The Repair Shop
The Repair Shop is a British daytime and primetime television show made by production company Ricochet that aired on BBC Two for series 1 to 3 and on BBC One for series 4 onwards, in which family heirlooms are restored for their owners by numerous experts with a broad range of specialisms. Furniture restorer Jay Blades acts as the foreman.
The Repair Shop | |
---|---|
Genre | Factual |
Directed by | Ben Borland |
Creative director | Katy Thorogood |
Starring | Jay Blades Will Kirk Steve Fletcher Dominic Chinea Suzie Fletcher Sonnaz Nooranvary Amanda Middleditch Kirsten Ramsay Lucia Scalisi Tim Weeks Julie Tatchell Brenton West |
Narrated by | Bill Paterson (Series 1, 5–present) Robert Pugh (Series 2–4) |
Theme music composer | Ian Livingstone |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 12 |
No. of episodes | 284 (as of 20 October 2023) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Carla-Maria Lawson Emma Walsh Hannah Lamb |
Producers | Helen Page Tanveer Bari Siân Bantock Alex Raw |
Production location | Weald and Downland Living Museum[1] |
Cinematography | Neil Kent |
Editors | Hal Watmough Shelley Hamilton-Smith Tracey Ashcroft Clare Childs Ant Hayes |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 30 minutes (Series 1) 45 minutes (Series 2-5, 7, 9 & 11) 60 minutes (Series 6, 8, 10 & 12) |
Production company | Ricochet |
Release | |
Original network | BBC Two BBC One |
Original release | 27 March 2017 – present |
Theme
Each episode follows professional craftspeople from around the country who restore family heirlooms that have sentimental value for their owners.[2] Heirlooms are found mostly through social media, and their owners are not charged for the restorations.[3]
Viewers find out about the emotional family stories and events behind the pieces, before enjoying the sight of the technical skills and progress used to bring the pieces back to looking more cared for and in working order.
Episodes
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 15 | 27 March 2017 | 16 December 2017 | |
2 | 15 | 12 March 2018 | 30 March 2018 | |
3 | 15 | 13 August 2018 | 19 September 2018 | |
4 | 30 | 1 April 2019 | 10 May 2019 | |
5 | 40 | 18 November 2019 | 2 October 2020 | |
6 | 14 | 7 October 2020 | 10 March 2021 | |
7 | 40 | 15 March 2021 | 26 November 2021 | |
8 | 14 | 21 April 2021 | 26 January 2022 | |
9 | 40 | 29 December 2021 1 | 18 November 2022 2 | |
10 | 14 | 11 May 2022 2 | 5 October 2022 2 | |
11 | 40 | 2 January 2023 | 20 October 2023 3 | |
12 | 14 | 22 March 2023 3 | TBC in Nov, Dec 2023 or Jan 2024 3 |
^Note 1 : An episode billed as "Series 9, Episode 1" aired as a one-off on 29 December 2021. However, Series 9 did not officially start until 14 March 2022 with a different Episode 1, and the previously aired episode is scheduled to repeat in this run as Episodes 6 or 20.
^Note 2 : Series 10 officially started 11 May 2022 half way through Series 9 and had ended 5 October 2022 before 20 more episodes were commissioned for Series 9.
^Note 3 : Series 12 officially started 22 March 2023 half way through Series 11 despite 20 more episodes were commissioned. However "Series 11, Episodes 21 to 30" aired from 21 August to 1 September 2023 before commissioning 10 more episodes running between 9 and 20 October 2023, then "Series 12, Episodes 9 to 11" aired on 13, 20 and 27 September 2023 before commissioning 3 more episodes and Series 12 does not officially end until after series 11 ends.
