle we just had there.

1,200 for them pictures, that's lovely, that,

but hopefully one day I have the £1.2 million tickle,

not the £1,200, you know what I mean?

If you want it, mate, you'll get it.

After a month, Sharon and Al's pimped-up hearse

still remains unsold.

But undeterred, they've decided it offers them

a unique marketing opportunity at their local car-boot sale.

I suppose the hearse is a big selling point, really.

An attention seeker, an attraction.

I think it's fun, I think it's funny.

Last item into the hearse is a box of the unsold snowballs.

What have I got? 216 packets, at least,

to sell yet.

But the beauty is, right, I might only have sold 15 packets,

but I'm actually in profit.

So whatever we sell there, every single packet is a profit.

-That is a laugh.

-You've just covered your costs?

No, I'm actually in profit.

I'm actually £4.16 in profit.

Sharon and Al head for Pitsea Market near Basildon.

Car broke down.

It broke down?

It hasn't broken down - we can't turn it off.

I think the starter motor's stuck,

so we had to dismantle the battery.

So let's hope it starts when we put it back on!

Before long, though, their plan to draw in the crowds starts working.

-It's amazing.

-Thank you.

Absolutely amazing car. It's stunning.

And it does have, actually, new carpet in the back.

I was going to say, there ain't the coffin in there, then?!

No, there might be later when I get him home.

Yeah, I don't like the bonnet up much.

-You don't like that?

-No.

It don't look right.

-But the flames are smashing.

-Oh, thank you.

SHE LAUGHS

Shouldn't really be talking about a hearse, should we?

That's £7, please.

Word gets around and soon they're doing a brisk trade.

Oh, look.

That's £10, please.

There you go. That's lovely, thanks a lot. Ta.

Thank you, cheers, mate.

Thanks.

But one item is still not moving.

Can I not interest you in any snowballs, darling?

No, I've got my decorations done so far, sorry.

No little gaps around your tree to pile up snowballs?

By the end of the day, not a single pack of snowballs has sold,

but it's still been a bumper car boot.

We must have taken... I would say we've taken about 110, 120.

That little wad goes up there.

And there's all that there.

Yum-yum.

MUTTERING AND SCRAPING

The hearse may have been a triumph at car boot,

but the exertion has left it on its last legs.

We've got problems at the moment.

The alternator, which is this bit here...

..isn't working.

And the starter motor, which is down below underneath,

down here on the engine,

that isn't working, that's broken, so we can't sell it at the moment.

We've got to get them repaired.

You get a lot of come back on cars.

Leave that to the professionals.

We'll still stick with our bits and pieces.

But if one come along at the right price...

..we'd probably do it.

I think we should just stick at what we do best.

We're good at selling rubbish.

Nobody, really and truly, can sell rubbish like I can.

Yeah, that's true.

This is really an interesting find, you know?

It's a bronze chess set.

The low estimate, we're looking at a couple of million.

They're not copies.

They've got to be genuine pieces by each of the artists.

Check them bad boys out.

If I can be a millionaire, I'll be a millionaire.

I won't forget my roots.

-AL:

-We're on our way to France, here we come.

See, it looks just like England.

AUCTIONEER SPEAKS FRENCH

I'm not understanding a bloody word!