VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts.

This is beautiful.

That's the way to do this.

VO: With £200 each, a classic car and a goal to scour for antiques.

Joy.

Hello.

VO: The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

(LAUGHS) (GAVEL) VO: There will be worthy winners and valiant losers.

Sorry, sorry!

VO: So, will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

The handbrake's on.

VO: This is Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah.

Welcome to the penultimate leg of this week's adventure with a couple of old swells - top auctioneers James Braxton and Charlie Ross.

CHARLIE (CR): (LAUGHS) VO: Our likely lads are roving around in this 1961 Ford Zephyr, made before seat belts were legally required.

And Charlie's starting the day with a refreshing drink of water.

It's gone all over my face.

JAMES (JB): (CHUCKLES) You see... Ah, it's gone over my trousers.

Oh!

In fact you've got water all over you.

Oh, it's gone everywhere.

VO: Oh, poor old love.

It's been an eventful journey so far.

James has been watching his pennies and pulled in profits at every auction.

On the net at £200, dead.

Done.

VO: While Charlie's been on a losing streak.

Oh!

VO: Things went from bad to worse at the last auction, when his rosewood mirror failed to sell.

Nobody interested?

No.

I'm moving on.

VO: Thankfully - he-he!

- he was saved at the last minute by Winston Churchill.

Well, a mug of him anyway.

Yours at 180.

Thank you.

VO: So after starting this week with £200, a profit on the last leg has pushed Charlie's purse up to £214.84.

While frugal James's original stake has increased over the week to a fantastic £470.84.

Charlie, you've got some serious catching up to do!

I've only got two more days to do you.

JB: Yeah.

And I'm... CR: It's not easy.

It's going to be hard.

I'm going to grapple, I'm going to hang on to that profit.

You're gonna... You're like Micawber, aren't you?

JB: Yes.

CR: Scrooge.

Scrooge.

How much is that?

£4?

I'll give you £2.50, my dear.

JB: (LAUGHS) VO: You might scoff, but clearly his tight tactics are working.

VO: Our competitive pair began their trip in the Lincolnshire town of Boston.

They meandered through Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, up to Leicestershire before heading south, and they will finish this epic journey in the town of Cobham in Surrey.

VO: Today's leg will kick off in Rushden, Northamptonshire, and then they'll shop their way to auction in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

CR: Pleasure to be driven by you.

JB: Ah.

Very fine.

VO: Charlie's heading for Continental Collectables in Rushden, by the tradesman's entrance by the look of it.

Do I want to do a Bingo?

Do I want to just spend £3 here and £4 there like that tight old fellow?

No.

I want to get stuck in.

Oh, look at that.

Canework seat.

I was going to say evocative of the '30s but actually it can't be because it says 1948 on it.

Madeira.

That's wonderful.

Madeira a place and also a drink.

Have some madeira, m'dear.

MUSIC: "Madeira M'dear" by Flanders and Swan RECORDING: # Have some madeira, m'dear # You really have nothing to fear # I'm not trying to tempt you # That wouldn't be right # You shouldn't drink spirits # At this time of night... # CR: # Have some madeira, m'dear.

# Oh.

Oh dear.

VO: Oh dear, m'dear.

Well, it's a bit tatty.

Madeira.

Do you think that came off a ship called Madeira?

I don't think it's called a Madeira chair.

VO: Perhaps dealer Ralph can shed some light.

RALPH: They're made... CR: Made in...?

RALPH: Made in Madeira, yeah.

CR: They were?

Yeah.

They're renowned in Madeira for making wicker work and they were sold to the tourists who came off the steamer ships.

I would buy that if it was devilish cheap.

But I see it's priceless cuz it hasn't even got a label on it.

RALPH: It could be devilishly cheap.

Could it?

This is exactly what a dealer shouldn't be doing, is asking you what you paid for it.

What did it cost?

99p.

(LAUGHS) How much?

99p.

99p!

I think it's just a fantastic thing, though.

I'd be very happy to pay you £9.90.

That's a return, a substantial return on your capital.

We'll make it easy, £10.

I can't resist.

Ralph, that's the quickest purchase and... ..do you know, every time I get really enthusiastic about something, it fails, but this can't fail.

RALPH: Well at £10... CR: And you know, my opposition is going to be jealous of that.

VO: I'm not so sure.

Ha!

VO: Anything else grab you?

How about those nice little bottle coasters?

CR: I like those.

Certainly silver plate... coasters.

Got a bit of age, haven't they?

RALPH: Yeah.

I like it when silver plate is rubbed like that.

