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  • 2 days ago
#ShowFilm98
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00:01To millions, Johnny Vegas is known as an award-winning stand-up comedian.
00:05Good evening, Benny Jones!
00:07Much-loved actor.
00:08I've got no range, but distinctive is what I do.
00:12And celebrated artist.
00:16But he's also a collector of vintage.
00:19The odd...
00:20This was once the pilot of a flying badger.
00:23And the extraordinary...
00:25Why I bought this and why I paid for it, I'm taking the fifth.
00:28Now, after years of dreaming, he's turning his hobby into a business.
00:33Oh, wow, it's massive.
00:35By opening his very own vintage and collectible shop.
00:39Oh, now it feels real.
00:42So, with the help of lifelong friend and assistant, Bev...
00:45Well done.
00:46..he's finally parting with some of his collection...
00:49I'm really attached to it.
00:50..and hitting the road...
00:51God, we look like swingers!
00:54..in search of hidden treasures to stop the shop.
00:57Oh!
00:58..buying low...
00:5930 quid!
01:00No, not 60, just go to 70.
01:02Are there any other monstrosities in purchase?
01:05..in the hopes of selling high.
01:07200 quid.
01:09Deal done.
01:10I like it.
01:11But as a first-time dealer...
01:14..has Johnny got what it takes?
01:16Auctions are not a good place for Johnny.
01:18Spank double the budget.
01:20You don't trust me, do you?
01:21No.
01:24It's been a tough week.
01:25..to turn his lifelong passion...
01:27Get in!
01:28There you go, buddy.
01:29Here we go.
01:30..into the business of his dreams.
01:31Do you know what I'm doing?
01:33So, actually going to look at a shop...
01:49..a space...
01:50..to rent.
01:51I know!
01:52..to rent.
01:53It's a bit daunting.
01:54..to put things in.
01:56A business.
01:57Oh.
01:58It's a...
01:59Why'd you pull that face?
02:00No, no, no, no, I'm not, no.
02:02It's really exciting that you've sort of, like,
02:04finally got round to doing what you've been talking about.
02:06You've been collecting for a long, long time.
02:09I remember you were at uni
02:10and you were collecting stuff from charity shops.
02:12I collected when I was up-door.
02:14Yeah.
02:15I'd buy the odd plate, I'd buy the odd thing.
02:17And I've collected more stuff than I possibly need.
02:22And that's...
02:23Now, if this is right, then, to start letting go.
02:27And it's an amazing opportunity to have a D club, sir.
02:31And I don't see it.
02:32Which is what you've been talking about doing.
02:34You see?
02:35That's...
02:36People like you always use the word declutter.
02:37Declutter.
02:38Yeah.
02:39I see it as emptying my heart.
02:42I really hope this place is right.
02:44I hope it...it works.
02:47After an extensive search,
02:49Beth thinks she's finally found the perfect home
02:52for Johnny's new venture.
02:54Dagfields in Cheshire.
02:56Johnny, welcome to Dagfields.
02:57Cheers.
02:58Hi, Lawrence.
02:59Lovely to meet you.
03:00This haven for antiques and collectibles enthusiasts
03:03is run by Lawrence Bennion.
03:05Wow, this place is vast.
03:07It's quite large.
03:08We've been going for 30 years.
03:10There's 25 craft workshops,
03:12seven giant antiques emporiums,
03:14and your shop.
03:16Oh, right. Oh, OK.
03:17If you're interested.
03:18This used to be the old retro toy shop.
03:21Oh, er...
03:23Well, er...
03:24Let's take a look.
03:25Yeah.
03:27OK.
03:28Welcome.
03:29Oh, wow, it's massive.
03:30What do you think?
03:31Oh, sorry.
03:32Oh, thank you.
03:33Wow.
03:34It's big.
03:37It's a hanger.
03:38I'm actually overwhelmed by the space.
03:42Oh, yeah.
03:43Yeah.
03:44Yeah.
03:45It's really deceiving from outside, isn't it?
03:47Well, in a way, there's nothing I have to work with,
03:50which is great.
03:51Yeah.
03:52Interesting decor.
03:53Yeah.
03:54That you...
03:55That sort of dictates...
03:56Yeah.
03:57What I want to do with it.
03:59I love that floor.
04:00Yeah.
04:01Definitely.
04:02That floor sold.
04:03This is floor sold.
04:04How did you know?
04:05With this panel up!
04:06How did you know?
04:08All the way...
04:09Right, give us a lease.
04:12Well, I'll leave you to have a think.
04:14Lovely to meet you.
04:15Cheers.
04:17Are we locking up?
04:18Yeah, have a chat.
04:19Drop it off later.
04:20Wonderful.
04:21All right.
04:22See you later.
04:23Take care, folks.
04:24Bye.
04:25It's a blank canvas.
04:26With the concrete, I'd go sort of really, really industrialised shelving.
04:33Corrugated iron underwalls up to a point that makes it look like you're in my lock-up
04:38rather than you're in a shop.
04:39Well, that'd be cool.
04:41Just let me digest.
04:42Yeah.
04:43Let you process.
04:45It's a lot, innit?
04:47I think we've found a great place for Johnny.
04:50It's an antiques crowd who are coming to look at antiques and collectibles, so best place
04:54to be.
