Original subtitles

You did well spending all that money

You did well spending all that money

Ten times as much as you'd planned

NARRATOR: This time, Johnny returns to his first love, ceramics...

(GAVEL RAPS)507.

I studied ceramics. You've got to trust me on this.

...has artistic differences with a dealer...

If you see daffodils, you see what you want.

...and is reunited with a blast from the past.

Oh, my God, it's me little fairy. It looks fantastic. It's aged well.

Oh, my God. I can't believe this!

(CHEERING)

To millions, Johnny Vegas is known

as an award-winning stand-up comedian...

Good evening, Benidorm!(CHEERING) ...much-loved actor...

I've got no range, but distinctive is what I do.

...and celebrated artist.

But he's also a collector of vintage. The odd...

This was once the pilot of a flying badger.

...and the extraordinary.

Why I bought this and what I paid for it, I'm takin' the fifth.

Now, after years of dreaming,

he's turning his hobby into a business...

Oh, wow, it's massive!

...by opening his very own vintage and collectibles shop.

Oh, now it feels real.

So with the help of lifelong friend and assistant, Bev...Well done.

...he's finally parting with some of his collection.

I'm really attached to it. And hitting the road...

God, we look like swingers!(LAUGHS)

...in search of hidden treasures to stock the shop.

(GASPS)

Buying low...30 quid!

No, not 65. Just go to 70.

(LAUGHS) Are there any other monstrosities you've purchased?

...in the hopes of selling high. 200 quid.

Thank you.Deal done. I like it.

But as a first-time dealer...

has Johnny got what it takes...

Auctions are not a good place for Johnny.

I've spent double the budget. You don't trust me, do you?No.

It's been a tough week.

...to turn his lifelong passion...

Get in! There you go, buddy. There we go.

...into the business of his dreams?

(WHISPERS) I do know what I'm doing!

Can you look on t'left there, Johnny?

No... With this seatbelt? Are you joking?(LAUGHS)

(SIGHS) You're not gonna keep an eye out on the left for me, are ya?

(MIMICS CHOKING, LAUGHS)

Johnny and Bev are back on the road...

Right, they do 700 lot.

700? Is that what there is? Yeah.Oh, my gosh.

Today they're off to an auction for studio ceramics.

We gonna be here till tonight? Yeah, it's a full-day job.

Oh, wow. I didn't know that.Nice. This is what I never get to do.

Really?This is, like, one of the happy days going to work.

I love ceramics.

I live for ceramics. I studied ceramics.

I did a degree in ceramics.

I was taught by some of the best. I was so privileged back in the day.

I know this stuff. I know it.

I have made me notes, I've done me homework.

This is the most organised. I did less work for me O-levels.

There's a lot of scribble on them pages.

Yeah, there is, but it's a system. Question mark, question mark.

If they go for, like, 15 quid

and I can make a fiver on 'em, I'll buy 'em.Oh. Okay.

Question mark and heart is, "Love it, but don't let your heart rule your head."

Right. Okay. No, genuinely.Is it?

Yeah. See that?What if it's got... What's that got three symbols?

Sometimes I'll do a circle, question mark, and then I draw a heart.

And if I draw a bigger circle round it, it's like bullseye.

I know you don't like it when I ask you,

but are you going in and thinking you're gonna...

Don't ask me about budget.Oh!

Don't ask me about budget! No, I don't know. I can't know.

Every lot might go for more than I can afford.

Okay.You go, "Right. I'll come away with two bit..."

I've said, I might come away with three pieces. Might come away with 100.

Yeah, we're on the way. Depends if it's a slow day.

Come on. We just need to get in, get in.

I don't think... We're not far off.

I know, but I might just, like... Run off. (LAUGHS)

You're allowed to undo me seatbelt and push me out of a moving van.

(LAUGHS) 'Cause I wanna get in there.

Come on. Come on, come on. All right, all right, all right.

I'm gonna unplug you and open that door, and I'm gonna push you out.

Well, it's started. It's started. Oh, Johnny, come on.

I've got us here as quick as I possibly can.

You don't want lot one, though, do ya?No.

Oh, that's all right then. I want lot seven.

(LAUGHS) "Seven!" Go on. Good luck!

