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

I've got it, I've got it.

VO: ..behind the wheel of a classic car... Ooh!

VO: ..and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Argh!

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

But it's no mean feat.

Doubled up there!

VO: There'll be worthy winners... £1,700.

SERHAT: Yay!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

Oh, no!

VO: Will it be the high road to glory... Loving it, loving it, loving it.

VO: ..or the slow road to disaster?

This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Get away!

VO: Another day of adventure beckons, motoring through the lush Northamptonshire countryside.

SERHAT: Look at all the green and green and green.

This is new to you, isn't it?

SERHAT: It is.

CATHERINE (CS): Greenery.

VO: Yes, it's a bit of a shock for London dealer Serhat Ahmet, out with his travel buddy, auctioneer Catherine Southon.

Now, any interesting facts about where we are?

I know nothing of Northamptonshire.

I do.

I do know one thing about Northamptonshire.

It's where my puppy came from, where my dog came from... Aw!

..my first dog.

Maybe that's not that interesting.

VO: Only to members of your fan club, Serhat.

Their carriage for this trip is the mighty Morris Million, made before seatbelts were mandatory, but perfect in every other way.

Why is she making a noise at the moment?

(LOUD RATTLE) What have you done to her?

Nothing!

VO: That bodes well.

Huh.

Last time out Catherine's bargain basement buys did better than her pricier items.

Thank you.

At 32.

Oh, I wish I'd have bought loads!

VO: Serhat, meanwhile, pinned all his hopes on a piece of porcelain.

This is actually something quite special.

VO: And his ceramics know-how really paid off at the auction.

At 210.

That is immense.

You're a happy little bean.

Yeah.

Now look at that smile, it's grown since the last auction.

I feel like the cat that got the cream.

The cat that got the vase.

VO: Jealous, Catherine?

She started this trip with £200 and has seen her finances dwindle a bit.

She's currently got £159 and eight pennies for today's shopping.

But Serhat, who started with the same amount, has had a bit of a windfall with that one big profit and has a much healthier £285.36.

Now with one jaunt under their belt, what have our two learned about each other?

I thought you would be really serious.

Did you think I was gonna be a bit stiff and boring?

CS: Yeah!

SERHAT: Ooh!

Ooh!

but you're so much fun.

Oh, thanks!

And you're just a very happy, cheery person.

Now you have to say something nice about me.

VO: Choose your next words very carefully, Serhat.

After kicking off in Kent on an east of England odyssey, our shoppers will be seeing the sights of the East Midlands and scooting over to East Anglia before a final auction at Nottingham.

This time out, we'll be heading further eastwards, hitting the shops on the way to Newmarket in Suffolk.

But we begin in the Northamptonshire village of Castle Ashby... ..where Catherine's been dropped off at her first shop, the Eggshell Gallery.

Expect lots of delicate things then.

They advertise their specialties here as mechanical music, clocks and quirky.

No shortage of the first two on display.

And as for quirky, I think we've got that covered.

Serhat, is that you?

Do you think you could stop winning please?

Do you think you could stop looking so smart and making loads of profit on your last item?

You can?

Thanks, that would be lovely.

VO: That's him told.

He's a good boy.

VO: Could have been embarrassing if that was the wrong number.

Right, time to get to work.

This is interesting.

New Testament Active Service Edition, so given out to all soldiers during the Second World War.

But this one has something else at the back.

All handwritten in pencil and it says "To my darling Jean for the best little wife in the world, love Derek".

So this is from Derek, and Derek's written three pages in pencil.

So this was written in Dunkirk in 1940.

And that's really very touching, isn't it?

Because these are sort of ten a penny really.

But something like that, I think is really quite, quite interesting, if, if it's right.

The only thing that worries me with this is that the pencil is quite clear.

I would have thought the pencil would have been a little bit more rubbed and perhaps a little bit more faint.

It's very tempting.

VO: £30 is the price on that.

Have a word with shop owner, John, see if he has any more info.

John?

Do you know anything about this in terms of the history, where it's come from?

I got it from a collector...

Right.

With some more bits and pieces.

Mm.

He thinks it's right.

I think it's right.

Mm.

But obviously there's always that element of doubt.

Oh, I don't know what to do.

I'm really tempted though, I do like it very much.

Would £20 give you a chance?

I think a £20 little punt.

Yeah.

And let the market decide.

OK, yeah.

No, that sounds, that sounds interesting.

Definitely.

VO: Let's leave her pondering that one and see where Serhat's got to.

He's meandering in the Morris over to Olney in Buckinghamshire.

