All language subtitles for Billion.Pound.Bond.Street.2021.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

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JENNA COLEMAN: One London shopping
street is out of this world.

Bond Street's
an amazing place to be.

One of the best shopping streets
in the world.

# That's what I want... #
This is premier division.

This is top of the range
internationally.

It has more luxury brands
than any other half mile on Earth.

# I want money... #

Monday morning, drinking champagne
and, uh, looking at diamond rings.

I mean, you know,
what more could a girl want, really?

# That's what I want... #

Beautiful. I think my husband's
getting nervous, probably.

Bond Street's a hotspot
of celebrity.

I've been in scenarios where
entire stores have been shut down

for one individual to come in.

Worth billions, the most expensive
retail street in Europe.

MICHAEL WALDMAN: What would you get
for 50 million?

Not very much!
HE LAUGHS

With dazzling diamonds...

How much will you
be selling this for?

£3.2 million.

..fabulous fashion...

..and millionaire motors.

This car was used in a Bond movie.

GAVEL BANGS
Sold.

It caters for every taste.
From the antique...

If you wanted a complete set, you're
talking around about a million.

..to the new...

Bond Street is one long
Instagram location.

Oh, no, what's TikTok?
..to the very new.

Yeah, do you like that? Yeah?
I think Daddy should buy you that.

But since last year, Bond Street's
been fighting for its future.

We are here to make a profit,

which hasn't been that easy
this year, I have to say.

As its glamorous shops
battle to survive,

they let our cameras in exclusively
for the first time.

MAN: This is the Versailles room.

From front of the house...
to factory floor.

When you start working here,

it's like, "Oh, my God,
chocolate, chocolate."

Will billion-pound Bond Street
keep its crown

as the world's
greatest shopping street?

I'm ready to wear, but I sell
anything and anywhere and anyone.

# Shine bright like a diamond... #

Autumn 2020, and Bond Street
is open for business

after London's first lockdown.

# Find light
In the beautiful sea... #

Brothers Nicholas
and Michael Wainwright,

who run British jewellers Boodles,
are taking an extraordinary gamble.

# We're like diamonds
In the sky... #

Here, we've got a stone
that we've just bought.

An extremely valuable diamond
you're looking at.

It's one of the most
valuable diamonds we've ever bought,

because it's pink
and it's over ten carats.

We saw it, and we thought,
"We just have to have it."

And diamonds like that
hardly exist in the world.

That is what they call
an appreciating asset.

MICHAEL: How much will you
be selling this for?

£3.2 million.

This is a lot of money for us,
but we saw it,

we loved it, and we thought,
"We've got to buy it."

And we've bought it
at the right price,

paid for it, so it's not borrowed,
we've got it.

We do have some customers
who we think

might be interested in this stone.

We wouldn't have bought it
if we didn't think that.

And we'll make the setting
really lovely

to make that ring the nicest ring
it could be in the world.

MICHAEL: If I came in as a client

and said that I'd like it
as a pendant, not as a ring...

Oh, no problem at all.
LAUGHS

Oh, no, no prob...
You'd do it by Monday morning.

How... When do you want it?
LAUGHS

No, we...
No, we can set it in a day.

If the Queen wanted it in a pendant,
she'd get it tomorrow afternoon.

The Queen
can have other things, too.

Bond Street has more Royal Warrants
than any other London street.

# I, I've got sweets
For my sweet... #

Chocolate maker Charbonnel et Walker
owes its very existence

to the Royal sweet tooth.

# Candies for your mama... #

King Edward VII, who is our
current Queen's great-grandfather,

he was known
as being a great bon viveur,

and his favourite chocolate was
made by Madame Charbonnel in Paris,

and he persuaded her
to come over here.

He was rather well known
for having beautiful mistresses,

and we like to think that maybe
she that was the other...

another side of the story of
why she came over here to see him.

MICHAEL: And that
Royal connection continues?

It does indeed. And we are so lucky
to have Her Majesty's Royal Warrant.

Yeah, we have lots of pictures

of the Queen and the Royal family
around the shop.

They were given to us by the Palace.

The Queen does have a list
of favourite chocolates with us,

erm... but I'm not... allowed
to divulge that directly to you.

However - however - I can just say
that she has very floral tastes,

which may become evident

if we look at the chocolates
a little bit later.

Well, maybe we should start with
our two most popular chocolates,

which are
our rose and violet creams.

Never said a word.
Never said a word.

And their largest box of chocs
cost a queen's ransom - £280.

And is there a picture
of Mrs Charbonnel anywhere?

There is. This is...
Madame Charbonnel.

Well, you remember that theory
I said about the Prince of Wales

known for all these beautiful
mistresses and things like that?

Maybe that's where the story
falls a bit flat.

She's not the... not the tastiest
truffle in the box, is she?

Let's be honest.

Bond Street,
it's an amazing place to be.

I mean, what a spot to people-watch.

And those are the people who will
splash out on designer brands -

even in a pandemic.

The lady here is the Queen of Dior,

and she always have
the latest Dior bags.

That's the Lady Delight.

I've also a Dior one, the classic.