Adam Partridge Auctioneers in Macclesfield

is one of the UK's leading auction houses,

established by seasoned auctioneer Adam Partridge in 2008.

Morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the latest

of our studio ceramic offerings.

Another fabulous collection of 766 items.

Renowned for its high-value sales and rare finds,

the first piece that Johnny's keen to bid on

is a wood-fired stoneware pot

by a French ceramicist that Johnny loves.

Eric Astoul. 50. Five. 60, five,

70, five, 80, five, 90 in the room. Serious face here.

�90 in the room, at 90. All done at �90.

At 90...(GAVEL RAPS) 507. Thank you.

What?

I'd like to build a reputation for having good studio ceramics.

But it's people coming in off the street.

Ceramics is a...

Probably, I think, one of the most undervalued art forms.

Lot number 56. Call it a stealth squid.

(JOHNNY SPEAKING)

Are they?(WHISPERS) It's my shop and I take the risks when I want.

Got to stop gesturing with me hands.

�30 anyone? 30 bid invaluable.

Five in the room. 40 online. Anyone else?

It's gonna be sold online at 40 unless you bid at 45.

Back in. 45 in the room, at �45.

Final chance online, we're still in the room at �45.

At 45...(GAVEL RAPS)507.

(WHISPERS) Get in.

This pair of contemporary black squids from the early 2000s

are by Eric Moss, who uses fine raku clay

for a smooth, modern finish.

Lot 64.The next item on Johnny's wish list

is this rugged stoneware bottle by American potter, Charles Bound.

�50. 50, quickly, please. �50 anybody?

In the room here at 50. At 50.

At �50, at 50, I'll sell at 50 if you're all done.

Anyone else now? �50, all done at �50.

At 50, bid at 50...

(GAVEL RAPS)507.

I'm happy with me purchases so far.

I haven't gone doolally, I haven't gone off plan,

and I haven't just wanted everything.

I've not treated it like a fat kid in a sweet shop.

I am sticking to the mantra of what I can sell when people walk in.

Why I can sell it, what is the story.

65 online, at 65...(WHISPERS) I've suddenly turned into a debutante

and I keep fanning myself with me number.

Mercy, I have the fevers!(LAUGHS)

�30 anyone?

Thank you, sir. He knows I'll storm off, you see.

30 in the room. At 30. All done now. �30 and selling.

(GAVEL RAPS)Well done, Mr 507.

222. They are 30 bid in the room, at 30.

Anyone else now at �30? We'll sell at 30.

(GAVEL RAPS)That's the one.

(JOHNNY SPEAKING)

(JOHNNY SPEAKING)

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

This pair of spouted vessels is by Geoff Wilcock,

a potter and teacher from Lancashire,

who uses porcelain to mould his intricate sculptural designs.

I'm learning about the value of pieces

that, even if they don't appeal to me aesthetically,

I know what they're worth.

So you can't beat this as a learning.

Pieces have popped up and I've now seen pieces in the room.

The pieces in the room have suddenly changed my opinion

from looking at the catalogue. Teapot.

Right, here we go, here we go, here we go.Come on.

Just play it cool.A guide? This... I found this today, though.

Johnny's spotted a giant teapot by a potter he admires.

Big for a teapot, isn't it? Proper cup of tea, that.

Imagine how many PG Tips you could get in that, eh?

He thinks this could be a secret steal worth hundreds of pounds.

�60 for that, anyone? Thank you, sir, at 60.

At �60, it's bid.

I'll say all done then if you're all finished at �60 now...

This is a bargain.(GAVEL RAPS)Yes!

Get in. Get in!

Yeah.

This giant teapot is by Bryan Newman,

a trailblazer of the sculptural ceramics movement of the 1960s.

The big teapot, bargain as a talking piece.

Somebody will walk in and fall in love with it.

It's not the most practical purchase.

It's a billboard. It's a ceramic billboard within the shop.

Do-do-do-do-do-do...

(JOHNNY SPEAKING)

484, Phil Rogers stoneware duo and the feldspar.

100. At �100 here. We're bid 100.

When you're worried about spend,

an auction house is a really dangerous place to be

'cause you can get carried away.

130 in the room, at 130.Really worried how much Johnny is spending.