04:55I'm kind of worried now about should I have committed this to camera?
04:59This idea?
05:00I should have just kept it to myself and, you know, started going to car boots.
05:06Start small.
05:07Start small Vegas.
05:08I think now it's finally feels real to him that he's talked about can he turn a hobby
05:14of collecting into a business and he's sat in there looking at a shop and I think it's
05:19like, oh God, yeah, it's a lot.
05:22I've collected for years but I collected for me.
05:25I do go through skips.
05:26I do go into charity shops.
05:28I do love to buy.
05:30I'm as scared as I am excited.
05:33It's totally yin and yang.
05:35I'm better off sticking to being a hoarder than I am a shopkeeper.
05:39But I guess we'll find out.
05:45We're taking it.
05:55Well, you're cock-a-hoops.
05:56It's a great space.
05:59Well, it works.
06:00We can do a little short-term lease on it.
06:03I know why you love it.
06:04It means it can fill more of my stuff.
06:07A few days later, Johnny signs on the dotted line and it's all systems go with the shop.
06:19Despite feeling under the weather, his first job is to tackle a lifetime of hoarding at home.
06:27I'm just wondering if I can create a business that I can love doing.
06:30And I'm going to start stocking it with my own stuff.
06:32Because if I don't let some of my stuff go,
06:35I'm just going to go out and buy more things and they're just going to end up in the house.
06:40I need space.
06:42I was unfairly turned down for a gun licence.
06:46But I take home security very seriously.
06:49And it's got initials in it as well, imagine that.
06:52I'm sick of him taking my mallet.
06:54I'm going to put my name on it.
06:56This is a massive day for Johnny letting go of stuff.
06:59Everything that he sees or he buys means a lot to him.
07:03It's considered.
07:04I've got a feeling he's going to have found it very, very hard.
07:07So I went to art school and I see a lot of beauty in objects.
07:11I studied ceramics.
07:13It makes sense why I could find joy in inanimate objects.
07:17But I think I've been filling a void a little bit.
07:26I don't think it was ever actually used in the kitchen.
07:29Although Gordon Ramsay does have massive hands.
07:31I think a lot of collectors will say, like, you're a custodian.
07:36And I've given safe haven.
07:39Loved them.
07:40Cherished them.
07:41Walked past them every day.
07:43Picked up inspiration from them when I least expect it.
07:46Told me a valuable lesson.
07:48How quick woodwork can spread.
07:51I never had a teddy when I was younger.
07:54And I think we're always chasing the childhood that was robbed from us.
07:58It's a little Oscar Wilde.
07:59Don't look at me like that.
08:03We talked about this.
08:05It's to say goodbye.
08:06But there's a story in everything.
08:11It's easier said than done.
08:17Oh, thank God.
08:19He's finally getting rid of the giant knife.
08:22Yeah, there's a lot more than I thought.
08:23It's a really good start.
08:25Tell you what, you've done really well.
08:27I'm surprised you'd have this much out already.
08:31This is a process.
08:32This is stage one.
08:33And then get it in the shop.
08:34There's not enough.
08:35There's not enough for the shop.
08:36No.
08:37But I've got the lock up.
08:38I'll go and clear through that.
08:40Anyway, look.
08:41Just get all this to the shop before they change my mind.
08:44Nothing's coming back.
08:45Once it's gone, it's gone.
08:46Tonight will be a night of regret.
08:51Just killed up in a corner, walking backwards and forwards going,
08:55Why did I let the big knife go?
08:58And who'll protect me now?
08:59I've lost my larger mallet.
09:00Johnny Vegas has been raiding his lifelong hoard of antiques and collectibles to stock his first ever shop.
09:18Just come to Dagfields with all the stuff that Johnny's sorted from the house.
09:23The shop's all been designed and delivered exactly what he wanted, the shell that he asked for.
09:28And I'm just the van driver picking stuff up while he's at the lock up.
09:32Right, so this is the lock up.
09:36It's a cupboard of avoidance and what might have been.
09:39A lot of the stuff in here, it just became unfeasible keeping it at the house.
09:43It was taking up space.
09:44I did not have the time to direct with it.
09:46But with the shop, hopefully, the ideas will now come to fruition.
09:51If a lad in came in here, he'd rub everything.
09:54And Johnny or not, he'd be chuffed.
09:57Don't know what else he's going to bring from there, so I hope it's a lot.
09:59I thought there was more in the lock up than he was actually going to get out of the house.
10:02He should look great when it's all set out.
10:04This, I love this.
10:06I'm going to put it in the shop to ride.
10:09The only thing is, the timer's gone, so if you put a toddler on there, they are literally stranded.
10:15And they will eventually vomit.
10:17I absolutely adore these.
10:19They were used on a cruise ship.
10:21They made the women ride them round in a race on the dance floor.
10:24It's like the Grand National meets a wife swap.
10:27You've got to be bold, set your stall out, and in the shop, this is the kind of stuff I love.
10:32And if you're into your horses, or you're into your cruise ships, somebody will love these.
10:37Since getting this storage unit, I've had nine tetanus jabs.
10:40That's why I've got no peripheral vision.
10:45What's that?
10:51Oh, that's got ceramics in.
