VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts with £200 each, a classic car... CHARLIE: (SCOTTISH ACCENT) We're going roond!

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

I want to spend lots of money.

VO: The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

Oh, no!

VO: There'll be worthy winners...

Yes!

We've done it.

VO: ..and valiant losers.

You are kidding me on.

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

What am I doing?

You got a deal.

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

VO: Yeah!

VO: On this rather foggy road trip, we're joining two esteemed experts for the third leg of their journey.

I'm getting the impression we're lost here.

Erm...

There's not going to be any antiques shops around here, are there?

Let's live in hope.

VO: Charlie Ross is an auctioneer whose decades in the business have made him cunning, competent and a little cocky.

I'm on a roll here and the problem is having so much money, because you just wanna spend it, spend it, spend it.

VO: Fresh-faced Christina Trevanion hopes her vim and vigor will make her a formidable rival.

If I give him a cuddle... Oh, yes, feel free!

VO: Our dueling duo are driving a 1977 Volkswagen camper through a bit of a pea souper.

The strategy I think is to find an antique shop where we can actually see the antiques, because the fog is... Well, I think the strategy for you, frankly, is to find an antiques shop that's got something cheap enough for you to buy!

BOTH: (LAUGH) VO: Both experts started with £200, but Christina's had an unlucky start.

After two disappointing auctions, she has just £128.80 to spend.

But old hand Charlie's coppers have swelled to £457.14, and it's starting to go to his head.

I've bought 10 things and only one thing's made a loss.

Oh, that's impressive.

What are you going to spend it on?

I might spend it on presents for you.

Aw!

I don't think that's allowed.

Large box of choccies.

Oh!

Ooo, yeah.

And a new frock to replace the curtains.

I am not wearing curtains!

VO: Our pair started their journey in Inverness.

Their route will see them take in the beauty of the east coast on their way to Boston in Lincolnshire.

Today Charlie and Christina are heading towards their next auction in Newcastle.

And they're starting in the heart of Northumberland, and the small market town of Alnwick.

If only you could see the place.

You would have thought, wouldn't you, leaving Scotland and coming into England, that you would have better weather.

VO: For 1,000 years, Alnwick Castle has dominated the landscape, even in fog.

Originally built to defend England from the Scots, it's now one of the largest inhabited castles in the country.

Christina's first stop is just a few miles away.

CHRISTINA: This looks really quite exciting.

I think you might find the objects of your dreams here.

Do you think?

Just let me know if you need to borrow some money, give me a ring.

Yes, will do.

VO: Cheeky so-and-so.

CHRISTINA: Hello!

PETER: Good morning!

CHRISTINA: Hi!

PETER: Pleased to meet you.

Hi, I'm Christina.

Who are you?

PETER: Peter.

CHRISTINA: Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

This is rather lovely, isn't it?

VO: Peter bought Alnwick Lodge 36 years ago.

It's become his home and his business.

Everything's for sale.

The architectural salvage outside, when we were driving in, I noticed there were some anchors and old chairs.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

I might go and have a hunt and see if we can see what those are outside.

But it's a bit rainy at the moment, isn't it?

We have umbrellas.

Oh, do you?

Have you got any wellies?

Oh, yes, we've got lots of wellies.

VO: What tremendous customer service.

See, this is what you need when you're antiques hunting, none of these fancy shoes.

Now I thought those looked quite fun.

What's that?

How do I get over there, Peter?

Well, you stand on a stone!

Can I climb up here?

We'll send somebody to get it for you.

I don't want to crush your tete-a-tetes.

It's alright, there's nothing to crush in there.

Am I OK up here?

Yeah, you're fine up there.

So these are actually from a fishing boat?

Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Oh, fab, OK.

I need to think outside the box to beat this pesky Charlie Ross and I think an anchor is quite cool.

VO: The heaviest one, eh, Peter?

OK, so what do you want for your anchors?

£20 for this one?

£20.

CHRISTINA: (SIGHS) Would you take 15 for it?

I'll take 15.

CHRISTINA: You'd take 15?

PETER: I'll take 15.

You're a gentleman Peter, thank you very much.

PETER: Thank you very much.

CHRISTINA: £15 for an anchor.

VO: That's one deal shipshape then.

I wonder how Charlie's getting on?

Where is the antique shop?

Keep my eyes peeled for an antique shop.

VO: Charlie's headed to the foothills of the Cheviot Hills and the pretty village of Powburn.

With the best part of £460 already burning a hole in his pocket, can Charlie find anything to further increase his lead at Hedgeley Antique Centre?

You must be Charlie.

CHARLIE: I am.

You're Brian?

BRIAN: I am Brian, yes.

Nice to see you Brian.

Looks like you've got plenty for me here.

VO: It's a feast for the eyes Charlie.

