VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts... Alright, fair enough.

It's a really cute subject.

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

NATASHA: Make it so.

MARGIE: Here we go.

VO: And a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Frankly terrifying.

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

But it's no mean feat.

I've lost money!

VO: There'll be worthy winners... Get in there!

VO: ..and valiant losers.

Could have been worse.

VO: Will it be the high road to glory?

Ooh.

VO: Or the slow road to disaster?

Ugh!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Not 'alf!

Whee!

VO: It's the Antiques Road Trip in the Lake District.

Oh, look at that!

MARGIE: Wait till I tell my grandchildren this!

Granny's been on a bike!

(LAUGHS) NATASHA (NRS): Seriously good-looking car.

Have you ever seen the likes?

VO: Auctioneer Natasha Raskin Sharp is traveling in style in the Mercedes 190 SL, made before seat belts were mandatory, while dealer Margie Cooper has been relegated to a pushbike.

Well... MARGIE: One leg!

(LAUGHS) VO: Seems a bit unfair as Margie won the auction last time.

Natasha made a few nice profits, though.

And improved her pot to £239.32.

But it was Margie who leapfrogged into the lead.

NRS: Nice work!

VO: She has £269.08 jingling in her pockets.

I did terribly in the first auction, then I did well.

So I'm back on, I've pulled my socks up!

Come on, second gear.

There we go.

VO: Our twosome kicked off their odyssey with a tour of Scotland, before heading south to the Lakes and Lancashire, with their final auction in Shropshire.

Very nice.

Hi!

I'd ring my bell, but I haven't got one.

Who needs a car?

Well, I need a car because you've only one bike.

Thanks very much!

VO: These two do love to bicker, don't they?

I feel like a postman in my red jacket.

I can't remember the last time I saw someone on a bicycle in clip-on earrings.

You look amazing.

I'll give you a head start.

Go on, then.

Right, off you go.

I'll get in the car.

Right.

Bye!

VO: They're splitting up now, until later.

Today's items will be auctioned in Lichfield in Staffordshire.

But the shopping frenzy begins in Maryport, West Cumbria.

Stand by, Maryport Collectables and Antiques.

Natasha has almost £240 to spend.

NRS: Mm, these are brilliant, these prints.

And, yeah, that's the word you want to see - Epinal.

The point being that these come from France and they are the coolest little fun prints.

They're offset lithographs.

There isn't a price on it.

At auction, genuinely worth very little.

It's the kind of thing you would find in a group lot.

VO: Ah well.

Not for you today, then.

Don't these hark back to a much different era?

VO: They do.

They were used to keep your eggs warm at breakfast.

NRS: These are silk egg cozies.

And there's something quite amazing about that.

I imagine when these were made - these are Victorian - there would have been a huge amount of social mobility taking place.

So people who had entered into the Industrial Revolution, made a mint, and now all of a sudden they had money, they could buy all sorts of things, including egg cozies.

How cool is that?

They are marked up at £25.

They're more interesting as that window into a previous life, as opposed to something that you would handle and really covet in your collection.

So, I don't know.

VO: Well, let's check in with Margie then, who's in Cockermouth, birthplace of notorious mutineer Fletcher Christian.

Oh, yes.

MARGIE: This looks a nice, good shop for me.

Right, Colin, here I come.

VO: Hm, Margie's happy.

Well, with £269 in her pocket, why not?

Ey-up, Colin.

Oh, these are funny.

Look at that.

Moustache cup.

Because all guys had moustaches, didn't they, in Victorian times.

So you laid your... You drank your tea and kept your moustache dry!

(SHE LAUGHS) VO: Essential.

And talking of keeping dry... MARGIE: I can never walk past a...an umbrella stand.

Umbrella.

COLIN: Nice umbrella.

It is.

Don't open it inside.

MARGIE: No.

COLIN: Unlucky for some.

I will not do that.

My mother used to tell me not to do that.

They've marked it 18 carat gold, which gets everybody excited.

COLIN: Yeah.

MARGIE: That's got to be plate.

I would assume plate.

It's probably, what, Edwardian maybe?

Yeah.

Maybe a little bit earlier.

MARGIE: Yeah, the 1890s.

COLIN: 1890.

And I saw that as well.

Ah, that's a nice one.

That's nicely hallmarked.

Silver one.

They're usually silver, aren't they?

COLIN: Yeah.

MARGIE: I quite like those.

So that's 95 and that's 48.

You can have them for 70 for the pair and be done with it.

Well, look, I'm still looking around.

Yeah.

No problem.

MARGIE: If I pop them back... COLIN: Yeah.

..and it's a possibility.

Yeah.

VO: Righty-oh, then.

Back in Maryport, Natasha seems to have gone cold on those egg cozies.

