The Repair Shop returns for a 13th series tonight on BBC One at 8pm.
The new series will see the team tackle a fire station painting, a Roald Dahl gate, a World War II code-breaking cookbook and a pair of cowboy boots connected to Elton John.
Ahead of the new series, some of the programme’s experts spoke to the BBC about the most challenging fixes they have had to make on the show since it began.
From a chair once sat in by John F. Kennedy to a clock belonging to King Charles, read on below as MailOnline takes a look at some of the most intriguing challenges the experts have faced over the course of the show…
From a chair once sat in by John F. Kennedy to a clock belonging to King Charles, read on below as MailOnline takes a look at some of the most intriguing challenges seen on the show
Suzie Fletcher
Suzie was in the process of moving back from America to the UK when the first episode of The Repair Shop came out in 2017
Suzie was in the process of moving back from America to the UK when the first episode of The Repair Shop came out in 2017.
Her brother, Steve, had already been working on the show since its inception and says she applied to join the program after speaking to Steve, and was subsequently persuaded to join the team.
Revealing the item she found most difficult throughout her time on the show, Suzie said that she had trouble mending a badly-damaged small shoe.
Speaking about the item, she said: ‘I wasn’t actually sure if I was going to be able to get it in shape again, because it could so easily go wrong and I had lots of sleepless nights over that.
‘[Fellow presenter Will Kirk] actually made a little wooden form to hold the shoe on which helped me do this wonderful repair very carefully and ended up even surprising myself.’
Dominic Chinea
A metal expert who has specialised in fixing classic cars, Dominic (left) was originally involved as a prop maker and set designer for the show, creating its sign
A metal expert who has specialised in fixing classic cars, Dominic was originally involved as a prop maker and set designer for the show, creating its sign.
After TV crew found some items that were rusty and needed metalwork, he was offered the position as a metalwork expert on the show.
Dominic did not pick out one particular item that he found more challenging to fix than any other, saying that ‘99% of the things that come through here are really challenging to fix because they’ve been broken for so long’.
He added: ‘A lot of the things that we work on are particularly bad. And the memories that the family have got with the item and the emotional significance makes it even more difficult.
‘It’s so important to tread carefully with each repair, for example, the flakes of paint that are left and the scratches become so precious.’
Steve Fletcher
A horologist, Steve is a third-generation clock maker who has plied his trade in the industry after studying at college in Hackney
A horologist, Steve is a third-generation clock maker who has plied his trade in the industry after studying at college in Hackney.
He was drafted in on the show as a specialist clock maker just days after the Repair Shop Experts team had found a YouTube film he had made.
He says one of the most difficult items for him to mend was a clock given to him by King Charles, when he was serving as the Prince of Wales.
Speaking about the item, Steve remarked: ‘It had been in the hands of so many clock makers and I had to work a way round of getting it going, which was really difficult and huge pressure.’
Sonnaz Nooranvary
After dropping out of college to undertake an apprenticeship Upholstery and subsequently starting her own business, Sonnaz (right) received an unexpected phone call to join the show
After dropping out of college to undertake an apprenticeship Upholstery and subsequently starting her own business, Sonnaz received an unexpected phone call from the show’s production team inviting her to join the show.
Having been a regular part of the show since 2018, Sonnaz has had a number of important items to mend.
Her most challenging, she says, was a chair in which former US President John F. Kennedy once sat.
Revealing she was stuck over whether she should repair or conserve the item due to its storied past, she said: ‘I didn’t know how far to go with it, whether to repair it or conserve it and so due to its historic relevance I conducted a conservation approach.’
‘I found that knowing where that line was between making it stable and conserving it was a really challenging part of that fix.’
Kirsten Ramsay
Having trained as a visual merchandiser, Kirsten worked in the industry for several years before an opportunity in ceramics came along
Having trained as a visual merchandiser, Kirsten worked in the industry for several years before an opportunity in ceramics came courtesy of a tutor on a ceramic restoration course she attended.
The tutor, who worked at the British Museum as a ceramics conservator, inspired her to retrain – and she took a Ceramic Conservation course at West Dean College, West Sussex.
Commenting on the most difficult item she had to fix on The Repair Shop Experts, she said she had trouble with a severely damaged alabaster lampshade.
Kirsten said: ‘It was a tricky fix because it was hoped that it could be used once again as a light, it needed to retain its translucency once bonded and filled.
‘It was in so many pieces that had been left out in the garden in the snow and the rain sustaining further damage from the elements.
‘I had to somehow get those pieces back together and make a repair that was safe and not going to fall apart onto someone’s head but also function as a lampshade again.’
Angelina Bakalarou
After studying Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Angela (left) later completed a Master’s in Conservation of Art on Paper
After studying Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Angela later completed a Master’s in Conservation of Art on Paper having moved to London.
Angela joined the show after receiving an email from a member of the production team asking whether she would like to become an expert on the show, eventually joining the team in 2023.
She says her most difficult item to repair was a 3D helmet, as she had never worked on a 3D object before in her career
Recalling the item in question, she said: ‘That was like a massive thing where I had to think outside the box and think of different approaches of how to fix something that fits on someone’s head. So that was quite challenging.
Brenton West
Brenton gained a place at a top silversmithing college and later completed a photography degree
Brenton gained a place at a top silversmithing college and later completed a photography degree, allowing him to also specialise in the restoration of vintage cameras.
He joined the show after doing an initial camera repair, followed by a metalwork job for the show’s wood expert William Kirk – which the latter requested to be filmed – and has been a familiar face ever since.
Commenting on the trickiest item he has ever had to mend, Brenton recounted a touching tale of a garden ornament.
He stated: ‘Very recently I repaired a little garden bee ornament which belonged to a young man who has now sadly passed away. He had given his grandfather this bee, so it was a very emotional fix.
‘It was also challenging, knowing how important the item was, so that really sticks in my mind.’
