Richard Osman was left gobsmacked during a celebrity special of Antiques Road Trip on Thursday evening, as a mysterious item he purchased for just £5 managed to more than triple its value at auction. The 55-year-old Pointless presenter appeared on the BBC show alongside his wife, Ingrid Oliver, 49, with the couple teaming up with experts Natasha Raskin Sharp and Raj Bisram to hunt for treasures in Norfolk.
A Surprising Discovery
Each pair was given £400 to spend at some of Norfolk's finest antique shops. While browsing the first store, Natasha convinced Richard to buy a thick glass ashtray, which she believed was originally designed for cigars. As Natasha prepared to reveal her find, Richard joked, "Have you got something cheap for me? You know I like cheap."
Explaining her reasoning, Natasha said, "It's a lovely piece of art glass; I think it's Scandinavian, just from the look of it." The pair also purchased a set of three plates from the same shop, negotiating the price down from £61 to £35, making their total spend £40.
Quirky Purchases and Auction Results
Throughout the episode, both teams acquired some peculiar items. Ingrid fell for a melancholic painting of a dog, while Richard secured a straw-filled, mohair cuddly toy fox terrier, which he named Iain. He also left a shopkeeper flustered when buying a William IV bucket rummer, prompting a cheeky innuendo that made the shopkeeper blush.
At the final auction, Ingrid felt confident about her £345 collection of paintings, pottery, a glass perfume bottle, and an unusual shot set, though auctioneer Ben described it as leaning towards the "slightly awful" rather than kitsch. Richard, however, spent only £275 on six lots: the ashtray, the toy dog, a glass, a dispatch box, the trio of plates, and two compasses.
Unfortunately, most of Richard and Ingrid's items sold for less than their purchase price. But the £5 glass cigar ashtray—which the auctioneer suggested might actually be a teapot warmer—fetched £18, more than three times its cost. Natasha declared, "I am delighted!" while Richard beamed, joking that they made money despite being unsure what the item really was. Raj added, "Wow, trebled your money and more," to which Richard replied, "Trebled our money, even though we didn't know what it was!"
Richard ultimately triumphed with a final tally of £344.21, beating Ingrid's £251.80. Antiques Road Trip is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