This wee boy is adorable.

He's taken off his shoes, he's getting close to the water's edge and he's peering down.

It's actually a fish bowl.

It's not too expensive - it's £45 - and I think it's probably original.

And I imagine that's 1930s or so, early 20th century.

I think that's probably the original bowl as well.

You can see that it's been hand-blown, so that you don't see a seam anywhere at all.

This is not pressed or molded glass, this is blown to size.

And then the pontil mark has been polished off.

So a bit of quality is actually shown here.

Do I like it?

Kind of.

Do I think people in the auction would really bid readily for it?

Do you know something, I don't really know.

VO: OK.

Anything else?

NRS: Oh, that's quite cool.

This, just for some reason has a touch of class about it.

I mean, first of all, when you think of monoculars...

..I don't know why my mind goes to pirates.

I feel I should probably go to Nelson and the Royal Navy, but in my head, I'm straight to pirate.

VO: Arr, Jim lad!

NRS: Oh, look, there's a maker.

Callaghan, 23A New Bond Street.

OK, so we have a good London maker, leather bound.

Brass.

It's got that nice telescopic feel to it.

Everything about it screams 19th century.

And at £25, it does not freak me out.

I think it would appeal to buyers online.

How many sets of these are you going to see?

Very few.

So, if the maker's right, and the rarity is there, could be onto a wee winner.

VO: Oh, Ben!

Ben, I think you could probably hear me waxing on about this.

I am really into it, but I just really hope that someone really important has held this and spotted the enemy and just made some history with this in their hand.

And £25 is not scary, but is there any wiggle room on it?

Uh, yeah, I think...

I think I could probably do it for 20.

£20 is very generous.

Thank you.

The other ones I was considering some egg cozies.

VO: Oh, yeah.

The egg cozies.

The lowest I could do those would be 15.

Hm, 15 could work, that could work.

Maybe.

And then the other thing was the very kitsch and strangely attractive fishbowl.

VO: Could be a catch.

I've had that quite a while, so I think...

I think I could do...

I could do that for 20.

OK. Do you know what?

I wasn't expecting to go for all three, but I think - 55 - I don't think I can resist.

Ben, thank you so much.

VO: That's £55 for all three.

Nice.

I really wasn't expecting that.

Thank you so much.

What a weird mix.

I love it.

I do not see profits on the horizon, but you never know.

You never know.

Thank you so much for your generosity.

VO: She's bagged three items very, very quickly.

Looks like Margie's got some catching up to do.

She was contemplating a parasol and a walking stick.

Aw, that's really sweet, that, isn't it?

COLIN: It is lovely, that.

Delft plaque.

VO: Delft blue pottery emerged in the late 16th century as an alternative to the expensive blue and white Chinese porcelain.

This one is early 20th century.

She looks glum, doesn't she?

That's a good word.

And there she is with her two little kids.

And I reckon her husband, or her man, has gone off to sea, so she's sad.

VO: (SOBS) MARGIE: But it's beautiful.

I love the shades of blue.

Yeah, good, I really like that.

So, how much is it?

Well, I've 65 on it.

Yeah.

I am still thinking about the brolly and... Brolly and... VO: The walking stick?

Well, let's do 100 for the lot.

Done.

Thank you.

VO: Well done, Margie.

Three items in one fell swoop.

That's 35 for the Victorian parasol with the gold-plated mounts, 30 for the Edwardian walking stick and 35 for the Delft plaque.

COLIN: Thank you very much.

MARGIE: £100.

VO: We'll see her items, then, at the auction.

And that's a jolly good morning of buying all round.

MARGIE: Off to the next shop.

Here we go.

VO: Natasha is taking a detour to Keswick for a musical interlude.

Here, above the town, are the breathtaking slopes of Skiddaw Mountain, whose majestic undulations foretold a secret hidden beneath the surface.

As Natasha is about to find out, one man discovered that these stones, when struck, ring out with the sound of music.

Becks Skinner is the manager at Keswick Museum.

They are amazing.

Look at those!

Is this like a lithophone, is that what you officially call it?

It is one word that you can call it.

NRS: Yeah.

Here, they're commonly just known as the Musical Stones.

The Musical Stones.

Someone's taken the time, brilliantly, to etch the notes onto each stone.

But who did that?

The person who discovered them?

This is the work of Peter Crosthwaite, who is a big character within Keswick.

VO: It was in 1785 that Crosthwaite, a former sailor, inventor and explorer, discovered the rocks.

Well, rock.

There's no known picture of him, but he left his mark with this extraordinary musical instrument hewn from Skiddaw Fell.

BECKS: We're told that he found the first six stones, and then he slowly chipped away to create the further 10 stones that make up the set.

And when you say chip away, that's to tune them, is that right?

Correct.