The Antiques Centre at Olney is where he'll be getting things rolling today.

Very handy parking spot too.

Look at that.

Inside it's big.

They've got 100 dealers all showing their wares in here so there's lots to take in.

Now, given his big win on a nice piece of pot last time out, will our Mr porcelain head straight for the ceramics?

Is the sky blue?

Is water wet?

Oh, wow.

This is something I need to look at.

VO: What'd I tell you?

Wemyss ware, so Scottish pottery founded in 1882.

And this is the cabbage rose pattern.

Very, very collectible.

Especially because Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother collected this.

All hand painted, beautifully marked.

So what do we have here?

Yep, the price is 365 and that's about right.

It's also out of my budget.

But it's such a nice piece.

VO: One to aspire to perhaps.

I'm sure there'll be cheaper bits of china round here if you want to scratch that particular itch.

Not something I see very often actually, this is really cool.

French, it's a part tea set so there's only two cups and saucers.

Probably a coffee set actually.

Just seen the coffee pot, that's not a teapot.

It's sometimes referred to as a tete-a-tate, head to head, two people having coffee.

This dates to about 1905, 1910?

So it kind of sits in stylistically somewhere in between art nouveau and art deco.

And I love this cobalt blue color.

It really kind of pops.

And it's just so nice that it's complete.

VO: And it can be yours for £42.

That's really good.

This is probably gonna be something I'd like to do a deal on.

VO: He's in his element here.

Meanwhile, over in Castle Ashby with that special little Bible on the potentials pile, Catherine's moved on to other things.

CS: This I like.

Stationery folder.

I love the cover here.

This looks very sort of arts and crafts and almost a bit sort of William Morris, with these interlocking shapes here and the mythical figureheads at the top.

It's just got a lovely feel about it.

I'd like to think that this was all inlaid, perhaps satinwood inlay, but it's not.

If you run your fingers across it, it's not raised in any way and it's not transferred either.

It's a nice thing.

VO: And it's priced up at £35.

There's a little bit of stationery still left inside.

To have this on your desk today, that would look rather nice.

I don't think anyone would say no to that.

VO: Well, in that case, it's back to John we go.

John, I've had a lovely time walking around.

Thank you very much.

You've got so much, so many interesting items.

One of the things that I saw earlier, you may recall, was the Bible.

But I've just had a look at this which I quite like.

This stationery folder.

Really nice thing.

Is there any discount on the price there?

You've got 35 on it.

If I do the stationery thing for the same money, for 20?

Wonderful.

OK, well I will have both of them then.

VO: £40 all-in leaves her with just under £120.

CS: Thank you.

JOHN: Thank you.

See you again.

Bye bye.

VO: I think she's rather pleased with those.

Now back to Bucks, where our other shopper has moved on from the porcelain and is trying his hand at something else.

SERHAT: Ooh.

That's really cute.

VO: Oh, going for glass this time.

So this is a piece of glass decorated by Mary Gregory.

Mary Gregory was a decorator in America in the mid to late 19th century.

And she and her followers decorated the glass on top with enamels, hand colored enamels that always are children.

So that's very, very typical.

Firstly, there's the size.

That will be classed as a miniature.

And the fact that the face of the child is in different colors.

So normally we just see the white, but in this case they've used color to achieve her hair and her flesh.

So I think that's really really cute.

VO: £35 is the price on that.

I think that might be something that I end up buying.

VO: Well, there's no time like the present.

You'll need to have a chat with Nick, the man in charge.

Ah, Nick.

Hi.

There you are.

Hi.

Got a couple of pieces I want to ask you about.

The first is a little jug that's priced up at 35.

And the second piece is to your left, there's a set in the blue and white.

Yep, I think it's got 42 on the ticket.

It does indeed.

What would be the best price if I took the two lots?

Well, that's 42.

We can do that for 25.

OK. And I think we can do 25 for that one as well.

That's marvelous.

Making 50 for the pair.

Fine, you've got a deal.

That's wonderful.

VO: Well, that was all very straightforward and he still has a very healthy £235 and change to play with.

So off he pops with the aplomb of a French cafe waiter.

And look, someone's even turned the car around for a quick getaway.

How about that for service?

Now, Catherine's called a halt to shopping for the day and is turning her attention to less earthly matters.

VO: She's made her way further east to the market town of Bedford to find out how the town's largest church, St Paul's, helped to boost the country's spiritual wellbeing during World War II.

James.

Hello, welcome.

..lovely to see you.

