Father and son team to feature in popular HISTORY tv series
A LOUGHBOROUGH father and son are to appear in a TV short series that follows the country’s best bladed weapon makers as they combine both craftsmanship and skilfulness to recreate some of history’s most iconic weaponry.
Josh (26) and Graham Burrell (62), will appear on the HISTORY channel in episode three of Forged in Britain - a three-minute short series inspired by the US show Forged in Fire.
The father and son duo, who run Exile Ironworks from a workshop located in Dishley Grange Farm, share a forge and specialise in woodworking axes and other traditional British edged tools.
Josh told the Echo: “We’re a general blacksmiths at the moment, making fabrications for people’s homes, fencing gates, garden furniture and things like that.
“I specialise in toolmaking and I’ve been involved in heritage restoration and conservations.
“I’ve always been interested in it as my mother is a goldsmith and my dad is a blacksmith, so toolmaking is kind of a bridge between the two.”
Josh told the Echo the production team came to the workshop and he demonstrated how to forge a traditional English carpenter axe.
He said: “I chose it as it demonstrates the depth of what I do. I made it in a whole day, it was a bit of a rush!
“Filming was an unusual thing to do but this is interesting and unusual.
“To specialise in what we do is rare, I think there are only four or five people in the UK that do this.”
Episode one of Forged in Britain premieres exclusively on HISTORY on Thursday, June 1 during the 9pm episode of Forged in Fire.
The episode featuring Josh and Graham will run on Thursday, June 15.
A HISTORY spokesman said: “With Britain’s long-established tradition of blacksmithing, HISTORY is proud to showcase the work and skill of UK forgers whose craftsmanship is every bit as impressive as their American counterparts.”