RALPH: You see the copper.

CR: And the copper comes shining through.

Um, but they're knackered.

RALPH: I had £40 on the pair.

CR: Did you?

RALPH: Yeah.

Are they buyable for me, then?

You can have them for 25.

Well now, I think they'll make 25 at auction.

That's my trouble.

VO: Something to think about then.

But James is moving on towards St Neots, the largest town in Cambridgeshire.

St Neots dates back over 1,000 years and boasts one of the most ancient market squares in the country.

And James's first stop of the day.

JB: Hello.

James.

DEALER: Hello.

Hello, James.

I'm Jacqueline.

Hello Jacqueline.

What a lovely place.

Oh, I'm pleased you like it.

I've managed to find it.

It's through that mystical archway in the market square, isn't it?

Definitely.

We're tucked away, aren't we?

We're tucked away.

VO: Although Jacqueline specializes in jewelry, there's also plenty of furniture, collectables and memorabilia on offer.

Jacqueline, I'm a great fan, a great fan of the bamboo.

Right?

Because I think it's just one of the most fabulous materials.

It's so strong.

It's the sum of parts.

You can work it very quickly and cheaply, very cheap material, and yet you can make out of that bamboo, out of the thing that's growing in your garden, you can make two very stylish '60s/'70s side tables.

Look at that.

DEALER: Lovely in a conservatory.

Quite fun.

If you had a '60s... if you had a contemporary house, you could easily add these.

This is very much Margot and Jerry territory, isn't it?

Oh definitely.

The Good Life?

JB: The Good Life.

DEALER: Yeah.

I'd like those.

They're very stylish.

Very simple.

Good price.

I know the dealer very well.

Very good price.

He's very keen.

Is he?

Mm.

Keen on prices, what has he got?

12 for the two?

It'll be 12 each, I should imagine.

He's got two after it.

Yeah, we'll do 12 for the two.

£12.

Come on, put it here.

Come on.

Come on.

Yes.

BOTH: Well done.

Thank you very much indeed.

See, first one in the bag.

Thank you, goodbye.

VO: And good work, James.

What's he up to now then?

I'm just texting Charlie, because he's always berating me about getting my hands deeper into my pocket.

And I just wanted to give him the good news that I have frugally spent £12.

He's going to love it.

VO: James knows his shrewd tactic of spending less gets Charlie's goat, cor, what a scamp, eh?

Speaking of Charlie, looks like he's spotted an old friend.

Ooh.

Aha!

My largest success so far on this trip has been thanks to Winston Churchill.

RALPH: Well you have an interesting one there.

Oh blimey.

Someone's given it a right bashing.

It says silver but that appears to be silver plate to me.

Yeah, I think the medallion in the center is the silver.

It's hallmarked.

Oh, ah, clever, so the medallion of Churchill is silver RALPH: Mmm.

CR: And the dish is plated.

VO: Ticket price is £100.

RALPH: Very best'd have to be... CR: Yeah?

..60.

That's a gamble lot, isn't it?

Couple of people like Churchill, they could get stuck into that.

Right.

If I rolled Churchill in with a couple of coasters, would that shave them at all, or not?

Mmm.

CR: No, I don't want you losing money.

RALPH: 60 for the pair of coasters and... CR: Pair of coasters and the dish.

RALPH: Is the very best.

I think that's incredibly generous.

I've got to keep Churchill going.

Are you happy with that?

Yes.

I'm happy with that.

Let's put it there.

Thank you very much.

60 quid and Madeira was a tenner.

RALPH: Was a tenner.

CR: 70 quid.

£70.

Three items.

Shopping... made easy by Ralph.

VO: Good work Charlie.

Three lots with potential in your first shop.

James meanwhile has made his way to Bedford.

In the 17th century, this town became the focus of a brutal crackdown on religious freedom.

At a time when the church, parliament and the monarchy were in turmoil, there was one man who stood fast in his beliefs - John Bunyan.

He was jailed in Bedford for being one of the country's most radical religious thinkers and went on to write a revolutionary book that would rival the Bible's popularity around the world.

Here to tell James more is John Bunyan Museum curator Nicola Sherwood.

I come seeking Bunyan.

Tell me all about him.

Well he was born in Elstow and his family had lived there for generations.

Bunyan as a slightly hot-headed teenager, 16, decided to join the army and went to fight for Oliver Cromwell and parliament.

VO: The young Bunyan had entered the English civil war.

This was one of the most turbulent times in British history, resulting in the abolition of the monarchy, and the establishment of a republic led by Oliver Cromwell.