He had a figure in mind that that was gonna be stock for the shop.

I would have thought we'd need a lot more stock than we've got already,

and we're very close to the end of the budget.At 130...

(GAVEL RAPS)507.Good. Yeah.

I've kept no track of what I've spent.No, I haven't.

It's been so unprofessional.

I've been... I've been professional in me buying.

I've been... I've been a complete amateur

in terms of me bookkeeping.

Finally calling a halt to his enthusiastic bidding,

Johnny leaves the day with over 30 ceramics bought,

ranging in price from �25 to �130 each.

At 180 online here...

Budget-wise, way, way over.

We have overspent but we'll make money.

And the stuff, if it takes a bit longer to move,

it will just make the shop look nice.

Whenever Bev was trying to bring up "How much have you spent?"

I just... I went to that special place in my head

where there's a brass band playing...

and the brass band's playing a tune, going...

You did well spending all that money

You did well spending all that money

Ten times as much as you'd planned

Aren't you a clever boy?

This is Johnny's field. You know, give him credit.

He is a ceramicist, he has studied them.

He seems really happy. He was like a kid in a sweet shop, absolutely.

Budget-wise, bull in a china shop.

I studied ceramics. You've got to trust me on this.

This is a sound investment.

After getting just a little bit carried away

at the ceramics auction...

(GAVEL RAPS)507.Get in!

(GAVEL RAPS)507.

...Johnny's asked dealer, Jon Egglestone, a fellow ceramics enthusiast,

to come and help him price up his wares.

I can see straight away, Newman, dry ash glaze,

Clough...Yeah....Bound, Eric Moss.

How could you not? Look, I couldn't stop.

This is just a marvellous selection of... of some of the best potters.

You know, artists.

Now this is superb. I can see why you've...

But I don't... I'm now panicking.

Will it see its money back?

That's lovely. That, in the window...

That, in the window here, will do absolutely brilliantly.

What did you pay for that? It was, er, 74.

300.

Bryan Newman's giant teapot with dry ash glaze

is typical of his ceramics style.

Using multiple sweeping glazes to emulate patterns in nature,

many of his pieces are on display at the V&A in London.

I'm looking for colours and shape.

More than anything else, what's gonna attract people

that are coming into your shop.

I think that'd go really well in your shop. I really do.

That was 62.

One that size now, like that, 250.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 250, 300 easy.Do you know what?

For that, as an original, you know what I mean?

It's not a mass-produced piece. Yeah, and I think, to remember

and tell people about studio artists.Yeah.

These are the pieces, the future pieces.

Born in New York before moving to Wales,

ceramicist Charles Bound turned to pottery in his mid-40s

and is renowned for his distinctive, rugged pots,

produced in a wood-fired kiln.

I think those will fit in really well here, the Eric Moss.

They're really contemporary but, erm...Oh, they are, yeah.

...they just got me on the day.

So I think they worked out roughly, er, about 55 each.

Okay, that's cool.

I'd put 'em out at, like, 120. Easy.Really?Yeah.

Is there anything else you'd...

I think the square jar by Mike would be...

The Mick Casson?Yeah.88 quid.88?

I still think that's gonna do 190, 200.

Wow.Yeah.Brilliant. Good. I'm glad.

Mick Casson was one of the pioneers of post-war studio pottery.

And in the 1970s, he had his own BBC TV series

called The Craft of the Potter.

One of his vases recently sold at auction for nearly �1,000.

That's me Phil Rogers bowl.

This is the first time... What I'm not liking about here is going,

I'm looking at it from the shop and not from... You know what I mean?

I... I know its value.

It's just... (SIGHS)

For me, if I'd have bought this, er, collection,

the majority would've been going online.Right.

Because the problem with this studio art is,

if you know, you know.

After that, the people are only buying it

'cause it looks nice. Yeah, yeah. I know.

And they like the history and they like the story behind it

but what's going to attract them first

is how it looks, not the collector. No, I know.

And it's how do you sell it as an investment piece?

But the strong pieces...I know where you're going. It won't...

Again, I always find ceramics, it's the poor cousin in the fine art world.

Oh... Yeah.Trying to tell people why a teapot's worth that

when they can go buy one for... Know what I mean?

This versus mass production. Yeah. Er...

