Welcome to The Repair Shop!
We visit the barn where beloved objects are given a new lease of life
Gravel crunches under my feet as I walk down the path, the sound of hammering rings out in the damp morning air, and then I see the glow of lights from that famous sign. The big wooden barn doors open and there’s Jay Blades welcoming me in. ‘Come and join the family,’ he says with a smile, and I feel a warm glow of happiness. I am one of 6.5m viewers who tune in every week to BBC One’s The Repair Shop and, for one magical day, I’ve been invited to go behind the scenes and find out just what makes this show so special…
Walking into the barn, I see Suzie Fletcher buffing some leather, Will Kirk gently sanding wood and The Bear
The barn is late 17th century and originally from a farm in Hampshire
Ladies busily stitching teddy bears. ‘There’s nothing we can’t repair,’ says ‘foreman’ Jay, proudly.
The barn is where the crafting experts spend hours of painstaking work fixing objects brought in by members of the public that may have been left in an attic for years or forgotten about in a garden. Jay explains the appeal of the show is simple. ‘It’s about community, love and items from a bygone era,’ he says. ‘As soon as someone starts telling the story and the memories they have, you can’t help but get emotional.’
Jay confesses to having a ‘little tear inside’ every now and again but feels it’s important to stay on track. ‘I have to keep the narrative going,’ he says, but admits the stories of Albert with his transistor radio, and widower Geoff with his jukebox, did catch him off-guard.
‘Geoff and his wife used to dance together to Moonlight Serenade on the jukebox,’ he recalls. ‘I always get more emotional when men show their feelings because they don’t do that, especially in front of camera, but I think we men
should be showing the love we have for people more.’
Producer Siân Bantock describes Jay as ‘the glue’ that holds them all together. ‘You can’t have a bad day around Jay,’ she says.
The crew films five days a week, staying at local hotels around the area.
‘This lot are my second family,’ says Jay. ‘I spend more time here than at my real home.’ They have a Whatsapp group and, thanks to metal expert Dom Chinea’s organising, often have nights out together in country pubs. ‘Although, obviously, there have been fewer of them recently,’ says Dom.
Filming starts at 8.30am. A catering company provides lunch but snacks during the day are a must. ‘Jay loves his snacks,’ says Siân. ‘We always have tea cakes for him.’ With 100 teas and coffees drunk by the cast each day, it’s clear The Repair Shop is fuelled by love and simple comforts. ‘When you get here, you just relax,’ Jay smiles.
SUZIE FLETCHER discovered her love of leather as a child, making saddles for her toy Sindy horse. Dyslexic, she struggled at school, but with a passion for ponies, went on to train as a Master Saddler. ‘I was an awkward, geeky child but I realised this was what I wanted to do,’ she explains. She joined The Repair Shop thanks to her brother Steve (the clock repairer). ‘I was living in the States but was in the process of moving back as I’d lost my husband, and I said to Steve, if ever The Repair Shop want someone who works with leather… and he just ran with it. I was scared but Steve said everyone’s so friendly, and within half an hour of walking in, I felt the warmth and thought, “Yes, I can do this.”’
Over at The Bear Ladies’ bench, JULIE TATCHELL (far left) and AMANDA MIDDLEDITCH are busy. They’ve been friends since Amanda arrived at Julie’s teddy bear shop in the New Forest with a basket of bears she’d made and wanted to sell. ‘We just hit it off,’ says Julie. Amanda owns more than 100 teddies. ‘My husband has put up a shelf around our bedroom for them,’ she says. The best friends repair with love, careful not to lose the toy’s individuality. ‘Each of the bears has its own little expression… if the top of the nose is missing, it’s because it’s been kissed so much,’ says Amanda. They talk about the ‘healing’ that people receive, from handing the bear over to collecting it. ‘It’s brought back memories and they’ve sort of had a journey in that time,’ says Amanda. With that, The Bear Ladies turn back to their stitching, ready to heal more lives.
Watching WILL KIRK work, his love of restoring wood shines through. ‘It’s the chance to save something that could otherwise end up in the bin,’ he says. His interest began as a boy, watching his grandfather in his workshop. ‘He restored antique furniture and I’d go and see him,’ he explains. ‘He’s really proud of me now.’ As one of the younger members of the team, Will is inspiring a generation. ‘I get loads of emails from younger people wanting to try their hands at restoration,’ he says. ‘There is a great need for apprenticeships and for getting them into furniture restoration. I’m really passionate about that.’ I hint that perhaps Will doesn’t just get emails from younger people, but also fan mail from female viewers. He smiles coyly. ‘Maybe the occasional email.’
On the shelf behind Will’s desk, I spy a knitted hedgehog. ‘That’s a Prima hedgehog,’ I say, recognising the pattern. I explain how Prima readers knitted hundreds of hedgehogs for a hedgehog charity. ‘I love hedgehogs,’ Will says, revealing he’s even made a ‘hedgehog hotel’ near the barn.
‘It’s got a flap so you can peek inside,’ he says. He got his Prima hedgehog from Kirsten, the show’s ceramics expert, who lives near the hedgehog charity. She also gave him a bigger hedgehog for his shelf. ‘But I took that one home,’ Will smiles.
DOM CHINEA is normally found in the open-sided Wagon Shed close to the barn but he’s now been given his own workshop for the winter. ‘Luckily I don’t feel the cold, but this place is great,’ he says, welcoming me into a small, stonefloored barn. Dom learned his love of tinkering from going to car boot sales as a child. ‘I got my first welder in my early teens for £5,’ he says. He developed a passion for working on classic cars, then went into set design – in fact, he made the now-iconic The Repair Shop sign and was invited on to the show after that. ‘I tend to surround myself with old things,’ he says. ‘I don’t know why, there’s just something about old spanners and hammers. It’s the romance of it.’
My time at The Repair Shop has come to an end and, with a heavy heart, I turn to leave, Jay’s words ringing in my ears: ‘Being at The Repair Shop is a real joy, it just lightens your spirits.’ His words couldn’t be more true.
• The Repair Shop airs on BBC One on Wednesdays at 8pm and on iplayer. Details of this year’s Christmas special to be announced shortly