This heralded a period of religious freedom for England, and a time of great religious discovery for Bunyan.

JB: When did the light shine for him?

NICOLA: It was really when he returned back to Elstow, when suddenly this voice came into his head to sort of say, "Wilt thou have thy sin and go to hell "or wilt thou leave thy sin NICOLA: "and go to heaven?"

JB: Yeah.

Heaven.

VO: From that moment on, Bunyan's life was changed forever.

He renounced the Church of England and began to preach his non-conformist message around the country with great success.

But within just seven years the country underwent another radical change and religious freedom came to an end.

With the return of the king and the monarchy in 1660, basically they sort of felt that the way to reunify the country was to reunify religion and bring everyone back under the kind of Anglican Church of England and get people to start following the Common Book of Prayer, having people ordained rather than just anyone being allowed to preach.

So when the clampdown came with the restoration of the monarchy, what happened to dear old Bunyan then?

Well, he ignored it, basically.

He carried on preaching.

He went... carried on round the country.

People...

He was becoming very famous, very popular and he was starting to be perceived as a bit of a threat by the establishment.

Because he was outspoken?

NICOLA: Yes.

Yeah, exactly.

JB: Yeah.

NICOLA: So an arrest warrant was put out, which had 13 signatures, when actually only two would've been necessary.

VO: As a prominent non-conformist, Bunyan was arrested while speaking just outside Bedford, and was imprisoned in the county jail in November 1660.

Bunyan ended up being put in prison, basically indefinitely.

He ended up spending 12 years.

So we see Bunyan here writing.

Did he start writing in jail?

Certainly his spiritual autobiography Grace Abounding - we know he probably wrote that during his 12 years.

We do believe he got the idea for The Pilgrim's Progress and started sort of sketching that out in his cell.

And this was his big book.

That was THE book, that was the one that made him famous and that has gone on to be so incredibly well regarded around the world.

VO: Bunyan was finally released from prison in 1672 thanks to a law of religious clemency introduced by the new monarch, Charles II.

VO: Bunyan went straight back to preaching and completed his greatest work, The Pilgrim's Progress.

A simple tale of good versus evil, it tells the story of a pilgrimage through this world to the afterlife.

From its first publication in 1678, it was an instant success.

JB: He did a sort of synopsis of the Bible.

He repackaged it?

NICOLA: Yes, basically.

He sort of nailed it in terms of a simple, clear message that anyone...

It doesn't even have to be a Christian message, it is the simple, how to live a good life.

JB: How to live... Because it was such a simple story, it was used by the missionaries to go out to other countries... JB: Ah!

..to share the Christian word and the Bible in a much simpler way than getting them to read the Bible.

JB: Yeah.

NICOLA: So there are over 200 languages and dialects that it's been translated into.

JB: Oh did it?

At one point there were more copies of The Pilgrim's Progress than there were of the Bible in working people's houses.

Goodness.

VO: Bunyan wrote about 60 books and pamphlets and continued preaching right up to his death from illness at the age of 59.

But the one he will forever be remembered for, The Pilgrim's Progress, has been continuously in print from its first release over 300 years ago to the present day.

Charlie's journeyed west to the market town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire.

Wellingborough has a strong Anglo-Saxon history and one of the few helmets from that period ever to be discovered in Britain was found nearby.

After his buying frenzy this morning, what will Charlie uncover at Hunter's Antiques?

Hello, Nick.

Charlie, how are you?

We've met before, haven't we?

We have.

Little while ago.

My word, you've done some things since I was last here.

Little bit of a change, yeah.

Everything's expanded.

Good Lord!

Who's that?

That's the complaints department.

Complaints department!

(CHUCKLES) VO: I like you, Nick.

Oh!

Nearly broke something there, Nick.

VO: Do be careful.

Ah!

Look at that.

It's back to school.

An old vaulting horse.

Yeah.

Where on Earth did you find that?

It came from a primary school.

Fantastic.

The kids never could get over it.

They were never tall enough.

CR: (LAUGHS) Probably weighs a ton.

NICK: It's got some weight.

(GRUNTS) If I proved I could jump over it, could I have it?

(THEY LAUGH) I think my insurance man would pass out at the attempt.

I think my trousers would split, probably.

VO: Not a pretty sight.

Feast my eyes on the cabinet.

There's loads of stuff here.

Now that is quirky and original.

Nick... ..you have a gun in your... We do.

We do.

VO: Or rather a novelty pipe in the shape of a gun!

Hang on one second, I'll get it out for you.