You can be on a... It can feel like a hiding to nothing.

Look, these weren't cheap items. They're not gonna fly out the door.

They will sell eventually, but this is part of me shop front.

What I've gotta do is go back, buy smalls, buy smalls.

I don't want anyone coming into Vintage Vegas

and feeling intimidated.

So, with his ceramics haul being a risky buy for the shop,

Johnny has refocused on buying lower-cost, walkout items,

known in the trade as "smalls".

So he and Bev are off on the road again.

Where are we going?

We are going to Worth Valley Antiques,

in Keighley, in Yorkshire.

Worth Valley Antiques is housed over three floors in a former textile mill,

and is packed full of antique mid-century and decorative objects.

But when we get there, just go off. You do your thing, I'll do mine.

Don't tell 'em how badly I did in me school musical when I was...

(LAUGHS)Hold a bit back.

(LAUGHS) I won't. If you can.I won't!

I don't know what you're talking about here.

I'm having a mooch anyway. "Says he's allergic to cats

but he's not, he's just afraid of 'em."

(LAUGHS) His head swells up dead massive.

That's when I have cockles.(LAUGHS)

It doesn't just swell up on its own.

I'll have a mooch.

I've got a couple of birthdays, family birthdays, coming up.

Everywhere we've gone, you've got birthdays coming up.

I... Johnny, I've got... You know me.

I've got a big family. There's flipping birthdays every month.

It's two floors, a couple of rooms.

Well, let's gauge it on how many birthday presents.(LAUGHS)

Say, three birthday presents, is it 22...

I'm only buying a couple of birthday presents today.

No, I just mean, like, as a size thing, I can work it out then.

Oh, right.You buy one in, out of every three stalls I look at.

(LAUGHS)

I think this is the perfect place for, er, smalls.

It's full of independent traders.

They've totally nailed that thing of small things,

small items, walkout items.

Selling smalls is an art in itself.

It's a nuance of dealing.

And this should be full of it, I'm hoping.

So, smalls are on the menu.

But will Johnny be able to ignore

Worth Valley's colourful and large distractions?

Does that class as a small? Because, in nature,

it would be a smaller creature.

I've got the bulk of the shop now, so I'm just...

Gotta fill it out, but continue filling it out with...

Like, not panic buy.

As Johnny searches for smalls...

These, I like. Instantly, I like.

...Bev's on the hunt for potential birthday presents.

Two squirrels having a bubble bath in glitter.

(LAUGHS) I might buy this one.

Meanwhile, Johnny's spotted a potential buy

and staying on brief, it's small.

That's a small. That's the kind of thing we're on about.

18 quid.

Oh, I like that. I'm having that.

Glaze runs off the back, so I think that's...

Really, I'm just wondering,

it doesn't look like it's ever been attached.

Still, it's not a bad little advertising piece, that.

Are they those things that you twist around? What are they?

In some respects, you can't go wrong with Poole pottery.

(DIRECTOR SPEAKING)

Why can't you go wrong with Poole pottery?Yeah.

Because, in the case of a nuclear war,

it will shield you and your family.

It's there, it's out there, it's well-liked,

it's not damaged. I'm gonna bundle this up with that.

See if we can get a few of them together.

Not the most, on its own.

Just a little piece, but when we're talking about walkout pieces...

With two small items already earmarked to buy,

Johnny's on a roll.

What is that?

(RATTLING)When people just...

We've all got a relative. They don't really shake 'em.

They just hold onto the double six and go, "Eh".

Let 'em gently fall out of their hands.

With a dice cup...(RATTLES) there's no messing about.

I come from a family of habitual gamblers, so...

(WHISPERS) I've got... There's a market for this.

"Sorry, I'm not for sale." Oh, what a shame.

A fox, dressed as a hunter, looking for a fox.

That's a nice little kitchen set. That's 35 quid.

See, I walked straight past that.

It's not the oldest thing.

That's nice. That's all right, that.

There's more of a temptation to make mistakes on smalls

'cause you go, "It's only 15 quid."

But ten sets of 15 quid is 150 quid,

where you might have bought something for 200 and make 400 on it.

It's almost like stocking fillers. You've gotta be able to sell a small

every bit as much as you wanna sell a large ticket item.