The Repair Shop at Christmas
Several Christmas-themed special episodes with the exception of The Repair Shop at Christmas 2018 have been produced:
Year | Transmission date |
---|---|
2017 | 19 December 2017 |
2018 | Cancelled due to unfinished filming |
2019 | 29 December 2019 |
2020 | 26 December 2020 |
2021 | 24 December 2021 |
2022 | 26 December 2022 |
2023 | TBC in December 2023 |
Notable artists
Episode 5 of series 1 featured a painted ceramic jug made by Picasso contemporary Jean Lurçat.[4][5]
Episode 12 of series 1 featured a painting by British landscape artist Frederick Appleyard. Brought in by Appleyard's descendant —his great-grand-nephew— the heavily damaged painting was restored by Lucia Scalisi.[6]
In episode 16 of the same series, she restored an oil portrait by C. J. Frost, at the request of its owner, the sitter's son.[7]
In series 4, episode 22, a miniature by Sarah Biffen was restored, by Scalisi and paper conservator Louise Drover.[8]
Notable guests
In October 2022, King Charles III (then still the Prince of Wales) starred in an episode in which a piece of pottery made for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and an 18th-century clock were restored by the show's experts.[9] Jay Blades, Steve Fletcher, his son Fred, Kirsten Ramsay and Will Kirk were featured.[10][11]
Filming
The Repair Shop is filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, West Sussex. The Court Barn is the principal setting, though some repairs are carried out in the Victorian smithy and nearby wagon shed.[1]
Experts
Regular
- Jay Blades, furniture restorer and foreman
- Dominic ('Dom') Chinea, metal worker and signs restorer[12]
- Steven ('Steve') Fletcher (brother of Suzie), clock restorer[13]
- Suzie Fletcher (sister of Steve), leather worker, saddle maker[14][15]
- Will Kirk, carpenter and cabinet-maker[16]
- Sonnaz Nooranvary, upholstery restorer[16]
- Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell, soft toy restorers, known as the "Bear Ladies"[17][18]
- Kirsten Ramsay, Sussex-based ceramics conservator[13]
- Lucia Scalisi, painting conservator[13][19]
- Brenton West, silversmith[20] and antique photography specialist[21]
Guest and semi-regular experts
- Mark Stuckey, electronics, radio and electrical restorer
- Stuart Black, firefighting historian[22]
- George Blackman, antique typewriter restorer[23]
- Matthew Boultwood, blacksmith[17]
- John Dilworth, violin restorer[24]
- Louise Drover, paper conservator[25]
- Neil Fairley, vintage electronics repairer[26]
- Catherine Guilder, historian[27]
- Tim Gunn, bicycle restorer
- Geoff Harvey, pinball and arcade machine restorer[28]
- Sarah Hatton, willow artist
- Stephen Kember, music box specialist[29]
- Pete Woods, percussion and musical instrument repairer
- Sara Dennis, embroidery specialist
- David Kennett, luthier, guitar restorer
- Graham Mancha, furniture restorer[30]
- Matthew Nickels, stained-glass worker[12]
- Guillaume Pons, ceramics restorer[31]
- Laurence Richardson, jukebox restorer[32]
- Richard Rigby, antique projector specialist[33]
- Greg Rowland, wheelwright
- Joujou Saad and Walid Saad, antique typewriter restorers, known as "Mr & Mrs Vintage Typewriters"[34]
- Christopher Shaw, book-binder[35]
- Alastair Simms, master cooper[27]
- Kaviraj Singh, sitar restorer
- Rachael South, London-based furniture caner[36]
- Richard Talman, master goldsmith[29]
- Roger Thomas, accordion specialist[37]
- Julyan Wallis, luthier[38]
- Tim Weeks, gramophone specialist[16]
- Hannah Weston Smith, Traditional Upholsterer
- Dean Westmoreland, cobbler, shoe repairer
- David Burville, organ restorer, toy repairer
- Blue MacMurchie and John MacMurchie, bagpipes restorers, known as the "MacMurchie Bagpipe Brothers"
- Jayesh Vaghela, hatter[39]
- Kouresh Kouchakpour, luthier[40]
- Nigel Robinson, electronics engineer[41]
Merchandise
Home media
DVD releases of the series are released by Dazzler Media under license from Warner Bros.
On 25 June 2018, a DVD release of The Complete Series 1 and 2017 Christmas Special was released on a two-disc DVD set. A DVD release of Series Two was released on 7 October 2019. A DVD of Series 3 was released in March 2020, Series 4 was released as a two-disc set in March 2021, and Series 5 was released as a two-disc set in November 2021.