Mine is Chanel. Sorry, girls.
WOMAN LAUGHS

You don't go to Dior just for a bag,
because you can buy it online.

You go for an experience.
It's the whole, like, shebang.

It's the way of an investment
these days, as well.

# You want me, I want you, baby
My sugarboo... #

This is the Versailles room.

If we have one of our VIP clients,

we will actually close
the room completely.

So, to give the client
complete privacy,

so they don't need to know
what's happening outside.

MICHAEL: How do I become a VIP?

What's the...
What's the definition of it?

When, erm... When you start shopping
later on today, I'll let you know.

At what level
does the champagne come out?

Any time after 11, actually.
LAUGHS

So... No, we offer drinks
to all of our clients.

Every client who comes into
the House of Dior.

WOMAN: Really?
Yeah.

Whether they're coming in
to have a look around,

for an art tour
or coming in to purchase.

# I need you all night... #

Dior is just one of 12 brands
on Bond Street

owned by the ever-growing
French luxury empire LVMH.

This superstore
has no fewer than 70 staff.

# Dance with me, I'm levitating. #

So, I notice
there are no evident price tags.

No. Everything is hidden. You've
always got the price on the inside.

The idea is to always
have a sales assistant here,

because we don't really want clients
going through things.

And the price tags
are always inside,

so if you know where to look,
you'll always find it.

The policy here
is never to discuss

anything as vulgar as price
in public.

If you look closely, you can see
this is all done by hand,

embroidered sequin by sequin.

But some of the dresses
are the price of a small family car.

What do you think
of the prices here?

Erm... Well, it's luxury,

so it's priced according
to the luxury market.

If you go to any of the boutiques
down the road,

I'm sure you'd see the prices
are all very similar.

CHUCKLES

It's beautiful craftsmanship,
it takes hours of work,

and you're paying for an art piece,
at the end of the day.

As soon as you walk in,
it's voom, boom,

and then it's there.

Is that your character, too,
would you say?

It is a little bit. I'm a little bit
boom, boom, boom, yeah.

LAUGHTER
What's your department?

Where do you sell?
I'm ready to wear,

but I sell anything and anywhere
and anyone, so... whatever.

You know, we're very versatile.
You mean you could sell me?

I could sell you
for a good pretty penny.

LAUGHTER

I'll get a few pennies for you,
that's for sure.

Now, you're a very flattering
person. Well, you know.

But do you just have a positive view
of the world? I do, yeah.

You've got to take things lightly
and do your thing, you know?

Don't take things too serious,
especially now.

So, you know...

But whatever, whenever you want me
to sell you, just let me know.

For a pretty price.
I take commission.

But I've got to go.
Nice to meet you. Ciao.

Bye.
CREW LAUGHS

As international big business
tightens its hold on Bond Street,

some small, private concerns
are managing to keep afloat.

The flower stall
has been in the hands

of the Watkins family for 50 years.

Grandfather, son and grandson
who share more than just a surname.

My grandfather's name
is Peter Watkins,

also my dad's name is Peter Watkins,
and I'm Peter Watkins, as well,

so Pete the Third, as we say.

Or we say Big Pete,
Little Pete, Baby Pete.

So Christmas time is murder,
do you know?

If someone shouts out "Pete!"
we all start running.

PETE LAUGHS

Pete, are there some little... very,
very small Petes gonna come along?

PETE LAUGHS
No...

Not that I know of at the minute.
LAUGHS

But... there's a big pressure,
do you know what I mean?

If I do have one,
it's got to be called Pete, I think,

do you know what I mean?

Joe! Are you all right?
LAUGHS

What makes Bond Street different
from other streets?

I don't know.
What makes it different, Pete?

The stuff's beautiful, innit?
All the stuff is superb.

You've got all the best designers
down here,

all the best jewellery down here,

you've got all the best shops
on Bond Street.

Yeah.
So everyone...

People want to buy the best,
so they all want to come here.

Yeah.
Best flowers on Bond Street.

Yeah. No, if I had it, I'd spend it.
It's what it's for innit?

Just need to get that queue...
You know what I mean?

Me and my partner have been
investing a lot in Uber lately,

and it's performing
really well today. Yeah.

So we've managed to liquidate and
close some of the positions we had,

and we made a great profit,
and now, we can go spend it.

THEY LAUGH

MUSIC: 'Bad Guy'
by Billie Eilish

With a billion pounds
being spent here every year

and a recent
£40 million diamond heist,

no wonder security is one of the
biggest businesses on Bond Street.

Both low and high tech,
security is everywhere.

He's a very, very dangerous man.

Say hello.
THEY LAUGH

He's one of the biggest,
baddest men on Bond Street.

MICHAEL: Oh, really?
Yeah.

Given you know all the security
guys, would you get a discount? No.

We've all tried.
Trust me, we've all tried.

OK, here, we've got to a nice car.
What do you think of this?

It fits in with Bond Street.

It's not... It's not practical,
but it's, erm... it is what it is.

The guys come down Bond St,
you do get people who...

I'm trying to think, without
saying "dick-swinging contest",

I wanna say it another way,
but it's one of those things

where people want to come down
and show off and go,

"No, I've got the next big thing."
Keeping up with the Jones'.