10:53God.
10:55Who doesn't want a Marzipan Indiana Jones?
10:58Michael's 21 now, and that was his eighth birthday party.
11:02All right, all right.
11:03I accept.
11:04Maybe I have trouble letting go.
11:07These.
11:08God, we've got loads of these.
11:10These are genuine ex-Black Pearl Illuminations.
11:13Really quirky.
11:14It's got the provenance.
11:15They should appeal to a lot of people.
11:17They're something I'm kind of banking on them flying out.
11:22This beauty here is one half of the engine housing off the top of a Puma helicopter,
11:28converted to look like a bar from a certain sci-fi film.
11:32I think it'll make a brilliant shop counter.
11:35I think that's it for in here.
11:37A few good pieces to fill out the shopping.
11:40Let's get shifting.
11:41Johnny may have plundered his lock up for stock, but now comes the daunting part.
11:52Oh, yeah. Better get that.
11:54Over the next few days, he's going to be setting up shop for real.
11:58Now I can't see here, so just guide us.
12:03That's what I normally do when I'm helping people live.
12:06It's very strange, having people move my stuff around like it's stock.
12:14What's going where?
12:15I mean, it just doesn't feel very coherent.
12:19As a shop, I know I'm not a very coherent person.
12:22Is that everything in now, then?
12:23Yeah.
12:24Cool.
12:25I mean, there's not enough here.
12:26When I go out and start buying to put stuff in,
12:29God, I feel sick about the thought of opening to the public.
12:32It's like taking secret music lessons,
12:34and then suddenly you've got a concert to play.
12:37I've never sold before, and I've never opened a shop before.
12:40So I could be on an absolute hiding to nothing with collectors,
12:43going, he's an idiot.
12:45He's just a poor, misguided fool.
12:47There's only one way to find out.
12:51Try the guns.
12:53That is not going to annoy customers at all.
12:55Johnny, can you plug it?
12:57I feel a bit nauseous.
12:58LAUGHTER
13:08I'm going to go and have a mooch.
13:10It's been so full on that I've not had a chance to go
13:12see what anybody else is really up to.
13:14OK.
13:15I want to know if, say what I've got here is about
13:18as much as other people are putting out,
13:20and work out the kind of quality versus quantity versus...
13:23Right.
13:24..he's been in the game for years.
13:28There's a guy appearing I quite like some of the stuff
13:30he's got outside the shop.
13:34Oh.
13:38We might as well just lock up now and ask for the rebate.
13:43Hello.
13:45Hi, Johnny. How's it going? I'm up here.
13:47Hi, mate.
13:48Yeah, good to see you.
13:49Antiques restorer and dealer John Eggleston
13:52has been running Dusty Gems interiors for the last 16 years.
13:57You've got some...
13:59Oh, cheers.
14:01Can I just buy you out an open one?
14:03Yeah, I can start wrapping it now, that's no problem.
14:05By the luck of this, you've kind of got the kind of shop I want
14:08if I had the knowledge.
14:10But I haven't.
14:13Yeah, French, Spanish, Buddha, toy hand bowl.
14:17That's beautiful.
14:191830s.
14:21So do you do a thing like with this?
14:23Do you have certain things where you'll dress but you'll sell it?
14:26Yeah.
14:27Like for storing stuff on?
14:29A central table like this, in the middle that you can dress it,
14:32but it's also for sale.
14:34It's a balancing act, dressing it, but also showing the item underneath.
14:38This is just a thing of beauty.
14:41Chinese wash bowl.
14:42That was in about a million pieces when I found it.
14:45It took me three weeks to put it together.
14:47When you do this for a living, it doesn't matter what period it's from,
14:51what style it is, is it retro Georgian?
14:54If it's got quality, if it's got that look, you love it for what it is.
14:58I was going to wind you up there and go, you could drill through there and put a clock in it.
15:03No, no, you couldn't, no.
15:05You need your hands chopping off if you did that.
15:07I'm looking at my stuff now and one, I'm wondering have I got enough,
15:11but two is like, it's a balance between larger items and the smaller.
15:14You've got to have your large stuff, but you've got to have your pick-up-and-goes
15:19because those will be your bread and butter every day.
15:22And at the end of the day, it is a business, it is stock.
15:25No matter how beautiful it is, it's got to make its money.
15:29It's got to be worth its place within the shop.
15:31So when you find your stuff, never drop your quality.
15:34Right, well you've left me a lot to think about.
15:36Cheers mate.
15:38And pop around for a brew when you can.
15:40Lovely guy, great stock.
15:41I will be pecking his head a lot over the set-up.
15:44Everything he said made sense.
15:45It will be interesting to see if he comes in and he likes anything.
15:48But I'll take advice.
15:50But from that, buy well, buy better.
16:00The stock from Johnny's own collection, whilst fast, isn't enough to fill a shop.
16:05He'll need to get out buying and he wants to look the parts.
16:09This is proper rag and bone stuff I've been shot at, mate.
16:13It's kind of my lucky coat.
16:14I've bought nice stuff in this.
16:17And I like it.
16:18When I put it on, it's...
16:20This is like my game face.
16:22And to keep up appearances,
16:24Johnny has asked Bev to swap the rental van for something a bit more professional.
