The Repair Shop — Season 2018

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life. Resident antique photography expert Brenton West brings his expertise to bear on a camera that survived the First World War but hasn't taken a picture in over a hundred years, while leather expert Suzie adds a surprise touch that leaves the camera's owner Phil lost for words. Furniture restorer Will Kirk and horologist Steve Fletcher joins forces to get a 20th-century designer wooden screen back on its feet. And violin restorer John Dilworth works on a treasured instrument that spent World War II in Auschwitz concentration camp.

Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life. Resident clock restorer Steve Fletcher restores a German-made toy steam roller from the 1930's. After not being used for around 40 years, it needs a full check-up to get it up and running again. Stained glass expert Matthew Nickels pieces together a damaged glass picture window depicting a colourful boat at sea. Made by the owner's late father, it has a great deal of sentimental value and so she is ecstatic when Matthew manages to make it all ship-shape and just like new again. Meanwhile, leather expert Suzie turns her attention to three iconic leather sling back Les Arcs chairs desperately in need of some love and attention to make them usable again.

Silversmith Brenton West tackles a broken hand mirror containing the portrait of a mysterious French lady. Painting conservator Lucia Scalisi repairs, cleans and brings some much-needed light to a murky painting of fog on the River Thames. And resident horologist Steve Fletcher joins forces with ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay and wood specialist Will Kirk to work on a prestigious eighteenth-century timepiece that has suffered a supernatural accident.

Musical box expert Stephen Kember and furniture restorer Will Kirk join forces to tackle a very special music box damaged by a bomb during the Blitz. Unfortunately the box's owners, who were in the house at the time, were killed by the blast. Now their descendant, and custodian of the box, Roger wants to restore the box so he can hear the same music the family members he never knew used to listen to. Stuffed toy restorers Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell take on one of their toughest assignments yet - A stuffed toy lamb, torn apart by a real dog and now consisting of just a head and four legs. And metal worker Brenton West restores a treasured pair of fire tongs, designed and built by the owner's own great-grandfather, back to working order.

Clockmaker Steve Fletcher turns his talents to restoring an ornate antique pipe, carved from a mineral called meerschaum. Steve also calls on the help of his sister, and master saddle maker, Suzie to replace the lacklustre leather parts of the pipe. Gramophone guru Tim Weeks takes on the restoration of an early twentieth-century record player and radio that was bought at an auction by owner Corrie when she was just five but hasn't produced any music for years. And ceramics restorer Kirsten Ramsay tackles one of the largest pieces she's ever worked on, a huge blue pitcher from Germany decorated with images from an infamous event in Roman history.

Furniture restorer Will Kirk takes on a rickety, water-damaged rosewood table, but the extent of the damage leaves him with a tough decision to make. Resident clockmaker Steve Fletcher turns his hand to getting an antique French steamboat ship-shape again after it was found buried on a beach over fifty years ago. And after many hours of stitching and sewing, soft toy restorers Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell reunite a much-loved but threadbare panda bear with its owner Jill, for whom the bear holds many cherished memories of her late father.

Clockmaker and former retained firefighter Steve Fletcher gets the chance to work on a toy replica of an early Dennis fire engine. But this is not an ordinary child's toy; this one-off piece was built by one of the mechanics at the real Dennis fire engine factory. Ceramics restoration expert Kirsten Ramsay pieces together a beautiful Japanese Imari bowl that has been smashed to bits, and reveals the gruesome purpose behind its design. And the whole Repair Shop team comes together to save a weathered piece of Dorset history - a unique village sign, made of metal, wood and ceramic parts all originally created by craftspeople who lived in the village.

Resident horologist Steve Fletcher works on a clock that was fashioned from the propeller of a plane that crash-landed in France during World War I. Passed down through the injured pilot's family, Steve must get this piece of history working for future generations. Metal expert Dominic Chinea brings his skills to bear on a rusted and seized-up shoe-stretching machine, one of the few reminders of owner Maggie's parents and their shoe shop. And stained glass expert Matthew Nickels takes on a tricky challenge - restoring two badly damaged windows which were rescued from a Victorian variety theatre shortly before its demolition.

Resident clockmaker Steve tackles an intricate Boulle-work clock that hasn't ticked for over 15 years. Soft toy restorers Julie and Amanda take on a jumbo-sized project in the shape of a threadbare, but much loved, wheeled elephant. And woodwork specialist Will get to grips with one of the Repair Shop's oldest ever assignments - a 300-year-old Georgian desk that is showing its age.