VO: Local historian James Collett-White has the story of how the BBC turned this 13th century church into a radio studio, broadcasting to the nation and to British troops fighting overseas.

JAMES: The story doesn't start actually in Bedford, it starts in London.

Imagine the Blitz, the danger of being destroyed by bombing.

And so the BBC decides that they're going to move the music and the religious department to somewhere safer.

VO: Wow.

Thanks to its direct rail link to the capital and the enthusiastic petitioning of the town's mayor, the corporation chose Bedford as its new location.

In July 1941, two orchestras and a host of radio engineers and other staff, around 400 people in all, arrived by special train in the town.

JAMES: There were a number of buildings that were used, particularly for the music department.

Mm.

They occupied the corn exchange, which is just behind us, which still is used for concerts and so on.

And the religious services department was going to be in what was called Studio 6, which was in fact the Trinity Chapel of this church.

So from here, over 1,000 religious broadcasts went out in the years from July 1941 to July 1945.

VO: Once it was wired for sound, Studio 6's main responsibility was to broadcast the daily service, a mainstay of the broadcasting schedule since 1928.

These services would have helped immensely with morale, allowing people at home in Britain to worship alongside their family members fighting abroad.

CS: Wow, this is beautiful.

We're now in the heart of Studio 6, is that right?

We are, absolutely.

So they were religious services every morning?

Yes, they were.

And when it was broadcast, it was described as coming from "somewhere in England", because they obviously didn't wish the German or Italian bombers to know where it was, because it might have been something that they might have wished to get rid of.

# Lift thine eyes, O lift thine eyes.

# VO: The crowning achievement of Studio 6's output took place in September 1941.

A service as part of the National Day of Prayer was led by the archbishops of Canterbury and York with contributions from church leaders from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The music department provided singers for the service, and to give Catherine a flavor of the occasion, St Paul's has a trio of their own today.

# ..cometh from # From the Lord, # The Maker # Of heaven and earth.

CS: After the Second World War, what happened to the BBC?

The BBC began to return to London.

There was the last service on the 26th of September, and the papers were filled with regret at their leaving us.

VO: But there was also pride in the town's role in lifting the spirits of the nation during the dark days of the war.

And to commemorate this, the church floor now bears this inscription, containing the corporation's motto - "Nation shall speak peace unto nation."

VO: Meanwhile, Serhat's motoring on.

The car is just driving beautifully today.

I really really don't want to give it back to Catherine.

VO: Likes to be in the driving seat does our Serhat.

He's also heading over to Bedfordshire to the village of Willington.

His next shop, Time After Time, is handily bedded in to this garden center.

So with £235-odd he could pick up a nice Victorian jardinière and an aspidistra to go in it, if the fancy took him.

And it's all under the watchful eye of Steve the cat.

Do you have lots of ideas of where I can buy an antique?

(CAT MEOWS) Oh.

OK well, that's a reply.

VO: I think Steve's a Catherine Southon fan actually.

You're on your own, Serhat.

Oh.

Hang on.

VO: He's spotted something.

Art nouveau.

Typical art nouveau.

A fantastic motif here.

It's almost like a heart shape, which is quite fitting actually because this is a jewelry box.

Silver plated.

I would love it to be silver at that price.

VO: That price being £145.

It's a little bit stained on the inside, but it's got a lovely weight to it.

No key.

Finding a few problems with this but I still really love it.

I just think it's such a nice, tactile thing.

VO: Yeah.

Let's pop that on the potentials list then and see if there's anything else.

Oh wow.

That's pretty cool.

VO: Well, that took no time at all.

SERHAT: I confess, I know nothing, I mean nothing, about clocks.

But that's really caught my attention because of the style of it.

So, really late 19th century to really early 20th century.

It's got a brass face in two tones.

Polished so you can see the numbers and it's all encased in this beautiful... ..oak is it I would say?

And if you look round the back, I'm expecting this to be a pendulum clock, that much I do know.

Yep, there it is.

VO: We'll make an horologist of you yet, Serhat.

That one's also priced at £145.

SERHAT: This one really stands out to me for all the styling points.

VO: Put that one on the list too then, and I don't think he's done with this place just yet.

Lots of mirrors, lots of clocks.

VO: Nice item.

Am I brave enough?

(HE LAUGHS) Hang on, hang on.

VO: Seven years' bad luck, don't forget.

So be careful.

Bingo.

That's heav-y!

Wow.

Look at that.

Beautiful.

I think that's beautiful.

So it's a art deco mirror with a black glass frame.

It's only around 1930s.

