The Bidding Room

Original version

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

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Factual: Antiques

Sellers come face to face with five dealers who battle it out to make the highest bid.

Nigel Havers presides as sellers come face to face with five dealers who battle it out to make the highest bid.

Nigel Havers presides as members of the public with interesting items to sell come face to face with five dealers who bid against each other to try to bag themselves a bargain.

Before facing the dealers, each seller has their item valued by auctioneer Simon Bower. Simon also gives them top tips on the history and key characteristics of their piece, so that when they enter the bidding room, they have all the information they need to try to haggle the best possible price from the dealers.

All the dealers are spending their own money but have no idea what the sellers have brought in.

Series 1

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Nigel Havers

Simon Bower

Claire Egerton-Jones

Rob Butterfield

Emma Walsh

David Sayer

Ricochet Limited

The Bidding Room: Series 1: Episode 4

Episode 4

BBC One - The Bidding Room, Series 1, Episode 4

The dealers are plied with cake and music as incentives to buy a cake stand and accordion.

Five dealers compete to buy items including an unusual musical instrument, a wartime phone being sold for charity and a cake stand, with cakes thrown in.

Nigel Havers welcomes four more sellers to the Bidding Room, where they try to sell items to five professional dealers who are on the lookout for interesting pieces, with help from expert Simon Bower. 

Penny is selling a cake stand as she and her husband are downsizing. Nigel is so determined to help her sell that he delivers the stand complete with cupcakes. But will the sugary temptations persuade the dealers to part with their cash?

Dawn has brought in a Second World War British field telephone. She tugs on the dealers’ heart-strings as she is selling the phone on behalf of a charity she works for. With all the working parts in place, will she ring up the sale she is after?

David loves scouring vintage shops for a bargain. He brings in an accordion, and Nigel provides a musical interlude by enlisting musician Anita to play a tune to the dealers. So will the instrument hit the right note?

Julie from Oxfordshire is offering a set of engraved cups that Simon thinks are Russian vodka cups. Julie, though, only has five – so will that put of the dealers buying, when they usually come in sets of six?

Today's dealers are Ian Humphries, Jane Cave, Adi Higham, James Gooch and Tash Francis.

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The Bidding Room

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Episode 4

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