There we go, sir.

What's that, Bakelite?

I think so.

I'm not entirely sure but I think it is.

Bakelite and briar pipe.

It's inexpensive but I dare say the auctioneer would want to sell that for 10 quid or something, wouldn't he?

(INHALES SHARPLY) It's been knocking around for a bit.

I must say I don't think you'd see another.

I think that's probably the best part of 50 years old.

Don't suppose that could be insultingly cheap, could it?

Like a fiver or something?

I think the auctioneer might sell that for a tenner.

NICK: Yeah, I could do that.

As they say, there's not much down, sir.

You can't lose a lot on it, no.

No.

Sold, sir.

Sold, sir.

Well done, thank you.

That's not going to make you the richest man.

No, but it's... ..in Wellingborough but there you go.

VO: Charlie might not have risked much on the pipe, but novelty items often do well at auction, so it could be a canny buy.

With that final purchase of the day, it's time for a well earned sleep.

So, nighty night.

# Good morning world # It's a brand-new day.

# VO: Oh yes!

And this morning, James's shrewd spending tactics are still a hot topic in the Zephyr.

Yeah, but you by nature are an extremely generous man.

Yeah I know, but...

So it must go against the grain to shop like this.

Well hold on, hold on.

Let's put this into some proportion.

Yeah.

One of the greatest profits that you have ever made... ..was priced at 12 and you had the temerity to pay £8 for it.

I did.

And it went on to make?

2,700.

You see.

You weren't exactly peeling off the notes there were you?

VO: Touché!

So far James has only secured himself one lot - the pair of bamboo tables - leaving him a huge £458.84 available to spend.

While Charlie has bagged four lots - the Madeira wicker chair, the Victorian bottle coasters, the Churchill commemorative dish and the novelty pipe.

There's also that unsold mirror from the last leg.

Leaving him with £139.84.

VO: First stop of the day is Woburn in Bedfordshire.

This is your county, isn't it?

This is my county.

Well yes, not my county of birth but I have my saleroom here, just down the road in Woburn.

In Woburn?

Yeah.

I think you might go shopping in Woburn if you're very lucky.

Oh.

VO: Woburn has been burnt down and rebuilt three times.

The final fire in 1724 destroyed much of the village, which was rebuilt in the Georgian style that remains today.

VO: With only one lot bought so far, James has some serious shopping to do.

Hello.

Hello James.

Hello.

Elfyn, very nice to meet you.

Nice to see you.

Good.

So this is your emporium?

ELFYN: Well, shop.

JB: Shop.

Well, it's quite a big shop, isn't it?

VO: You better get on with it then.

VO: He's onto more bamboo, look.

Nice bit of bamboo.

Incredibly light.

Now this is very much your Victorian bamboo.

Aspidistra flowing out of the brass pot.

But do people want that in a modern interior?

That's...That's the difficulty.

Quite fun if you did have a nice conservatory.

VO: Ah just the man.

Something like 28?

Could that buy it?

Don't look at the label.

No clues.

VO: The ticket says 50.

No.

No.

OK, that's alright.

That's alright.

£40 you can have it for.

Now, I'm going to look at other items and I might do a collective.

OK. OK. VO: Smart thinking... VO: Now what's he onto?

Quite like this little lot, the...

I've always loved picnic cups and you've got six there, which is really unusual.

ELFYN: They fit together and the case is there.

VO: Worth a closer look I guess.

JB: I suppose you'd call it a nest, wouldn't you?

ELFYN: Well I sup... Yeah.

This is...

This is very fine maker, Hukin and Heath, and look, look.

They sit together.

They just fall in together.

Beautifully set.

So when people were motoring and various things like this... ELFYN: And there's a leather case, which is a little bit tired, and they're gilded inside of course, which is... Yeah.

Quite like those.

They're quite cheap, I think.

They might join the planter...

I see.

..in the great scheme of things.

Right.

VO: Another possibility.

VO: Anything else before you go in for the deal, James?

Now, I quite like the look of that.

OK.

So games are always quite fun.

That's quite big, isn't it?

Yeah, it's unusual in this size, they're normally quite a bit smaller than that.

So that's a...

This is a solitaire board.

It's quite nice having the big marbles, isn't it?

They're... and they are obviously all original.

I guess this is best part of 100 years old.

Yeah.

I think it... it looks 1920s, doesn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Always good to introduce into a home a dusting nightmare, isn't it?

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Absolutely.

I think that's rather fun.

I quite like that.

So I like the bamboo, the brass pot.