I would say French or English.

What I love about it is that it's not clear glass, it's not a plain silvered glass, it's this champagne-tinted mirror.

And it's priced at... £95.

That's a definite maybe.

I don't think I'm brave enough to put it back up though.

I might just leave it down here.

VO: Probably wise.

I think it's time we had a chat with shopkeeper Sian.

SERHAT: Sian.

SIAN: Yes.

I found three things.

So, I've got this art nouveau silver-plated box.

Over there there's an arts and crafts clock.

Mm-hm.

And then there's the art deco mirror with the kind of champagne tinted... Yeah, I took it off the wall... (BOTH LAUGH) ..for safekeeping.

Yeah, OK.

I think I wanna buy two of the items, but tell me what you could do.

VO: Let's start with that box.

The best I could do on that would probably be 125.

Similarly on the clock, drop that down to 125.

And the mirror, the best I could probably do on that would be 85.

I'd really like the mirror and then, I dunno, the clock probably more than... SIAN: Yeah.

SERHAT: ..the box.

VO: That's still a hefty £210.

Brace yourself, Sian.

I'm gonna be...

I'm cheeky.

I'm gonna be cheeky.

I'd really like to pay 175.

Does that work?

That's really pushing me a little bit.

OK.

But 180 and you've got yourself a deal.

Excellent.

I'm gonna count some money out.

VO: So that's 110 for the clock and £70 for the mirror.

And once he's finished shelling out all that cash, let's go and pick up Catherine.

And he should have come up with a compliment for her by now.

SERHAT: You're very earthy.

CS: I'm earthy?

SERHAT: You're a good soul.

CS: I'm earthy... You're an earthy good soul.

It means one with nature.

Natural... Earthy.

Mother Earth type.

VO: I'd stop digging if I were you, Serhat.

Nighty night.

VO: We're up bright and early and find ourselves in Cambridgeshire.

Very wide vistas, you can see for miles.

Wait, wait, look at all the bunnies!

Look at all the bunnies.

Oh my goodness!

That's not a bunny, that's very big.

What are they?

CS: That's huge!

SERHAT: They're not bunnies!

VO: No Serhat, they're deer, bunnies are small, those are very far away.

The bunnies!

CS: You've been in London too long!

VO: I dunno, city slickers.

Yesterday, our amateur naturalist went spending crazy, getting his paws on an art deco mirror, a mantel clock, a tete-a-tete coffee set and a tiny glass jug.

I think that's really, really cute.

VO: And that whole lot left him with just £55.36 in his pocket.

Catherine was a bit more frugal, only spending £40 on a stationery folder.

I don't think anyone would say no to that.

VO: And one other thing she's dying to share.

SERHAT: Aha!

The New Testament.

Yeah, but if you turn to the back very, very carefully.

Oh, there's a dedication.

"To my darling Jean..." It's basically three pages of poetic verse written from this soldier... To his love.

..from Dunkirk in 1940.

How do we know it wasn't written last week?

Oh shut up!

(HE LAUGHS) VO: He's got no romance, that man.

Later, all their items will be off to auction in Suffolk, at Beccles.

But today's antics begin in that ancient seat of learning, Cambridge.

And having commandeered the car, this one's for Catherine, Cambs Antiques Centre.

In you go then.

It's a veritable cornucopia in here, lots of fine art, furniture and interesting objects, some of which can baffle even the most seasoned of treasure hunters.

What on earth are these?

These are really garish, what are they?

From a distance I thought they're skis, but they're definitely not skis.

VO: Oh, that would've been my guess too.

Have a look at the ticket.

'Fairground stall from shooting gallery.'

Oh I see.

So when you've got your coconut shy or your shooting gallery, you know the... (MIMICS GUN) shoot a duck or something like that.

This would be around the outside, this would be the sort of framework I suppose.

This sort of fairground memorabilia can make ridiculous amounts of money at auction.

What's... what's it got on there?

Ooh 225.

I haven't got that much, have I?

VO: Not even close, girl.

I think you'll have to roll up and try your luck somewhere else.

Something smaller perhaps.

These are right up my street.

They look like they should be drawer handles, but they're not.

That's fabulous.

These are actually bell pulls.

And so you'd pull the handle down like this and then it would, ding, "you rang, my lord?"

That is very cool.

VO: I could do with those at Wonnacott Towers.

You've got this sort of raised acorn motif with the oak leaf behind, so real sort of regency.

And then either side there, you've got the double eagle's head.

I really like these.

VO: Very affordable too.

£16 is the asking price.