Yeah. If you've got the cash,
why wouldn't you?

It's not discreet, though, is it?
You don't wanna be discreet.

Yeah, but, for Bond Street,
that's...

Yeah, you don't
want the discreetness.

If you've got that money,

that means you're spending money
in the shop, then, you know...

why be discreet about that?

That's why our security needs to be
what it is to protect these people.

Is it your car?
Yes, it is.

Can we have a look?
Yes.

OK, let's go have a little chat
to him.

Tell me about this car.
What do you like about it?

It's a Rolls-Royce. It's class.

It's classy.
Class, of course it is.

It's the world's...
It's the world's best. Really?

Rolls Royce is the world's best.
And are you a classy man?

Uh, yes, I hope I am, yeah.
MICHAEL LAUGHS

And do you often
come to Bond Street?

Yes, I do.
I often shop on Bond Street.

I'm here quite regularly. Why?
What do you like about Bond Street?

No, the relationship I have
with some of the retailers here

is far more, erm... exclusive than
I have anywhere around the world.

They, erm... With Bond Street,
you get a little bit of extra,

shall I say.
LAUGHS

You do?
Yes, you do.

And what sort of things
do you buy here?

Watches, really. Really? Can I ask
what you've got on at the moment?

I've got a Rolex...
Uh-huh? ..Daytona.

And have you been buying
another one today?

Yes, I'm here actually
to collect a watch.

Oh, really?
Yes.

Can I ask what business
you're in, or...?

Er, aviation.
Aviation. Yes.

Bond Street was flying high,
but then, bad news.

BORIS JOHNSON: 'From Thursday
until the start of December,

'you must stay at home.

'You may only leave home
for specific reasons.'

Boodles may have the pink diamond
on their hands

longer than they think.

Well, it's a funny feeling.
It's a bit like the end of term.

All the excitement there,
and then that's it,

and you say,
"See you on the other side."

I'm putting them now to bed.

And with no customers allowed
from tomorrow,

there's really no point
keeping an open bottle of champagne.

We... We need to finish this.

We don't want the bottle going flat,
so we thought we'd be helping.

It'll just go flat, otherwise.
It will go to waste.

Yeah.
THEY LAUGH

# School's out for summer... #

Chin, chin.
Cheers. Yeah.

# School's out forever. #

MUSIC: 'Ghost Town'
by The Specials

# This town
Town

# Is coming like a ghost town

# All the clubs
Have been closed down... #

November 2020.

Bond Street is in lockdown,

but behind the scenes,
some business battles on.

If you haven't already started
a stash of gifts for loved ones,

Dior have helped...

With its flagship store closed,

Dior is reaching out
to its vast online audience

with a livestream
from fashion journalist

and influencer Caroline Issa.

Flagships are like meccas
for Instagram.

I actually think that social media
has completely changed also

what stores look like,

because you always need
that Instagrammable place.

So, you know, if Bond Street
is one long Instagram location,

then, my goodness, every store -
and especially this Dior store -

has got so many great little
nooks and crannies to do that, too.

Even in normal times,
one small British business

doesn't rely on passing trade.

Hidden away above the shops,
antique jewellers Facet & Fable

is the brainchild of
Eva Gowrie-Smith and Zoe Robinson.

ZOE: Yeah, do you like that?
And baby comes, too.

Yeah, I think Daddy
should buy you that.

I do, yes. And Mummy should wear it
whilst you're waiting to grow up.

My daughter was having a bit of
a moment, so I had to take her out,

and I bumped into people I know
on Bond Street,

and, I mean, I sold a diamond.

Some of these dealers
that we work with, I mean,

once you see the smile
on Clara's face...

CLARA COOS
..yeah

Then... Then we negotiate. Yeah.

So, this is a really special find
for us.

It's beautiful Victorian diamonds,
a marquee-shaped ring.

We really want to educate people

on how they can wear antique pieces
in a contemporary way.

MICHAEL: What is a contemporary way
to wear an antique piece?

It's just getting creative.
It's all about creativity

and loving your jewellery
and having fun.

So, if you compare a modern round
brilliant with an old European cut,

which is a round antique diamond,

you can see
the difference straightaway.

If you see, there's a little circle
through the top of the diamond,

right in the middle -
this is an extra facet.

So, there's 58 facets
on odd-cut diamonds,

and the culet is the extra facet.

And you can see it
when you look through the top.

You can see a circle.

There's a saying in the industry
that diamonds shrink,

and it's when you're sort of
buying your first diamond,

and it looks humungous
when you first buy it,

but over time it shrinks,
cos your eye gets used to it.

Erm...
So you need a bigger one?

I need a bigger one, exactly.

# I wonder, wonder who

# Who, who wrote
The book of love... #

It's not just jewellery
that's benefiting

from the current vogue for vintage.

This is a book by John Gould,
The Birds Of Great Britain.

In here are
360 hand-coloured lithographs.

With a set of five,
makes up a complete set.

And these would be...
These are £65,000,

and if you wanted a complete set
of the whole 43,

you're talking around about
a million.

# The book of love. #

The pandemic has brought
rare book dealer Bernard Shapero

a rare bit of luck.