Blacksmith Matthew Boultwood takes on a piece of British military history - a ceremonial helmet from one of the oldest regiments in the army, the Life Guards. Also forming part of the Household Cavalry that provides personal protection for the monarch, this helmet may well have stood guard outside Buckingham Palace during the reign of Queen Victoria. But after years in a damp attic, Matt has a real challenge to get it back in parade ground condition once again. Furniture restorer Will Kirk tackles a small chest with big problems, which tests the full range of his wood-working skills and techniques, from turning and carving to reconstructing and repainting. And clock specialist Steven Fletcher joins forces with toy restorers Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell to bring an extremely rare Victorian clockwork rabbit back to life.

Gramophone expert Tim Weeks tackles a portable Peter Pan gramophone that has seen better days. Upholsterer Sonnaz Nooranvary and carpenter William Kirk team up to mend a child's rocking chair. With a little care and attention the chair is mended, polished and re-covered and fit to sit in once more. Meanwhile, resident clock restorer Steven Fletcher turns his hand to mending a broken vintage cash register that has been in the owner's family business for generations.

Soft toy restorers Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell take two well-worn teddy bears under their wing. Big Ted and Little Ted have spent nearly a lifetime together - their childhood owners, Jill and Edwin, met as teenagers, fell in love, married at 23 and spent the next 40 years together until Edwin's death four years ago. Now Amanda and Julie must restore the well-loved bears, to reverse the years of wear and preserve the happy memories of a lifetime of love. Meanwhile, metal expert Dominic Chinea works his magic restoring a rusting old Victorian lamp that has stood witness to many happy family events over the 50 years it has stood in owner Jeremy's garden.

Resident clock expert Steven Fletcher and woodwork specialist William Kirk work together to repair a broken barometer clock. With a clock, barometer and thermometer on one object, Steven has a lot of work ahead of him to get it looking like new again. Painting conservator Lucia Scalisi draws on her years of experience to restore a beautiful Caputo painting which has suffered a large tear. She expertly mends, cleans and re-touches the painting in time to reunite it with its delighted owner. Meanwhile bicycle expert Erik Van Bommel turns his hand to mending a battered childhood tricycle. The beautifully restored bike is excitedly unwrapped and ridden on once more by the owner's grandchildren.

Resident ceramic expert Kirsten Ramsay takes on a beautiful Majolica Vase, which has met with several accidents over the years - a lid broken into several pieces, damage from a falling painting and a decorative cherub who has been decapitated. Meanwhile metal worker Dominic Chinea works on a secret project - the restoration of a pub sign for the last landlord of much-loved local that has been knocked down to make way for a bus station.

