The Bidding Room

Original version

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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 5

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Nigel Havers

Claire Egerton-Jones

Rae Gilder Cooke

Dave Martin

Ricochet Ltd

The Bidding Room: Series 5: Cellarette

Cellarette

BBC One - The Bidding Room, Series 5, Cellarette

The dealers get their mitts on a vintage vacuum, a brass dog and a cellarette wine cooler.

Nigel Havers presides as five sellers aim to get the best price for their items, including a cellarette, a hoover, a brass dog, bakery items and a theatrical prop chair.

Nigel Havers welcomes sellers of collectibles and curiosities to the Bidding Room's home in Edinburgh, where they ply their wares to five dealers.  

The first hopeful seller is Dawn, with a Georgian wine cooler, or cellarette. It would have once resided in a stately home but has lived in Dawn’s Walsall flat for the past four years. Bought at a charity shop for just £8, the cellarette could carry a hefty price tag. Will the dealers offer Dawn the money she needs to treat her partner to a big birthday holiday? 

Next, ready to clean up is Frank, with a retro piece that can be found in most houses. The 1950s hoover has serviced three generations of Frank’s family, but it’s been gathering dust in the basement, so it’s time to move the vacuum cleaner along.  

Third to arrive at Edinburgh HQ is Carolyn, and she’s brought back-up in the form of pooches Tess and Basil. They have another dog, a 1960s brass whippet, which Carolyn wants to sell to raise money for two charities close to her heart.  

Next in is familiar face Geoff, who has sold a tricycle in the Bidding Room before. This time, he’s ready to cook up some bids for his family heirlooms. A set of 1950s weighing scales and a 1930s cook book are on the table for the dealers, but will any offers be enough to outweigh the sentimental value of the collection? 

Finally, it’s David, with an item he’s hoping the dealers will fall head over heels for. As a handler for the International Edinburgh Festival, David rescued a theatre prop that was destined for the skip. Ready to move it out of his spare room and on to a new home, Nigel is on hand to shine the spotlight on the jester’s chair in the Bidding Room.  

The dealers today are Ian, Viki, JB, Jo and Jacqui.

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The Bidding Room

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Cellarette

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