How do you tune a stone?

Some tuning can be done by the position on their rest, but the main tuning is actually done through the chipping.

Chip too far, you've got the wrong note.

VO: It's the unique landscape of Skiddaw - the combination of hot volcanic eruptions and then the severe cold of the ice ages - that resulted in the creation of a slate with very compact molecules and a musical tone to boot.

BECKS: So, here we go.

This is the Richardson set of musical stones.

VO: Around 50 years later, inspired by Crosthwaite's stones, Joseph Richardson, a local stonemason, began his rather larger construction.

OK, so when you look at the Crosthwaite ones, you cannot imagine that they would turn out like this.

How long did it take to build?

This set took 13 years to make.

VO: At which point, he formed a band with his three sons to play them.

They started off with concerts in the Keswick area before branching out.

They headed off on tour for three weeks and returned home after three years.

So it was a very successful tour.

And eventually, they made it to London where they were asked to the Palace.

No!

OK, it...Victorian?

Would it have been for Queen Victoria?

Yep, Buckingham Palace.

VO: Yes, indeed.

BECKS: So this very instrument was played for Queen Victoria, for Albert.

Members of the court and foreign dignitaries came to watch it being performed.

That's wonderful.

Oh, they were a debonair family, actually.

Very handsome.

People often say this is the original rock band.

VO: Ha-ha!

And right on cue, here's Gordon Pickering, local musician and long-time stone player.

GORDON: You might recognize this tune.

VO: Take it away, Gordie.

(PLAYS "English Country Garden") That's so cool.

What a unique skill you have, Gordon.

I love it.

Could I have a shot?

Aye, yeah.

I feel like a classical pianist about to perform in front of thousands...

Here we... VO: Deep breath.

(PLAYS "English Country Garden") Wonderful.

You did it!

VO: Encore!

Encore!

I'm so pleased that I had the opportunity to play this instrument.

What an amazing experience.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity.

Thank you for the education.

And I will leave on a high note.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

GORDON: Very good.

VO: Ah, what a scream.

Morning!

VO: Margie's on the move.

Gorgeous.

Oh!

(SHE LAUGHS) Don't get cocky... Whoa!

VO: Having fun?

I'm a bit worried about my BTM tomorrow.

I think that might be a bit sore.

VO: What a bummer, eh?

So, let's head for the shop.

Maybe there's a chaise longue, pop my feet up and then get cracking.

VO: That'll be in Egremont, which dates back to the bronze age.

Egremont Antiques awaits.

Here's Margie now, look.

MARGIE: Oh, this looks nice.

Nice little antique shop.

Ah, out of the sunshine.

MARGIE: Hello.

DAVE: Hello.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, I'm Dave.

A neat and tidy antique shop.

VO: Yeah.

In case you missed it, that's Dave, the proprietor.

Hi, Dave.

VO: There's plenty to look at and Margie has just under £170 still to spend.

Nice charm bracelet.

MARGIE: They've got so much, such a story.

They're expressions of love and affection, really, aren't they?

Because you get the basic chain and then husband, lover, boyfriend, whatever you have, would probably buy you one every year.

And then it's your whole life there - holidays, things that mean something.

Lovely.

And this one is £45.

Pretty.

I think it's about the right price, that, isn't it, really?

VO: No profit to be made, then.

Very nice.

But I don't think that's for me.

VO: Try another cabinet.

Don't like the look of this.

Is this some medical thing?

DAVE: It's some sort of medical pump.

Ooh.

I wonder what you did with that?

Mm.

Stuck it in your ear?

(BOTH LAUGH) Hopefully!

VO: Make your eyes water!

Mm, have a look at that.

This is a portable painting set by a very good company called Winsor and Newton.

That's quite sweet, that.

VO: Founded in 1832, the company developed the first glycerin-based moist watercolors, changing the history of outdoor painting.

And out you'd come with your palette, and you'd mix your paint and paint something.

VO: That's the idea.

It's £15.

VO: 15's a good price.

It's very basic, but...

But it's 100 years old.

I've got to buy that, haven't I?

It's unusual, isn't it?

Unusual, amusing, quirky.

That's what you're looking for.

Sold to the lady in the red jacket.

Thank you.

VO: That's four items for our Margie, with the neat paint box to top them off.

Right, we're off.

VO: Whoopsy!

Oh, gosh!

Oh, dear.

Well, what could be nicer at the end of a busy day's antiquing than going for a walk with a couple of friends?

Well, I never did.

Look at that.

MARGIE: What's yours called?

NRS: Moody.

Mine's called Phoenix.

Is that ominous?

Am I moody and you're going to rise again?

You have risen again.

Rise from the ashes!

Oh, this is meant to be stress-relieving though, walking an alpaca.