Gramophone expert Tim Weeks brings back many happy childhood memories when he repairs an early Edison model Phonograph that has been silent for years. A treasured heirloom passed down from his aunt, the owner is delighted to hear it play music once more. Metal expert Brenton West restores a century-old silver mirror that has been passed down the female line of the owner's family. Replacing a broken corner of the mirror he makes it fit for use for another hundred years. Meanwhile leather expert Suzie Fletcher lovingly repairs a broken handle and restores the leather on a writing case formerly owned by pioneering locomotive engineer Robert Stephenson, a hero of the owner.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Resident clock maker Steve Fletcher tackles a pocket watch that has come all the way from Holland and which spent four years in a Second World War Japanese internment camp undetected while secretly sewn in to the hem of a dress. Metal worker Dominic Chinea and master cooper Alastair Simms get an ancient butter churn turning, and churning, once again. And leather expert Suzie Fletcher lovingly restores a trunk made by Louis Vuitton and which is showing the signs of the years it spent travelling the world with owner Tom's great grandfather.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Painting conservator Lucia Scalisi must draw on all her 30 years of experience to mend a serious tear in a portrait. The damage was accidentally inflicted many years ago by the owner's son with his dart gun. Repairing the hole and cleaning the canvas takes many hours and painstaking care but eventually the portrait of the society beauty is picture perfect once again. Wood restorer William Kirk and horologist Steven Fletcher join forces to mend an intriguing walking stick, which features a monkey head. Its mouth and ears should move like a ventriloquists dummy. The walking stick was a gift to the owner's uncle from an Indian Maharaja. The monkey is missing an ear and the operating mechanism no longer works but getting inside the head to mend it is the first challenge. Will and Steve work together to revive the cheeky monkey and return the walking stick to the owner, who is moved to see it working once more.And antique photography specialist Brenton West tackles a defunct seaside telescope. It reminds owner Julian of the family seaside holidays of his childhood. Brenton, along with assistance from Steve Fletcher, manages to get the telescope up and running and give the metal work a new lease of life.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Music box expert Stephen Kember and furniture restorer Will Kirk come together to work on a music box that is housed in a replica Swiss chalet. Much of the intricate wood detailing has fallen off and the music box has not played a note for decades. The music box is brought back to life and hand delivered by Stephen to owner Suzanne and her excited grandchildren.Ceramics restorer Kirsten Ramsay has the world in her hands when she mends a miniature globe from the 1800s. The piece is made using a fragile material called gesso, which proves quite a challenge when piecing it back together. Kirsten must then replicate any missing chips and clean this delicate object.And master goldsmith Richard Talman works wonders on a cherished garnet bracelet given to owner Jane by her late mother. The bracelet is in pieces and several of the garnet stones are missing. A previous unsuccessful attempt to mend it may have rendered it beyond repair but, using state of the art technology and great skill, Richard saves the day and Jane can now wear and enjoy the beautiful bracelet that holds so many memories for her.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Upholsterer Sonnaz Nooranvary takes on a real labour of love, a battered but beloved armchair that holds treasured memories of owner Michelle's grandfather. Brother and sister team, clockmaker Steve Fletcher and saddle maker Suzie Fletcher, turn their hand to restoring a World War One era military riding crop for a family with a proud military tradition. And ceramics conservator Kirsten Ramsay tackles one her toughest assignments yet, a damaged ornate Hungarian vase, with a complex design and intricate decoration that will need all need all Kirsten's skills to restore seamlessly.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Art conservator Lucia Scalisi works wonders on a portrait from 1930s of the Japanese martial arts master Yukio Tani. Brought in by the custodian Peter, the painting takes pride of place in the country's most prestigious martial arts club, but decades of being on display have left it desperate for some TLC.Upholsterer Sonnaz Nooranvary rises to a challenge where others have failed when she restores a Victorian nursery chair that has been in owner Lucy's family for generations. Sonnaz must strip off the many layers of material to reveal the hundred-year-old framework and rebuild the chair using traditional techniques with impressive results.And horologist Steve Fletcher and ceramic expert Kirsten Ramsay join forces to restore an ornate porcelain clock brought in by 95-year-old Patricia and her daughter Diane. The clock has not chimed for decades and many of the porcelain roses bear chips and missing petals. It is a reconstruction project for Kirsten, while Steve gives the clock mechanism a total overhaul, resulting in the sound of sweet chimes once more.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Resident horologist Steve Fletcher and ceramics restorer Kirsten Ramsay turn their skills to fixing an art deco lamp in the shape of a lady, who is suffering from broken ankle after an unfortunate accident. Furniture restorer Will Kirk uncovers some hidden secrets while restoring a treasured wooden sea captain's chest so it can be passed onto a fourth generation of the same family. And stained glass expert Matthew Nickels completely overhauls a precious painted window which hasn't let in any light for many years.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Soft toy restorers Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell work their magic on an old teddy called Fred. Fred is a beloved childhood toy but his owner immigrated to Australia many years ago, sadly without Fred. The 50-year-old, threadbare bear is stuffed with his original wood fibre which is not permitted by Australian customs. Amanda and Julie set about carefully dismantling, cleaning and restuffing the bear, so that he make the long journey down under to be reunited with his owner and a new addition to their family.Furniture restorer Will Kirk and upholsterer Sonnaz Nooranvary come together to transform a family's piano stool. After peeling back the very dusty 100-year-old upholstery, Will addresses the missing sections of ornate, wooden carving and Sonnaz renews the seat pad and cover. And silversmith Brenton West comes to the rescue of a pair of art deco statuettes that miraculously survived the Blitz. Brenton carefully preserves these beautiful pieces of history.