He's negotiated a cheap rent
on an empty ground-floor space

to open a pop-up shop.

Can you put the doors back on?

'We're not just
trying to sell books.

'We're trying to sell pictures
and prints and objects.'

MICHAEL: I see a lizard there.
It's not a lizard. It's an iguana.

1,500 quid.

Is it?
Is that a lot? For an iguana?

Doesn't eat anything.
No residual costs.

Over the last few decades,

the antique shops that used to be
on Bond Street have all disappeared.

Are you worried?
Well, it's a whole...

You know, it's not like I can say,

you know,
"Look at all these other..."

You know, it's not like Sainsbury's,

there's Tesco's and Morrison...
you know?

This is unique.

So... it could be a disaster,
can't it?

It's a bit of a gamble,
but hopefully,

Bond Street will work its magic.

But for most,
that magic doesn't come cheap.

A lot of these companies are here

because they've got to be
in Bond Street,

cos it's one of the three
key thoroughfares in the world.

But being a British family
business, I mean, we're here, erm,

because we want to actually try
and make some money.

We've got to make some money.

But the rent is very,
very dauntingly high.

# I love you, you pay my rent... #

Even Bond Street
needs rent collectors.

And you wouldn't want to get
in arrears with property men

Mark Shipman and Dominic Rowe.

We manage quite a lot.

MICHAEL: When you say "manage",
you mean the rent?

Collect the rents,
maintain the buildings.

Does that make you popular?
Popularity is not great,

the gentlemen who collect the rents,
particularly during uncertain times.

If Bond Street's cupboards
hold any skeletons,

these guys know where they are.

So, this Chanel store,
which, this, in this form,

is only probably about
four years old. Yep.

Who recently bought
their own freehold

for around about £300 million?

Uh, £310 million,
so it was competitive bidding.

They went to the market. It was
owned by a Swedish pension fund,

or a Swedish institution.

They went to the market,
and Chanel outbid everyone.

There was a lot of interest
from Hong Kong and Asia,

in terms of other bidders.
Were you bidding for someone?

We were bidding for
a Hong Kong investor, yes.

Have you... You didn't luck out?

Unfortunately, we bid
just a little... a tad under 300,

and Chanel ended up buying it.

And they've spent a lot of money
when they were a tenant

fitting the building out, as well.

That fit out would have been
certainly £40-50 million, minimum.

They've just spent 40 to 50
million? They rebuilt the building.

Before they owned it?
Yes. Before they owned it.

As tenants.
Here, we've got Ralph Lauren.

The rent for this store
is about £11 million a year.

We also acquired Boodles in... 2013

for about £33 million,

and today, in my opinion,
it's probably worth

in the order of about £70 million.

Bearing in mind, these units are all
going for around about £70 million,

these single units at the moment.

So their rent
will be just over two million.

Yeah, it'll be
in that sort of order. Yeah.

If you had a spare 50 million
in your back pocket now...

what would you get for 50 million?

Not very much!
HE LAUGHS

But that's not a problem
for everyone.

In the pandemic, the super rich

are estimated to have become
25% super richer.

Stuck at home like the rest of us,

they're looking for something
to spend their money on.

And what better place
than high-end auction house Bonhams?

As lockdown ends, they're gearing up
for a special sale.

SONG: 'James Bond Theme'

Tim, how did you
come across this car?

Picked up the call, and the owner
of this car wanted to know

if we could help him.

"I've got Mercury Cougar," he says.
"It appeared in a Bond movie."

I said, "Hang on a minute.
I'm a little bit of a Bond fan.

"This would be obviously
On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

"It was Diana Rigg's car,
or Contessa Tracy's."

And he said, "Yes, it is."

This car, with an estimate
that we placed on it,

which is between £100-150,000,

it isn't seen as a parameter that,

if you're up to the top
of that level, you're loopy.

It's more of a "come and get me".

# I need dollar, dollar

# Dollar, that's what I need
Hey, hey... #

Bonhams have another special weapon
in their armoury -

a very special print.

This is Banksy, er, London,
New York, Bristol, Heavy Weaponry.

It's £250-350,000.

How is the market doing?

Do you know,
it's actually doing really well,

and I think that's surprised
all of us this year.

I think, at the start, with COVID,

we just weren't sure
how the market was going to perform,

but I have to say
that all of our sales this year

have done extremely well,

and it's sort of set
this unprecedented, erm... demand.

It is now ten o'clock.
We have now officially opened.

Bernard, too,
is banking on a Banksy.

Bernard... Bernard expects.

With November lockdown over,
he opens his pop-up shop.

It's one of his ones called Morons.

So that's what you see
from the front.

We've got some Harry Potter,
signed editions.

We've got Charlie And The Chocolate
Factory, first edition.

Cat In The Hat.

This is A Streetcar Named Desire,
signed by Marlon Brando.

£6,500.

The problem is, is that
there are very few foreigners.

That's the problem.

Tourists and foreigners,
businessmen, business women...

that's what drives the West End,

and at the moment,
no-one's travelling.

If we get in ten a day,
and if we get one a day who buys,

that would be not too bad.