It's quite striking.

I don't know whether this chap's been shot or whether...

I think he's been attacked by moths.

Moths!

BRIAN: I think all the buttons have gone.

Yeah.

VO: Military buttons are very collectable.

That's why they've been pulled off.

Brian's priced the tunic at £80.

Now I'd have to buy that so cheaply.

I think that would make...

I don't know, 30 quid at auction or something, in which case I'll have to buy it for... 20 quid.

Yeah.

I mean, that might be useless to you.

On the other hand, you might think "I've had enough of this tunic."

It did come in a box with other stuff.

Yeah.

And I have sold the other stuff, so I mean, yeah, 20 quid, you can have it for 20 quid.

I'm having that for 20 quid.

Are you happy with that?

That's fine.

Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you very much, that's very good.

Hopefully the auctioneer will have a mannequin which he can put it on.

Actually, hopefully, he'll have a small porter he can dress in it.

It would have to be a very small porter!

Yes.

VO: A fantastic first buy for Charlie though, at a quarter of the ticket price.

Meanwhile, Christina's still in antique dealer Peter's backyard.

You see that coffee table base in there...

Yes?

I mean, it's got a nice shape to it.

How much is on that?

We'd best get it out!

(LAUGHS) Ho-ho!

VO: How did she spot a table in all that lot?

I'm coming in Peter.

Oh, it's alright, I'm getting it out, I'm nearly there.

I'm coming in.

VO: Careful.

You've got a hard...

This is magic!

It's a hard hat area in here.

This is what antiques hunting is all about.

I like it.

Brilliant.

Right, now, how do we get it out?

Let's see if we can... Oh, I'm wearing it like a necklace.

Angle it down there.

I think I've just blocked our escape route.

CHRISTINA: (LAUGHS) I think it's there.

Now don't tell me you want 300 quid for this now.

No, I don't think so.

VO: It's certainly seen better days.

It looks like she's found a piece of 1960s G Plan furniture.

Originally it would have had a glass, or tiled top.

What do you want for it?

£40?

£40?!

No!

£40, don't be... Is that including the bird poo, or without?

Ah, well, it can stay in the rain.

I think that's got...

I mean, I would give you a fiver for that.

Would you take a fiver?

Up a little bit, up a little bit.

Ahhh.

I think it needs seriously cleaning up.

It's a bit battered around the edges, but a fiver.

We'll save it for a fiver.

A fiver.

I feel like I've rescued it... You have, yes.

..from the fire pile.

VO: That poke around has paid off.

This is what antiques hunting is all about for me.

A memorable experience.

Brilliant.

A fiver.

I'm happy.

Right.

VO: But there's no rest for a bargain hunter.

Now the owner of an anchor and coffee table without a top, Christina still has £108.80 left to spend.

Scrub-a-dub-dub now.

VO: Charlie's headed 40 miles south to North Shields, just outside Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

He's headed not far from the former home of one of the area's most famous former residents, George Stephenson.

He became one of the greatest British engineers of all time, celebrated for his contribution to creating the world's railways.

But it's one of his early, life-saving inventions that kick-started George's illustrious career at the frontier of British innovation.

Charlie's come to the Stephenson Museum to find out more about this local lad with the help of curator John Clayson.

Are you the controller?

I am indeed, John Clayson.

VO: Illiterate until he was 18, George Stephenson spent his teenage years working in the mining industry, attending night school to gain an education.

Well, George Stephenson was born into the coal industry.

Yeah.

He was brought up in a cottage right beside Colliery Waggonway.

VO: With the increasing demand for coal to fuel the Industrial Revolution, pits in this area ventured deeper than any others in the United Kingdom.

Men and boys worked in primitive conditions hundreds of feet underground.

One of the biggest threats to life came from explosions, caused by naturally occurring gases ignited by the workers' only source of light.

This is a naked flame lamp.

It would burn whale oil.

This is the container of the oil.

There would be a wick in here.

The problem was that they were going ever deeper into the ground to get the coal, and they were going into ever more gassy seams.

The deeper they went...

So these sort of lamps were beginning to set off explosions, so they had to think of something.

Well, what could possibly be a little less dangerous than a naked flame?

VO: Stephenson knew only too well the dangers of working in the mines.

In 1812, 92 miners were killed when a lamp caused an explosion at nearby Felling mine.

It killed everyone working at the coalface.

Over a third were children, the youngest an eight-year-old boy.

In the aftermath, Stephenson got to work and in 1815 he presented his revolutionary prototype.

He worked out that if the wick was burning, it would be drawing in air through this tube.

Yeah.

If it drew in air fast enough, then the flame, the flame of propagation if you like, wouldn't be able to get out of the tube.

Oh, I see!

So the flame would be contained within there?

That's right.