Yeah, they're sweet, aren't they?

So how are you feeling about it all?

Oh, Margie, I think "alpaca" it in.

Hm.

VO: Hey, I do the jokes.

Nighty night.

Get those alpacas home first, eh?

VO: Aha!

Good morning, road trippers.

Now, Natasha's up with the larks, look.

Bit damp underfoot, but...

It's weird weather around here.

It cannot make up its mind.

VO: Ah, the clouds have parted, the roof's down and Margie awaits.

MARGIE: Arriving in style.

But somehow, you've beaten me here on your bike.

Oh, I'm getting so good on that bike, I can't tell you!

VO: Time for a quick peek at some of yesterday's buys.

Anything for me to see?

NRS: Dans ma poche.

Is it jewelry?

Oh, my goodness.

Oh... Silken egg cozies.

Ah!

That's amazing.

They look about 1830, 1840, to me.

I was saying that they were about 100 years old.

Oh, they're older than that.

NRS: Do you think so?

MAGIE: Definitely.

OK. VO: Lovely.

I wonder what she'd make of Natasha's hand-blown fishbowl and stand, and her mid-Victorian leather-bound monocular scope.

She's only spent £55, and has almost £185 for today's shopping.

MARGIE: And I have got something that we might need today.

NRS: What, that's your purchase?

MARGIE: Yep!

I thought you'd just brought that along because it was going to rain.

No, no, it's 120 years old, that.

Margie, handle with care.

Ooh, Mary Poppins.

It's so sweet, you are so sweet.

VO: Practically perfect in every way.

Along with the silk Victorian parasol, Margie bought an Edwardian walking stick, a Delft plaque, and a vintage paint box.

At £115 the lot, she has just under 155 in her kitty.

MARGIE: I've bought four items, so I'm going to go for a boat ride on Windermere.

I'm jealous.

I still have some stuff to buy.

Ah, well, off you go.

Stuff to buy and money to burn.

On your way, on your way.

Money to burn, Margie.

VO: Up in the hills, Natasha's hit another rain cloud.

NRS: Well, I think Margie needs to lend me her brolly.

For goodness' sake, what is this?

Where did the rain come from again?

She says she has loads of items under her belt already, but I'm not worried.

I mean, if she's going down such a traditional route.

I mean, Victorian umbrellas aren't exactly in vogue, are they?

Famous last words.

VO: While the items will soon be off to Lichfield for the auction, Natasha's heading to the ancient village of Cartmel.

Just across the way from the town's famous 12th century priory is Cartmel Village Vintage.

She has £184.32 on her.

And that's Donna, by the way.

Hello, how are you?

Oh hi, Natasha.

Lovely to meet you.

And who's this?

This is Annie.

Oh, Annie, you cute little thing.

Come and say hi.

VO: Grrr!

Only joking.

NRS: Upstairs or downstairs?

Where should I start?

Upstairs and work your way down.

VO: Up you go, then.

NRS: Something sensational.

Opera cloak.

Definitely 100% an opera cloak.

VO: Or widow's weeds.

It's slightly interesting though.

Hold on, let me... Because it's very light.

So I think we have to safely say summer opera cloak.

Just quite divine!

VO: Oh, that was tuneful.

Oh, and I've just noticed, actually, that it's tiered as well.

So that velvet border - one, two, three.

And it tiers all the way down.

There is a maker.

Stewart.

Oh, Stewart & Co, Fifth Avenue, New York.

Now, the name Stewart & Co doesn't mean anything to me.

But Fifth Avenue, New York means something to everyone.

I don't think that that label can be 19th century.

So maybe early 20th century, maybe our Edwardian period.

But this would be over in the States.

VO: There's no price.

NRS: I wonder how much it costs because, at auction, these can do alright.

But maybe it needs a friend at auction, maybe on its own... Maybe it needs an accessory or something.

VO: Hm.

Something to think about then.

Oh, I just want to stay here and try everything on.

VO: Ooh-ah.

Oh, that is nice.

Hm!

Oh, that is nice.

Oh, I love!

It's 88.

I can't remember the last time I wore a tutu.

I think I wore one to a school dance or something.

Oh, very Moulin Rouge.

Ooh!

One for me, one for Margie.

VO: She'll be delighted, I'm sure.

Yeah, nice as it is, antiques.

Antiques.

VO: And finally, she's remembered what she's here for.

Ha.

NRS: Look at that.

That's weird, isn't it?

Now, doesn't that, from a distance, look plain?

That bag does nothing for me whatsoever and it does very little to complement a truly interesting mount.

What must be one tenth of this bag, a very small fraction of it, is spectacular.

And this is silver.

It's marked really clearly on the front - 925.

And there is a date letter as well.

I'm hoping it's turn of the century art nouveau period.