You've still gotta have the same passion for it.

Rather than it be, "Ugh." (LAUGHS)

"I love this, where is it from?" "I don't know."

Before he gets too carried away... Oh, it's a business...

...Johnny calls in dealer Leemondo to discuss the items he's found.

I've been in the business, would you believe, since I was six years old,

started with my grandfather on the antique markets in Leeds.

As a Yorkshireman, I drive a hard bargain.

Hiya, fella.

Afternoon. How are we doing? I'm all right. How are you?

Clue me up on this. What's the story behind it?

Well, this was given to me by an old pal,

and I just thought it was a lovely thing.

I like it, and I can't age it.

John would be in his 80s, and he had it for his kids.

So I think it probably... So it has got some age to it.

Oh, without a doubt. I'd say it probably comes from the '60s.

Right. It's a nice... I like it. Yeah.

That's a lovely little piece, that, innit?

Yeah, and there's no extra price for the dust.

(LAUGHS) Yeah, but it's not overly priced.No.

I think, basically, between that and that...

Is that proper vintage or is that made for...

No, I would say that is what we class as a modern repro, that.

Yeah.But it'll still have ten years on it.

That, I like. And the Poole pottery,

I just don't think you can... do owt wrong with it, can you?

Well, it's a classic, isn't it?

Right, well, give us a price on that, just together, them four.

Well, let's have a look then. What have we got?

35, 18,

53...

71 and 22.

71...

93.

So we're on 93 for the four pieces.

How's 80 quid for the lot? And I've really looked after you there.

(SIGHS)

Johnny's on a buying trip at Worth Valley Antiques in Yorkshire...

That's a lovely little piece, that.

...and is in the middle of a negotiation

to buy four small items in a discounted bundle buy

from dealer Leemondo.

I think... I will take a loss on that,

but somebody will have it. I think 80, them two...

Yeah?I'll make me money back. 80 will do.

That'll do well on that, mate. Yeah. Super.

Johnny's bundle of four small items,

the dice cup, advertising tile,

Poole pottery dish, and the coffee set,

cost him �80.

It went really well. They're nice little objects.

Somebody can come in and walk out with something.

Put it in their pocket and take it home.

That's what smalls are all about.

And he bundled, and he knocked some good money off.

Yeah, nice.

But with more rooms to see...

The hunt for smalls must reconvene.

So Johnny's going to meet another trader,

Hannah Metcalfe, to see what she has on offer.

I buy what I love, and that's generally

mid-century to late 20th-century small items.

If there's something a bit unusual, I will usually try and get it.

Hi.Hiya. Johnny.

I'm Hannah. Nice to meet you. Hiya, Hannah.

What's the story with that?

To be honest, I don't know the full story behind it

but it's a hand-painted sort of anatomical heart...

Yeah....with the key. Whether it would have been a student's piece,

like, from university at some point.

Probably 1970s, '80s. It's quite, erm...

It's quite crude, but it's really striking.Yeah.

Young med student.

And he could eat his dinner off that every night,

and realise how he let his middle-class father down.

Because now he's a vet,

and it's just not as good as being a surgeon.

It's just not. It never will be.

If you're a vet.

I know it means you have to learn more

about loads of other... And you're probably more knowledgeable.

(WHISPERS) It's still not as classy, is it, as being a surgeon?

I like that. That's growing on me the more I...

You... You know what you're doing, don't you?

I like to think so.

What age is this?These are 1925.

Right, okay. Cool. So they fall into that category

of being 100 years old, and therefore antique, rather than vintage.

They are nice... They're not...

They're not quite my... thing.

No.They're dainty.

I don't think I do dainty very... You know what I mean?

Yeah.It's almost that kind of... how long would it last in my house.

Now, that, I like.So that's Shelf.

Have you heard of Shelf Pottery, which is not far from Halifax?

No.Very sort of brutalist, '70s designs.

Which I particularly like, to be honest.

Yeah, one of my favourites too. They're stylish.

That vase, can I have a...Yeah, go for it....closer look at that?

So it's mass-produced, but it's... Not mass-produced. It is studio.

Were they not?No. They did lamps.

I've got a lamp over on the other side that's the same pottery.

