Antiques Road Trip
Antiques experts compete in a classic car road trip.
Paul H. Burroughs · Public domain
Antiques Road Trip is a BBC show made by STV Studios. It has always aired on BBC Two since its debut in 2010; it never moved to BBC One.
In the regular format, two antiques experts go head-to-head. Each starts with a £200 budget to buy antiques and collectibles, which they later sell at auction. After each sale, the money left in each expert’s kitty (after costs) becomes their budget for the next leg. The expert who makes the bigger profit over five legs wins, and whatever remains in the kitty is donated to a charity chosen by the experts (not specifically Children in Need).
From 2023, the budget system changed. Each expert now gets £1,500 for a whole week (five legs), to spend as they see fit across those legs. Profits are not reinvested, and losses are not deducted. After each leg, the expert with the highest profit (or smallest loss) wins that leg; the overall winner is the one who wins the most legs. Net profits from each week are still donated to a charity chosen by the experts. This new format has been called a terrible disappointment by some long-time viewers, while others feel the extra cash has given the show a new lease of life.
Each leg is a single episode, usually broadcast Monday to Friday. The experts travel between destinations in a classic car, which changes each week.
A separate spin-off, *Celebrity Antiques Road Trip*, has aired since 2011. In it, each expert is paired with a celebrity, and each episode is a self-contained contest over one leg. The celebrity version donates its proceeds to Children in Need.
The series began with an unbroadcast pilot in August 2009. In that pilot, experts David Harper and Kate Bliss each drove their own classic car and could roam freely within a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. time limit. They had a £200 budget to buy antiques, aiming for the highest profit at auction two days later. They were encouraged to spend the full £200, even on small trinkets, with a potential penalty for underspending (a percentage deducted from profits). The experts only met at the start and the final auction, and each episode was self-contained. Producers saw potential but made tweaks: they decided the experts should travel together in one car, allowing interaction, and made the trip span five days with a set route. The penalty for not spending the full budget was dropped.
- First aired
- 2010
- Network
- BBC Two (since 2010)
- Producer
- STV Studios
- Format
- Antiques competition series
- Charity
- Various charities chosen by the experts (Children in Need for the celebrity spin-off)
- Celebrity version started
- 2011
Lore & Background
The series began as an unbroadcast pilot in August 2009, featuring experts David Harper and Kate Bliss each driving a classic car with a £200 budget, free to roam within a work-day time limit. They were encouraged to spend the entire budget or face a penalty, and only interacted at the start and final auction. The pilot was self-contained, not part of a week-long trip. After tweaks, the format was changed to have the experts travel together in one car over five legs, with a designated route, and the penalty for underspending was dropped. The charity focus shifted from individual choices to various charities chosen by the experts (not Children in Need, which is reserved for the celebrity spin-off).
In the regular format, each expert receives a budget of £200 per leg, with profits reinvested. The largest profit on a single item was made by Charlie Ross, who bought a camera for £60 and sold it for £20,000. The record for the largest profit margin on a single item is 33,650%, set by Charlie Ross in 2012 buying a chipped Staffordshire elephant clock for £8 and selling for £2,700.
Reader's Guide
Antiques Road Trip has become a staple of British daytime television, blending antiques expertise with travel and competition. Its significance lies in its long-running format, which has evolved from a pilot to a series spanning over a decade on BBC channels. The show's charity tie-in with Children in Need adds a philanthropic dimension, while the celebrity version broadens its appeal. The programme is notable for its record-breaking profits, such as Paul Laidlaw's £20,000 sale of a sub-miniature camera bought for £60, and Charlie Ross's 33,650% profit margin on a chipped Staffordshire elephant clock. These records highlight the potential for dramatic financial gains from antiques. The 2023 format change sparked debate among viewers, reflecting the challenge of updating a beloved show. Overall, Antiques Road Trip has contributed to popular interest in antiques and collecting, while providing light entertainment and charitable fundraising.
Did You Know?
- The largest profit on a single item was made by Paul Laidlaw, who bought a Chambre Automatique De Bertsch sub-miniature camera for £60 and sold it at auction for £20,000.
- From 2023, the budget changed to £1,500 per week, with no reinvestment of profits or deduction of losses.
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