16:28Are you serious?
16:29What's the matter?
16:32Understated?
16:33It's like we're driving a high-risk jacket.
16:35I've got some bubble wrap.
16:36How much stuff do you think we're buying?
16:37It looks like we're getting rid of a corpse.
16:38Come on, just get in it.
16:39You've got stuff to buy.
16:40Let's get moving on.
16:41What, I'm in the back?
16:42It's like we're pulling up on a cunt cross.
16:43We're not on holiday.
16:45Can I remind you?
16:46We're not going on holiday.
16:47You're a big road trip.
16:48We're starting out a virgin business.
16:49It's like we're not on holiday.
16:51How much stuff do you think we're buying?
16:52It looks like we're getting rid of a corpse.
16:54Come on, just get in it.
16:55You've got stuff to buy.
16:56Let's get moving on.
16:58What, I'm in the back?
17:03It's like we're pulling up on a cunt cross.
17:07We're not on holiday.
17:09Can I remind you?
17:11We're not going on holiday.
17:12You're a big road trip.
17:13We're starting out a virgin business.
17:16It's odd now because I've only ever bought to keep.
17:18I know.
17:19Or to trade later down the line.
17:20Well, that's what I was going to say to you.
17:22You're obviously going to have to come into this
17:23with a different mindset, aren't you?
17:25Yeah, but without, you don't want to chuck the baby out
17:28with the bathwater.
17:29You go, I've still got to buy what I like.
17:32Yeah.
17:33But it's not mine.
17:34You're buying to sell and it's a pop-up.
17:36Yeah.
17:37So we actually, we need more rapid turnover of stock
17:40than anybody else.
17:41Mm.
17:42It's an experiment, but it's got to pay its way.
17:46Can you turn your hobby into a little business?
17:48Yeah.
17:49Yeah.
17:50And then Bev leant over and sobbed into the steering wheel.
17:54On John's advice, Johnny's looking for cheaper pick-up-and-go items,
17:58known as smalls, at a location he's only been able to access
18:02thanks to his work as an actor.
18:04Stockyard North, on the outskirts of Manchester,
18:07supplies everything from film and television to weddings and events.
18:11General manager Lucy has been running the show for seven years
18:16with the help of warehouse supervisor Rob.
18:19We don't usually sell the items that we have in stock.
18:23However, we did used to have a shop at the back of the warehouse.
18:26So there is a network of antique dealers in the local Manchester area
18:30that do know us for that.
18:32I think Johnny will be after some unique pieces to kit out his shop.
18:36Very unusual, very eye-catching.
18:38Go off and look for something.
18:44What, me?
18:45Yeah, go on your own journey of discovery.
18:47Oh, what if I buy the thing that sells first in the shop?
18:51I'm not saying it's going in the shop.
18:53I am literally just trying to throw you off the seats
18:55and get you to leave me alone.
18:58Hello.
18:59How are you?
19:00Lucy, nice to meet you.
19:01How are you, Lucy?
19:02How are you doing, Rob?
19:03Hi, Lucy.
19:04I think when you open a prop store,
19:06it's because you just like stuff.
19:08You love stuff and you want it all.
19:10They call it the curse of the collector
19:12and that's what it is,
19:13because that's it.
19:14That next one's never enough
19:15because it's the one after
19:16and the one after and the one after.
19:17Then you get the completionist.
19:18Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:19I want every version of that.
19:20I try and kind of keep a lid on it,
19:22but I also go, I can't...
19:24I'm not going to poke.
19:25If I see something, I love it.
19:26You might hear this gasp and...
19:29You might want to...
19:30You think you want to start CPR, don't man.
19:32You go, no, that's just me.
19:33Right, should we do this?
19:35Yeah, let's go through.
19:38With so many items in this warehouse,
19:40this will be Johnny's first test to buy as a dealer.
19:44Right, buying for the shop, buying for the shop.
19:46I've no track record.
19:48I'm going from a collector to a salesman.
19:52Is that...
19:53No.
19:54So I'm a little bit out of my comfort zone.
19:56It's quite an experience to be out for the first time going,
19:59what can I make on?
20:01My heart is having to give my head some space to negotiate.
20:09Oh, I like that.
20:11Look at that.
20:12Book seats at once.
20:13Phrases like grotesque answer.
20:16It's like the new me.
20:18The comedian who made England laugh.
20:22All of England.
20:24He made them laugh.
20:26They didn't want to laugh.
20:27That's quality.
20:28It's the content on it.
20:29That's what you can sell.
20:31I think actually I should look for something really,
20:37really obscure and random.
20:39Oh, I do like this.
20:42Lobster phone.
20:48Crompton, 1957.
20:51I have a strange one with...
20:53I kind of admire religious artifacts stuff.
20:57It's like folk art.
20:58It does say crudely done.
21:00I think that's the reason I like it.
21:02It was well finished.
21:03I'd have no interest in it.
21:05There's so much stuff I'm not an expert on,
21:07so I just have to go on gut feeling.
21:09And that's one of them.
21:12Alas, poor Yorick.
21:13I knew him so well.
21:15Johnny's got to be in here for hours and hours and hours.
21:18I'll just try all the chairs and couches out.
21:21Fruit machines?