And what age is this? So '70s, '60s, '70s.

But no later than that, definitely?

They might have gone into the '80s, but only just.

I like that.Yeah. Me too. I won't lie.

I don't care, you know what I mean, about playing it cool.

Yeah. (LAUGHS) No, if you like something,

if something speaks to you, it speaks to you.

It does. And it's got a very abstract sense of, er, dandelions.

Yeah. I think dandelions as well. To me.

Or even maybe daffodils, but with the circular,

almost like they're dandelions. Yeah, but I... Well...

I can imagine us falling out, going, "Well, I see..."

I see daffodils."...dandelions!"

If you see dandelions, that's fine. There's a depth of them going back.

Yeah.If you see daffodils, you see what you want.

Yeah. It's like those pictures.

Yeah, well, I think we're done here.

(BOTH LAUGH)

I do like the vase.Yeah.

I will take the lamp because I think it sits perfect.

So that's at...That's at 28.

28. Which isn't bad.Yeah.

That's 28, and...That one's 30.

Ah, well...It's fully PAT-tested.

So, 58...

I'm not even gonna quibble with that.

Yeah, so that's 28 as well. So that's 28...

So if we've got that with these,

would you do me something on these two,

just to make it... to make me take that with me?Yeah.

Or else I'll just take them two, at what they're priced at.

All right, so instead of being 58 for those two,

what about 50 for those two?

Erm, let's do them at 50.

28 on that. So 78? 78. Deal. Thank you.

Fabulous. Pleasure doing business with you.You too. Thank you.

That's three more items purchased.

A brutalist Shelf pottery lamp and vase,

and a student's painting of a heart.

Hoo. Ba-boom, ba-boom.

Be still, my beating, clumsily-painted heart.

(LAUGHS)

I've come away with three pieces.

They're not exactly smalls,

but prices paid, they're small enough.

Well, we have got smalls.

It's what's needed more of.

Smalls purchased and van unpacked,

Johnny's asked fellow dealer Jon to pop by again

and advise him on pricing.

Afternoon, Johnny, how's it going? Hello, squire.

Not a massive haul, but you know when you get a smaller haul

but you're happy with everything? Yeah, I have those times.

I'm not the... "What was I thinking?"

(LAUGHS) Erm, well, there's only one.

But you're going, "I'll defend it till my heart gives out",

which, aptly, is this medical student.

It's a diagram of the heart, everything the heart does.

But it's...It's cool. I like it. I loved it.Okay.

And when I'm going numb down me left arm,

I'll go, "Oh, is it 'cause of that or is it 'cause of that?"(LAUGHS)

How much did you pay for it? Nothing I paid...

I got really good prices.Good.

She let that go for 28.Er, okay.

I think you can put 48 on it.

I was gonna say around 50.

Yeah, 50. Yeah, okay. I'd like 50 for that.

That's a potential profit of �22

for Johnny's clumsily-painted heart.

These, I just fell for 'em.

It's a style I like. I paid 50 for the two.

But I like 'em. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. 25 each.

I'm thinking 45, 50 on that... Yeah, 50 on that one.

I'd go 40 on that one. That one's nice.

35 and it'll go.Right, okay.Yeah.

Got this little thing. Oh, I missed that one.

It's a repo, it's not new.Yeah.

But it's still... It's got good subject matter.

Been doing good on the carry outs.

The little ten, 12, you know what I mean?Yeah.

I think that's perfect for... Yeah, it's repop,

but it's got colours, someone can have that in the kitchen.

Yeah, if you're looking for that little gift.

So, I'm gonna say, you know...

Ten to 15 on that.Yeah, yeah.

Little period, erm, dice cup.

Oh, dice shaker. Yeah, yeah.

Once again, �10, �15 range, I think, on that.Yeah.

Tiny bit of Poole pottery, a little walkout piece.Oh, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. Ten, 15 again on that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

This is antique French. Oh, I know, yeah, yeah.

Which I thought would be right up your...Oh, absolutely.

It's a bit like speckleware,

so you're looking at post-war with this one.

I'd say 45 on that one.45.45.

Despite only giving Johnny a small, potential profit,

Jon thinks this bundle of small walkout items

will keep customers happy and turnover flowing.

You've done really well this time.