So it couldn't get to the gases.

Absolutely.

VO: At the same time, another man had also come up with a solution.

Humphry Davy was a celebrated chemist and scientist based in London, and he came up with a gauze idea.

Right.

VO: Davy's invention differed only slightly to Stephenson's, using metal gauze rather than glass.

He accused Stephenson of stealing his design and claimed an uneducated northerner wasn't capable of producing such an invention.

Consequently, Davy was widely credited with designing the first miner's safety lamp.

I mean, that seems unjust to me.

Well, it was unjust, and people did support George Stephenson, and created a bit of a fuss round this part of the world.

Quite right too!

VO: In 1833, some 18 years later, a House of Commons committee found Stephenson had equal claim to the invention.

Although Davy's lamp became standard issue in British mines, Stephenson's invention was used exclusively in the northeast of England, greatly reducing explosions in mines, but another of its lasting legacies is perhaps its name, as it became known as the Geordie lamp.

George Stephenson's lamp was well liked by the local miners, in preference to the Davy lamp, cuz they were such skilled miners that they were in great demand when new pits were being opened up in other parts of the UK.

They took their lamps with them and were known as Geordies.

Logical, isn't it?

VO: Yeah.

Having earned recognition and success, Stephenson went on to design the world's first passenger railway.

Although Charlie's come to see the lamps, before he leaves he's keen to have a go on the big boys' toys.

Right, Charlie.

That's a yes, sir.

This is where the real work starts.

Up you go.

Ha!

Up she comes!

CHARLIE: Hello, sir!

ROWLEY: Pleased to meet you.

CHARLIE: Are you the boss?

ROWLEY: Aye.

CHARLIE: What's the name?

ROWLEY: My name's Rowley.

Rowley.

Can we go somewhere?

Yes, we'll go up the yard.

You're the driver.

I'm the driver?

You're the driver.

What do I have to do?

Steam brake.

Steam brake.

Turn it on.

Oh, I can hear things going on!

(HORN TOOTS) (TOOTS AGAIN) Rosco's coming!

VO: Christina's made her way across Tyne and Wear to Cleadon, a village located between South Shields and Sunderland.

Her destination - Cleadon Antiques & Gifts.

This is a bit smart, isn't it?

We've got chandeliers and everything!

VO: Christina's called in helpful owner Judith to find a bargain.

That's a bit different.

It's got old Belgian tiles on.

Oh yes!

A windmill on this.

Very Flandery, isn't it?

That would be, that would be reasonable.

My negotiator will do a good price on that, won't you?

Mr Negotiator.

Mr Negotiator.

So why is Don the negotiator?

Cuz he's hard.

Oh!

So do I need to stick with Judith?

VO: I think you should.

I mean that's rather lovely, isn't it?

I like that coffee set.

DON: That coffee set's nice, isn't it?

Yeah.

That can be done at a reasonable price.

It's quite a collectable pattern as well.

VO: This palette, with gilding, iron red and cobalt blue, is known as the Imari palette.

It's a generic name from Japanese porcelain that was originally exported from the port of Imari in Japan.

What have I got here?

I've got one, two, three, four, five... You've got a full set.

Oh, seven!

Wow!

Usually you'd only find six, wouldn't you?

And I think if they've got a coffee pot it makes a tremendous difference, you know.

It sort of doubles the price with the coffee pot, doesn't it?

Yeah.

I like that.

He's a good seller as well, isn't he?

He is a good seller.

And a good negotiator!

If I give him a cuddle... Oh, yes, feel free, yes!

VO: Hey, anything to knock a few pounds off, eh?

So how many of the saucers have we got?

Four, five saucers.

Ah, that's our problem, isn't it?

Five saucers, seven cups.

I think you're being over picky.

Ooh!

Ooh!

ALL: (LAUGH) That's your cuddle gone!

That's your cuddle gone!

I'm gonna cuddle Judith instead.

VO: Yeah, stick close to Judith.

It's time to start haggling with Mr Negotiator.

What have we got on the coffee set?

It's got, erm, £48 on it.

I think we could probably tuck that under 30 for you.

Probably 25.

VO: £25?

That's about half price.

That's hardly negotiating.

What's that?

VO: She's onto something else.

Carlton Ware.

Carlton Ware.

That's rather lovely.

I mean, that's sort of silhouette, isn't it?

DON: Yeah.

CHRISTINA: Couples dancing.

But I'm just not sure... Has that been restored?

VO: Careful, you'll be accused of being picky again.

And I actually, I really quite like these.

VO: She's gone from a coffee set to Carlton Ware to lawn bowls.

Christina's rather indecisive today.

Judith?

Bowling balls, or silhouettes?

Silhouettes.

Silhouettes.

CHRISTINA: Yeah?