21:22No, I don't want to look like I'm just catering
21:24for that man cave market.
21:26You start doubting yourself, going,
21:28am I walking past something that's fantastic?
21:30Do I just not have the knowledge?
21:32And then you see something and your instinct kicks in
21:34and you go, that's amazing.
21:36And you go, I do know what I'm doing.
21:39I do.
21:42Johnny has spotted a few items he thinks will be perfect
21:45for his pop-up antiques and collectibles shop.
21:47Oh!
21:49Can I live here?
21:51First up, the vintage comedy poster.
21:54But will Lucy and Rob let it go for the right price?
21:58What's the price on it?
22:00£50.
22:04I know what I was hoping for
22:06and I've got a price in mind that was realistic.
22:09On his first buying trip as a prospective dealer,
22:24Johnny Vegas has spotted some items
22:26that could be perfect for his pop-up vintage and collectibles shop.
22:30His first haggle is that vintage comedy poster.
22:35What's the price on it?
22:37£50.
22:41I know what I was hoping for
22:43and I've got a price in mind that was realistic.
22:46Mm-hm.
22:47My was around about the £40 mark.
22:50Erm, yeah, we'd be willing to let that go.
22:57The phrasing on that poster is just...
23:00Oh!
23:01It's manna from heaven.
23:05Is there any chance on God's green earth
23:07that that is for sale?
23:09Erm...
23:10Ideally, I would like probably around £120 for that.
23:15£120, I will take that.
23:22Right, price-wise...
23:24£50.
23:25I was really open for £30.
23:28Do you want to meet us in the middle at £40?
23:30Do me £35.
23:33£35, I'm...
23:34Yeah, yeah.
23:38Johnny is coming away with a mix of Forderville memorabilia,
23:42classic industrial antique
23:44and handmade folk art.
23:46But what about Bev?
23:48Bev!
23:50There's loads of amazing stuff in,
23:52but something really, really caught my eye.
23:55Oh.
23:57No.
23:58Why?
23:59I'd buy that.
24:00No.
24:01It's tart.
24:02Hello?
24:04Jack Lobster, PI.
24:07Are you happy with your purchases?
24:10Yeah, I am, actually.
24:11I did get stuff for the shop.
24:13Cool.
24:14And I don't have that phone.
24:15I'd buy the phone if I could just ring you at home on a landline.
24:18Every time you pick it up, you go,
24:19you've got no taste.
24:22With Johnny's first shopping trip done and dusted...
24:27Johnny, fill up the kumquat.
24:29It's time to pack up and head back to the shop.
24:32Look at that.
24:34I'm really, really, really pleased that he's leaving with a full van.
24:38Thanks, Johnny.
24:39Love you and leave you.
24:40See you now.
24:41Thanks for that.
24:43And he seems really, really happy with everything.
24:45Looks like he's got some good stuff.
24:46It's exciting.
24:47Oh, I love that. It's got a good lean to me.
24:58Since Johnny has never bought to sell before,
25:01he's asked neighbouring dealer and antiques restorer John Eggleston
25:07to help price up his latest purchases.
25:10So you've got some new stuff to have a look at?
25:11I've got some new stuff.
25:12See what we can do.
25:13It's my first buying trip.
25:14Remember, when we're pricing, we're looking at the cost of what you pay for it.
25:19Then you've got to think, I've got to light this place.
25:21I've got to heat this place.
25:23I've got to cover my time, all my bills.
25:26So you have got to put a profit into it.
25:29Right. So this, scratch made, obviously not mass produced.
25:34My feeling on this is, a parishioner's made this.
25:38It's got a mark on the back. Let's have a look.
25:39We always liked marks.
25:41Crompton 19, 1957.
25:44That is a real nice item.
25:46So, how much?
25:47That was 35 quid.
25:49I'd go 80 on it.
25:51Really?
25:53This is a plaster version based on a traditional religious plaque
25:56that would have been made from Sarah Cotter.
25:59Now this poster, this is my stand-up background.
26:03The nimble Scott and Grotesque dancer.
26:06I mean, originally this would have been a very thin, almost tissue paper thickness.
26:11Yeah.
26:12When I've seen them before, they're really thin, so mounted on this board saved it.
26:16Kind of a miracle it's alive.
26:18But I said, they don't survive.
26:19And especially these small town hall ones, because they've just binned them straight after.
26:23I paid 40 for it.
26:26I know, I know.
26:28It just made me, it's one of them pieces on the day.
26:31It filled me with joy.
26:33I sat 65, but the thing I like about it, it's got good strung colours.
26:38Whoever loves that like you love it like I love it,
26:41they're going to leave it like that and hang it up from that nail hole like it was.
26:45And it's going to be skee-whiff on the wall.
26:46But that's my career in comedy.
26:49Yeah, skee-whiff.
26:50Summed up perfectly there.
26:52The popularity of Audible shows started to decline in the 50s in Britain,
26:57due to the rise of film and TV.
26:59But surviving posters from the period remain highly collectible.
27:03This basket, I...
27:05It's a nice basket. I love it.
27:07The wheels are the original.
27:09Yeah, it's got everything there.
27:11So a basket like that, nice English mill basket.
27:13Yeah.
27:14It's honest.
27:15What did you pay for it?