Yeah, that's a...

I like the Hukin and Heath and I like this.

Could the lot be bought for, say, 95?

Erm...

They're all priced round the 40 mark, 45 mark, aren't they?

JB: Yeah.

ELFYN: So...

I'm looking for a...

I'm looking for a discount.

You're not a million miles away.

Oh.

Is there a little chink of hope there?

Let's say 110.

Let's say 100.

105 and you've got it.

105 and you've got it?

Mm.

Gah.

I got the feeling it's 105, isn't it?

ELFYN: It is.

Thank you James.

JB: (LAUGHS) You're slightly frightening.

I was going to chance me arm.

VO: Well, some serious shopping done there, with three lots bought.

Charlie meanwhile has made his way to Woburn Abbey.

A stunning historic house that is a symbol of the opulent lifestyle of the aristocracy.

VO: Charlie, however, is here to find out about a lady who wasn't content with her life of luxury, Mary Russell.

A formidable woman who challenged conventional behavior, becoming known as the Flying Duchess, whose tragic last flight remains a mystery.

To tell Charlie more is curator Chris Garett.

How did she get associated with the family?

She married when she met her future husband in India.

He was an ADC... CR: Yeah.

..in the army, and she'd gone out because her father was an archdeacon over in India.

Yeah.

And they met and got married and then the duke at the time, who was her husband's brother... CR: Yeah.

CHRIS: dies and suddenly they become duke and duchess.

She was never expecting to be duchess then?

No.

VO: Mary spent most of her time pursuing great passions in life, one of which was caring for the sick, which she did at the cottage hospital she established near the Abbey.

Because she was so interested, she trained as a nurse herself.

Yeah?

And then of course when World War I broke out, the duke agreed to use Woburn as a military hospital for soldiers.

CR: What a wonderful place to be recuperating.

CHRIS: Wasn't it?

When the war ended, she still worked in the hospital.

CR: Did she?

CHRIS: In fact in 1919 she was trained enough to do minor surgery.

So, she became a surgeon?

So, she became a minor surgeon, yeah.

VO: Mary said the only thing stopping her from pursuing her medical career further was her "wretched tinnitus", a hearing impairment she'd developed after a bout of typhoid.

VO: It wasn't until Mary was in her 60s that she discovered a new passion - flying.

It was a pastime reserved only for the very rich.

She went up for a pleasure flight in 1926 in Croydon, thought it was really good because it also eased the tinnitus that she suffered from, possibly because of the racket from the engine, we don't know.

And employed a pilot to take her up and she decided to take it up seriously, so she did more and more flying and so much so that in 1928 they had a go at the record to India.

VO: Although their first attempt failed due to hitting telegraph wires shortly after takeoff - not a great start - the next year they tried and succeeded, flying to India and back in eight days with many fuel stops.

VO: With her pilot and mechanic, Mary then followed it up by breaking the record of flying to the Cape of South Africa and back in just 20 days.

Wow!

They had a few hairy moments.

I mean, at one point she was found to be asleep in the plane because there was a cracked pipe that was heating from the exhaust and they were being gassed and the pilots were fighting to keep awake.

And they realized something obviously was wrong, couldn't land cuz of a jungle and they had to wrestle for three hours before they could land.

CR: That was fumes coming from...?

And luckily, they reckoned a few more minutes and they'd have all been dead.

CR: Really?

CHRIS: Yes.

VO: Mary became an accomplished pilot.

By 1937 she was 71 years old, with failing eyesight, and needed to clock more hours to renew her pilot's license.

She took to the air and headed towards the Fenlands, inland from the North Sea.

It was a reasonably good day when she set out in the afternoon, but the weather closed in and by 4.30, the duke was getting worried because she hadn't come back.

And she was never seen again.

We, to this day, are not sure what happened.

VO: There are two theories as to what actually happened.

The first is that with failing eyesight she may have misread her compass and ended out over the North Sea before running out of fuel and crashing.

But there is an even more tragic possibility.

The other alternative is that she deliberately did it, because she knew that the hospital was liable to close, she knew that she may not get... Because of the funding.

She may not get her license back because of her age, and she'd already said, "If I didn't have the hospital "and the flying I'd have virtually nothing."

She was so deaf she couldn't communicate with her husband.

It could be she got in the air and decided, "Well, let's go out on a high."

Yeah?

And a little while later, four struts were washed up, first at Yarmouth and then at the vicinity.

From her plane?

From the plane.

We have those here.

CR: Gosh.

How poignant.

CHRIS: Yeah.

So it's still a mystery.