JUDITH: Yeah.

So can we do...

Right, Judith, we've got to negotiate with him now.

JUDITH: Let's negotiate.

CHRISTINA: Can we do... Judith and I would like to make you an offer.

VO: Ha!

Judith's become an ally, look.

Can we do 20 on the coffee set and a fiver on the silhouettes?

Yeah, I think that will be fine.

VO: Over £20 off the Carlton Ware and a coffee set at better than half-price.

Mr Hard Negotiator didn't even need a cuddle.

I'll bowl my bowling ball out, shake your hand and say thank you very much.

Thank you, you're more than welcome.

Thank you, Judith.

JUDITH: Thank you.

CHRISTINA: That's brilliant.

VO: Christina now has four items to challenge Charlie's lead.

One day down, one to go on the road trip.

Time for a well-earned rest all round I'd say.

Night-night, you two.

VO: It's day two of the road trip and another misty start.

Have you any idea where we are?

No, but it's really rather beautiful, isn't it?

It is, but the weather hasn't got much better, has it?

No, it really hasn't.

VO: Yesterday Christina haggled hard and bought four items for just £45.

£40?!

No!

£40, don't be... Is that including the bird poo, or without?

VO: An old fishing boat anchor, an Imari coffee service, a Carlton Ware bowl and a G Plan coffee table, leaving her £83.80 today.

Charlie on the other hand is lagging behind on the shopping front.

He's spent just £20 on a Victorian infantry officer's dress tunic.

He still has a wallet full of cash - £437.14 to be precise.

Are you feeling positive about your purchases yesterday?

Well, I've bought something that is going to require you... ..so that it can be seen in its full glory.

Why would I want to help you make more money?

If you're prepared to help me.

Oh God!

Because you're a kind soul and you love me.

Because I love you...?

Yeah.

..I will help, as long as it doesn't involve taking any clothes off.

No, no.

Oh... CHRISTINA: (LAUGHS) Well... VO: First shop of the day is for Charlie in the market town of Chester-le-Street in County Durham, seven miles south of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

It's somewhere along here.

There it is, antiques, Old & Interesting.

Oh, how appropriate!

How dare you!

As opposed to young and fascinating like you, I suppose?

Oh, have fun.

I'm going to be spending my money here.

CHRISTINA: Bye bye, love.

CHARLIE: Bye!

CHRISTINA: See you later.

CHARLIE: You might do.

Bye!

(TOOTS HORN) VO: Colin's been dealing in antiques and collectables for almost 30 years.

His shop, a former electrical substation, is packed with treasures.

All a bit sparky.

I must say when I walked in there's something that really took my eye.

Hanging up there are three art deco ceiling lights with frosted glass.

There's a central light with brass arms to it, and there's a pair of hanging lights.

Now I haven't got a clue how much they are, they've got no price on them, but they really took my eye.

VO: The art deco style originated in France during the roaring 1920s.

Their geometric shapes, bold colors and lavish ornamentation was popular until after the Second World War.

Ah!

VO: Careful.

They need a damn good clean, but I love this deco.

A real deco look to them.

They're French or Belgian.

Oh, hang on, we've got a label on it.

May I have a look?

"Made in Taiwan".

Oh, no, no!

BOTH: (LAUGH) "French.

"Handcrafted uniqueness".

Perhaps they're not old.

They look... Oh, no, looking at the glass they're reproduction ones, but I mean they're so deco looking.

But I can see from the wires in there they're reproduction.

VO: Well, you'd have to list them as art deco-style Charlie, because period they are not, but they do do the business.

How much would they be?

Er... £100.

£100.

Jolly tempting, that is.

Jolly tempting.

VO: Modern reproduction lights are more likely to work than an item with older electrics.

This may make them considerably more attractive at auction and could be a very astute purchase, Charlie.

The lights come complete with ceiling mounts too.

Can you shave them a little bit on price?

Have you got any leeway or...?

For an old man standing on a chair?

£80.

Finished.

At £80, Colin... ..you've got yourself a deal.

Thank you.

VO: That's Charlie's second purchase of the trip, a three-branch ceiling light and a pair of hanging lights, all in art deco style, and for £20 off the asking price.

Charlie still has just over £350 to spend.

He's been drawn to a collection of tin-plate toys.

Memories of yesterday's steam train, eh Charlie?

About a dozen bits of rolling stock, some in good condition.

Well, very few bits in good condition, a couple of them.

The rest of them are in poor condition.

VO: A couple of the better pieces are priced at £10 each.

The Chad Valley company.

Erm...

Wonderful makers of toys, and we've got the model dairies.

Again, the transfer printing is both sides and in good condition.

If they were very cheap I would buy them as one lot and hope that the two tankers, which are in good condition, would provide the bulk of the price.