You've gone out, you're getting smalls.

You've done a great job here, finding those little bits

that are gonna satisfy the customers when they're coming in.

They're buying a bit of you and your lifestyle and your look.

And if they can't afford a big piece of circus art

or the Wills' sign or the motorbike or a plate,

you've given them something they can take a little bit of you away with.Yeah.

Finding quality, interesting pick-up-and-gos,

correctly priced, is the hard job. You've cracked it here.

Brilliant.

The feedback of, "You're now buying with a dealer's eye",

quite gratifying. I can't lie.

Erm, still think I've bought what I like.

I still think that some of these bits are so quirky,

only I would have bought 'em.

But I am broadening what I would buy

because I'm not buying everything I'd wanna keep anymore.

I'm buying stuff I know I can sell, that I can shift.

It's not just, er, an exercise in ego.

It's actually, can it function as a business?

And trying to learn the difference

is a really, really enjoyable experience.

Having impressed fellow dealer Jon with his buying

of small, walkout items for the shop...

You've done really well this time.

You've gone out. You're getting smalls.

...it's time to see if they will sell.

And today, that's going to be mainly down to Bev.

Look, there's a queue of people waiting already.

Johnny's off running some errands, and he's left Bev

to welcome the queue of customers into the shop.

Do you want that one? It's cute, isn't it?

It really appealed to Johnny.

And this vase that Johnny fell in love with.

CUSTOMER: It is beautiful.Yeah.

I'm quite enjoying being behind the counter

and, yeah, doing a bit of retail sales. It's good.

There you go.Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

They're a great little display item, aren't they?They are.

...in the car.Straight in the car. Wonderful. Thank you so much.

We've had lots of people through the door.

There's been some really nice sales. Lots of sales.

Oh, I like this.Do you like this?

I do. I do. Do you know what? Ah, memories for me.

He only put it out yesterday

and I just said to Johnny, "This'll go straightaway."

I have done it before. It was a 50p stall at Ashton Market.

And every day, without fail,

there'd probably be about 20 customers going,

"How much is that?" I'd be like, "50p."

"How much is this?" "50p." "How much is this?" "50p."

Hiya, are you okay? Hi. Yeah, good, thank you.

Oh, oh.A strange little mix. These cute little items.

Yeah, they really are. Cute little items.

And again, it's all sort of, like, bought by Johnny,

things that he likes.Yeah. It's going really well.

The customers seem to like the small sort of, like, walkout items,

so I think it's stuff that he got from Worth Valley.

Er, that seems to be selling well. So, yeah, it's been a good day.

With Johnny back on site... Hello, hiya.Hi.

...he's straight into the action with a potential sale.

Do you like that?Yeah, we do. What was the ticket price on that?

45. Oh, you know what?

40 quid.Yeah.

40 quid. And it's... Honestly, it's a nice little kit.

Beverley, will you ring these lovely people up at �40, please?

I will, yes. Yeah.Brilliant.

The Worth Valley bundle earned Johnny a small profit

but a lot of happy customers...

Thank you. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you.

...walking away with low-cost items in their pockets.

I think one of the biggest first lessons that Jon taught me,

was SPQR, small profit, quick return, has finally kicked in.

Buy stuff that isn't gonna sit on the shelves,

that's gonna go week by week. 'Cause you know what?

An empty shelf makes for a fuller life.

Get out, keep buying.

And now, one of Johnny's big ticket buys has caught someone's eye.

Oh! Ooh.

And it has a price tag of �300.

Wow!

No!(LAUGHTER)

Wow.

That has literally just gone out, hasn't it?

It's a fabulous, fabulous piece.

And we haven't valued it what it's been valued at.

So 300 is nothing for that.

And that's not me being a second-hand car salesman.

That is... It speaks for itself.

It's quality. Look, he's done the hollowed lid.Wow.

Just the technique of throwing that.

Yeah.It is.

The glaze on it is gorgeous, the finish is... superb.

Yeah.Are you taking it? I'm taking it.

Here comes the... (LAUGHS) Oh, I love you. I love you.

I'm gutted, I'm gutted, but I'm lovin' it.

You've took the pain out of saying goodbye.(LAUGHS)

Do you want us to wrap it? Would you like to come back for it...