CR: Thank you very much indeed.

CHRIS: My pleasure.

Nice to...

It's been a real treat to see you... CHRIS: And to see you.

CR: ..and to learn about that remarkable woman.

CHRIS: Pleasure.

CR: Thank you.

VO: Back on terra firma, James has made his way to Bletchley in Buckinghamshire.

Famous for the wartime work done at Bletchley Park and home, it would seem, to a rather large family of Canada geese.

VO: James has one last shop of the day.

Charming weather out there, isn't it?

Lovely isn't it?

Hello.

JB: James.

Hello.

MAGS: Mags.

JB: Nice to meet you Mags.

MAGS: Nice to meet you.

VO: Fenny Antiques is full of the combined treasures of 40 dealers.

Anything upstairs?

Erm, only general furniture.

Not... Only general furniture.

Oh!

I might have a look up there.

That's quite nice.

Got a carpet here.

And it's tapestry, and this is known as a design called Aubusson, and it comes from... the design comes from France and they're very often these sort of light colors.

What do you look for when you look at a carpet?

You look for holes, don't you?

A Mr Moth.

Any moths?

But rather nice.

You know, somebody's made this.

Probably made by machine now, but you know, there is evidence of craft here.

Look at the back of it.

At £20, I think that's quite a good deal.

VO: Can Mags do an even better deal?

It's got a couple of wine stains and things.

Fortunately it hasn't got a hole.

I've checked it all over for holes.

Hasn't got the moth, which I'm pleased about.

I wouldn't mind buying it for a tenner if that's possible.

OK.

I'll go a tenner.

JB: Do you?

MAGS: Yeah.

Oh, well done, Mags.

Well done.

VO: With one Aubusson rug bagged for half price, both our boys are bought up.

VO: James spent a total of £127 on five lots - the pair of bamboo wine tables, the late Victorian bamboo plant stand and planter, the nest of picnic cups, the hardwood solitaire board, and the Aubusson wool carpet.

VO: Charlie spent less, shelling out £75 on four lots - the Madeira wicker chair, the Churchill centenary dish, the late Victorian plated bottle coasters, and the vintage novelty pipe.

He will also take his unsold rosewood mirror from the last auction to this auction.

VO: So what do they think of each other's lots?

Where do I start?

Talk about the sort of battle of the bamboo.

I bring you the 1970s in the guise of my tables.

Charlie Ross brings the most extraordinary Madeira chair and he buys it for a remarkable £10.

I think he's got a winner there.

And a game of solitaire, £25.

I've seen them for 10 in the shops.

That pipe, now there's no excuse for that pipe.

It's quite fun that it's in the style of a Colt 45 but at the end of the day, it's a pipe and it's a fiver.

As for your rug at a tenner, well, off to the skip with that.

VO: After starting this leg in Rushden, our experts are now motoring south towards auction in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

A place many a famous face has called home, from the late, great comic Benny Hill to world famous physicist Stephen Hawking.

Charlie, great shame you didn't go all in on this one, wasn't it?

Really wish I'd spent all my money.

JB: (LAUGHS) Because I think the auctioneer would be well suited to have the sale outside today.

JB: (LAUGHS) Come on.

VO: Our boys will battle it out at Hertfordshire Auctioneers.

VO: What does auctioneer Chris Small make of our experts' lots?

There's quite an eclectic mix of items.

I quite like the pipe revolver.

What it's worth and what it'll make I don't know.

I don't really rate the bamboo tables at all.

I think if we get a tenner for those we'll be doing well.

The Churchill centenary dish, little bit of damage to it, does have its original box.

Yes, I think that's probably going to make maybe the most money today.

VO: We've got bidders in the room and online.

Get comfy chaps, the games are about to begin.

Here we are.

Back in your favorite position.

JB: I know.

CR: Front row of the stalls.

JB: Front row.

I'm looking forward to this.

VO: Well you're up first James with the late Victorian bamboo stand and planter.

15.

You've got 15, have you?

Oh!

15 I've got.

£15 I've got.

To my right at £15.

I'm now at 15, I'm bid, there.

It's on the net, bidder, at 15 and 20, Steve, at 20 got.

Taking off now, James.

Taking off.

At 20.

I've got now, £20 I've got.

At 20 for this one.

At £20 for the bamboo plant stand and brass pot there, £20 only I'm bid for it.

Are you all done with that one at £20?

Oh, James.

You've halved your money.

Half my money.

Less a little commission.

You're coming back to join me, James, you're coming back.