So if you had one of those old-fashioned toilets, you know with the cistern above, and then you could have them attached to the chord that you would pull, that would impress your guests, wouldn't it?

No matter what, these are definitely being bought today.

Fabulous.

VO: I think she quite likes them then.

Now, what else can you find?

These are cool.

These are very cool.

Do you know what these remind me of?

Looking at them from a distance they remind me of jelly molds.

I'm thinking Victorian jelly molds, but they're actually a pair of bookends, mahogany bookends.

Late 19th century.

I love those.

I just love the shape of them.

I love the fact that they make me think of jelly, and I love jelly.

VO: Who doesn't?

£40 is the price on those.

I'd like to see these at sort of £25 and then the hope that they would make sort of £50 maybe at auction.

Certainly food for thought.

Jelly.

I'm gonna go off and see what Sheila thinks.

VO: Sheila being the lady in charge today.

Hello, Sheila.

Sheila, I've had such a good time.

Oh, good.

First of all, these regency bell pulls, which I think are great fun.

Is there anything you can do on these?

You've got £16 on the ticket.

Thinking of anything particular pricewise?

Um, maybe 12?

Can you do that?

Yeah.

CS: Can you do 12 on them?

SHEILA: Yep.

Is that alright?

Yes, definitely.

Amazing.

I also found the bookends.

You've got £40 on those.

Can you do anything on them?

28?

Can you do just a smidge more?

Is there any way you could do 25 on those?

Yeah.

CS: Is that alright?

SHEILA: Yeah, that's fine.

Brilliant.

VO: £37 in total then.

Lovely.

Thank you very much indeed.

Wish me luck.

Thank you.

Yes, good luck.

VO: That haul leaves her with a little over £82 still in hand.

She's making this money go a long way isn't she?

Time to move on I'd say.

Now, is there anything more tranquil than a nice walk in the countryside?

Serhat's parked his shopping for now and is out and about near the Cambridgeshire village of Wilburton, where, just off this leafy lane, there's something that's about to shatter the peace and quiet.

A display of riding skills, noisy thrills, and just a little bit of danger.

Well, it is called the Wall Of death.

Ah, you must be Ken.

Good morning Serhat.

Would you like to come inside and see the show?

Yes please.

Let's go up the stairs.

VO: The owner of this attraction, Ken Fox, is also the patriarch of a daredevil dynasty, that had been wowing the crowds for generations.

Whoa!

Woo!

That's incredible.

That's bonkers.

That is bonkers.

VO: Defying gravity on two wheels has been in the blood of Ken's family since his grandfather first rode the wall in 1931.

But the history of this spectacle goes back even further.

KEN: The very first parts of the Wall of death was board track racing in America.

So they're big, big circular board tracks.

And they got steeper and steeper as they went round the corners.

So in 1913 they still had steep tracks, but by 1920 they built these vertical walls and toured around and it became a show instead of just a normal race.

And around America there was a lot of walls of deaths, or silodromes as they was also called.

SERHAT: So when did it become popular in the UK?

First landed on the shores of the UK either 1928 or 1929.

Back in the 1920s, early 30s, to have a motorbike or a motor car in your town or a village was quite a feat.

To see one on a vertical wall, that was unbelievable.

VO: With early riders such as Billy and Marjorie Ward pulling in the crowds, these shows were real money spinners.

By the late 30s, there were over 40 walls of death around the country.

But with fairs closed down during World War II and the walls being stripped of wood for the war effort, most of these traveling attractions went to the wall, literally.

But Ken's family got back in the saddle and carried on riding.

So my grandad rode, my father rode, my uncle rode, my grandmother also rode for a short period of time.

I ride, both my children ride, both my daughter in laws ride and my niece rides.

So we've got quite a long, long, historic part with it.

How old were you when you started?

I was 15 when I started.

But my two boys, they were 11 when they started.

15.

I mean, that's just incredible.

And my dad, he's 74 and he'll still come down and ride.

OK.

It's definitely in your DNA.

Yeah, yeah.

VO: And it's not just the family.

Some of Ken's bikes go back a long way too.

The earliest engine we've got is 1921.

So that makes it 100 years old this year.

Yeah.

Properly in the Antiques Road Trip.

And the Indians were built with a left-hand throttle for the American police force, so they could pull the gun with their right hand and shoot the gangsters.

Looks like they are defying the laws of physics when they're going round.

They're actually working with the laws of physics.

They're just defying what you expect them to do.

Yeah.

Which is to fall off.

Yeah.

So how are they staying up?