Probably 1902, 3, 4, 5, something like that.

VO: The clasp has certainly struck a chord with Natasha.

Fits perfectly with the period because loads of objects from that time are all about the whiplash curves.

I'm thinking particularly of little bits of jewelry that you can often call a Holbein, and they're very curvy.

The designers really play off the love of the organic shapes.

But what that relief design does is elevate this to kind of a different strata.

VO: With a ticket price to match?

Um, £110.

I don't think the auction house would put that sort of estimate on it.

But with a bit of competition, it could maybe get to £100.

It could get 100 to 150 on a great day, £60 on a bad day.

I think I have to take a punt.

I have money to spend.

VO: You certainly do.

This is something quite unusual.

Not everyday.

Over 100 years old and quite fabulous.

VO: There's no stopping her now, you know.

Donna, this is fabulous.

I love it, I love it, I love it.

But the price is justifiably hefty - £110.

Agh.

And I get it, because it's so unusual.

But it says Denise on the label, not Donna.

So do you think Denise would be offended at £75?

Just a little.

Yeah, yeah.

Not affronted, but offended.

Yeah, yeah.

Right, OK. Em, well, maybe you can speak on her behalf.

What do you think Denise would do the bag for?

I think £80 would give you a bit of a fighting chance.

Yeah, let's do it, Donna.

£80.

There we are.

That is fab.

Thank you so much.

See you again, bye.

VO: Natasha and Margie are neck and neck in the buying stakes.

With one more shop to go, it's sink or swim.

Well, not for Margie, I hope, as she's on a boat!

Well, it is the Lake District.

VO: She's heading for Windermere to meet a team dedicated to the understanding and preservation of a precious resource so crucial to the Lake District and beyond.

MARGIE: Good morning!

Hello.

Hello, Margie, how are you?

I'm very well, indeed.

VO: Over to Tim Ashberry, the Freshwater Biological Association estates manager.

Freshwater is absolutely fundamental to life on Earth, basically.

And so it's really important that we understand absolutely everything about it that we possibly can.

We need to understand about the plants that live in it, the animals that live in it, the micro-organisms that live in it, and how they interact with the world around us.

VO: Now a world leader in innovative research, the FBA was founded here in 1929.

MARGIE: Well, how did you settle here, in the Lakes?

TIM: Well, during the Depression in the '20s, there were a number of academics and scientists from universities all over the country who all got together with the intention of studying freshwater.

And I guess what better place to be than in the Lake District, where there's probably more freshwater than anywhere else in the country?

VO: Makes perfect sense to me.

And it's why, in 1934, freshwater zoologist TT Macan pioneered the study of freshwater invertebrates with their habitats in these very lakes.

Work that still goes on here today.

Meet Naomi Lumsden, publications officer.

So what are we looking for?

Em, we're looking for the different insects that live... MARGIE: Insects?

NAOMI: ..in the water, yes.

Not fish?

Not fish today, no.

VO: Freshwater ecosystems are a unique ecological resource.

Home to more than 40% of the world's fish species, as well as birds, mammals and plants.

So we have, from our studies, found that there are certain animals that we expect to see in really good quality water.

What we do is we take data and we compare it to these good-condition rivers.

Hm.

And from that, we can see how the river is changing, and its health, over time.

VO: Here we go.

MARGIE: Come on, little creatures.

VO: That's not a water dance, by the way.

By kicking the bottom of the river, Naomi hopes to dislodge any animals into her net.

Let's give this a try.

Looks like there could be something in there.

Oh, good.

Oh, look at that!

What's that?

Oh, that's a crayfish.

Yeah, we've got a crayfish here.

VO: Now, this is an important sighting.

White-clawed crayfish are an endangered species.

It's really good to see the crayfish in here, em...

Right.

..because they're a really good indicator of good water quality.

VO: Great stuff.

But nowadays, the FBA doesn't just sample freshwater.

They're actively involved in the conservation of freshwater endangered species.

Margie's off to find out more from project officer Heather Marples.

MARGIE: Heather, what's going on here?

So here we've got some freshwater pearl mussels that are in here as part of our captive-breeding program.

VO: With only an estimated 5,000 of them left in the wild in England, when there would once have been a million in one river bed, projects like this are literally life-saving.

We did a trial run, last... in 2017.

We put 70 juveniles back into the wild in one of the local rivers.

Mm-hm.

And that's been really successful and it's been ramped up.

Next year, we're putting 2,000 back into the same river.

And that should increase the river population by about 400%.

Oh, fantastic.

So... VO: And that's really good news because each one of these mussels can filter 50 liters of water a day.

HEATHER: So they are cleaning the water for invertebrates and fish.

And therefore, in turn, helping mammals and other aquatic life as well.