VO: Much to Charlie's delight, that's a disappointing start for James.

Will his pair of 1970s bamboo tables do a bit better?

Bid me a tenner.

Who's in?

Yes.

Go on.

Oh.

MAN: Five.

CHRIS: Five I've got.

CR: Ooh, that's a man.

JB: Cheeky monkey.

£5 I've got.

10 bid, 15 got.

Oh, 15.

15 I've got.

Now at 15.

See, he's out.

Got now at 18.

Got now at 18.

18, keep going, sir.

And 20, bid 20.

20 got now.

We're riding it now, James.

22.

CR: Oh!

James!

CHRIS: £22 I'm bid.

Uncharted territory.

Amazing.

£22 I'm bid for these.

Any more now at £22?

Can't be.

22.

Salvaged.

That's marvelous.

VO: Indeed, bravo James!

Charlie m'dear, it's your Madeira chair.

10 I've got, thank you, at 10.

Well done.

10.

We're away.

£12 bid.

£12 I've got.

12 will ease it over.

£12 I've got now.

At 12.

Martin, you're out at 12, I've got now.

To my left is the bidder.

£12 I've got.

It's from Madeira, m'dear.

1948 Madeira sun lounger there.

£12 is bid to my left, at £12 for it.

Is there any more now?

At £12.

JB: £12.

CR: Oh no, stop.

It's got to go then.

It's a profit.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Oh dear.

Once, twice and... Oh!

JB: (LAUGHS) It's like a bullet through the heart.

VO: I don't think he's taking it very well.

So you're not pleased with the 12?

Desperately disappointed.

Desperately dis...

I feel a moistening of the eye.

JB: (LAUGHS) VO: Come on chaps, dry those eyes, your rosewood mirror that failed to sell at the last auction is up next.

Start me at 20. Who's in?

20, 30 I'm bid.

Goodness me.

30 I'm bid.

Well come on, sir, it's a lovely thing.

There you are.

£30.

VO: Thank goodness for that, Charlie!

On the net there, £30 I'm bid, this one.

Is there any more now, at £30 on this one?

JB: £30.

CR: I am...

Doubling money.

JB: Well done.

CR: Good work, sir.

JB: Well done.

CHRIS: 1009.

Well done.

VO: A lovely profit and Charlie can finally say farewell to the mirror and we don't have to cart it round any more.

You doubled your money.

You are... On fire, Rodney.

You are smelling of roses here.

I don't know what's going on.

CR: Rosewood.

JB: Rosewood.

Rosewood.

Rosewood.

VO: Can Charlie's luck continue with his silver plated bottle coasters?

20, got, 20 I'm bid.

Straight in.

£20 I've got.

20.

Straight in.

At 20, I'm bid these.

At 20.

Nearly all the bidding for our stuff is online, isn't it?

It is.

I don't know what all these people are here for.

£20 I've got now.

It's the net bidder at £20.

Are you done with them?

He will be delighted.

CR: Gone.

JB: £20.

I think the buyer will be over the moon.

Yeah.

VO: Someone's bagged themselves a real bargain there.

Charlie's up again now, with his Bakelite pipe shaped like a gun.

20, thank you, straight in, £20 I got.

20 I'm bid on the net there, £20 I got.

20 I'm bid for this one.

And five bid, 25.

Got 25.

25, madam.

In the room now, £25 I've got.

Lady's bid.

Are we selling?

ASSISTANT: 30.

CHRIS: 30.

CR: Oh!

CHRIS: Back in.

JB: No.

CHRIS: 35.

BOTH: 35.

35 got.

35, it's in the room now.

Net bidder, you're out at £35.

Selling it once... twice.

Well done.

Thank you, madam.

Ripple.

Well done.

VO: What a result - fabulous profit there for Charlie and something to bang on about.

Today, you are great, you are a man on form.

I am.

I'm on fire.

JB: I think... CR: Hence the pipe.

VO: Auctioneer Chris's son James is taking the helm now.

VO: And it's the turn of James Braxton's hardwood solitaire board with marbles.

£10 I'm bid.

At 10 on this.

10 I'm bid.

For this, at 10.

Keep going.

At 10, 12 on the net, at 12.

JB: Here we go.

CR: 12 on the net.

CR: Yeah.

JB: Keep going.

Now back in.

At £15 now, 15.

Are we all done then?

Oh, here we are, madam.

18, new bidder.

At £18 now, at 18.

Do you want 20?

CR: Madam!

CHRIS: 20.

And 20, got 20 over there at 20, you're out.

Keep going, madam.