Boodles hope to find one
mega-rich buyer before Christmas.

I've got some ideas to show you
for the ten-carat pink pear shape.

Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes.

Here is the pink.
Ah! From the vault.

Ooh... Here it is. It's
our pride and joy at the moment.

Fancy pink.
Super colour, isn't it?

Pretty, and it's bright.
Yes, really bright.

The setting, it talks, doesn't it?

And it's sort of candy floss
or bubblegum.

Those are the two.
They don't sound very upmarket,

do they, for a stone
which is priceless?

I don't think we'd put "candy floss"
on a valuation certificate,

would we, Mike, I don't think?

No, in the old days
we would have done.

My father would have done it.
HE LAUGHS

People who've got some lolly
like pinks,

and we've done well with pinks.
Yeah.

Pink's important to Boodles
cos it's our colour.

It's important to me
cos I like pink. I wear...

Everything's pink, actually -
socks, the lot.

And customers...
MICHAEL: Underwear?

I'm not telling you.
LAUGHTER

Actually, it is pink.

You know?
So it is!

LAUGHTER

But will Boodles' future
be quite as rosy?

MUSIC: 'Millionaire'
by Kelis ft Andre 3000

Bond Street has re-opened
just in time

for its all-important
Christmas period.

# Mama, I'm a millionaire

# But I feel like a bum. #

It has to make up for lost time,
and Bonhams is banking on

the buoyant contemporary art market
with its Banksy.

We move on to lot number 12.

This is London, New York, Bristol
Heavy Weaponry by Banksy.

Signature piece, this, from 2000,
in the edition of 10.

This is a really great piece,
and I can start here with interest,

150,000, 160.

170,000, I have.

180, thank you.
Gentleman's bid seated at 190, sir.

200,000.

220, I have.

250,000, gentleman is seated here.

At 250. Shall I sell the lot
for 250?

250 for the second time,
we're getting close.

250, third and final.

GAVEL BANGS

Very good, sir. You've got a future
in auctioneering there, I love it.

250K, and your paddle number is 799,
many congratulations.

Erm... What a great price.

We move on to lot number 13.
Thank you, sir.

'Banksy was a great price.'

I think, including all the premiums
and everything else,

will be something in the region
of £330-340,000,

which, for that series,
is a huge price,

so we're thrilled that it sold,

and it sold to a very,
very committed buyer.

The fact that he walked out
with an invoice, er,

I think is all that really matters
to him.

The sale of the Bond car

will be the next step
in the battle of Bond Street.

MUSIC: 'All Along The Watchtower'
by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Admiral Lord Nelson
lived in Bond Street in 1797.

Since then, everyone,

from some of London's
highest-paid prostitutes

to Jimi Hendrix,
has lived round here.

But now, there are almost
no Bond Street residents left,

apart from Ollie Claridge.

That used to be my front door.
MICHAEL: Uh-huh.

How long ago?
About eight years ago.

Because that area there...

that corridor is worth about
£150,000 a year in rent.

So I now use a rather
discreet entrance, like a film star.

All the way round the back?

Yeah, or like someone
visiting the plastic surgeon again.

Well, I've lived here
probably about 20 years.

Guy Burgess, the spy, lived here
until... until his flight to Russia.

Really?! And I think
he had a lot of parties here

and probably entertained
a lot of rough sailors,

cos I think he rather liked
rough sailors.

And then he... In this flat?
In this flat.

And then, I think
it was a brothel after that.

There's a floor above us
which is a kind of typical garret,

and that was lived in
by a lady of the night.

A retired lady of the night.

I rather hope she was retired,
but I don't know.

So it was quite insalubrious,
Bond Street.

Sadly, not any more.

Garden designer Ollie Claridge
has a unique rental arrangement

on a flat worth more
than the Boodles diamond.

I'm here because my father
lived here from the '70s onwards,

and I took the lease from him.

So I'm a bit of a sort of anomaly.

I've got a peculiar,
old-fashioned lease

which no longer exists.

The landlord is The Swatch Group.

Every major brand is here,

cos they've got to have a shop
in Bond Street,

and the funniest one is Bulgari,
which I sometimes...

they're very nice people, but I
sometimes refer to it as "Vulgari",

because their lights are so bright,
I could do surgery in this flat.

I'm looking at Piaget,
who sell jewels,

Tasaki, who sell jewels,
Harry Winston, who sells jewels,

and it goes on.

MUSIC: 'Diamonds Are Forever'
by Shirley Bassey

I don't know who buys
all this stuff.

Boodles is putting all its muscle
into ensuring someone will.

# Diamonds are forever

# They are all I need
To please me... #

During lockdown,
master gem worker Matt

has been putting
the finishing touches

to their £3.2 million
pink diamond ring.

Now, they've got a chance
to sell it.

Morning, all. Well, today is
the day we've all been waiting for

for about four or five weeks.

A lot of our customers,
they've just been isolated.

For a month,
they've been doing very little,

so let's hope they want to come out
and come shopping.

Who's optimistic?

MURMURS OF AFFIRMATION
Good, good.

Another traditional Bond Street
fixture, Charbonnel et Walker,

is also intent
on luring back customers.