There's two items that keep them on the wall.

Centrifugal force pushes them towards the wall, and the friction of the rubber on the wood.

Now, can I give you the offer of the best seat in the house?

You can... Down below.

VO: Rather you than me, Serhat.

Wow, looks great from down here.

If you're going to stand inside, don't get dizzy.

OK, I'm gonna stay right here though.

OK.

I'm not coming up with you.

VO: And don't forget to breathe in.

Sadly, these spectacles of speed didn't get a revival after the war.

There are now only four remaining walls of death left in the UK and Ken owns two of them.

His family of hell riders travel across the country to show their feats of daring to the public.

And it looks like they won't slow down for generations to come.

Bravo!

Meanwhile, with wheels firmly on a horizontal surface, Catherine's on the move.

Come on.

Gee up.

Let's see what we can find.

Giddy up!

VO: That's a bit of a hint to her next destination.

Birthplace of the sport of kings, Newmarket.

This Suffolk town has been involved with the gee-gees since 1605.

And having stabled the motor, Catherine is champing at the bit to get shopping.

Treasures Antiques is the name of this place and judging from the vast array of wonderful items on display, I'd say that's a very apt moniker.

And with £82 and change still in hand, it's odds on our girl can find something to suit.

I like this.

This is cool.

What is that?

That is a tea strainer.

That's an English tea strainer.

So you've got the handle there, which is wooden, ebonized handle.

And here you'd open this up and put your tea leaves in.

But importantly, what's it in the shape of?

VO: I know this, it's a bed warmer.

And that's what Victorians or Edwardians would put inside bed to make it nice and warm and cozy and toasty.

You would think that it would probably be Victorian because Victorians loved to have something like this and make it in the shape of something different, but it's not.

Looking at the Hallmark there it's actually 1922, so it's actually quite late.

VO: Priced up at £89.

But is it your cup of tea, Catherine?

I've never seen anything like this.

I think this is quite unusual.

Go and find another one.

That's pretty cool.

VO: Well, let's see if you can do a deal, girl.

CS: Patrick?

PATRICK: Yes?

CS: Hi.

PATRICK: Hi.

Can I just ask you about your tea strainer?

You've got £89 on it.

Is there a good deal that can be done on it?

I mean, you know.

I'm all ears at the moment.

OK.

So yeah, by all means, you know, you can...

Worst I can say is no.

Can I say £50?

You can, yes.

That's an offer.

(SHE LAUGHS) VO: He hasn't said no yet.

Do you know what?

I think you got a deal.

Have we got a deal?

I'll accept £50 for it.

Fantastic.

VO: He said yes!

£50 paid, £30 left over.

Job done.

And in the nick of time too cos there's that Serhat coming up on the rails.

With only a little over £55 to his name and such a choice on offer, I think he's gonna be feeling the pressure.

Can you see that?

That is the concentration muscle, that vein there.

And I really need to concentrate because there's so much stuff here.

I just wanna find that one thing that's gonna give me a nice little profit.

VO: Oh, he's so tense.

At the other end of the scale, with all her shopping done, Catherine has time for a mooch about.

They've got a lovely selection of... jockeys' racing silks.

And when in Newmarket, the home of horse racing... Come on, I've got to get this on.

VO: It would be churlish not to.

Green's definitely your color.

Here we go.

Think I'm all ready.

We need to saddle up, and go and find the horse.

VO: Good luck with that.

I think Serhat is looking to find something a bit smaller.

SERHAT: Oh.

Hang on.

That's far more interesting than a cup and saucer.

I like that.

But hang on, there's two.

VO: A pair's always better than one.

Cafe, coffee.

And lait, milk.

Silver plated and they're English but inscribed in French so they were made for the French market.

Perhaps for a cruise liner, perhaps for a train running through France?

Who knows, but look at the style.

I think they're just absolutely glamorous.

I love them.

VO: But at £79 for the two they're a bit out of your budget.

If I smile a lot, if I'm a little bit cheeky, Patrick might let me have those for £55.36.

VO: Time to turn up the charm.

Patrick!

Look what I found.

Lovely, good choice.

If I say to you, the tickets are £79.

OK. Can you do it for £55.36?

Well it's a little bit of a knock cos they are a nice pair but I want you to walk away from here with something.

So £55.36, you've just bought them.

Good.

Let's give you some money.

Lovely.

VO: Well, that's wiped him out completely.

But I think we're off to the races.

Isn't that right, Catherine?

Ta-da!

I don't know what to say.

I don't... Say you love it!