At £20 in the furniture.

At £20 I'm bid.

Do you want two?

22.

At 22, says no.

At £22 I'm bid.

At 22.

25?

At £22 I'm bid.

At 22 on this.

Down the front at £22 then.

Last warning, at £22.

CR: Nearly bailed you out.

JB: 22.

Nearly.

Thank you, madam.

Thank you.

Thank you.

VO: James seems pretty relieved with that result.

It's the auctioneer's pick next.

VO: And Charlie's final lot... ..the commemorative Churchill dish.

Start me at 20.

20.

20 I've got, at 20, at £20 now, at 20.

20 on the internet.

20, two, at 22, got 22, at 22, got 28, 28, 28, at £28 I'm bid and 30.

At 30, got 30, got 30.

30.

Come on.

We need to go on a bit here.

This is Winston Churchill.

This isn't Enid Blyton.

Savior of a nation.

30, with the box as well.

£30, at 30 and two.

With the box.

I knew.

32, at 32.

At £32 I'm bid.

At 32.

35.

38.

38, bid, 38.

38.

Now we're getting there.

We're getting there.

And 40. got 40, at 42.

Need a bit more, sir.

42, got 42.

At 42.

You're a kind man, sir.

At £42.

JB: That should be enough.

45?

No no no, I think we need a little more, James.

JB: Do we?

CR: It is Churchill.

£48 now, at 48.

At £48 I'm bid.

Any more?

At 48.

JB: In the saleroom.

CR: Some chicken!

At £48 then, hammer's up.

CR: (SIGHS) JB: Well done.

A rollercoaster.

VO: Churchill does Charlie proud again, another profit.

VO: Will James's six plated picnic cups prove popular?

Bid 20, got 20, at 20, at £20 now.

In the room.

And two and five, and 25, got 25, at 25 in the room.

Eight, got 28, got 28, and 30, got 30.

Now we're going.

At £30 I'm bid for this.

30.

And now 30.

Two.

Five.

35, I've got 35.

James!

At £35 I'm bid, at 35.

38.

40.

At £40 I'm bid.

At 40.

At £40 now.

42.

45.

£45, 45, still cheap for these.

Look at them.

Look.

Hukin and Heath.

At £48 I'm bid.

At £48 for these.

They're a good size, aren't they?

At £48 I'm bid.

Go on, go 50.

50.

AUCTIONEER: At £48... JB: (WHISPERS) 50.

At £48 then, are we all done?

At £48 I'm bid, are we all done at 48?

VO: Nice little profit there.

VO: It's their last lot of the day and to have any chance of winning this leg, James needs a good result on his Aubusson rug.

Here we are.

Here we go.

That's my bids then, I've got 10, £15 I'm bid.

AUCTIONEER: 15 on this, at 15.

JB: 15.

£15 I'm bid, at 15, at £15 now, 15.

Left bid.

At 15, 20, five, 25.

AUCTIONEER: Got 25.

JB: Keep going.

Bid 30, got 30, back in the room at 30.

Keep him rocking along.

Go on.

I'm out, at £30 I'm bid for this, at 30.

At £30 now, at 30, 35.

Got 35, at 35 now, at 35.

JB: Well done.

AUCTIONEER: At 35.

At £35 I'm bid, at 35.

Says no.

At £35 I'm bid.

At 35 on this.

Any more?

At £35, are you out?

At £35.

JB: Need a friend.

CR: James, we need another one.

Once.

Twice.

Third and final time at £35.

Oh!

Serious triumph, though.

10 to 35.

10 to 35.

VO: Lovely profit there for James, but has he done enough to win this leg?

VO: James began with £470.84.

After auction costs he made a small loss of £6.46, but he still goes into the last leg in the overall lead with a fantastic £464.38 - and is looking very prosperous, if you don't mind my saying so.

Charlie started this leg with £214.84.

He made a profit of £43.90 after auction costs, which means he goes into the final leg with £258.74 and is crowned today's winner.

Well done, old bean.

Very good, sir.

Very good.

Well, as the winner, winner takes all.

Thank you very much, sir.

Thank you.

Take me away.

Take you away.

Where to, sir?

Somewhere exotic.

Exotic, sir.

Ah.

VO: Home James!

See you soon, Road Trippers.

VO: Next time on Antiques Road Trip, Charlie gets overexcited.

Aargh!

VO: Whoops!

While James is calm and collected.

Bring the arms up... (INHALES DEEPLY) JB: And bring your toes... CR: Oh yeah.

..down on the floor, slowly, slowly, slowly.

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