Derek Mathewson

Mathewsons turned to auctions in 2011. Classic & Sports Car places the change after the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, when the retail side was struggling. "We did sell a few cars, but what was really getting us down" was buyers who did not turn up to viewings, Derek said. His conclusion was blunt: "It was a case of switching to auctions or packing up." The magazine credits the move's success to "Mathewsons being the only auctioneer of entry-level classics in Yorkshire for much of its history".

In May 2023 Derek told Advanced Television: "We used to do our auctions in the village hall, and then since Covid we've only done them on the internet." Today the auction site is at Unit 10, Enterprise Way, Thornton Road, Pickering. The firm says its auctions are held behind closed doors, with the main viewing period in the week leading up to each sale.

Bangers & Cash, made by the Yorkshire production company Air TV, was first shown on UKTV's Yesterday channel on 18 April 2019. Air TV describes the family as three generations: "dad Derek, auctioneer", his sons Paul and Dave, and Derek's grandsons Charlie and Jack, who lend a hand. Air TV's Andy Joynson said in April 2019 that "Derek turns every auction into an event, and people leave with a smile on their face."

Derek also appears in the spin-off Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics, which follows vehicles bought at Mathewsons auctions through restoration and back to sale, with Derek, Paul and Dave on hand to give advice. In August 2023 the family took an auction out of the saleroom for Bangers & Cash Live at Scampston Hall, near Malton. The event returned in August 2024, and a short special filmed there, Bangers & Cash: Live, was released on UKTV's streaming service U. When UKTV ordered four more series of each programme for U&Yesterday in July 2025, Derek told Televisual: "It still amazes us how much everyone has taken to the show."

He is an Aston Martin enthusiast. "Their styling is second to none; I don't think any cars are as good-looking," he told Classic & Sports Car, adding: "They can drive you a bit crazy, though." The same interview showed a soft spot for old British commercial vehicles. "I get more pleasure from a nice signwritten van than plenty of much more exotic stuff," he said, and summed himself up: "I'm a Bedford and Morris guy." The firm says visitors calling by in Thornton-le-Dale can see a selection of "Derek's favourites" in one of its showrooms.

The gift shop and the Mathewsons Museum are at Roxby Garage, Pickering Road, Thornton-le-Dale, YO18 7LH. Museum entry is £2.50 per person, checked in person in September 2026. The Pickering auction site is not open for general browsing; the time to see sale cars there is during the viewing week before each auction. Opening times and tips are on our visiting Mathewsons page, and the rest of the family and team are covered in who's who.