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Resident clock expert Steve Fletcher restores an 18th-century wall clock that is a much-loved heirloom from the owner's grandfather. It hasn't ticked for five years - will Steve get the clock to work again?Caner Rachael South restores a beautiful wicker cradle that has been in use for generations. With a new addition to the family on the way the owner hopes to be able to pass this on to her grandchild and keep the heirloom alive. Meanwhile, Brenton West fixes a much-loved powder compact, made in the shape of a piano. Toy restorers Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch add the finishing touch with a new, hand-sewn pink powder pouf.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Art conservator Lucia Scalisi has to draw on all of her 30 years of experience to repair a much-loved landscape that has been left hanging together by a few threads of canvas after a house move mishap.Clockwork expert Steve Fletcher brings back many happy childhood memories as he gets a treasured clockwork toy car back on the road. And ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay tackles a porcelain Chinese guard dog damaged after a run-in with a real canine interloper.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Resident clock expert Steven Fletcher is in receipt of an unusual timepiece - a statue of a barmaid holding a swinging pendulum clock dial. These clocks are known for being temperamental but with a good clean and a few replacement parts, Steve has it swinging once more.Silversmith Brenton West is tasked with restoring a precious hand mirror that has lost its glass, incurred numerous dents and several features have worn away. Brenton sets about replacing them and uses some old tricks of the trade to bring the treasure back to life. And specialist mid-century furniture restorer Graeme Mancha overhauls an iconic piece of contemporary furniture - an Eames chair. The chair arrived snapped in two but after hours of careful repair and rejuvenation, it leaves looking as good as it did in the swinging 60s.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Resident clock expert Steven Fletcher and ceramics conservator Kirsten Ramsay toil on a fragile 19th-century clock. Several of the porcelain details were broken off when the clock took a tumble several years ago but with Steve's mind for mechanisms and Kirsten's eye for detail, the pair soon have it looking and sounding as good as new.Saddle maker Suzie Fletcher answers a mayday call from a young man who wants to surprise his father by having a WW2 pilot's bomber jacket restored. The ripped and weathered jacket was worn by his grandfather while serving in the RAF's Coastguard Command, protecting our home coast from attack. Suzie rises to the challenge and carefully restores this important piece of history, much to the delight of the family. Meanwhile, antique type writer restorer George Blackman completely dismantles and rebuilds a type writer with impressive military and royal connections.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Furniture restorer William Kirk takes on a cherished family rocking horse that is in desperate need of some TLC. The paint work and plaster is flaking away and the leather work is tattered and torn, but saddler maker Suzie Fletcher is on hand. Together they do a beautiful job and return the rocking horse to the delight of the family.Ceramics conservator Kirsten Ramsay works wonders on a Royal Doulton plaque. The plaque was broken in two during a house move 57 years ago and has remained hidden in a drawer ever since. It is a tricky fix but Kirsten does the owner proud and the plaque canonce again be displayed with the others from the trio. And resident antique photography expert Brenton West is very pleased to be working on a Victorian stereoscopic viewer. These were a popular form of entertainment for Victorians and make images appear in 3D for the viewer.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Leather expert Suzie Fletcher, alongside upholsterer Sonnaz Nooranvary, restore a badly damaged suspended chair from the 1960s, known as a 'leaf chair'. A gift from his grandmother, the owner is keen to hang it in his flat and relive his childhood memories of happy times. Its distinctive shape and design prove to be quite the challenge for Suzie and Sonnaz but with a little ingenuity and team work, the two restore the chair beautifully.Blacksmith conservator Matthew Boultwood comes to the rescue of a 30-kilo cast iron statue of the Roman God Hercules. It took pride of place in a town's Heritage Centre, until an unfortunate accident meant he lost his club, but using a clever repair technique Matthew saves the day. And wood restorer Will Kirk takes on an interesting smokers' stand, which belonged to the owner's pipe-smoking grandfather. It has lost a leg and several pieces are missing but, with the help of restorer Steven Fletcher, the stand is returned to its former glory.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Ceramics conservator Kirsten Ramsay takes on a very rare Royal Doulton figurine of a First World War soldier, once owned by the last master pottery thrower of the Doulton factory. Now the pride and joy of his grandson, the soldier has been through the wars - a fall several years ago knocked off his head. But before Kirsten can start her repair she must undo a previous fix, allegedly done with glue made from egg white.Resident horologist Steven Fletcher and furniture restorer Will Kirk combine their skills to piece back together a small long case clock, which arrives with three sisters in three separate pieces. And silversmith Brenton West tackles a treasured magnifying glass, once used for picking winners from the paper.

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.Ceramic conservator Kirsten Ramsay carefully restores a cherished but chipped piece of 1960s pottery, but with pieces missing and a highly polished finish to mimic, Kirsten has her work cut out.Furniture restorer Will Kirk takes on an army officer's military campaign chest that has literally been through the wars. Battle scared after two hundred years travelling across the world with the British Army, it is being restored as a surprise for its current owner, the fourth generation of the same family to own the chest.And traditional upholstery and caning experts Sonnaz Nooranvary and Rachael South take a two-pronged attack in reviving a pair of chairs originally from Holland, and one of the last links to owner Cecile's Dutch heritage.