Detling 5

Long before Paddington Bear, there was another bear who captured the imagination of children up and down the country. His name was Rupert, and he was the creation of illustrator Mary Tourtel. Eric Knowles meets art historian Howard Smith to discuss how Rupert started out in a newspaper comic strip in the 1920s, before becoming the character in yellow tartan trousers so beloved today.

Bearing up under the pressure of buying three profitable items in an hour are two teams of friends, each with their own antiques experts. Joining Catherine Southon are old college pals Sarah and Jenny, who are on the lookout for snuff boxes, tea caddies, writing slopes and jewellery. In blue are their opponents, mortgage brokers Digs and Jay. Skippering them is Jonathan Pratt. The boys in blue quiz JP about the difference between toby jugs and character jugs, while Jenny makes Catherine blush when she picks out a vesta case with a cheeky image on the front. Hoping to spare the teams’ blushes at his auction in Chichester is Nick Hall, who takes bids from a packed saleroom.