Yeah. We'll come back, yeah?Yeah.

Is that okay?Yeah, that's good. We'll have a look round.Fabulous.

Thank you.Thank you very much. See you later.

Ah, wonderful. Thank you.Thank you.

I'm made up with that.

Er, it's gone out, it's sold straight away.

I thought it would. It was a proper shop window item, that.

It was worth every penny.

It's a good sale, it was a great buy.

It is a genuine investor piece.

They're gonna go away happy with it.

Tales will be told about that teapot. It will outlive me.

At the age of 56, maybe I need to learn to ride a bike.

I'm very clumsy, so... You did go to Grange Park.

Are you mocking my school? Yeah, I am.

I was in the top class, I'll have you know.

I didn't go to a grammar like you.

Don't say it like that.

I only went there 'cause I trained for the priesthood.

Any interest in the wasp nest? No. Amazingly not.

It's a brilliant piece.It's a tough sell.It's a brilliant piece.

NARRATOR: As business draws to a close,

Johnny has a visitor who also has a history with ceramics.

I have something that you made for me in 1993

at Connell College.Oh, my God!

(LAUGHS)Oh, my goodness!

And I've kept it under me pillow all this time.Oh!

It's Debbie, Debbie Steggel. I know! I know!(LAUGHS)

Mwah.Oh, my God, I can't believe this.

Oh, I'm so happy... I've thought about this.

I'm so happy that it's got back to you.

Oh, my God. I'd made this in Stoke.

When you were 23?

Johnny's old pottery teacher, Debbie Steggel,

has kept Johnny's 3D ceramic tile with illustrative fine-piped clay

for over 30 years.

I was teaching at Connell College,

er, as a supply teacher for a couple of years.

Is this the first time you've seen him since '93?

Yeah. My sister's got a unit here. Ah.

And she said, "You're never gonna guess who's opening a pop up."

Oh, my...(LAUGHS)Come here. Come here, come here, come here.

Oh, wow. And you held onto it?

Yeah. Yeah. I've got this now, and...

And I've got the postcard at home that you sent me,

and I've kept that as well, and it's...

"I'm going to London to try me luck."

Oh!"I'm changing my name to Johnny Vegas."Yeah.

Shut up!(LAUGHS)

I must have had such a crush on you...(LAUGHTER)

...if I wrote you a postcard as well.

"Hi, I'm changing my name, but don't lose...

don't lose touch. Hey, teach."

(LAUGHTER)

Oh, wow. Honest to God, I do not know...

Words fail me. Look how good I was.

(LAUGHTER)

Feel the ridges on that.Yeah.

You basically make a tile like this by squeezing out clay.

It's like icing a cake, but you have to do it really delicately.

And then you flood it with colour. And then you glaze it.

And it looks fantastic.Oh, my God.

It's me little fairy. It's aged well.

This and my year out from college

was me trying to show people

that I knew what I was doing with ceramics.

But you definitely did, 'cause you did all sorts.

I know, but...

But that's survived. I don't think...

(TEARFULLY) I don't think anyone believed me.

Made you emotional, hasn't it?

Aw. (CHUCKLES)

God.

(SIGHS)

When we were young.

(INHALES)

You having a minute?Yeah.

It was pre-stand-up.

It was when I felt like my future absolutely...

belonged in ceramics.

I wanted me mum and dad to see that they weren't wasting their money.

God, this is weird.

This is my youth.

Some people go to nightclubs and I was making tiles.

This, to me, is absolutely priceless.

Guess what I'm not selling.

If I put it out, I'd say 40.

(CHUCKLES)

He's not got a lot of work from that time, actually.

There was two tiles that he did for his mum and dad

and they've got lost. So, I think, seeing that piece

that he created, erm, will have took him

right back to what he was feeling at that time,

how he felt about himself.

That passion's still there, and it's just come out a lot later in life.

You know, he left it behind in his 20s

and he's picked it back up in his 50s.

Finding a piece of my ceramics that I made in me early 20s...

What can I say?

Thank you for reuniting me with that.

I'm made up. I'm made up that I've kept it for so long.

Does a day end any better than that?

I sold a giant teapot and I was reunited with a tile.

Beat that, Davina McCall.

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