CHARLIE: Colin?

COLIN: Yes, Charlie?

I've been peeping into your cabinet here.

Right.

And you've got a couple of pieces of rolling stock there, the tankers.

Yeah.

Erm, which are nice, I have to say.

The ones with the wood or cardboard on the top are so badly bashed in.

Right.

Do you want a price for them all?

Give me a price for the whole blooming lot?

COLIN: A good price... CHARLIE: Yeah.

50 quid for the lot.

50 quid for the lot.

I'll be honest with you Colin, I wouldn't want to pay more than about 30 quid for the lot.

35.

Are you happy with that?

Come on.

I'm on a roll here and the problem is having so much money, because you just want to spend it, spend it, spend it.

I've probably spent in the last 10 minutes the whole of Christina's budget.

Oh, dear, the wonderful feeling of superiority.

VO: How does that big head feel, old bean?

Now, unlike the lights and the rolling stock, I'm in dangerous ground here, because I simply don't know enough.

I know it's superbly made.

With regard to its value... Rosco, not your field.

VO: Charlie's found what looks like a late 19th-century British officer's dress sword.

It's missing the leather scabbard and there's no provenance.

There's no ticket price either.

Wonderful coronet on the top and splendid detailing.

I wish I knew more about militaria, I must say.

VO: If he's going to gamble on something he knows nothing about, he'd better negotiate a good price with Colin.

How much is it?

To me, now, cash.

To you, now, £100.

I'm going to give you £100 for that.

VO: Are you?

That's the quick, instant buy, no messing, you quote the price, I give you the price, and I haven't got a clue what I'm doing.

I love it.

Thank you very much indeed sir.

VO: Big spender Charlie's just splurged £215 on some reproduction art deco lights, some rather tatty tin-plate toys and a sword he knows nothing about.

This gamble could cost him dear at auction and give Christina a chance to take the lead.

Meanwhile, Christina's taking the camper van west to the pretty town of Corbridge in Northumberland.

She's been spending shrewdly so far and still has £85 in her purse.

I'm going to try and spend as much as I can on something that is going to be the mutt's nuts of antiques.

VO: That's the spirit.

Not far from Hadrian's Wall, Corbridge is built on the remains of a Roman garrison town.

Today Christina's hoping to build on her fortunes at Corbridge Antique Centre.

There's lots of things here.

I'm very, very spoilt for choice.

Well, there's a little mother-of-pearl card case in there which could be of interest.

VO: The cabinet belongs to a dealer, the lovely Margaret.

I wanted to have a look at this.

So we've got a mother-of-pearl card case in here and it's still got its interior as well, hasn't it?

So we've got a little bit of loss on there, and of course it would have been used for your calling cards, originally, wouldn't it?

So you would have arrived at somebody's grand home and been welcomed by their butler and got out your calling card case.

MARGARET: Put it down on the... CHRISTINA: On the silver salver.

Or the card salver.

And their butler would have trolleyed away and given it to his mistress.

VO: Oh, yes.

There's a strong collectors' market for these elegant 19th and 20th century calling card holders.

Ticket price for this one is £45, but what will Margaret let it go for?

25.

£25, put it there.

Great, thank you very much.

VO: A neat £25 for that case is a great buy.

VO: Meanwhile, just five miles down the road in Hexham, Charlie's made his way to Instinct Antiques.

Dealer Michael has been in the business for almost 20 years.

Hello!

Hello, Charlie!

Are you Michael?

I am, Charlie, nice to meet you.

Nice to see you.

Are you alright?

I'm very well.

Right, where am I going to start in this fantastic establishment?

There's a certain drink influence here.

Michael obviously likes a drop, I think.

There's a nice bottle of Merlot in the corner.

Sauvignon blanc.

VO: Look out, he's croaked.

One too many?

Do you think you'd get a nice glass of Merlot with every purchase?

VO: You'd be lucky.

I draw your attention to this.

Yes.

I love high Victorian mechanical things.

CHARLIE: This is a moneybox... MICHAEL: It is.

..and it's so beautifully molded.

You've got the mother bird here.

MICHAEL: Yes.

CHARLIE: Presumably... How does that work?

Can you get your coin in there?

Yeah, I'll see if I've got a coin to put in there.

I've got a two pence piece.

Two pence.

You stick that in there.

Give it a try, see what happens.

There you go.

That's marvelous.

What sort of date is that?

That's dated to 1883.

CHARLIE: Is it?

MICHAEL: Yeah.

It's got a patent mark on it, has it?

It has, yes.

If you look at the bottom, on there it tells you patent... "January 28th, 1883".

VO: In the 1980s, huge numbers of Victorian-style moneyboxes were reproduced and imported from the Far East.

This diluted the market for originals as buyers lost confidence, but this looks every bit the original.