Looking for anything in particular?

Which, for them,
starts 130 miles away,

at their factory in Prince Charles'
model town of Poundbury.

MUSIC: 'Sweet Like Chocolate'
by Shanks & Bigfoot

# You're sweet like chocolate
Boy... #

Today, Adam...

Rose and violets today,
Claire, yeah?

..is catching up with new
chocolate developer Claire Weller

over the violet creams.

They look so shiny and fresh
when they come out of this machine?

It's brilliant. I love the way
they come out of here.

When you start here, it's like,

"Oh, my God, chocolate,
chocolate, chocolate."

Sometimes, I go in,
and I'll eat chocolate

from the moment I get there
to the moment I leave.

Erm... We won't mention that
to the chairman.

CHUCKLING: Erm...

One of the greatest pleasures
in the world.

It's up there with, you know,
diamonds and flowers and fine wine

and all these wonderful things
and chocolate.

And it makes you feel good,
and if we...

God knows we need something
to make us feel good right now.

This is a naked violet cream.

They're placed on the conveyor belt
by hand, they go through,

and they're enrobed in chocolate.

MICHAEL: Enrobed?
Enrobed. Oh, yeah.

Chocolates are never covered
or dipped - they're always enrobed.

Very Charbonnel.

When they've come through once,
they come back to the beginning,

and then they're double-enrobed
a second time.

And as they come through
the second time,

they'll be hand-finished
with the actual violet petals

and the rose petals that we use.

And what are the violet petals
made of?

They're literally petals.

They're crystallised
violet and rose petals.

That's why some people,
if you haven't tried them before,

you go, "Oh, it is,
it tastes of flowers."

And you... "How can that be?"

But it is, because we're using
the natural flavourings

from the flowers themselves.

As Bond Street shuts for the day...

Dior is working all night to
transform its store for Christmas.

Outside, Instagrammers flock,
moths to the brand flame.

So, we went out so I could get
pictures outside of the Dior sign.

With her Dior shoes.
Yeah, I gotta wear the shoes

and the sign, so I was like, "I need
to get some Instagram pictures."

SHE LAUGHS

LAUGHTER

Across the street,
Louis Vuitton is doing the same.

Two competitors, both owned
by the French multi-national LVMH,

one of the corporate giants
which has taken over Bond Street

as the British brands
give up the fight.

MUSIC: 'I Gotta Feeling'
by The Black Eyed Peas

One British brand fighting back
is Boodles.

# I got a feeling

# That tonight's
Gonna be a good night... #

With the boardroom transformed into
a brasserie - socially distanced -

tables for two
and pink bubbly flowing,

they've lured in
some top clients for lunch.

Can they sell the pink diamond ring
before Christmas?

Can I get you a glass of bubbly,
maybe, or a glass of wine?

Yes, please.
That would be lovely, thank you.

Can we take these off now?
SHE CHUCKLES

My cousin, Jody Wainwright,
who is our diamond buyer,

has bought the most amazing
pink diamond that we've ever seen.

It's ten carats, it's pear shaped,
nicely, just for you.

So do pass it around
and have a little look.

Do these people look like
well-heeled tigers

who have walked into
a carefully prepared trap?

If people come here,
there's a lot more chance

they're gonna spend money
than if they're sitting at home,

so that, you know,
we're not halfway here,

but we're a bit of the way here.
We're giving them a good time,

we're inviting people
who are good customers anyway,

so, you know,
there is method in our madness.

We are inviting them about
ten, 12 days before Christmas,

so, if they're gonna buy anything,

it's more likely now
than on January 15th.

# A kiss on the hand... #

Gorgeous. What a diamond!
# May be quite continental

# But diamonds
Are a girl's best friend... #

The pink diamond,
I haven't sold it yet.

Mind, it only came from the workshop
on Monday.

We've showed it to a lot of people.

If we sell it before Christmas,
it will be something of a miracle.

You'd expect... You'd expect it
to take six months to a year.

Why don't you sell the rest,
just have that?

LAUGHTER

You'll have to sell a child.
Yeah!

That's all right, I've got two.
You wouldn't get much for that one.

MICHAEL: If you sell the ring
for around £3.2 million

before Christmas, will you
give yourself a Christmas present?

Oh...
CHUCKLES

Good question. Yeah, I...
Well, I won't,

but what I will do
is pay myself this year.

At one point, we didn't think we
were gonna pay ourselves anything,

and I mean that, back in April.

Then the year hasn't been
as bad as all that,

so we thought we'd take a 50% cut.

If we sell it, we might not take
that much of a cut.

CHUCKLES
We'll see.

Oh, I love that.
Yeah, they look out of range.

Chris and Bonnie
have been customers for years,

and saleswoman Emma knows exactly
how to tease them along.

Seven-and-a-half each?

How do negotiations
usually work with you guys?

It normally goes like this,
is that Bonnie wants something,

and she gets it.
LAUGHTER

That's about it.

To be perfectly honest,
I look after the finances,

so I will only let us buy something
that is affordable,

you know, or feasible,
to be perfectly honest, you know.

He thinks he's in charge,
but of course he's not.