Give us a twirl.

I'm gonna twirl.

Oh very nice.

I like the little bow at the back.

Lovely!

I'll race you up the stairs.

Come on then!

VO: Lordy, you do know it's time for shut eye, don't you?

Ah well.

VO: Now, after all that terrible, grueling shopping, there's nothing like a trip to the seaside to clear the cobwebs and to watch an auction.

CS: Race you to the dodgems.

SERHAT: Alright.

Race ya.

Oh, look at this!

Oh, you really are racing.

VO: I think someone's overexcited.

Having started out in Northamptonshire, our pair have hit the pier at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex for some fun and games.

Their purchases have carried on up to Suffolk and the town of Beccles.

Durrant's Auctions is where the action is, with bids online, on the book and on the phones.

Serhat spent his entire £285.36 on five auction lots.

Let's find out what the auctioneer Nicholas Rudge makes of them.

The arts and craft eight day clock is a Wurttemberg in good condition.

We think it'll do well.

Time will tell how it goes.

VO: Oh, very good.

Catherine was a little more cautious, spending just £127 on her five lots.

Any prizes in there, Nicholas?

NICHOLAS: The soldier's New Testament from World War II...

Without the inscription it would hardly sell, it would make very little money.

With inscription we expect it to sell pretty well.

VO: So will this be a roller coaster or just swings and roundabouts?

Better strap yourselves in.

CS: Serhat, this is the best.

Absolutely fantastic.

SERHAT: I can't believe this, this is a great idea.

I'm very happy.

Shall we see how we did at the auction?

Yeah, let's go on to the serious business.

This could be a car crash.

(SHE LAUGHS) VO: Let's find out, starting with Serhat's mantel clock, his biggest spend.

So I'm going to start at £45.

£45 bid.

£45, 50.

Five.

55 with me.

Jumping, Serhat.

NICHOLAS: ..else wanna join in?

Commission bid.

Oh no.

With me at £55.

CS: Oh Serhat.

Thank you.

Well, half your money back is better than nothing back.

VO: That's a very positive spin on quite a hefty loss.

There's plenty to play for.

More things to go for.

Right, what's next?

VO: That'll be your stationery folder, Catherine.

Let's see if the auctioneer can push the envelope.

£10 bid.

At £10, 12.

£12, £12, 15?

15.

15.

Your bid at 15.

Oh no, come on.

VO: 18 then?

Thought that was really cheap at 20.

£18.

Thank you.

That's even cheaper at 18.

VO: Yes, nothing to write home about, was it?

Well, someone's just got a lovely bargain.

Aw!

Oh well.

VO: Let's see if Serhat's art deco mirror can show a profit.

£30, somebody?

£30 bid.

At £30, five?

35?

SERHAT: Broken mirror.

NICHOLAS: 35, 40?

£40.

£40, £40.

That's not bad.

Five.

45.

50 if you like.

50, we made 50.

Last chance at £50.

You know what, I think that's a good price.

VO: Well you would, it wasn't your item.

Is it gonna put you off buying mirrors?

Maybe.

VO: Next up are those mahogany bookends.

Anyone else hankering for a jelly about now?

Tenner, anybody?

Fiver then?

Anybody at a fiver?

CS: Oh God.

NICHOLAS: £10 bid.

At £10.

12, 15.

15, 18.

At £18.

20 if you like.

At £18 you're sure?

NICHOLAS: I'm gonna sell.

CS: They're worth more than £18.

NICHOLAS: At £18.

SERHAT: Ooh.

Oh my goodness me.

That was hard.

VO: Neither of them is having much luck today it would seem.

Oh well.

It's alright I suppose.

Hmm.

CS: Not really.

SERHAT: Not really.

VO: Chin up.

Surely Serhat's milk and coffee pots will put a pep back in your step.

£30.

£30, 20?

No?

You surprise me.

Yeah, £20 bid.

At £20, £20, £20, the maiden bid at £20.

NICHOLAS: Anyone else wanna join in?

(CATHERINE GASPS) Thought you might.

£22, 25?

£25.

Last chance then, at £25.

Thank you.

Call the police, Catherine.

CS: I will call the police.

Someone has stolen my cafe au lait pots.

VO: No, bought fair and square they were.

Just not the price you wanted.

CS: It was a gamble.

SERHAT: It was a gamble.

By the looks of things.

I applaud your gamble.

VO: Well, coffee didn't do it.

Let's see if tea fares any better.

Catherine's novelty strainer.

Lovely little item it is too.

Start me at £50, anybody 50?