It has the patina, color, finish and it's really rather fun.

Ticket price is £195.

What a gamble.

Aw, this is the moment...

This is the moment of the road trip.

But I don't know what it's worth.

It's a bit like buying that sword earlier.

It's no good just going round the country buying things you don't know about.

Well, I suppose the only thing to do is to make you an offer and see if you take it.

I would pay... ..£150 for that.

150?

Well, I think from one old man to another old man, we'll do the deal.

Yes!

I like that.

I like that, thank you.

You've made my day, you really have made my day with that.

VO: Risky purchase.

Will it make money at auction?

First a sword for £100 and now a moneybox for £150.

Charlie's going for gambling today.

VO: With her shopping done, Christina's headed off to explore a formidable fortified tower in the middle of Hexham.

This imposing building is reputedly England's first purpose-built jail.

Christina's about to delve into Hexham's dark past and its rather interesting take on the class system in the Middle Ages with jail museum manager Janet Goodridge.

Well, it looks fairly foreboding, I have to be honest.

Don't you want to come in and have a look round?

I'd love to, yeah, let's go on in.

Let's go.

The friendliest welcome I've ever had into a jail.

VO: Construction of the sturdy stone structure was completed in 1333 and for 500 years the town's prisoners were held here.

So would you like to come and have a look down in the dungeon?

Down there?

Experience what the poorest and most dangerous prisoners did?

CHRISTINA: Down here?

JANET: Down this ladder.

VO: There was no ladder in the 14th century.

This is the most elegant thing I've ever done!

VO: Oh, steady.

Prisoners were dropped through the trapdoor onto the stone floor below.

So how far is it from there to the floor?

It's about 18 feet.

Oh, good grief.

And they'd just drop you?

You get dropped down in here, yes.

And I'm assuming that most people would probably end up with some sort of injury from that.

You're gonna damage yourself.

You're gonna have a broken leg or a broken ankle easily, yes.

VO: Imprisonment was not generally given as a punishment in medieval Britain.

Prisoners were held in jail only until a judge was in town to pass sentence.

Courts are held every three months, so you could be down here for three months then you're taken to court.

And be innocent?

Be innocent, yes, yes.

So it could purely just be he said you did this and then you'd get arrested, thrown into here, and you wait three months to actually even prove you're innocent.

VO: Prisoners even had to pay to be locked up.

As soon as you arrived at the jail, the jailer charged you four pennies to be taken in as a prisoner.

Really?

So what if you couldn't pay?

Then you ran up a debt, and you couldn't leave the prison until your debt was cleared.

VO: Debts soon escalated.

In the 1300s, a farm laborer would earn about two pennies a day.

The poor, no matter what crime they were accused of committing, ended up in the underground cell.

Wow.

If you're poor, this is where you end up.

So there was no segregation between men and women and children?

It was just everybody?

Everyone was put in.

It's a sort of dog eat dog situation, and the first thing they're going to do is think, easy meat, they're going to take your clothes off you, they might take any food off you that you've got, and they might mistreat you as well.

VO: Oh, dear.

Hexham Jail, though, has several floors.

While the poor were thrown into the damp, dark dungeon facing death and disease, prisoners from the upper echelons of society had a very different time inside.

So this feels quite palatial, doesn't it, compared to where we just were.

Who would have been in here?

This is a rich prisoner... CHRISTINA: This is a prison?

JANET: ..and his servants and his family, yes, yeah.

So you could bring your family and your servants in here with you?

They can come and go as they please, but he has to stay here, unless he pays someone to stay here as a pledge.

He can pay someone to take his place.

CHRISTINA: No!

JANET: Yes.

And he just walks away?

He walks away until his trial.

So basically if you've got money... You can be as comfortable as you like.

You can even sleep in your own bed.

VO: The sentence for serious crimes was death, but those found guilty of minor misdemeanors were fined, or faced gruesome penalties.

There were stocks, a pillory and a whipping post in the marketplace for shaming punishments.

Right, so stocks is where your feet go in, you sit there and... People throw things at you.

Pillory is where your head and arms are through, and if they really don't like you, they'll nail your ears to the pillory as well, so when people throw things at you and you wince you tear your ears.

Oh, my God!

VO: The original pillory is still at Hexham Jail.

Fortunately these days it's only a tourist attraction and is not used on the people of Northumbria.

I know I haven't made any profit, but I don't think I deserve this quite yet.

VO: No.

Who's got any tomatoes?

Don't be so hard on yourself.

Anything can change in this game.

As this leg of the journey draws to a close, here's a rundown of what Charlie and Christina picked up on their travels.

Charlie marched away with a Victorian light infantry major's tunic and, seemingly in the mood for militaria, a Victorian officer's dress sword.