# Diamonds are a girl's... #

They might not have bought the big
pink, but Emma has clinched a sale.

The gorgeous earrings -
a mere 15 grand.

SONG: 'James Bond Theme'

Diamonds may be forever,

but the owner of the Bond car
hopes it will prove lucrative, too.

The person I bought the car from,
the Cougar from,

he said, when I was buying it,

it was supposed to have been used
in the James Bond film,

and there's a cigar burn on the seat

supposed to be done by
Cubby Broccoli.

After years of investigation,

Rob tracked down the Ford Cougar's
original sales docket,

accelerating its value.

Yes, Ford were having a clear-out
of their stuff, and, erm,

yeah, actually, on here,
it actually says "Bond movie".

This is the order sheet
as it came from the factory.

Were you sad to see it go?

My wife and daughter
were both in tears, but I wasn't.

It was sort of, erm...

I think it was a relief, I think,
as much as anything else.

# This town
Is coming like a ghost town... #

He'll have to wait.
Disaster strikes for Bond Street.

A third London lockdown
just before Christmas.

Hello, Michael. How's it going?

How's it going?

Well, as you can see,
it's a bit like Lockdown One here.

It's very, very quiet.

Looking down the street,
everybody is closed.

How's it gonna affect luxury retail
and this place?

Well, it'll bounce back, but I'm not
sure when that bounce is gonna come.

It's all looking pretty grim
at the moment.

I mean, I dread to think
how little business

some in this street have done
this Christmas,

because they are so dependent
on overseas people,

and there aren't any.

I mean, the rent and rates are huge.

We are not such a big company
that we can just absorb

high Bond Street rent
into marketing.

We can't do that, so we are here
to make a profit.

Which hasn't been that easy
this year, I have to say.

# One fine day
Shooby-dooby-dooby-dooby-do-wah-wah

# You'll look at me... #

But whatever the economic weather...

I love making the videos.
LAUGHS

# One fine day... #

..nothing can dampen
Instagrammers' enthusiasm

for this extraordinary street.

Again, going inside.
LAUGHS

So this is your changing room?
Yeah.

This is private changing room.
Come in, guys. Don't be shy.

Come in, please.
LAUGHS

MUSIC: 'Feeling Good'
by Muse

April 12th, 2021.

At last, the third lockdown eases,

with the promise of a gradual return
to normal.

# Birds flying high

# You know how I feel... #

It's just after 8am,
and already, customers are waiting,

and the Boodles appointment book
for the week is almost full.

I had two text messages at midnight
last night saying that

I've got a client coming in,
so, you know, we are busy.

I think people are quite desperate
to get out and spend.

They've been stuck indoors
for a very long time.

Oh, good,
it sounds like we should have

hopefully quite a brisk start.

# And I'm feeling good... #

All of the private rooms are
fully booked, actually, all week,

so really, really pleasing
to see that.

Yeah, it's good to see you. Bye.

For some the return to business
is even more of a relief

than for others.

I think I'll do one of each.
One of each?

So it's been a long...

Well, I think this second lockdown
was worse than the first.

Yeah, it's tough, weren't it, Pete?
Yeah, it was.

He's all right. He done a little bit
of scaffolding while we was off,

cos we were shut down,
so, look, he's beefed up a bit.

He looks good, doesn't he?
He looks quite good.

And we've got some lovely clients.

They've all come back
and get us going,

and we've been quite busy,
haven't we?

Better than what I thought.

That's Louis Vuitton, the queue.
The queue.

You've got Chanel, the queue,
Hermes...

Hermes is all the way
round the corner.

People have money.
They ain't going away.

People have got money.
Hopefully, they can spend it,

and they spend it down here.

But not everyone is ecstatic
to see the hordes return.

I think people have not had enough
things to spend their money on.

And now, they feel that
by doing that and going home

with a bag with "Cartier" on it,

suddenly, they are... alive.

# Feeling good. #

You poor things.

I've a half mind to ask them
what they think they're gonna find

when they get inside.

What'd be great
is if they got inside

and it was a branch of Greggs.

MUSIC: 'We Found Love'
by Rihanna ft Calvin Harris

I just came to get
a pair of slippers.

MICHAEL: A pair of slippers?
Yeah.

Why here? Erm...
I always shop at Louis Vuitton,

so if you want something, you wait.

I'm going to get
one of the new Chanel bags

that were released last month.

It's a post-lockdown gift.
THEY LAUGH

And can I ask you how much
that's gonna set you back?

5,500, yes, yes.
For a bag? Yeah.

# It's the way I'm feeling

# I just can't deny... #

But the biggest indicator
that things are getting back

to business as usual
is the return of the luxury cars.

ENGINE REVS,
HE LAUGHS

Aston Martin, lovely.

The nicer your car,
the longer you can leave it parking

without getting a ticket
outside a shop.

Is this your car?
It would be lovely if it was.

So, I'm just the lucky person
that gets to drive it

with none of the costs.
That number plate must be expensive?

Right, we're probably into
seven figures with the number plate.

No!
If not more, cos it's so unique.

If it was ever up for sale.
I do get asked regularly.

And the answer is just no.
So it's not, not at any price.