27:16120.
27:17I'd have paid 120 for that.
27:19I'd have paid 120 for that.
27:20It's big enough for me to hide in when Bev comes round.
27:23That would go out 250.
27:26Come down to 230 on it, on the sale.
27:29This Victorian mill basket was salvaged from a mill in Yorkshire,
27:33following the rapid decline in the cotton industry after World War I.
27:37So everything here will turn a profit.
27:40Oh, cheers pal.
27:41I needed that.
27:43First one under my belt though.
27:44Yeah, yeah.
27:46And also, one of the words you can do when we were saying about a quick turnover in this
27:51is the SPQR, which is small profit, quick return.
27:55This is what pays your bills every day.
27:58So you're looking for good prices where you can turn it over
28:01and make that SPQR on it.
28:03Right, for the first buying trip, at least I've got a new bit of advice to take into my second month.
28:08Yeah, yeah.
28:09And that's going to be exciting.
28:11Superb.
28:13Well, I'm really pleased with that.
28:15I'm relieved more than anything.
28:17I haven't lost any money and any of the purchases.
28:21It's nice to have John because he's very generous with his knowledge, his time.
28:26Small profit, quick return.
28:27Get out there and use that mantra for when you're buying in future.
28:33There was one item, however, that John didn't put a price on.
28:37Bev!
28:38That's yours, I do believe.
28:54I always said immorally, like I said immorally, I would never play the lottery and now you go,
28:59why haven't you played the lottery and you could be out every day buying stuff?
29:02Yeah, it's your dream, innit?
29:03Yeah.
29:04What a dream job.
29:05Bolstered by dealer friend John's positive feedback,
29:09Johnny and Bev hit the road again in search of more stock.
29:13Do you know what's grown on me?
29:14It's actually a really comfortable ride.
29:16Oh, it is a nice ride, innit?
29:18When you're in it, you can't see the colour.
29:21So I utterly relax.
29:23Today, they're off to Warrington to a private warehouse arranged by Johnny's friend, Chris Brown,
29:29who specialises in high-end antiques.
29:32See you later!
29:33Oh, it's snug, innit?
29:34It is snug, innit?
29:35Wow, yeah.
29:36It's dead root.
29:37Oh, God, we look like swingers.
29:39We look like we've taught Chris into coming away with us.
29:44So how do you know the lads we're going to today?
29:47Karl and Mark.
29:48Karl and Mark, yeah.
29:49So I met Karl when I first started dealing.
29:51Top fella, helped me out a lot.
29:52This vast, top-secret warehouse is where Karl, along with fellow dealer Mark, store some of their treasures.
30:04I've been in the game for about 30-odd years. Mark's been in the game for the last seven or eight years.
30:09We travel about, we buy all sorts. We're not open to the public. We've got a good network of trade dealers over the years that we've established. That's why Johnny and Chris are coming over.
30:22Hiya, lads.
30:24It's not my van. We don't own it. She rented it. It was a massive mistake. Please don't think that this is my taste.
30:32It was ticking out of my hands. How you doing, mate?
30:35Nice to meet you, lads.
30:36I'm trying to see if I can buy and sell as a business, but already I'm starting to fall for this stuff that's stock.
30:44Yeah, stock.
30:45And I'm just worrying about...
30:47You've got to sell it. It's a business. You've got to make money somehow.
30:50No, but I'm not... I mean, look at...
30:53Did I get out the car and you go, there's a businessman. Look at him in his bright green kumquat.
30:58Are you happy for us to just mooch in?
31:00Go in, help yourself. If you need any advice, just give us a shout.
31:03He's been in this game for years and he's as excited as me.
31:07He is actually. He's never seen it tidy.
31:09Oh, God.
31:11This is going to be pricey, isn't it?
31:13I don't think so.
31:14No, but I mean pricey in a good way.
31:16Advice to Johnny, just buy interesting things.
31:19I won't run with what's current today and just stock up on interesting things.
31:24They hold the value.
31:25God, I would not have thought I'd walk in and be drawn to a chub.
31:28That is bizarre. That's... Is that like fork art? That's not a mass producer, is it?
31:33It's like Art Deco, isn't it, that?
31:35That's like the summer.
31:37I just hope that Johnny can remember what John was saying to him.
31:40What is it? Buy small and just, like, keep that profit turning over.
31:45No, I'll tell you what I do like.
31:47That is so gnarly.
31:48Oh, yeah, I like that.
31:49That's lovely, that, innit?
31:52Flip it round, let's have a look.
31:54Yeah, that's dead right, that, isn't it?
31:57Yeah.
31:58That's lived a life.
31:59Yeah, yeah, you want it to look like that, 100%.
32:02That's more modern than it looks.
32:04Do you think, like, 70s?
32:06Johnny has a great eye for things.
32:08He goes off on tangents sometimes and he likes some of the things that I don't,
32:11but eats to their own.
32:13You know what's lacking in my life?
32:15A piss poor painting of an otter catching something.
32:20I want to know what it's yelping at.
32:22That's my husband you've got there.
32:24Shut up!
32:25Kids need shoes.
32:31What the hell is that?
32:33Let's have a look at it.
32:35That is...
32:39..is so wrong.
32:43Is it signed?