He bought two Chad Valley toy train tankers and 11 other pieces of rolling stock, a pair of art deco-style ceiling lights with molded glass shades, and he splashed out £150 on a Victorian cast-iron mechanical moneybox.

Altogether the five lots cost Charlie £385.

Last of the big spenders, eh?

VO: Christina's purchases included a G Plan teak mid 20th century coffee table with guano, a fishing boat anchor, a Booths Rajah pattern Imari coffee service, a Carlton Ware bowl with silhouettes of dancing couples and a mother-of-pearl calling card case.

All that lot cost her £70.

There's lots there with lots of potential, but what do the experts think of each other's lots?

Carlton Ware bowl, ridiculously cheap.

£5, I like the look of that.

The sword... Militaria is a very, very specialist area and he's paid a lot of money for that sword.

You've got a mother-of-pearl card case, £25, about right.

I think...

I might win it.

Who knows?

VO: Time to let the buyers decide and head off to auction, and to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Have you ever been to an auction in Newcastle before?

No.

Neither have I. VO: Situated on the north of the River Tyne, Newcastle is one of the largest cities in England.

The modern city combines its industrial heritage with impressive modern architecture.

VO: Today's sale takes place at Thomas Miller Auctioneers.

The firm has been trading since 1902 and now operate from a former tea factory.

Today's auctioneer, Guy Macklam, has been working at Miller's for 11 years.

I think the item that's going to make the most money will be the tin-plated toys.

They're highly collectable and the condition of them is pretty good.

VO: How about Christina's anchor?

I'm not sure.

It's one of those things, a sort of decorative item somebody might put in their garden or something like that, but the value might be quite low on that I think.

VO: I think we're out to sea.

The auction's about to start, but there's just time for Charlie to call in his favor.

It does fit you a treat.

I feel quite comfortable in this.

I'm not surprised.

I think it's more of a dancing tunic than a marching tunic.

Lovely, darling.

VO: Christina's yet to come away from auction with a profit, but can today's lots turn her fortunes?

And Charlie's impulse buys means he's staked hundreds of pounds on high-risk, niche items.

I've got one thing that's going to make profit.

And what's that?

My tunic.

I know, I love this.

VO: Just as well as you're modeling it for him.

Charlie's Victorian light infantry major's outfit, without any buttons, is our first lot.

Offered together with a Hessian belt, at £50 for it anywhere?

380 we're selling.

50 bid.

Thank you madam.

Any advance on 50?

Oh!

Charlie!

At £50.

It's a profit!

I'll take it off now!

No!

65.

70.

I don't come with it.

GUY: At £70.

CHRISTINA: I'm not in it.

At £70 offered.

Doesn't come with it at 70.

All finished at 70?

Selling to a lady in the seats at 70, all done?

We sell at 70.

Yay!

Well done, Charlie!

Oh!

Well done - we got £70!

Thank you, lord!

That's amazing!

Thank you, Christina.

Well done!

VO: Well done indeed.

With Christina's help though, Charlie's off to a strong start, a £50 profit.

Now Christina's first lot, anchors aweigh!

£20 for it anywhere?

£20 bid.

Come on!

£20 - you're making a profit.

All done at 20?

No, come on!

All finished at £20, I sell it to you sir for a maiden bid.

All finished at £20?

VO: One bid, that's all it takes.

£5 profit, not a lot, but every pound helps.

You've made a couple of quid.

Frankly, the way you've been going on this trip, CHARLIE: I wouldn't... CHRISTINA: It's not bad.

..turn your nose up at that.

VO: Next, Christina's salvaged G Plan teak coffee table, bought for just a fiver.

The auction house has kindly donated a piece of glass and Christina's given the wood a jolly good wax and polish.

It looks rather nice now.

20th century design piece for £10.

For £5.

Oh, no, no, no!

£5.

That's for nothing!

Exactly.

Oh, he's got five.

Four.

Oh, no!

Two?

He could get down to zero!

One?

Would anybody like it for £1?

Lift!

No!

One, two, three, four, five, six people want to bid a pound.

1.50.

Oh, two?

It's lovely.

Two.

I've cleaned it and everything.

I did!

It was filthy!

Four.

Don't listen to her!

Five.

Six.

VO: We're away.

GUY: Seven.

CHRISTINA: Pounds?

CHARLIE: Yeah.

CHRISTINA: Really?

Oh!

GUY: Eight.

Nine.

Ooh!

Ooh!

Double figures sir, come on.

Any advance on £9?

All finished at nine?

Ten.

We got there.

Ooh!

Thank you!

VO: Two out of two for Christina and another £5 profit.

Oh, my goodness.

Cracking auctioneering.

I thought he'd gone down to pence!

VO: Charlie's toy trains are next.

Here we go.

£100 anywhere?