CS: Please.

NICHOLAS: £30 then, surely?

No one £30?

£20 surely?

£20 bid, five.

30.

£30, five, 40.

£40.

£40, £40.

Five anywhere?

Are you sure then?

Please.

Come on.

NICHOLAS: Thought it'd make more.

No.

I thought it would make more.

NICHOLAS: Thank you.

CS: Oh.

That hurts.

VO: It's really not going their way today is it?

That's six straight losses.

Maybe all the bed warmer collectors were still in bed.

VO: Ha!

That'll be it.

Now, Serhat's little Mary Gregory style glass jug.

NICHOLAS: 10!

SERHAT: Whoops.

NICHOLAS: Tenner?

SERHAT: Tenner?

No?

Fiver then, surely?

Oh, come on.

There.

£5 bid, eight.

£8.

10, £10.

12 anywhere now?

NICHOLAS: At £10, £10... CS: A really unusual thing.

SERHAT: Isn't it?

£10.

Last chance, gonna go then.

SERHAT: Ooh.

NICHOLAS: Fair warning at £10.

Thank you.

The hammer went down and my heart sunk.

VO: Oh Serhat.

I think some kind words are in order, Catherine.

I'm sorry for you on that cos I think that was a good spot.

It was, it was.

I...

Thank you.

VO: Right, come on Catherine.

Your regency handles have got to ring somebody's bell.

£30 if you like, 30?

20?

10?

Oh gosh!

Bell pulls there for a tenner, surely.

Oh please, I don't wanna jump off the roller coaster.

15, 15.

18, 18.

18, 20, £20.

£20, £20, £20, two if you like.

Two, 22.

£22.

At £22.

Oh come on, I thought they'd make more than that.

You're sure at £22?

Five, 25 just in time.

NICHOLAS: 28, £28.

Fill it up to 30.

Come on, pull it up to 30.

Pull that bell.

Last chance.

I'm gonna sell them then at £28.

Thank you.

I'm pleased, but I thought they might take off.

They looked like they would.

VO: Well, at least we finally have our first profit.

Hooray!

SERHAT: You more than doubled.

CS: Yeah, no.

SERHAT: Be happy.

CS: I'm pleased with that.

VO: Serhat's last hope for success.

Will his tete-a-tete coffee set turn any heads?

I've got commission interest here.

To clear the sheets I'm gonna start at £40.

Hey!

You've made a huge profit already.

SERHAT: Kind of.

50.

£50 with me.

Commission bid at 50.

At £50.

55, you've beaten me.

SERHAT: Come on.

NICHOLAS: Bid online at £55.

Come on, come on, come on.

55.

That's brilliant!

Last chance and away online at £55.

Thank you.

I think that's really good.

VO: Given his current run of luck, I'd say it was amazing.

I think I'll just stick to ceramics.

CS: (LAUGHS) Stick to what you know, Serhat.

You obviously do it very well, Serhat.

CS: That's a fantastic result.

SERHAT: Thank you.

VO: And finally, Catherine's chanciest item, her World War II Bible with an inscription.

Will the bidders buy in to Derek and Jean's love story?

I wanna believe in it.

I want to...

I want to believe that there's romantics out there as well.

£30 bid straight in online.

Hooray!

Hallelujah!

45 online.

CS: 45!

Oh my goodness.

£50 bid.

£50 phone bid.

CS: They're so romantic!

60 if you like.

Feeling the love Serhat!

SERHAT: This is great.

CS: Oh, I'm so happy.

Bid's online, £65.

You've beaten the phones.

Gonna sell online then at £65.

Thank you.

That was £65!

Amazing.

Amazing, amazing.

VO: What a way to finish, eh?

Who says romance is dead?

SERHAT: But congratulations.

CS: Thank you.

I think I've probably made a little smidge... SERHAT: Yeah, yeah.

CS: ..of a profit.

But...

I think so.

And I've made a humongous loss.

VO: Well, that's the fun of the fair, isn't it?

It was like a ride on the big dipper for Serhat as his healthy £285 budget plummeted.

After auction costs, he's left with £159.90 and a slightly queasy feeling.

But it's Catherine who wins the cuddly toy.

She began with £159.08 and made a modest profit.

After auction fees she now has £170.66.

And, remarkably, she's now in the lead.

I think you've earned a little treat, don't you?

CS: Are you ready for this?

SERHAT: Not really.

(BOTH LAUGH) (BELL RINGS) VO: They'll be back on the road soon enough.

But for now, scream if you want to go faster.

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