32:44Seeing if there was anything on the back.
32:45I think that says, Bras of the World.
32:48It does not!
32:49Oh, no, Miss World.
32:51Who let him do it?
32:52I'm guessing it's a he.
32:54It doesn't strike me as a feminist piece.
32:56This is a day that Bev hands her a notice,
32:59and she goes, I am not putting that in a van,
33:01and you go, I don't blame you.
33:03It's brighter than the van.
33:05Bev?
33:06Yeah?
33:07I need your opinion on something.
33:09It's Miss World, but not as you know it.
33:12Miss World, but not as you know it!
33:13I love it!
33:16I love it!
33:18Do you?
33:19I love it!
33:20It's awful, isn't it?
33:21Do you?
33:22It's not offensive, it's fun!
33:24I love it!
33:25Are they all the same size?
33:26I'm not offended anyway, as a woman, I'd have that.
33:30Well, let's keep mooching.
33:32I'm fascinated with this.
33:34Has it got a name on it on the back or anything written on it?
33:36It's got a...
33:39Go on, what does it say?
33:41Sir John Gielgud.
33:42Honestly?
33:43Do you have a look?
33:44I'm not...
33:45I'm not bubbing you.
33:46Oh, wow, cool.
33:47Can't believe the name.
33:48I can't wait to find out what film this is from, when it was made.
33:51I want to know the provenance because I need to.
33:54I need to know.
33:56You know when you hold it and you go...
33:58God, I'm getting shivers.
33:59Yeah.
34:00I'm getting propped.
34:01This is like...
34:03Have you just come away with that today?
34:05Yeah.
34:06Obviously, you're impressed by the name.
34:07That's going to affect the price, probably.
34:09I'm going to have to pay up for that.
34:11But do you know what?
34:12That will bring people in.
34:14Sometimes, you have to shut off the accountant and listen to the passion.
34:19But what will Johnny's passion cost him?
34:22Sir John Gielgud.
34:23Well, you tell me your price.
34:24I don't know how to price it.
34:26Erm...
34:39In an antiques and collectibles warehouse in Warrington,
34:43Johnny has come face to face with one of his heroes.
34:47Sir John Gielgud.
34:48Yeah.
34:49Oh, my God, it's phenomenal.
34:51Yeah, it is, isn't it?
34:52I'm not going to insult you by throwing out a price.
34:55I don't know how to price it.
34:57I'll do you that one at 220 quid.
35:04Come here, you.
35:05Well...
35:06This is a proper sort of what's-in-the-lifetime find, isn't it?
35:13That has made me week, me month, me year.
35:18This in the shop now sets out this is what we do.
35:22Right.
35:23It caught me attention.
35:24It's actually 1930s.
35:25It obviously needs full recovery, full restoration.
35:28What would you look for from that?
35:30Oh, 30 quid.
35:31Have it.
35:32I love the Will sign.
35:3380 pounds.
35:34There you go.
35:35Seriously.
35:36Seriously.
35:37Seriously.
35:38Seriously.
35:39Do you know what?
35:40If I had a womb, I'd carry your kids for you.
35:41Done.
35:42That is beautiful, man.
35:43Right.
35:44This is the most inappropriately wonderful...
35:46It was actually painted by a famous reporter from the Manchester Even News.
36:02It was not.
36:03Got the information on the back.
36:04What, the artist?
36:05Yeah.
36:06It's all there.
36:07Van Goof.
36:08Yeah.
36:09Oh, yeah, we haven't noticed that, have we?
36:10Yeah, Robert Nankalas, is it?
36:11Yeah.
36:12Yeah, Robert Nankalas, is it?
36:13Yeah.
36:14Nankalas, is it?
36:15Yeah.
36:16Nankalas, Manchester.
36:17Winter, 68.
36:18Manchester.
36:19What price?
36:21Erm...
36:22It could be £150.
36:24£150.
36:25Brilliant.
36:26Thank you for this introduction.
36:32No problem, mate.
36:33We'll pay you in a minute.
36:35It's been a good day.
36:36It's been a good day.
36:37I spent more money today than I was planning to spend, but you know what?
36:41Where are you going to find another?
36:43You have one chance.
36:44Step up.
36:45Get to the hockey.
36:46Do the deal.
36:47Bullseye.
36:48After a successful first buying trip, Johnny's now keen for fellow antiques dealer, John,
37:01to cast an expert eye over his latest hole.
37:04I realised furniture's my thing.
37:05I can see.
37:06Just...
37:07Don't judge me on this, mate.
37:08Yeah, definitely.
37:09Ooh, man.
37:10John, I'm in a bad boy.
37:11That's the bad boy seat.
37:12God, it really hurts.
37:13Tell me you didn't pay much for that one.
37:14I paid 30 quid for that one.
37:15I paid 30 quid for that.
37:16No, we're not going to...
37:17I just saw...
37:18We're not going to...
37:19I just saw carving away.
37:20Carving?
37:21Money.
37:22No, we're not going to make...
37:23You're not going to make it back on that one, mate.
37:24I paid 30 quid for that one.
37:25I paid 30 quid for that.
37:26No, we're not going to...
37:27I just saw...
37:28We're not going to...
37:29I just saw carving away...
37:31Carving?