VO: On the shoulders of Macan and his cohorts, the FBA is at the forefront of the effort to ensure the future of the Lakes and freshwater across the globe.

Mm, lovely.

VO: Our final shop before the auction is in the market town of Kendal.

Natasha is on the way.

Well, sort of.

Am I right to be in second gear?

I don't know.

Freaking out.

VO: If she can get to the Antiques Emporium, she'll have the place to herself until Margie arrives.

Ah, she's made it.

OK, let's get down to business then.

Right.

Let's get in there first.

Yeah, definitely no bike.

VO: There's loads to look at, which is great, as Natasha still has £104 and Margie 154.

Ha-ha!

Here she comes now, look.

MARGIE: Here we go.

Right place, I hope.

VO: Sure is.

Gosh, such a variety of things in these places.

Look, portable typewriter.

Ah!

I learned to do that when I was a teenager.

VO: She's talking about touch typing, I believe.

You weren't allowed to look at your fingers, and then they used to have music, so that you did it in time.

And the music was... # Carry on, Carry on with William Tell!

# Carry on, carry on, La la la la!

# Carry on, carry on With William Tell... # And every time I hear it, I think 'Oh, gosh!'

VO: Well, we will too from now on.

And she's trying to sell that for £25.

Great.

I wonder if they still do the ribbons and things.

VO: While Margie's stuck in memory lane... Hm.

VO: ..what's Natasha up to?

NRS: Where's Margie?

She won't like this.

Very Margie Cooper!

Don't tell her I did that.

VO: Would I?

Cabinets, cabinets, come on!

Is there something for me in here that's just going to make a profit?

Oh, what's that?

VO: What have you got there, Margie?

MARGIE: That's a piece of bamboo and it's called a brush pot, where the artist would put his brushes when he was painting.

But, somehow or other, it's got a lid, which is a bit unusual.

VO: Could be for very small brushes.

The ticket says "Oriental carved box, £45".

But I've bought these before and done really well, but...

It is a bit weird, this, but it's basically alright.

It's because I've done alright in the past that you are drawn to them.

VO: That brush pot's a possibility then.

Very nice.

Oh, I love that wee chamber stick.

Why does it have a key?

I know what that is.

Oh, that's so cool!

And it is - a ship's chamber stick.

OK, so what makes this chamber stick different to other chamber sticks?

Not really much, apart from its design.

That is a pretty thin gauge of brass.

No one is going to get excited about that piece of brass in the auction.

But it's all about this.

You're on a ship and things bob around.

Then you turn the key and, look at that!

It moves like a compass on a gimbal on a ship.

It moves with the waves, so your hot wax doesn't drip all over everything.

And all of a sudden, you can safely have your chamber stick on your ship, no fire hazard.

Well, maybe a wee bit of a fire hazard!

But that's just so sweet.

I mean, this is £18.

It'd be churlish to haggle on £18.

I'm off to buy it.

VO: You'll have to join a queue, because Margie's first with her brush pot.

So I've seen this.

I'm not madly in love with it.

Er, it's £45.

So it couldn't be like, 35?

Best - 38.

NRS: (CLEARS THROAT) Excuse me.

Are you doing a deal?

I am doing a deal.

I'd like to do mine if you could just hurry up.

Just...just you wait there.

Right, OK, I will accept that and I'll give you £28, down there.

Thank you.

OK. Margie, could you move it along?

Now just...

Wait your turn.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you.

Bye.

Now you can go.

I hope that wasn't too good a deal.

Was it alright?

No.

No, I saved the better one for you.

Well...

I'm not even going to make you a deal.

£18 for a ship's chamber stick.

I like it.

I'm up for it.

There's 20.

Thank you.

Bargain of the day.

NRS: Cheerio.

DEALER: Bye bye.

Margie!

VO: The shopping's over for our ladies of the Lakes.

I hope Margie's wee legs are alright.

She must be aching after all that cycling.

There's a pub!

Pub!

That'll do for me.

VO: Make mine a double, eh?

And get some shuteye.

VO: It's auction day in Lichfield in Staffordshire.

Cathedral city and birthplace of literary giant Dr Samuel Johnson.

Richard Winterton Auctioneers will only be taking bids online and on the phone.

It's Richard himself at the rostrum.

I wonder what he thinks of Natasha's five lots on which she spent £153.

The monocular.

Now, these are really interesting things.

It is stamped with a really good name and it's New Bond Street.

It is Victorian.

What are you going to do with it?

Not quite so sure, but it's a nice thing to have.

The little egg cozies.

They're definitely Georgian, and they really could spark a bit of interest on the internet.

Looking forward to selling these.

VO: Good-oh!

Believe it or not, Margie's items also cost £153.

That's spooky.

Richard, give us the score, please.