Books
On 25 July 2019, a do-it-yourself hardback book was released, entitled The Repair Shop: A Make Do and Mend Handbook, published by BBC Books.[42]
The Repair Shop: Tales from the Workshop of Dreams was published by BBC Books on 5 November 2020.[43]
Reception
In 2019, The Repair Shop received a nomination for a Rose d'Or in the Reality and Factual Entertainment category.[44] After moving to prime time for Series 6 in March 2020, it was watched by 6.7 million people.[45]
In 2023 the show won a National Television Award in the daytime programme category.[46]
International versions
An Australian version of the show, The Repair Shop Australia, debuted on Lifestyle on 3 May 2022. It is hosted by Dean Ipaviz, a builder and carpenter, and features six repairers.[47]
A Dutch version of the show, The Repair Shop, debuted on RTL 4 on September 2, 2019.[48][49][50] It was hosted by Humberto Tan, a radio and TV presenter, sports journalist, and writer, and lasted one season.[51]
References
- "The Repair Shop Filmed at Museum". 27 March 2017.
- "Last night's TV: 'The Repair Shop' (BBC2)". Independent.co.uk. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022.
- "Does The Repair Shop actually exist?". Radio Times. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- Wylie, Alice; Walsh, Emma; Vernon, George (31 March 2017), Episode #1.5, The Repair Shop, retrieved 24 January 2022
- "BBC One - The Repair Shop, Series 1, Episode 5". BBC. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- "Episode 12". The Repair Shop. Series 1. Episode 12. 25 September 2019. BBC Television. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- "Episode 16". The Repair Shop. Series 4. Episode 16. 21 August 2019. BBC Television. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- "Episode 22". The Repair Shop. Series 4. Episode 22. 3 September 2019. BBC Television. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- "King Charles to star in The Repair Shop for BBC's centenary". BBC News. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- Barr, Sabrina (27 October 2022). "The Repair Shops' Jay Blades defends 'breaking royal protocol' with King Charles". Metro.
- Daly, Charlotte (27 October 2022). "Social media goes wild for King Charles III's presenting skills on The Repair Shop". Country Living.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 2, Episode 8)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Media Centre - The Repair Shop". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 3, Episode 13)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 3, Episode 4)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 2, Episode 11)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 2, Episode 10)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- Smith, Sandra (25 August 2020). "Meet Julie Tatchel and Amanda Middleditch, the Bear Ladies from BBC's T..." Great British Life.
- "Lucia Scalisi - Conservator of Easel Paintings". Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 3, Episode 14)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 3, Episode 12)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 1, Episode 4)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 3, Episode 11)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 2, Episode 1)". 5 March 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- "BBC Repair Shop Series 7 Episode 7". Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 1, Episode 3)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 3, Episode 1)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 1, Episode 14)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 3, Episode 3)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 3, Episode 10)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 1, Episode 10)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 1, Episode 8)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 1, Episode 2)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC One - The Repair Shop, Series 4, Episode 14". BBC.
- "Entertainment Daily web-site". 21 January 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- Emily Tobin. "Behind closed doors". House & Garden. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "BBC Two - The Repair Shop (Series 1, Episode 1)". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "The Repair Shop, Series 5, Episode 33". Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- "The Repair Shop, Series 7, Episode 18". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- "The Repair Shop, Series 8, Episode 10". Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- "The Repair shop, Series 10, Episode 11". Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- Farrington, Karen (25 July 2019). The Repair Shop: A Make Do and Mend Handbook. BBC Books. ISBN 978-1785944604.
- Farrington, Karen (5 November 2020). The Repair Shop: Tales from the Workshop of Dreams. BBC Books. ISBN 978-1785946523.
- Knox, David (7 November 2019). "Rose D'Or Awards 2019: nominees". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- Ian Youngs (1 April 2020). "Jay Blades: From repairing lives to hosting TV hit The Repair Shop". BBC News. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- "Happy Valley: Sarah Lancashire wins big at National Television Awards". BBC News. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- "The Repair Shop Australia to launch May 3rd on Foxtel". Mediaweek. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- The Repair Shop • Geef je op voor The Repair Shop (in Dutch), 6 May 2019, retrieved 29 December 2022
- "WarnerBros.com | RTL 4 Netherlands to Open Up "The Repair Shop" | Press Releases". www.warnerbros.com. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- "RTL | Verhalen en vakmanschap in 'The Repair Shop'". www.rtl.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- The Repair Shop | RTL4 | Leader, retrieved 29 December 2022