37:32Money.
37:33No, we're not going to make it back on that one, mate.
37:35And I can't physically get out of it, mes...
37:37I don't...
37:38Just pry me out.
37:39Johnny!
37:40Embarrassing me with me friends.
37:45There we go.
37:48This is not the positive start Johnny was hoping for.
37:52What about the the sign? It's gnarly. We like gnarly. That's bad gnarly, but that looks like it could be good gnarly. But all the information's still there. At least I know it's an original. You wouldn't fake it at that. No, no. I've heard 80 on that. You're going to probably do about 120, 130 on that. That's fine. That's good. I'm happy with that.
38:13This enamel sign by Bristolian tobacco company, Wills, dates back to the 1930s. Johnny's clawing things back with the sign. So what about a more modern piece?
38:26Have a look at this. It's Miss World. It's a love of every contract. It's dreadfully, horrendously fabulous.
38:37How much you pay on that one? I paid on 50. Yeah, I think that's about what you'll get back on that one. I don't think there's any more in that one. Really? No.
38:52Hopefully, John will be more impressed by Johnny's next purchase.
38:56This plaster cast head comes from the warehouse of famous Hollywood makeup artist Chris Tucker, who also created the iconic Elephant Man.
39:05John gets the country. It's a one-off. It's what the makeup artist did for a film. And I've looked. And the only film I can find it in, I think it's from The Haunting.
39:15I paid 220 for John Gielgud, but I think it's, as an iconic actor.
39:20I think that'll do three. Easy. You can try it a little bit higher, but I think comfortably that would do three.
39:26He hates the picture, but he's trying to put a bright smile on it. I think it's so kitsch. It's out of his wheelhouse, but I know people who's going to find that hilarious. I know comedy.
39:44While Johnny might make a small profit on the enamel sign and the Gielgud mask, he's in danger of losing money on the Art Deco chair and the Miss World painting.
39:55I don't want to be friends with John anymore. It didn't go as well as last time.
40:00It's the day before the grand opening of his pop-up shop.
40:12I like this one. What's that like, that film? Is it Maleficent?
40:17Johnny has commissioned a professional signwriter to paint the all-important sign for his shop, while he and Bev busy themselves with the finishing touches.
40:27We'll try her under that table, if not, she's going out there.
40:31All right.
40:34No, we're not opening you quite yet.
40:38I'm just grappling with a fairy under a table.
40:42Let's have a look.
40:43Yeah.
40:45Plus, it can look a bit far more fresh.
40:47Yeah.
40:48It's a nice sign, that, innit?
40:50This now looks like a really nice run.
40:55Everything has been placed somewhere specifically, because everything's beautiful, and everything deserves its chance to shine.
41:01It's a lock-up with heart.
41:03That's my new ethos.
41:05A lock-up with hearts, plural.
41:09Think about what you just said.
41:14With the shop now ready to welcome Johnny's first customers, there's one final job to do.
41:21He designed something that's cumbersome.
41:23You did.
41:28You ready?
41:29Right.
41:30What are we doing?
41:30Are we all coming off at the same time?
41:32One.
41:33No, I thought.
41:35Right, here we go.
41:37Come on.
41:41That's it.
41:43That's it.
41:45Wouldn't it be great now if we took these out and the front of the shop fell off,
41:48and just went round you like I haven't lied?
41:53Oh, that looks great.
41:59Oh, now it feels real.
42:01Does it?
42:01Yeah.
42:02I think it's a good insight into I'll source stuff from anywhere.
42:10Yeah.
42:11I think it is definitely a representation of what you've got in the shop.
42:14Well, does it?
42:15Does it really warn people that I have a live crocodile?
42:18Oh, well done.
42:23It's actually a what if has become a, well, you've done it.
42:27And now I'm doubling down.
42:30I've put my money on the table and going,
42:32I think I can sell stuff for a living.
42:34And I think you can't be more clear of your intentions
42:38than when you put a sign up and say, here it is, it's vintage Vegas.
42:41I just hope it doesn't fall flat on its face,
42:44but for now, in for the penny, in for the pound.
42:49Vintage Vegas is opening for business.
42:51I can call myself vintage because I'm over 50.
42:58Certain elements of my body hair has gone grey.
43:11Oh, he's excited.
43:13It's going to be a massive anticlima.
43:15Opening day and he's a bag of nerves.
43:17Have a look round, ask questions.
43:19I honestly don't think I've ever felt so vulnerable.
43:24You've not.
43:26Haven't you bought a lamp?
43:28Oh, yeah.
43:30Don't you feel like you're the hero?
43:31Are you making all your little mates?
43:33Did I die like that?
43:35This is like, uh, lucky ever.
43:37F***.
43:38F***.
43:38F***.
43:39F***.
43:40F***.
43:41F***.
43:42F***.
43:43F***.
43:44F***.
43:45F***.
43:46F***.
43:47F***.
43:48F***.
43:49F***.
43:50F***.
43:51F***.
43:52F***.
43:53F***.
43:54F***.
43:55F***.
43:56F***.
43:57F***.
43:58F***.
43:59F***.
44:00F***.
44:01F***.
44:02F***.
44:03F***.
44:04F***.
44:05F***.
44:06F***.
44:07You

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