The brush pot - it's Chinese.

If this was really early, this would make a lot of money.

But it's around about 1910, 1920, and made of bamboo.

But we'll just see where it goes.

The Winsor & Newton paint box.

There's lots of artists out there and they always want a bit of history.

We just never know what these are going to make.

VO: That's the fun of it!

Ha.

Setting off from Maryport in Cumbria, our delightful duo have found a beauty spot in Preston in Lancashire.

A great place to pull up, tune in and see how their goodies get on under the hammer.

NRS: Oh, look how cool and calm you look in the sunshine.

MARGIE: Gorgeous day.

NRS: And this view!

I know.

Absolutely lovely.

NRS: What a spot.

MARGIE: So are you ready and excited?

Um...

I'm more ready than excited.

But I don't know, I think that I have...

I have good vibes.

Yeah, good.

What would it be if we didn't have confidence in what we'd bought?

Absolutely.

It would be a sad, sorry affair, wouldn't it?

It would.

I'm going to count you down.

Right, are you ready?

OK, you count us in.

Alright?

Five, four... three, two, one.

Countdown!

Go!

Go.

VO: Eyes glued to the screens, please.

First up, Natasha's leather- bound Victorian monocular.

Here we go.

We're five, we're 10.

We're 15, we're £20.

Oh, I paid 20.

I paid 20.

At £20.

At £20.

Oh, I thought this might make 40 or 50.

At £20, I'm bid.

At £20 with your internet there, at Steve.

RICHARD: At £20.

NRS: Is that it?

£20, I'm bid.

Hammer's up.

All done.

We're sold at £20.

VO: Shame.

Good quality item, that.

Oh, I'm really disappointed.

I'm sure you are.

I was trying to paint a picture.

Someone has got a cheap monocular.

VO: Aye-aye!

It's Margie's Delft plaque next.

Oh, I think this could be a good one.

We're in at £20, we're in at 15.

We're 20, we're 25.

Oh, OK.

Here we go.

£25.

25... Oh.

..£30 .

No?

Yes?

£30.

35.

35, thank you.

One more.

£35, I'm bid.

At £35, I'm bid... Come on.

Oh, go on.

Let's have another one!

£35.

Yours at 35.

Agh!

Hammer's up and selling at 35.

VO: Oh dear.

Feeling blue, Margie?

Agh!

VO: Never mind.

Here comes Natasha's silk egg cozies.

The hot ticket.

We've got two.

We've got four.

£4!

£12.

We're 15, we're 18, we're £20.

NRS: Yeah!

RICHARD: We're at £20.

That's good, you've... RICHARD: £25.

£25.

NRS: That's OK. Well done.

Cuz they're niche.

25 with your internet there, at Steve.

At £25.

I'm looking away from the screen.

I can't even watch.

Done at 25?

VO: Ha!

Hurrah, the first profit of the day.

That's cracking.

They're very sweet.

I like them.

Congratulations.

Margie, you're not laughing at my egg pun.

An egg-cellent result.

VO: Ha-ha.

Double-yolker, eh?

Margie's Victorian parasol with gold-plated mounts is at the ready.

Come on, brolly!

Yeah, come on, then.

Come on, brolly.

RICHARD: We're £2 we're £5 NRS: £2?!

£5 I'm bid.

£5 I'm bid.

£5 I'm bid then.

At £5 on the internet.

Oh, please!

What is going on?

RICHARD: £5 I'm bid.

£5 I'm bid.

NRS: That's silly.

£5 only.

At £5 I'm bid.

At £5, £5.

All done at £5 You're all going?

£5.

Oh, for goodness...

Thank you.

VO: Ouch!

Less said about that, the better.

I don't really know what to say.

VO: Yeah, well, let's hope Natasha's hand-blown fishbowl and stand make a splash.

Any words of support?

No.

25 on my book.

At 25.

25... Oh, wee fishies!

Internet, you are out.

Make no mistake.

At 25, £30.

RICHARD: 30!

At £30 I'm bid.

MARGIE: Oh!

I thought I was going to get stung by a wasp.

RICHARD: With internet, at £30.

NRS: Oh, go on, one more... At £30.

That's OK. All done at £30?

Still flashing.

No.

NRS: Oh, oh!

RICHARD: You coming back again?

NRS: Where's the hammer?

VO: There's another little profit for Natasha.

MARGIE: That's good.

NRS: That's alright.

Yeah, that could've died.

MARGIE: That could have died.

NRS: Yeah.

Couldn't it?

But it's not.

Well done.

I might buy another one.

Yeah, well...

I wouldn't be too hasty.

No!

VO: Right.

Fingers crossed now for Margie's Edwardian walking stick.

There's a good amount of silver on it.

OK. As long as you're excited, I'm with you.