Start me 50?

I'd be happy with 40.

£50, come along.

50 anywhere?

I'm bid £30 for it only.

Any advance on 30?

Five, 40, five.

50, five.

Profit again!

60.

Come along, sir.

60 with the lady.

Any advance on £60?

Selling to the lady.

All finished at £60, sell at 60.

This is going so much better than I had ever hoped.

VO: I can't agree more, Charlie.

£25 profit, well done.

Next under the hammer, Christina's coffee service.

£50 anywhere?

A splendid design, look at that.

£30 anywhere for it?

Bid me 20.

Oh, dear.

Bid me 10.

Ten, 12, 15.

And again sir, 15.

Was that a bid on the right?

17.

CHRISTINA: Come on.

CHARLLIE: This is cheap.

20 bid, 22.

25.

Don't stop, 25.

Getting better, getting better, getting better.

Middle of the room has it at 25.

All sure?

VO: Can't complain, another £5 profit.

Now Charlie's reproduction art deco lights.

Start me at 100.

I'm bid 50 only.

Any advance at £50?

60, 70, 80, GUY: 90, 100, and 10.

CHRISTINA: See.

120, 130, 140.

Gentleman has the bid at £140.

How do you do it?

Piece of cake, really, isn't it?

You're unbelievable.

Selling to you sir away at £140.

Ohhh... What is that, £60 profit?

What did you pay, 80?

Yeah.

Well done you.

Ooh!

VO: Charlie's doing rather well: £135 profit on his first three items.

No wonder he's looking so smug.

The Carlton Ware bowl is next for Christina.

Start me 20.

£20 for it surely.

It's worth every penny of 20.

15, start me 10.

480, come along.

Ten bid.

Thank you sir, at £10 on the maiden bidder, looking for 12 elsewhere.

At a maiden offer at 10.

Come on.

I thought this would bring a lot more.

I'm bid 10 only.

I thought it would bring a lot more as well.

It's unusual for Carlton Ware.

VO: Nice.

With the hammer going down for a tenner, Christina's made another £5 profit.

Charlie's Victorian dress sword now.

He staked a whopping £100 on this and is hoping for bids from specialist collectors.

Will the gamble pay off?

GUY: 50 for a low start.

VO: Oh, dear.

I'm bid £20 only.

Any advance on 20?

Come on!

No, come on, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine.

At £20.

Five, 30, five.

At £35.

35 down here.

At £35 seated.

All finished at 35, selling in the seats at £35.

VO: Charlie's lost £65.

That's wiped the smile off his face.

Where's that smile?

Where's that smile?

I might have a tissue somewhere, hang on a minute.

It'll be fine.

VO: Now, Christina's calling card case is up next.

£50 anywhere?

Going the wrong way, 40, 30, 20... Oh, he's going do... 20.

20.

At £20, five, 30, five.

Oh!

Was that a bid?

40.

Five.

50.

At £50, middle of the room at 50.

Is there any advance on £50?

We'll sell for 50.

VO: Bought for £25, sold for £50.

What a cracking auction for Christina.

Every lot has raked in a profit.

Her luck and her fortunes have improved.

There's 50 quid.

So that's double your money.

VO: Now their last lot of the day, Charlie's cast-iron Victorian moneybox.

It cost him a colossal chunk of his kitty.

£100 today.

£50 today.

I saw the exact same one about six months ago and it made £160.

BIDDER: 20.

120?

Oh!

I'm bid £20.

30, competition.

30.

40.

Five?

I've got £40 in the second row, any advance on £40?

Oh, I can't believe this.

All finished at 40.

Selling on the second row.

Oh, be quick.

BIDDER: 45.

GUY: Are you sure?

45 bid.

At £45, come along, another five surely, at 45.

All finished at £45.

Hammer's down.

I can't believe it.

VO: A £105 loss.

That's wiped out all the earlier profit and sunk Charlie into the red.

For the first time on this road trip, Christina's come out on top.

The sweet smell of success.

Congratulations.

Thank you!

You've done the business.

Well done.

For losing.

Ha!

Come on.

VO: It's not been Charlie's day.

After costs, he's made a loss of £98, but Mr Ross still has £359.14 in his kitty to carry forward.

VO: After paying auction house fees, Ms Trevanion has made a gain of £24.30.

As a result, Christina has £153.10 to start the next leg.

Well done that girl.

Right.

Come on Ms Trevanion.

Why thank you, Mr Ross.

Off we go again.

(TOOTS HORN) VO: Goodbye chaps.

Get some well-earned rest, eh?

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip, Christina's going nowhere.

That's it, we've met halfway.

OK, that's as far as I'm going.

VO: And Charlie's at the end of the line.

If I offer you 35 quid, will you put the phone down?

You'd put the phone down.

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