CORK POPS
Good.

It is a very good sound, isn't it?
That's a really good sound.

I've missed that...
I've missed that sound.

So, I think we're deciding
between two,

so it's just
that's a question of which one,

but maybe this will make
the decision easier.

Boodles are finding they now
have one sparkling advantage

over their bigger competitors.

INDISTINCT CHATTER AND LAUGHTER

A glass of bubbly maybe?

Ironically, we're one of
the few jewellers in Bond Street

who are not dependent
on overseas people.

I mean,
most of the jewellers down here

do the majority of their business
with Middle East, Asia,

and we'd love some
of those customers, we'd love...

We've really wanted those customers
for years and years,

but now, we're quite grateful
for what we've got,

which is principally
British customers.

And if they're stuck in the UK,

why not come to London
for a day or two or three?

Unlike Boodles, Bonhams positively
relies on international buyers,

and bidders for the Bond car are
phoning in from across the world.

Rob, the car's owner, and his wife
have made it up from Bristol.

Without a Bond connection, his car
would be worth around £30,000.

Very excited, yeah.

MICHAEL: If it sells well,
will you be celebrating tonight?

Erm...
I think so, yes.

We were rather hoping
to go for a meal, but...

of course, we can't now.
Yeah.

Well, this car belongs
to that select band of movie cars

that have featured
in the James Bond series of films.

It's one of only three ordered
specifically for the film,

long-term current ownership and,
well, who will start me at £80,000?

At £80,000.

80,000, straight in, thank you,
at 80,000, we are bid.

At £80,000 and going.

At 80,000. 85,000 bid.
Thank you, at 85,000.

85,000, 90,000.

90,000.
90,000, 95,000.

95 is bid.
95, 100,000.

100,000.
Online's lit up. 100,000.

Selling all the way, 100,000.

Any more bids at 100...
And 10,000 bid.

110, your bid, at 110. Any advance?

120, sir.
110, 120, I've got.

120 just before you, Richard,
120,000.

120,000.
150, sir.

150,000?!
150.

Well, why not? 150,000.

Well... That's designed to,
er, intimidate.

Has it worked? 150,000.

160,000.
160.

170.
170.

180. 180,000.

200, sir.
200,000.

200,000.

200 with us.
200,000.

220. We'll keep it in 20.

230, sir?
230.

240,000.
240.

250.
250.

250 with us.
250,000.

260.
260's bid. 270?

Bonhams out back at 260,000.

270.
270,000.

280,000. 280,000.

290, sir.
290.

290 for us.
290,000.

Telephone against you online.

300,000 bid.

305, sir?

305.
305 with us.

Might be on the ropes there. 305.

So, next will be 310.

310, they...
OK.

310.

Undoubtedly a record for the model,
£310,000 and selling...

GAVEL BANGS
Sold, 310,000.

APPLAUSE

It's brilliant, a nice story.
It's going to Switzerland.

The place that made it famous.

Very pleased. It is quite a bit
higher than the reserve

and what we were expecting
and, yes, erm...

still in shock,
total shock at the moment.

Yeah, I think we're a bit numb.
SHE LAUGHS

MICHAEL: What are your plans?

Definitely a bottle of champagne.
We'll start with that.

# You'll be swell

# You'll be great

# Gonna have the whole world
On a plate

# Starting here... #

Bond Street is back in business.

# Starting here, starting now

# Honey, everything's
Coming up roses... #

There we are.

The team are buzzing.

People have been wanting to get back
to some sense of normality,

and actually,
for some of our clients,

coming in to see their
sales associate in a private room

is the most normal thing
they could have done in 16 weeks.

# Curtain up
Like the lights... #

GAVEL BANGS
AUCTIONEER: 9,000 it is. Thank you.

At his pop-up shop, Bernard Shapero

has just made a sale of £22,000
for an old map of London,

one of his most popular lines.

We sold our big map
front of the shop,

which has now been replaced

by another slightly smaller map
of London.

The stock market has boomed,

assets have all gone up
across the board, property...

all assets have gone up,

so people who had money
have more money.

MICHAEL: Where is the iguana?

He's in the window.
He's still available.

No, I think it was 950, wasn't it?
950? Ooh...

That was a snip. A snip, Michael.

Shall I... Shall I send an invoice?

# We've got nothing to hit
But the heights... #

Have Boodles had a taker
for their biggest asset?

Has any of you yet
had any bites for the pink diamond?

We think we probably know...
a dozen to 20 people

who... who could buy it,
but we'll just have to see.

A lot of them haven't seen it yet,
but, you know, don't worry.

In the next few weeks and months,

we will be trying our damnedest
to show it to them.

But the last word goes to the
one person who actually lives here.

I wouldn't be able to get
a cup of sugar,

let alone a pint of milk.

I can get a cup of diamonds.

I mean, since about 1800,
it's always been about showing off,

always been about luxury.

It's not a flash in the pan.
Do you think this street will last?

Absolutely. This street will be here
when humanity is gone.

# Everything's coming up
Sunshine and Santa Claus

# Everything's gonna be
Bright lights and lollipops

# Everything's coming up roses

# For me and for you! #

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