I'm rooting for you here.

NRS: Come on, auctioneer!

MARGIE: Ready?

£15, I'm bid.

£15, I'm bid.

Oh.

Oh, no!

At 15.

£20, I'm bid.

£20.

Oh, should be 45.

At £20, I'm bid.

At £20 with your internet there, Steve.

At £20.

Eh?!

At £20.

£20, I'm bid.

All done?

All done?

Selling at £20.

VO: It really isn't Margie's day.

You've got collectors of sticks and you've got people who collect silver, and I just thought that was going to make £45.

That's tough cheese.

Tough cheese.

Tough cheese, girl.

VO: That's the spirit.

Onwards to Natasha's brass ship's chamberstick.

I love gimballed stuff.

You know, nothing like a gimbal!

Well, we're going to find out.

We're going to find out.

Oh, right now!

Hold on, here we go, here we go.

MARGIE: Ready?

NRS: Yep.

£20, I'm bid.

With your internet there, at Steve, at £20.

NRS: That's OK. RICHARD: £25.

£30.

MARGIE: Oh, well done.

RICHARD: £40.

40!

£50.

£50, I'm bid, £50.

(MARGIE GASPS) Why?

Why?

£60, I'm bid.

NRS: He's bid 60!

MARGIE: Unusual.

£60, I am bid, with your internet there, Steve.

Well done.

What did you pay?

NRS: 18!

RICHARD: All done?

RICHARD: Selling at £60.

MARGIE: There you go!

VO: Wow!

That puts Natasha way out in front.

Well done, that's very good.

Oh, I can't quite wrap my head around it.

You never know, do you?

My mind is boggled.

(MARGIE LAUGHS) VO: Here's Margie's carved bamboo brush pot.

Here we go.

Here we go.

Oh... Oh, here we go.

£15, I am bid.

RICHARD: Here, at £15.

At £15.

NRS: Come on!

MARGIE: Go on!

RICHARD: Yours at 15.

Getting annoyed now.

Steve, you're coming in at £20.

Thank you.

Come in.

Good picture there, looks a good carving.

£20.

You're all finished?

Thank you.

VO: Ouch.

That's a shame.

You do wonder.

VO: Natasha's last item is the rare Edwardian sterling silver clasp and tapestry bag.

She's keen on this one.

I've never seen anything like it.

Right.

It should make at least 60, surely.

Alright, why are you laughing?

Well, you're supposed to make a profit.

That's a very good point.

Right, here we go.

£20, I'm bid.

£20, I'm bid.

£20, I'm bid, at 22.

Oh, no.

25?

25?

25?

No?

You're not bidding me.

We're back to the £20 then.

He's still on 20?!

Yours Jane, at £20.

£20, I'm bid.

No interest coming there.

No!

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Hammer's up.

£20.

VO: Oh, how sad!

And she was doing so well.

Silence fell upon the assembled multitude.

I'm not laughing.

It's awful.

Oh, no.

Sorry, I can't speak.

VO: Me neither (!)

Now, can Margie's vintage Winsor & Newton painting box save the day?

Come on, paint box.

Come on!

We're in at 18.

We're in at 15, we're in at £20.

Yes, we are... £20, I'm bid.

With you, Steve.

What's that?

A profit?

To each other, you're going to take each other on.

At £20, I am bid.

Come on.

At £20, I'm bid.

With you, Steve.

NRS: I'm chuffed for you.

RICHARD: £25, I'm bid.

£25.

They always do well.

£30, I'm bid.

Oh!

Getting excited now.

At £30, I am bid.

At £30.

At £30.

With you, Steve, at £30.

The other internet, are you coming in?

Jane's internet, you are out.

No?

£30.

MARGIE: No, wait!

All done at 30?

Thank you.

VO: Yippee!

A great profit for Margie.

NRS: Oh, I'm chuffed for you.

MARGIE: Success at last!

It feels so good.

It does feel so good.

Oh, nice work, Margie.

Yeah.

Oh, that's cheered me up no end, that.

This is a competition.

I'm terrible at maths, but I think I've edged in front a wee bit.

I think you just might.

VO: Margie began the leg in the lead with £269.08.

But a disappointing auction has dipped her back to £206.28.

Bad luck!

Natasha started out with £239.32.

And after some highs and lows, is a teensy weensy bit in the lead with £213.42.

Do you fancy a wee victory lap?

I mean, my victory, but do you fancy a wee victory lap around the lake?

I fancy a drive.

And I fancy... NRS: Oh, do you?

MARGIE: ..four wheels again.

NRS: Right.

Well, keys are in the car, Margie.

NRS: Keys are in the car.

MARGIE: See you later, love.

NRS: I'll see you later.

MARGIE: Bye, love.

subtitling@stv.tv